We've been getting quite a few DOTSBE photos from readers lately, with the Denver 944 Cabrio and New Orleans Rusty Impala being a couple of recent examples. Today we head across the water to Tokyo, where intrepid British globetrotter Rust-MyEnemy had his camera ready for action when he spotted this fugitive from the always-hungry Japanese Crusher...
We'll let this story continue in Rust-MyEnemy's own words:
I have literally just returned from a week in Tokyo, having missed out on a whole bunch of jalopnik style meaty goodness. While out there I rather fell for the the Japanese Domestic Market world o'cars, and this prompted me to bung in your general direction this particuar magical gem.
Spotted between Giza and Tokyo Station, in a side street,a Nissan Gloria Station Wagon, complete with "colonial oak (or somesuch)" vinyl cladding.
My knowledge of Japanese DM cars of the era is... sketchy. All I do know is that the Gloria was the upmarket version of the Cedric (well, it had to be with a name as posh as Gloria), and that they were panhard layoutted conventional sedans and wagons, with myriad engine combinations.
These ranged from a 2.0 lpg or gas engine, through to a 3.0 twin cam. There was no way I am aware of to determine what engine was fitted to this example.
The condition of this car made me wonder how it was still on the road, with JDM pollution and roadworthiness regulations being some of the most stringent in the world. It is obviously a workhorse, but one that has been loved. It proudly wears a large dent in the drivers' door, and a set of lace seat covers clearly from a Toyota Mark II.
I can only make a guess to the age of this car, but would suggest it to be from '84-87, as this was when the next facelift I believe took place.
Later in that same day, and tragically out of photographic range, I spotted what appeared to be a heavily rice'd version of the same model. In iridescent purple, with "big ole rims", it made a very suspiciously forced-induction-esque noise, and was definitely a vee-six.
Makes me think that a VG30DETT conversion is not unheard of among these machines.
I know you are probably succumbing under sheer bulk of DOTS stuff, but the woodiness of this beastie just had to be shared.
As for the rest of you who have sent DOTSBE photos in but haven't seen them yet: They shall be posted!