After that it was pretty much a blur of ecstasy. There were Honda N600’s that were so clean, if it was put next to your mother’s fine silverware, she would surely be ashamed. A couple of the custom-chopped CRX’s were also on display. These were some of the original few hundred standard CRX’s which were chopped by R. Straman Co. of Costa Mesa, California in the early 80’s.

On the Nissan/Datsun block, the SR-swapped Sports Roadsters definitely stole the show. In one of our favorites, a red-top S15 SR20DET was shoe-horned into the sub-2000lb roadster chassis. Considering the factory 2-liter naturally aspirated and carburated motor could already take it over 100mph, we could only imagine how quickly we would bury the needle with the updated Silvia motor.

Across the aisle from the Sports Roadsters were a impressive line dance of the Z-series Fairlady’s. Many of them with more curves and dressed in wheels with fatter lips than Angelina Jolie.

Although there weren’t as many spectators going far back into the field, most likely because Sevenstock was just the weekend before, Mazda really brought out the big toys. Many people don’t realize the heritage of Mazda’s racing programs both over seas and here in the States.

Down further from the Mazda’s were a “Ken and Mary” Skyline and it’s older brother the Box Skyline. Both very rare to find in pristine condition let alone any condition in the United States.

In the rest of the Toyota camp there were also some very well equipped Toyota Corolla’s ranging from the TE series to the later AE series. In addition some spectacular Celica’s and Supra’s, one of which was stuffed with a Cobra V8. Close by three generations of the Cressida came in sedans and wagons.

We know most of you are here for the pictures and quite frankly we’re surprised you even made it this far. We definitely saved the best for last though. At JCCS this year, Toyota brought out their trailer and spare no expense bringing along not one or two, but THREE 2000GT’s.

That ends our tour of the 5th Annual Japanese Classic Car Show. For those who weren’t there, you all definitely missed one hell of a show. We’ll keep you posted as soon as the official list of awards gets released.

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List of Awards and Winners:
5th Annual Japanese Classic Car Show – Irvine, CA – Oct. 3rd 2009

BEST OF JCCS
1st Place Kyle Ranauro
DATSUN/NISSAN 1959 1000 988cc
2nd Place Glenn Roberts
MAZDA 1967 COSMO SPORT 4M 2.6L
3rd Place Arnel ilog
MAZDA 1972 Rx-3 13brew Turbo

BEST JDM
1st Place Paul Bischoff
DATSUN/NISSAN 1971 Skyline rb25de
2nd Place Mikey Castillo
DATSUN/NISSAN 1971 Skyline L28
3rd Place Oliver Dienzo
TOYOTA 1972 Corolla 2tg

THE OLDEST JCCS
Frenchy Dehoux
TOYOTA 1958 CROWN 3RC

THE FARTHEST DRIVEN
Robert Gallagher
HONDA 1979 Accord B18C5A

BEST ORIGINAL CLASS
1st Place Kyle Ranauro
DATSUN/NISSAN 1959 1000 988cc
2nd Place Glenn Roberts
MAZDA 1964 R360 L24
3rd Place Richard Scharf
DATSUN/NISSAN 1970 240Z 2.4 Litre

BEST MODIFIED CLASS
1st Place James Standridge
DATSUN/NISSAN 1967 Fairlady Roadster SR20DET
2nd Place Eric Straw
DATSUN/NISSAN 1969 Fairlady Roadster SR20DET
3rd Place Jojo Rumbaoa
TOYOTA 1969 Corolla sprinter 2tg

BEST RACE CAR
1st Place Mario Castaneda
MAZDA 1971 R100 13B turbo

BEST WAGON
1st Place Run Calisch
TOYOTA 1978 Cressida I6, 2.6L
2nd Place Audrey Reese
DATSUN/NISSAN 1972 510 L20B-4cyl
3rd Place Martin Valle
DATSUN/NISSAN 1972 510 wagon SR20DET

BEST DATSUN- 240Z –
1st Place William Parks
DATSUN/NISSAN 1972 240z l28et
2nd Place Paul Ajari
DATSUN/NISSAN 1970 240Z L24
3rd Place Scott & Aggie Mount
DATSUN/NISSAN 1971 240Z Small Block Chevy

BEST DATSUN OTHER Z – 260Z-280Z, 280ZX, 300ZX
1st Place Brian Avery
DATSUN/NISSAN 1978 280z L28et
2nd Place Ron Sino-Cruz
DATSUN/NISSAN 1985 200zr rb20det
3rd Place Robert Heckendorf
DATSUN/NISSAN 1975 260Z Stock 2600cc

BEST DATSUN – 510 –
1st Place mark ritchie
DATSUN/NISSAN 1972 510 SR20DET Black Top
2nd Place Matt Gardella
DATSUN/NISSAN 1971 510 KA24DE-T
3rd Place Aole Espy
DATSUN/NISSAN 1969 510 KA24DE-T

BEST DATSUN – PICKUP-
1st Place Robert Laag
DATSUN/NISSAN 1974 620 L18
2nd Place Lawrence Keller
DATSUN/NISSAN 1972 620 LZ22
3rd Place David Krouse
DATSUN/NISSAN 1977 620 L-18

BEST DATSUN – ROADSTER- MODIFIED
1st Place James Standridge
DATSUN/NISSAN 1967 Fairlady Roadster SR20DET
2nd Place Eddie Wu
DATSUN/NISSAN 1966 Fairlady Roadster Nissan S15 SR20DE 2.0L I4
3rd Place Eric Straw
DATSUN/NISSAN 1969 Fairlady Roadster SR20DET

BEST DATSUN – ROADSTER- ORIGINAL sponsored by Deal’s Cosmetics
1st Place Chris Breyer
DATSUN/NISSAN 1966 Fairlady Roadster R16
2nd Place Ralph Rodheim
DATSUN/NISSAN 1967 Fairlady Roadster 1600
3rd Place Christine Rincon
DATSUN/NISSAN 1967 Fairlady Roadster 4 cylinder

BEST DATSUN – 1200-
1st Place Mark Duncan
DATSUN/NISSAN 1971 1200 Sunny A12
2nd Place David Gonzales
DATSUN/NISSAN 1974 1200 Sunny A14 1397cc
3rd Place Jose Serna
DATSUN/NISSAN 1973 1200 stock

BEST DATSUN – OTHER –
1st Place Kyle Ranauro
DATSUN/NISSAN 1959 1000 988cc
2nd Place David Chick
DATSUN/NISSAN 1970 1000 A10

BEST TOYOTA – CELICA/ SUPRA-
1st Place Steven Sego
TOYOTA 1977 Celica 2.2
2nd Place nestor rodriguez
TOYOTA 1985 Supra 6mge
3rd Place Irwin Aquino
TOYOTA 1972 Celica 18RG

BEST TOYOTA – COROLLA- PRE84
1st Place Oliver Dienzo
TOYOTA 1972 Corolla 2tg
2nd Place Erwin Lu
TOYOTA 1971 Corolla 3K Stock
3rd Place P.J Bonifacio
TOYOTA 1980 Corolla PJ

BEST TOYOTA -COROLLA AE86-
1st Place Oliver Sanchez
TOYOTA 1985 Corolla GTS 4AGE
2nd Place Dennis David
TOYOTA 1985 Corolla 4AG
3rd Place Dave Palacios
TOYOTA 1985 Corolla 4AGE

BEST TOYOTA – CRESSIDA –
1st Place Marvin David
TOYOTA 1979 Cressida stock
2nd Place Art Macabuhay
TOYOTA 1984 Cressida 5M-GE
3rd Place Edward Feliciano
TOYOTA 1978 Cressida .

BEST TOYOTA – OTHER –
1st Place Victor Rivilla
TOYOTA 1982 Starlet 4AGE 20V
2nd Place Oscar Ramos
TOYOTA 1967 LAND CRUISER stock
3rd Place Kirk Hubbard
TOYOTA 1974 Century 4VU HEMI V8

BEST MAZDA – RX2-
1st Place Carlos Radriguez
MAZDA 1973 RX-2 13B
2nd Place Edgar Sanchez
MAZDA 1973 RX-2 13B
3rd Place RENE GARAY
MAZDA 1972 RX-2 12A

BEST MAZDA – RX3-
1st Place Arnel ilog MAZDA
1972 Rx-3 13brew Turbo
2nd Place shingo konuma
MAZDA 1973 RX-3 13B
3rd Place Catherine Harrison-Smith
MAZDA 1974 RX-3 12A

BEST MAZDA – RX-7-
1st Place Juan Galindo
MAZDA 1985 RX-7 13B
2nd Place Jim Balderrama
MAZDA 1985 RX-7 13B
3rd Place Sergio Lopez
MAZDA 1979 RX-7 13B

BEST MAZDA – OTHER-
1st Place Glenn Roberts
MAZDA 1967 COSMO SPORT 4M 2.6L
2nd Place Esteban Rodoriguez
MAZDA 1972 R100 13B

BEST HONDA – PRE 1973 –
1st Place Dick Kartozian
HONDA 1970 N600 600cc air cooled
2nd Place Maurice Kleiman
HONDA 1970 N600 600 cc
3rd Place William Yee
HONDA 1970 N600 600cc

BEST HONDA – ‘74-’85 –
1st Place Ken Uk
HONDA 1975 Civic ED1 1500
2nd Place Scott King
HONDA 1979 Prelude original 1600
3rd Place Scott Ngov
HONDA 1979 Civic Wagon CVCC

BEST MITSUBISHI
1st Place James Dean Recto
MITSUBISHI 1978 Dodge Colt 4g32

As one of the first few Mazda’s to make it to the States, the RX-2 was highly differentiated by the Wankel rotary 12A engine. A startling fact is that on the other side of the Pacific, the RX-2 was originally offered as the rotary option to the Mazda Capella, more commonly known to us Americans as the Mazda 6-series. It was not until the car made it to this side of the Pacific that it was sold as the RX-series.

The 12A engine displaced a little more than 1.1-liters but made about 120hp and 115ft/lb of torque. In it’s day automotive sources compared it favorably against straight-6’s due to the smooth power range and impressive response. Unfortunately, that same engine was also notoriously plagued with reliability issues. Failed seals, o-rings and worn out rotor tips caused many of the vehicles to be scrapped before they really had a chance. But don’t tell that to Andy who’s had his RX-2 comfortably cruising the roads since 1972.

Andy’s RX-2 is all original from chrome bumper to chrome bumper and he has begun his full restoration, beginning with the exterior of the car. Even after 35 years, the original paint still radiates after a quick buff and shine. The chrome trim pieces were in all the right places and the only modification thus far is the Puerto Rican flag flown proudly on his dashboard.

For the feature, we met him near the warehouse district of the city and after some light sprinkling from the mixture of clouds looming overhead, we headed down to the riverside of the Minneapolis / St. Paul border for a quick run through the curves. Although start-up on these old rotaries are can be a little bit rough especially in such a quick change in weather, the little RX-2 breathed quite well through the carburetors after a good warm-up.

The RX-2 had no problems quickly dancing through each bend with it’s continual smooth purring through all each of the four gears. Unfortunately the fun had to come to an end as the rain started really pouring and Andy became concerned that more harsh weather was on it’s way. (To give him credit, our photography equipment was also a concern.)

In that quick run through the city, we had a chance to feel how exhilarating it must have been to be on the forefront of a revolution in engine technology. As the first platform for the Wankel rotary engines to be widely raced, the RX-2 was the bridge between the first mass-produced Wankel-powered Cosmo Sport and the highly successful, smaller and sportier, RX-3. Back in the early 1970’s, the RX-2 lead some heavy battles against the Skyline GT-R and the 12A engine went on to enable the RX-3 to prevent the GT-R from winning 50 consecutive Japanese Grand Prix races.

On the international front, Mazda has also proven rotary technology to be highly successful being the first team from Japan to have finished the entire 24-hours of the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race in 1974. Almost twenty years later, in 1991, Mazda further ingrained their rotary technology as reliable and fast as it took the 787B 2.6-liter (rated 4.7-liters by the FIA formula) to claim victory, overtaking Mercedes within the final three hours of the race. To date, Mazda still holds the dual title of the only non-piston powered race car and first and only Japanese manufacturer to ever win Le Mans. The following year, the rules were changed to effectively ban Mazda from entering Le Mans with rotary technology.

Although RX-2’s are quite rare to find these days, it is still possible to get rotary-power in the latest rendition of the RX-series. Mazda continues to be the only car manufacturer that mass-produces vehicles with the Wankel rotary engine. State-side, it all started with the Capella RX-2.

Rumors are floating around that Mazda is looking to introduce a new RX-series in 2010. Will it really happen? No one knows for sure yet… But from what we have heard, keep your eyes on the Tokyo Auto Salon 2010.

Nothing symbolizes the coming of summer like a convertible cruising in the warm breeze with the radio playing a good oldies tune. With that in mind, let’s take a look back on some of the greatest classic convertibles to come from Japan as we count down our top 5 Japanese classic convertibles.

In the 1970’s, there was a period of time when rollover safety standards robbed Americans of opportunities for true fun-in-the-sun. The fact that Datsun did not manufacture convertibles did little to sway our rebellious nature and convertibles were not out of hands reach for long. Being one of the most popular Japanese sports cars of all time, there were many Z-coupes that undertook the surgery to become Z-roadsters.

A decade later in the 1980’s although convertibles were on the rise again, the market was still not strong enough for Toyota to produce convertibles from the factory so they authorized Griffith to modify production coupes. However, the Toyota Celica Sunchaser was not just a standard Celica coupe with the top chopped. The Sunchaser was a unique convertible in the sense that it was a targa top (removable hard top) and it had the more recognizable rag top. The targa style roof spanned from the top of the windshield to the B-pillar and the cloth style convertible top was collapsible from the b-pillar back. When the targa was off and the top was down, it resembled that of a dune buggy with it’s B-pillar roll bar.

The Sunchaser was originally given the 2.2 liter 20R engine producing only about 90 horsepower, but in ’81 was upgraded to the 22R which was essentially the 20R bored out to 2.4 liters. There were only approximately 2000 produced, each one individually numbered in the glovebox, so these cars are a rare find especially in pristine condition.

Refurbishing a Sunchaser can be a daunting task, but the good news is that they share mechanical parts with standard Celica coupes and convertible, hardware may be found from a few specialty shops. In the end of things, a restored Sunchaser is still a real head turner especially since most of them came with a bright red paint job.

(Note that full convertibles without the Sunchaser’s B-pillar may also come to the marketplace from time to time, but they were not factory authorized conversions from Griffith.)

The Nissan Fairlady (marketed as the Datsun Sports here in the states), the predecessor to the Z series of cars, was specifically intended for the US market and marketed in competition to the MG and Triumph sport convertibles. Historically, it started in 1959 with the S211 which used a 988cc 36hp model, of which only about 20 were actually built. The SPL212 Fairlady 1200 was introduced a year later as the first Datsun sports car in the US. It was powered by a 1.2 liter engine with 47hp and a 4-speed manual transmission.

Honda’s entry into the automotive production world was marked in 1963 by the S500, Honda’s first production car. (In that same year, Honda also entered Formula 1 racing with a 1.5 liter V12 engine and chassis which went on to win its first race in 1965.) It featured an evolved half-liter engine from Honda’s motorcycle heritage which had four Keihin side-draft carburetors and a 9,500rpm redline, outputting 44hp. The driveline utilized a 4-speed standard transmission which drove the rear wheels through a set of chains. The S-series had four-wheel independent suspension with torsion bars and coilover shocks which were ground-breaking at the time. At $1,275 it was available with an optional fiberglass hardtop, but only in Japanese market.

A year later at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1965, the S800 replaced the former. Equipped with a 791cc engine, it topped out at around 70 hp which doesn’t seem like much these days, but it let the little roadster up to triple-digit speeds. It was plenty of power to do the job for cruising on a hot Sunday with the top down.

First seen as a prototype at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show, the Toyota 2000GT was put into production in 1967. The cars came off of the production line as a hard top coupe and were unavailable to the general public as anything else. Altogether, there were about 350 of these built and two were special convertibles made exclusively for the James Bond film “You Only Live Twice.”

Powered by a 2.0 liter straight six that was designed together by Yamaha and Toyota, the 2000GT sported three Mikuni-Solex side-draft carburetors to breathe easily while it smoothly churned out 150 hp at 6,600rpm with another 400 left before redline. With a curb weight of 2,400 lbs, the 2000GT had a admirable 49/51 weight distribution and superb handling abilities.

Considered one of the highest collectible Japanese cars, most people will never have the privilege to be able to ride in it with the top down. One of the convertibles is in the Toyota Museum in Japan and the other is rumored to have been long misplaced, most likely in some private collector’s underground sanctuary. (A third replica which was originally a coupe is on display at “The Cars of the Stars Museum” in the James Bond section.) For the rest of us, we’ll have to wait in line for the Miata or 240Z replicas. The 2000GT ranks at number one on our list of convertibles due to it’s status as the most desired, most rare and most untouchable Japanese classic.

It is obvious that there are many more Japanese convertibles that are not covered here. We also decided not to include any targa and t-top models for the sake of simplicity.

At the time, the Corolla GTS with it’s 1.6 liter 4AGE, DOHC 16 valves and employing Toyota’s new T-VIS technology was a radical engine in a modest chassis. It did not take long for Toyota to put it to good use in circuit and rally racing. The combination of ease of tuning, accessible performance parts from TRD, and a lightweight chassis made the Corolla GTS a formidable opponent in many forms of racing.

Because of it’s racing heritage, it has now become the most in-demand Japanese classic car in the world. It’s cult-like status comes from not only Toyota-backed racing, but also the overwhelming successes in Japanese street racing, touge or mountain-pass racing, and circuit racing. It is the weapon of choice for many serious competitors both on and off the race track.

With such a rich history of racing, you can understand why I was blown away when I first laid eyes on this gem almost a decade ago. It was owned and operated by Peter ‘Rabbit’ Vang who had modified the car with all intentions to autocross. Keep in mind that back in the early 2000’s there were no outlets to drift. Most people who were serious about motorsports were out there drag racing, trying to push their all-motors Civics or nitrous injected, turbocharged Supras to the limitations of straight-line racing.

To maximize the AE86’s abilities on the autocross course, Tokico HTS 45 way adjustable dampers were matched up with Ground Control coil-overs up front and TRD Japan 8-way adjustable shocks were matched up with TRD Japan springs in the rear. Battle Version 30mm roll center adapters and Battle Version pan hard rod were also added to keep suspension geometry in check and control rear solid axle movement, respectively. A factory LSD unit in the rear also keeps the AE86 in traction.

Basic bolt-on modifications were added to increase the efficiency of the 4AGE. An intake system was added to draw in more air and TRD headers help exhaust flow through the custom piping. In order to keep the modest look of the AE86 and maintain low-end torque, a stock-style performance exhaust was added in the rear.

Although the AE86 is set up for autocross and did quite well, these days it is mostly a garage queen. Rabbit passed the car onto his good friend Keng Lee a few years back to focus on other priorities. Keng intends to keep the AE86 true to it’s heritage. No crazy nitrous kits, no turbo swaps, but rather an optimal suspension setup and a highly tuned naturally aspirated engine to keep the car revving at high RPMs through the winding roads.

The heart of the AE86 has always been it’s simplicity in form and function. Even today, for what it lacks in brute power and advanced technology this underdog succeeds with agility and finesse.

In the engine bay:
Intake adapter
TRD headers
Magnacore wires

Underneath the chassis:
Battle Version 30mm roll center adapter
Battle Version pan hard rod
Tokico HTS 45-way adjustable front damper
Ground Control front coilover springs (6.3kg/mm rate)
JIC magic pillow ball mounts
TRD Japan springs (5.1kg/mm rate)
TRD Japan 8-way adjustable shocks
Custom exhaust piping
Stock-style exhaust
Factory LSD

Inside the cage:
Corbeau Forza fix position driver seat
Corbeau 4-point harness
Momo steering wheel hub
Momo 320 mm steering wheel

The model which arguably had the most influence on the industry in the late 70’s to early 80’s was the 1978 280ZX. When it was released in the US, it was a complete redesign from the previous Datsun Z’s. With aerodynamics and efficiency in mind, the 280ZX was designed to have a low center-of-gravity, near 50/50 weight ratio and high speed stability. The development of the 280ZX marked the first time that Nissan used wind-tunnel testing.

With all those advancements to go fast, the 280ZX was also fitted with braking and steering improvements. Lucky for us, the whole package gave us the opportunity to drive faster and with more enjoyment whether it was straight towards triple digits or weaving through a slalom course.

Upon it’s debut the 280ZX really was something new and exciting from ‘The Land of the Rising Sun’. The new 280ZX eventually became the car that raised the bar for Japanese performance sports cars in the 1980’s decade. It was universally praised by the automotive press industry and was later named Motor Trend’s Import Car of the Year. From 1979-1980, Nissan sold over 140,000 vehicles in the United States alone.

Of course a car that had so much praise has not been forgotten to John Renna who still owns the 1983 280ZX that has been a part of his family for a number of years. So beloved is his Fairlady that he even had it strapped down to and trailored 1,000 miles up to Philadelphia to accompany him through his studies in Mechanical Engineering.

In order to keep up with the style of the current times, this 280ZX has been mildly modified and restored. With a few minor interior cosmetic upgrades, such as the Grant GT Corsa D racing steering wheel with a fashionable ‘Z’ logo horn button, a set of ProSport gauges, and upgraded 300ZX seats. On the exterior, the Z has been cleaned, prepped and repainted to an glossy finish of “Performance Red” (2000 Mustang Cobra GT color palette). It currently sits on 17″ ADR wheels wrapped with Hankook Ventus HRII tires.

For the future, this 280ZX will continue to bathe in the glory of being one of the earliest trend setters in the Japanese performance sports cars segment. John also hopes to do some serious suspension work. With plans to adapt a full coilover setup for the S130 chassis, along with strut bars, anti-roll bars and modern 4 caliper front brakes, this Z will become a serious contender once again.

An avid photographer and car enthusiast, John Renna considers himself a “rotorhead at heart”. He owns a couple RX7s (both FC and FD models) and this Datsun 280ZX. He shoots with Canon and Nikon gear, plus has a few DIY tricks up his sleeve. Go Phillies!