Japanese Classic Car Show | Konnichiwa.

Youkoso irasshai mashita. (Welcome.) Ogenki desuka? (How are you?) Saikin dou desuka? (What’s new?) Japanese Classic Car Show is new! Whether you’re a young’n, like me, or an oldie, like...uhm...yea, the translation of classic cars will never be lost. There is a timeless excellence and respect for Japanese automotive heritage that is on display every year at JCCS in Long Beach, going on 9 years strong now. Check out all the good stuff from this year.First thing I do before I cover an even is do some test shots, especially on an outdoor show I get a feel for the lighting, play with my f/stops, shutter speed, all that jazz. Most of my early shots don’t make the cut, but I felt this 1st Gen, right hand drive RX-7  import from Japan deserved to a small place in my write up. Really into these SSR’s by the way. On a side note, it was very displeasing seeing a well built classic, get ready to shoot it and then upon closer inspection...replicas. What a waste, moving along...Now a car you can truly appreciate and build right, sure the more modern R32 Skyline was right next to it, but my eye was already captivated by this Hakosuka. The first GTR line that was produced for the Skyline model line, this car holds a special place in many classic car enthusiasts’ hearts. Not far from it was its “brother” a Kenmeri famously owned by Fatlace’s Felix Marcelino. This one is sported the new F/ZERO1 wheels designed by Fatlace and produced by AME Wheels. They did a real good job on these; it pays homage to the vintage lifestyle yet has modern designs that keep it up to the ever evolving tuner lifestyle. The restoration on this Fairlady 1600 looks as if it just rolled off a Datsun lot. The 14” wheels, the “Datsun” lettering on the hood, the color...everything just screams classic. Including the vintage junk in the trunk!The old school A60 Celica is far from popular, but Jesse Ortiz has really made a name for himself and his car for this out of the ordinary build. I say out of the ordinary because most people don’t go through the distance to restore this model Celica, let alone tune it into an absolute showstopper. It’s amazing to learn that he practically saved this car from being sent to the junkyard and spent most of the rebuilding process in his dad’s backyard. (His dad is a fellow Scion Evolution member too by the way, with a rockin’ Scion tC as well!) And just to show you all he means business, he did a 1JZ-GTE swap with a single turbo, which pushes about 300whp! This “bandit” isn’t shy to give you a real chase you’d never expect Continuing on with some seksi Toyotas in the first section of the show, we find one of our favorite Toyota Corollas, Patrick Ng’s Levin 1600, which we featured here on DaYUUM! during last year’s SEMA. Patrick has won multiple awards with this car, including 1st Place Best of JCCS last year. One reason is because he always brings something new, keeping an old car fresh isn’t easy, but he pulls it off each and every time.This year Patrick went with new carbon fiber body mods all around, but something tells me he’s already got new plans to change it up again real soon. Moving from the pavement to the grass, it was like entering a whole other classic car show. The first thing I noticed sitting by the Yokohama booth was Jun Imai’s Fairlady Z. For those who don’t know, Jun is a famous designer for Hot Wheels (I can think of at least one fellow DaYUUM! contributor who would love this.) In contrast to the Datsun Fairlady 1600 roadster I touched on earlier, this Fairlady Z is one of the ultimate #MaximumAttack vehicles around. From the fender flares to the meaty Advan tires, this is one aggressive beast. The timeless look accompanied with its simple mechanics and easily interchangeable parts has made the Datsun 510 one of the most popular cars amongst collectors and restorers. This one is perfectly clean inside and out, and the bright red, white, and blue NISMO colorway really make it sound out. Speaking of clean paintjobs, Hawaii native Kirk Hubbard’s TA22 Celica was a big standout of the show. When you look for a classic to be done right, you can look no further than Kirk’s, aloha! The red GT stripe just pops along the side along with the classic wheels colored to match it.Partly hiding in the shade we found our favorite little guy, Neil De La Cruz from Team Klassified and his pride and joy “Milo”. Neil put in a lot of last minute work to get it ready of JCCS, including going to bed at 2AM and then driving down to Long Beach by 6AM! At least all that hard work paid off as he won Best Toyota “Old School” 3rd Place. Better take a good look at this immaculate engine bay now; Neil has big plans, including some major engine and suspension mods. By next year you might not recognize it anymore.It’s a shame that this car was hiding behind the big Toyota rig when you first overlook the area. Or was this gangster “Yakooza” purposely hanging out in secrecy? I’d rather not type the wrong thing and have my fingers chopped off, so let’s just get to the pictures and admire this super clean, super low, gangsta’ Toyota Crown. Little eco-friendly cars might be the trend now, but it isn’t anything new. Back when Honda first broke into the US market, they brought the mini car style from Japan but with just enough power to keep up on US highways. And hence this little guy was born, the Honda N600. While the one above was in pristine condition, these are a few other mini Hondas that have been restored. There’s always got to be that one car; that weird, quirky car that just makes its way to appeal to you for some unknown reason. It doesn’t have to have the biggest engine, the nicest paint job, or the prettiest wheels; it just has to have that look that will make you smile and laugh. And so I introduce you to a Daihatsu Hijet! While this cleanly restored kei car (small Japanese vehicle) exterior pops, the interior has a more laid-back, easy-going feel. Maybe it was the Hawaiian theme that pulled me in...this really makes me miss Hawaii even more now...#DaYUUM808 Well that’s that, another show in the books and the year is winding down. As some of these classics go back into hiding until the next show season, especially with next year being JCCS’ 10th year, it’s getting that time for us to just unwind and relax. Oh but not until our “Mash Up Three” later this month of course! As always there will be cars, food, girls, prizes, and this time a Halloween costume contest. Be sure not to miss out on it!Arigatou!-Justin (@JustDaYUUM)