That's a pretty cool line up of cars isn't it? I suppose the fact that this was taken not in the show itself but in the parking lot next door shows just what kind of event the JCCA New Year Meeting is. Not to take anything from the actual show, but you could spend just as much time checking out the cars in the lots. A lot of people know this, because I saw tons of others strolling the parking areas taking photos of the machinery and "tailgating" with their buddies. Yep, this is Japanese classic car culture at its very best.
For years, the New Year Meeting has been one of the biggest classic car gatherings in Japan. All day long, the streets of Odaiba are filled with vintage cars cruising by with the sound of sidedraft carbs and musical horns echoing off the nearby skyscrapers. It's just beautiful.
Unlike Tokyo Auto Salon with its new models and trends, or a racing competition with results to report on, the NYM is much simpler. Essentially, its an overload of tried and true nostalgic goodness. For that reason, I'm gonna jump right to the photos because there's a LOT of drool-inducing stuff to post.
OK, on with the pics. You can probably tell that I'm really excited about this.
Just because the parking lots or full of treasures doesn't mean there isn't great stuff to see within the gates of the show. For example, this KPGC10 race car replica that came all the way from Nagoya.
Just the swap meet is more than worth the price of admission to the show. You could literally spend the entire day just browsing through the selection of of old toys, plastic models, magazines, parts, and other period Japanese collectibles. If you've ever been to parts swap in your home country, just imagine a Japanese version of it.
Unfortunatley, this presented a big problem for me because I have already accumulated a huge amount of stuff that I need to take back to the states with me somehow. As hard as it was, I had to limit my purchases to just what I could fit in my small bag. I'm thinking I'm gonna bring a separate suitcase for when I come to next year's show…
Here's one of your typical parking lot finds. An immaculate Celica LB sitting perfectly on a set of Techno Phantom wheels. THIS is why the New Year Meeting is one of my favorite events ever. I think I'm gonna do a desktop of this photo because I want to stare at this car everyday, I suppose you guys do as well?
Besides the well-loved and popular stuff, you'll also find a lot of truly rare finds at the New Year Meeting. Here's an Isuzu R6 Coupe race car alongside a competition-spec Hino Contessa.
Japan has always had an infatuation with the American "good old days". How can you not like stylish cars like this '57 Ford Thunderbrid?
This Mitsubishi Galant GTO looks like it could be used by the Imperial Japanese Army.
This was one of many fully restored TE27 Toyota Levins lined up alongside each other. I thought of Antonio when I saw this.
I found several LHD USDM Datsuns at the show, including this all original 810 wagon complete with bulky 5mph bumpers.
This Honda S800 Coupe is complete with the "JDM tyte" roof rack and accessory bicycle.
One of the many Body Shop Happy Lotus Europas. As sexy as these are, I don't think my 6'2" frame and this car would be a good mix. Hmm…I think I know why the Europa so popular in Japan now.
I think this photo properly sums up the WIDE variety of vehicles that converge on Odaiba for the New Year Meeting.
Another Celica found in the parking lot. The Nissans are always the most common, but this year seemed to have a surprising amount of awesome vintage Toyotas like this one.
This Celica XX looks like it's seen some hard use, some of which might not have been in compliance with traffic laws.
All of the big restoration shops had booths at the show. The perfect place to pick up that set of S20 carbs or GT-R fender flares you were looking for…
The kyu-sha style goes beyond the old cars. The parking lot was filled with compacts and keis with old school wheels and bolt-on overfenders like this SSR Mark III-equipped Daihatsu Mira repping for my "home area" of southern Ibaraki-ken.
How many BMW E30's have you seen done up like this?
I'm a sucker for scenes of cool vintage cars next to cool vintage bikes.
C130 Nissan Laurel done with proper "angry eye" headlight conversion, oil cooler, and a number plate to match.
And finally, a scene showing a typical intersection outside of the New Year Meeting.
Stay tuned, much more is on the way.
-Mike Garrett
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
what is the car in the grey car in the backround of the picture of the restoration shop's booths??
It's a Kenmeri Skyline
excellent coverage once again!!!
Whatever infractions that may have been made don't much matter to me. Good stuff Mike. Keep it up!
"Stay tuned, much more is on the way."
"Besides the well-loved and popular stuff, you'll also find a lot of truly rare finds at the New Year Meeting..."
Does the writer/photographer speak Japanese or did they do any research on the show at all? The theme of the Concours (elite entries) this year was "Hino and Isuzu".
Your statement about the Isuzu and Hino cars at the show is inaccurate and slightly insulting. These cars and their owners were the guests of honor.
The GTO looks hot as well. Anymore pics on that?
Komenko, I'm not the original poster but I can't see your point? You mean Isuzu and Hino aren't rare cars? Or did you read the "well-loved and popular" bit a bit wrong?
Have a cry Komeko! Nice coverage!
The text and photo content present this show as if there were no theme to the show at all. It is not even mentioned. A-typical photos of Hakosukas and Toyotas, and then a small one sentence mention of "Oh, there were these other strange cars".
This would be the same as if the writer were assigned to cover the Super Bowl, devoted 49% of their work to photos of the spectators in the parking lot outside the stadium, a second 49% of their work to photos of players from the teams not playing who were sitting in the audience inside the stadium, and then a single photo and sentence saying "Oh, and there was a football game going on" and presented no further details on the subject.
Ive been told Celica LBs are the popular model of Celicas in Japan. From the pic of the Lift Back on Techno Phantoms, I can see why (Desktop please). Curious about how the front/rear of the competition-spec Hino Contessa looks. Always loving the Japanese classics.
Kyaaaaaaa!
*drools*
I'd be like a kid all over the toy store if i was there.
how i would really really really really love to be there. \( *A* )/
looking forward to the awesome part 2.
MOAR Mike....geez I cant wait for more nostalgic goodness. What is the color of that green mitsubishi "FTO"...I think your post said GTO **sorry**.
Antonio: How does seeing that orange TE27 Levin make you feel??? **awaits a classic response**
Ah man, look at the TS SUNNY model... want want want.
More sunny plz.
The white/blue hako recreation is just great.
Pt. 1 Komeko.
That black LB Celica is so awesome, definitely desktop worthy.
RA21 Feature please. Thanks =]
OMFG there's nothing that's gonna stop me from going to this show next year.
Komeko,
Speedhunters is not a hardcore classic car site, and I think comparing the New Year Meeting to the super bowl is a bit extreme. I enjoyed looking at the Hino and Isuzu displays, but I think it's fair to say that most of the readers are a bit more interested in seeing the "a-typical" stuff.
Great pics as usual. Do you by any chance have more pics of that E30? thanks in advance
Mike,
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"Speedhunters is not a hardcore classic car site"
Then why are you covering a hardcore classic car show?
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"I think comparing the New Year Meeting to the super bowl is a bit extreme"
I was not comparing the show to the Super Bowl, I was comparing your coverage to a story about the Super Bowl which did not include any coverage of the game itself.
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"I enjoyed looking at the Hino and Isuzu displays"
Too bad you didn't point your camera at them a little more. Too bad you don't think enough of us to share the pictures you did take of those cars.
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"most of the readers are a bit more interested in seeing the "a-typical" stuff."
I think you seriously under rate your readers, especially after running "Nissan Month", "Porsche Month", and "California Month".
I would really like to see more of Isuzu/Hino. I've always loved the "weird" stuff and don't know much about those companies other than Isuzu's recent history as badge engineered GM trucks. I never knew Isuzu had racing heritage!! PLEASE more info on this, to ignore that beautiful race car would be an injustice to the SpeedHunters name!
god i love vintage jdm :]
wallpaper of the black Celica LB or C310?
looking forward to more coverage
Nice coverage Mike!
any more pics of that e30 bmw?? Looks like the sort of thing im aiming for with mine!! I think the square e30 shape will lend itself well to the kyu-sha look
Komeko, are you looking at this through strong Hino/Isuzu glasses or what? This wasn't a Hino/Isuzu event only, so I for one am more interested about the event as a whole instead of just shooting Hinos and Isuzus and leaving everything else out. Besides, this is just part 1 and you're already complaining about lack of photos..
Oddly enough, the Speed Hunters story archive only goes back 9 months, so there is no way for someone outside the organization to make a comparison of the coverage of Toyota cars at the 2008 event, when the theme was "Toyota", and coverage of Mitsubishi cars at the 2007 event, when the theme was "Mitsubishi". But it would be safe to say that those vehicles were in more than one out of 20 photos (5%). Based on the sun angle of the photo used, Mike managed to wander into the Concours area about 3-4PM, spending the rest of the day covering everything else and the last few minutes before everyone packed up and went home on the honored guests of the show. I've seen other photos of this show, and there is a row of a dozen Isuzu cars behind the R6. I'll wager we don't see any of those in Paret 2, 3, etc.
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Mainstream and obscure seem to be totally subjective to the personal opinion of the writers on this website. Speed Hunters did fifteen (15) stories about Rauh Welt, the Japanese shop that tunes Porsches. I like Porsches, but let's be honest, once you explain the strange rear fender vent, and discover that they are not going to give you the intimate details of their non-conventional tuning methods, the rest is just overkill. Speed Hunters did three stories about the lowrider movement in Japan. Explain how 15 stories about a Japanese tuner of European cars and 3 stories about Japanese lowriders are more mainstream than the fact that the largest annual car show in Japan honored two Japanese car companies that fail more than a sentence of mention in Mike's story?
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What is the significance of Hino and Isuzu?
That blue race car and it's sister cars ate Toyota's, Nissan's, Porsche's, March's, Lola's, and Lotus' their lunch from 1969 through 1971. To draw a parallel, what if Kenworth came into the Indy 500 and outran Honda, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Ford, Mercedes, and everyone else who has been dominant in that event for the last two decades? That might be slightly interesting. A truck company in Japan did the same thing in Japanese Grand Prix racing. That blue car has been photographed for magazines, but almost never displayed in public in the last 35 years. I'll wager a 2000 Yen note that Mike didn't introduce himself to the car owner, and wouldn't know how to track him down even if he wanted to do a feature story about the car or the Spyder that is also owned by that same person.
Hino? Are you totally unfamiliar with Datsun racing history? Pete Brock (American Pete Brock, not Australian Pete Brock), built and raced Hino Contessas.
From datsun.org: "I raced the car the next season in So. Cal. and finished consistently, but was never able to beat the Mini Coopers. Remember this was well before Nissan or Toyota ever thought about entering US racing , so we were really pioneering the Japanese import market in the US."
and: "Pete and Bob Dunham placed the BRE Hinos 1st and 2nd and created quite a stir, and got the attention of the major Japanese manufacturers."
The success of the Hino Contessa brought Toyota and Nissan into US racing. How could that be of any significance?
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And why am I doing all of Mike's research for him?
Mike, thank you for the pics! Is there more to come? Maybe on flickr again? Thank you for the pic of the Honda S800 in particular!
Peter
JCCA is just BADASS
Komeko,
First off, the purpose of the post is to show photos of the event, not a history lesson about the racing history of Hino and Isuzu.
Second, although featured at the show, the Hino/Isuzu cars still only counted for a small portion of all the cars there. For Japanese people who have been around this stuff for years and years, those displays were a nice break from the bigger brands, but for most people outside of Japan (and most of the readers of the site) ALL of the classic Japanese cars are exotic and interesting. And you are right, this the first time Speedhunters has done this show (my 2nd time personally).
Third, I'm assuming you've have been to this event a few times yourself, so you know how big it is.
As much as I'd like to spend time taking detailed shots of every car, I'm just ONE guy with a limited amount of time. I'm sorry the coverage is not pleasing you, but there's the age-old saying "you can't please everybody".
I did my best to show a bit of everything, and judging by some of the other comments here it seems most people are satisfied.
-Mike