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.

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!