Keep It Classy, Kansai
Coming to the tail end of my trip, I was lucky enough to get one more chance to geek out on cars with my cousin, Makoto. If you remember back in January, when I shot his Estima and his friends' cars in a factory setting, he was my ticket into the car scene in the Kansai area. This time, we weren't hiding in shadows and running around on dark streets in the freezing cold. The last shoot there were only 4 cars I was able to see and shoot, this time it was a sunny Sunday afternoon and Makoto and friends called other car clubs to meet up at Akashi SA.
Sachi, Okaasan, Obaachan and I made the trip out from Himeji by car on our way to Onaruto Bridge to cross from Honshu to the island of Shikoku. If I would've carpooled with Makoto, I would have been at the spot from 7am - 9pm - which is pure dedication to spending a whole day waiting for cars to come in and out. If there's one thing that Makoto and I clicked on from the first time we met, it was definitely cars - it was shortly realized at the bottom of our last sake bottle, that alcohol was the second thing.
For the first part of my experience, I've divided it into different segments based on the cars, so I'll start with the clean, classic cars. When it comes to styling cars, I have a wide range of tastes and I can appreciate all of the sorts. I've always loved classic 80's Japanese cars because of their box like shapes, you can eventually style them as a drift car, a VIP car, or keep it simple like these owners did - nothing over the top, now crazy ride heights and fatty lipped wheels. We'll get to those cars later but for now, let's appreciate how pristine and original the owners have kept these cars.
Let's start with this 3rd generation Toyota Chaser part of the Avante series that was designed to be more of a luxury model back in the mid-80's.
Not too sure what the fishing pole was attached to the back bumper of this Nissan Cedric, possibly an antenna?
Next to the Toyota Chaser, this Toyota Cresta was sitting pretty in it's flawless factory paint. This was the top of the line model for Cresta's at the time - as tamed as it looks, it's equipped with a supercharger which earned it's name as Super Lucent G.
Another important player in the luxury sedan market back in the 80's, was the Nissan Cedric. This bulky guy hauls it's passengers behind a V30 turbo engine.
You can't miss this car because it draws the eyes away from the monotonous scene of white cars with it's ruby red paint. This Nissan Cima has been fitted with some retro BBS to match the car era and lowered to sit flush with car's frame. Perfect example of how little tasteful and thoughtful modifications can keep the car's original shape and original impression intact.
Last but not least, and definitely not overshadowed by it's neighbor, the Honda Inspire which is a rare car because of it's engine configuration. Also known to the rest of the world as a Honda/Acura Vigor, this was the only Honda that showed up the whole time I was there. Also suitably fitted with a nice set of BBS's and it's original factory paint that gleamed in the Kansai sunshine.
つづく
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