The JCCS Experience
SoCal Tradition

Is 2015 the year that Southern California’s annual Japanese Classic Car Show got big? While I don’t have any attendance figures, it certainly felt that way this past Saturday when I arrived at the familiar Queen Mary Events Park in Long Beach.

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It began after I parked in the nearby general lot, which was packed full of cars well before the show officially opened. At most great car shows the parking lot can be an event in itself, and JCCS is no exception. Vintage Japanese vehicles of every type could be found across its expanse.

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A quick browse through the parking area was the perfect way to kill some time before the gates of JCCS opened, and I was greeted by a colorful mix of old school Japanese machinery as I made my way around. There were traditional models, like this super-clean 240Z.

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And there were more obscure vehicles, like this Nissan S12 200SX sitting nicely on a set of Hoshino wheels for that perfect 1980s look.

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Then there were wild custom creations, like this first generation Celica coupé that’s been given the full Kaido Racer treatment – including giant flares and tall takeyari pipes.

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The line of people waiting to get inside the show was massive, with more spectators than I can remember at any JCCS in the past. Once I got through the gate however, it was time to get busy checking out all the great stuff inside.

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The Japanese Classic Car Show really has become one the greatest and most unique automotive events in Southern California, with lots of cars you won’t see anywhere else.

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Whether or not you’re a Japanese classic owner or just a curious car enthusiast, the show offers an incredible array of cool stuff to see. It’s no wonder that so many people come out for it.

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The show is, of course, open to all Japanese vehicles made up through the late 1980s, and within those boundaries you’ll find a diverse range of cars, trucks and even motorcycles. This variety is always one of my favorite aspects of the event.

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Sure, you’ve got your iconic Japanese classics like the Datsun 240Z, Datsun 510, Toyota Celica and Mazda RX-7; but you’ll also find an equally enjoyable selection of obscure machines and imported rarities.

Straight Outta Long Beach
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Each year you can count on seeing a bunch of Japanese market classics at JCCS, and the 2015 show was no exception. Hakosuka Skylines in particular were out in force this year.

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Regular Speedhunters readers will likely recognize Roy De Guzman’s Hakosuka, which debuted a new Hot Wheels inspired livery at JCCS. It’s a very fitting look indeed.

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Also on the list of rare JDM machinery being shown was this pair of square-body Mitsubishi Lancers. This is not a car you’ll see too often on the freeways of SoCal.

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And speaking of cars brought over from Japan, Nissan had an official presence at JCCS for the first time this year. To celebrate, the automaker displayed a couple of cars from its Zama warehouse in Japan, including the R390 GT1 race car from 1997. For many, the chance to see this legend alone was worth the price of admission.

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Mazda can always be counted on for a strong presence at JCCS. This year its lineup included the only left-hand drive RX-7 Spirit R built by Mazda North America, along with the 15th Mazda Miata ever built – a car which was used for the Miata’s debut at the 1989 Chicago Auto Show.

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Also part of Mazda’s factory showing was this 1988 323 GT-X – one of the 1,243 all-wheel drive, turbocharged hatchbacks sold in the United States.

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JCCS is one of those events that showcases both factory original cars and heavily modified builds. Needless to say, the modified group featured plenty of cars inspired by Japan’s old school street racers.

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Although a bit on the subtle side, one of my favorites of the bunch was this MX73 Cressida sitting cleanly on a set of 14-inch SSR mesh wheels.

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Or for something a bit more wild, check out this Datsun 280ZX which wears a full Kaminari wide-body conversion and a super-rare set of PLS multi-piece wheels. Long live the ’80s!

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Another great thing about JCCS is seeing all the cars which have modern motor swaps and other tricks hidden beneath their nostalgic metal skins. Stay tuned for more of these in my upcoming spotlights from the show.

Trucks, Bikes & More
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Vintage Japanese pickups are always a big part of JCCS, with a huge turnout of classic Toyota and Datsun trucks. This Datsun 620 has a later-model V6 sitting in its engine bay.

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A Chevy at a Japanese car show? Absolutely! That’s because the Chevy LUV compact truck was actually designed and built by Isuzu in Japan.

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And this example was overloaded with 1970s minitrucker style. We’re talking jacked-up stance, slot mags, mural on the tailgate, carpet in the bed and more.

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And you can’t talk about the Chevy LUV without mentioning its competitor – the Mazda-built Ford Courier. It’s just one of many collaborations between the two companies over the years.

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Another Japanese-US collaboration was the Dodge Colt, which of course was manufactured by Chrysler’s longtime partner Mitsubishi.

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Given how clean this 1987 Toyota van is, you’d probably expect it to have traveled an obscenely-low amount of miles. Actually, no. This sucker has over 240,000 miles on the odometer and has been lovingly overhauled to look like new.

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Also from the department of cool Toyota haulers from the ’80s is this 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4×4 wagon. How awesome would it be to have one of these in full off-road trim with a 3S-GTE swap under the hood?

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Another unique machine was this 280Z ‘GT-33′ originally sold by Bob Sharp Datsun in Connecticut. Bob Sharp was famous for building Datsun race cars, but the GT-33 was a road car which sported upgraded suspension, body add-ons, Minilite wheels and a unique paint job among other things.

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The motorcycle section at JCCS seems to grow every year, and this time there was an impressive selection of custom bikes including this ’73 Honda CB250 built by Kiyo’s Garage in Gardena. It’s a work of art.

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Two wheels or four wheels, stock or modified, famous or obscure – there’s no other car gathering on earth quite like JCCS.

Stay tuned in the coming days for a few spotlights on some of the coolest and most interesting cars I found at the show.

Mike Garrett
Instagram: japanifornia_media
mike@speedhunters.com

Cutting Room Floor
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1

Man, I love S12s They're like huge hachirokus.

2

I very nearly bought an S12 as my first car over 20 years ago, but my mother objected to me having a "sports car" at a young age, so I ended up buying a 5-door Mazda 323 instead. fml.

3

S12 FTW!

4

S12 FTW!

5

niiiice

6

niiiice

7

Great opening shot! Just out of interest, what are Mazda RX2/RX3 coupes in that sort of condition worth over there? 
Plenty of cool cars....thanks for the coverage!

8

the bike's a 750 right??

9

the bike's a 750 right??

10

Great coverage! My only complaint: Even if they're fake, having your oil cooler lines drag on the pavement just looks janky and half-assed


Glad to see Japanese classic cars gaining the respect they deserve, but I'm sorta disappointed too - prices are going up.

11

Thanks for the snap of my ol' wagon in the parking lot Mike!

12

Why would you put a BMW injector cover over your stock SU CARBS on your DATSUN 240Z? AND THEN, you cut holes in it to make the domes poke through..... what?

13

I know you're going to have a post about the Hot Wheels display and the new awesome car they debuted.

14

That white corolla wagon in the parking lot is a good friend of mine's, I drive the little miata next to it. You should definitely check it out some more sometime.

15

GREAT Coverage as usual Mike!

16

CharlieZard Pretty sure it is.

17

OH MANNNNNN,  The Dodge Colt Lancer is in amazing condition... and seeing a 2-door GB Mitsubishi/Dodge/Colt Galant is so rare! And it's just in the car park! :O (I have a 4-door, 2 doors were never sold in Australia...)

18

When these cars came out, most of us would not have turned a head when they drove past. Now they all look perfect!

19

CharlieZard You are correct.

20

Stellar coverage to an awesome event, Mike. Loving the pic of that little white Tercel right next to the 4x4, really takes me back to my childhood.

21

AlecWiens Got any more photos of your car? As a miata owner I have to say... That ass looks very nice! :)

22

Am I a hater if I say this car looks like crap???
Or am I just a person with 20/20 vision making an objective observation?

Frankly, it looks like it's covered in finger-paint, held together with Elmer's glue...and has paper mache sideskirts.

23

That's definitely not a CB250. That's a 750

24

That lead photo of the Rotary Mazda's is amazing. It's like a time machine picture of delivery to a Mazda dealer in 1973 (Except for the later model Rx4 wagon-which is WAAAAAY cool)!

25

That lead photo of the Rotary Mazda's is amazing. It's like a time machine picture of delivery to a Mazda dealer in 1973 (Except for the later model Rx4 wagon-which is WAAAAAY cool)!

26
NicholasGreenamyer

MTDatsun dude for realz. thats so make inapropriate and ugly. I wouldnt even keep it on a BMW

27
NicholasGreenamyer

MTDatsun dude for realz. thats so make inapropriate and ugly. I wouldnt even keep it on a BMW

28

Awesome coverage Mike! Very cool to see the crossovers like the Chevy Luv and Ford Courier getting the JCCS love the deserve! Still wish every day that I hadn't sold mine back in Australia.

29
takahashitothetop

Tell me you took another picture of the widebody z.

30

THANK YOU!!!! As a Courier owner and a LUV fan I appreciate the shout out. Both are awesome little trucks that have so much personality but are generally over looked by people for the Datsun 620.

31

SteveBerndsen This is incredible. Hats off yo you sir.

32

PowerTryp Glad you liked those parts :)

33

Seeing these kinds of builds, and an event of this scale, on US soil, is craaaazy.  I'd love to attend some day but it's very far for me!  Fortunately we have stuff like JAE in the UK.

34

takahashitothetop Have another widebody Z coming up in the spotlights :)

35

SteveBerndsen Love that thing! My dad actually had both Couriers and LUVs when I was a kid. Got find memories of him letting shift them while he drove.

36

Darryl C It was a quite a sight!

37

TylerHorne Yeah typo on my end!

38

@KRACKEN Released I think that's kind of the idea. That being said, on that specifc car I'd much rather have a more mild exterior myself.

39

nwbdwb Thanks much!

40

RacingPast Very true.

41

Sufferes Every once in a while you'll see one being driven around by an old lady or something.

42

ra64freddy! Thanks Freddy!

43

AlecWiens Will do!

44

Jun Imai Was actually expecting to see it in the show!

45

Jun Imai Was actually expecting to see it in the show!

46

Spaghetti Pretty much all the older stuff is going up in value a lot, especially if its in good shape like those ones.

47

Mike Garrett There's a lot of cool stuff going on with it, a lot of character to both the owner ( Jason ) as well as his car hahaha. I shoulda stopped to say hey when I saw you wandering around!

48

Mike Garrett There's a lot of cool stuff going on with it, a lot of character to both the owner ( Jason ) as well as his car hahaha. I shoulda stopped to say hey when I saw you wandering around!

49

Tacky. Pointless too...

50

Tacky. Pointless too...

51

CJC_Matty Five door 323?

LAME!

52

CJC_Matty Five door 323?

LAME!

53

Mike Garrett Spaghetti  Of course, but I'm just wondering of the values in comparison to say Australia and NZ where they've gone beyond just "up".

54

Mike Garrett I couldn't get my act together this year, and had to bail early.  Next year I'll give the wagon or Z a refresh...or maybe it's time to bring the 620.

55

Mike Garrett I couldn't get my act together this year, and had to bail early.  Next year I'll give the wagon or Z a refresh...or maybe it's time to bring the 620.

56

Is it just me, or are gen I RX-7s wildly underrepresented compared to the number that were made and susequently modified? I was hoping for more than just a single picture in the bonus section. I know there are more than a few fast drag RX-7s out there, for example; does the relative ubiquity of the platform and low cost mean there are just not enough quality builds to show up on Speedhunters?

57

Is it just me, or are gen I RX-7s wildly underrepresented compared to the number that were made and susequently modified? I was hoping for more than just a single picture in the bonus section. I know there are more than a few fast drag RX-7s out there, for example; does the relative ubiquity of the platform and low cost mean there are just not enough quality builds to show up on Speedhunters?

58

What car is that in the first picture of this article? It's the one next to the z and corrolla. It looks like maybe a Datsun or maybe at toyota. I can't figure it out. Anyone know what car it is?

59

The best part of JCCS this year for me was seeing those two Lancer Boxtype's and talking to their owners. It was like seeing an old friend. Owned one while on a 2 year stint in the PI. Wish i could have brought it back home to socal..The non turbo one was a twin of my old car! Great coverage like always SH.

61

Thank you! I was racking my brain trying to figure it out.
I love that car. It's not a show car, or some weird over fendered car with 10 foot exhaust pipes. It's a normal, old school used car still in beautiful condition. It has its bents and flaws but its perfect in my eyes.

62

Thank you! I was racking my brain trying to figure it out.
I love that car. It's not a show car, or some weird over fendered car with 10 foot exhaust pipes. It's a normal, old school used car still in beautiful condition. It has its bents and flaws but its perfect in my eyes.

63

"comment section" of all speedhunters articles should be renamed "complaint section"

64

Some gorgeous shots, but were there any other manus there other than Toyota, Datsun or Mazda? 2 pictures of very plain Hondas. Seriously? Mike, I'm not one that usually complains, but it really seems like you mailed this one in. For such a huge event with so many fantastic cars, I can only hope this is just a teaser or else I am disappoint.

65

PowerTryp Our Ford Courier went to 396,000 miles and everyone in our family learned to drive in it. Great little trucks that are only now getting the respect they earned.

66

D1RGE mazda 626 i think

67

Mike Garrett thanks for the appreciation. I've always loved the shapes of the trucks from this era. It's what started my love for photography to begin with. Getting together for a cruise and impromptu photoshoots haha!

68

That Z31 in the Bonus Images! A Thinking Man's DeLoreon, love it.

69

Awesome coverage! I couldn't make it due to something coming up last minute. Next year! @zociety_ / @oscarxacealloywheel

70

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