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1957 Toyota LandCruiser FJ25L is more or less the genesis of the LandCruiser as we know it.Not long after this example w...
13/06/2026

1957 Toyota LandCruiser FJ25L is more or less the genesis of the LandCruiser as we know it.

Not long after this example was built, a contractor for the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, Sir Leslie Thiess, was having trouble sourcing enough British-made Land Rovers to get the job done.

So he looked to Japan, and imported a trial batch of 13 Toyota LandCruisers to help on site. The story of what went down is in the audio, and suffice to say, the LandCruiser pretty much owns both the Outback now, while the Land Rover does not.

Thiess (Sales) Pty Ltd was appointed as the sole Australian importer of Toyota products in February 1961. Toyota Australia purchased a 40% stake in Thiess Toyota in 1968 and settled the rest in 1980.

At the トヨタ博物館 / TOYOTA AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM





Isuzu Plaza!Volume up because the song slaps.Naah naah nahnahnaaah, Isuzu nahnahnaaah #いすゞジェミニ
06/06/2026

Isuzu Plaza!

Volume up because the song slaps.

Naah naah nahnahnaaah, Isuzu nahnahnaaah




#いすゞジェミニ





Japan has been the most wonderful nation, with an amazing culture and beautiful people, but that didn't stop me utterly ...
01/06/2026

Japan has been the most wonderful nation, with an amazing culture and beautiful people, but that didn't stop me utterly losing my mind last night when I saw this HSV Maloo in our hotel car park in Narita.

Forgive the excited narration. I love a stranger in a strange land, and this one is exactly that.

Timely too, because I just taught my friend that it's pronounced 'yoot' not 'oo-teh' a word which, to be fair, he'd only see written and not heard spoken!

Conversely, our friend Mr Okane handed me his business card and I foolishly pronounced it O'Cain like he was some kind of Irishman, so these things happen both ways.

Language is weird.

But V8s are cool in any language!





1942 KdF-wagen, the precursor to the familiar VW sedan that you either love or love to hate.On display at the Toyota Mus...
29/05/2026

1942 KdF-wagen, the precursor to the familiar VW sedan that you either love or love to hate.

On display at the Toyota Museum.





Perhaps one of the greatest car shows I've ever been to, filled with amazing car and amazing people.As predicted, we Goo...
24/05/2026

Perhaps one of the greatest car shows I've ever been to, filled with amazing car and amazing people.

As predicted, we Google Translated, we waved our arms around and we pointed at a lot of things, and we made friends with tonnes of people who are completely different to us, while being simultaneously exactly the same as us.

I would welcome each and every one of these guys to my country and my home if they were ever in the area, just to get a bit of that Google Translate, arm-waving, pointing-at-things camaraderie again, even just for a minute.

My brain is too fried to tag the right people on the right cars, sorry. And on that note, I'll let the cars speak for themselves.

これまで参加したカーショーの中でも、おそらく最高のひとつだったでしょう。素晴らしい車と素晴らしい人々で溢れていました。

予想通り、私たちはGoogle翻訳を使い、身振り手振りを交えながら、あちこちを指さしてコミュニケーションを取りました。そして、私たちとは全く違うけれど、同時に私たちと全く同じ人たちと、たくさんの友達になりました。

残念ながら、頭が疲れすぎて、どの車にどの人がタグ付けされているのか分かりません。申し訳ありません。ということで、あとは車たちがすべてを物語ってくれるでしょう。






Not quite the same, but still blood brothers.I've always had a soft spot for TA22 Celicas, especially the early versions...
22/05/2026

Not quite the same, but still blood brothers.

I've always had a soft spot for TA22 Celicas, especially the early versions with the scoopy rear lights and fuel filler above the bumper bar.

Really nice colour on this GT version, too.

LFA in background for supercar lovers.

At the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology; not THE Toyota Museum, but at least A Toyota museum.





I've seen a few Lotus Seven replicas in my time, but wasn't expecting to come across a New Zealand-built, Ford Kent-powe...
20/05/2026

I've seen a few Lotus Seven replicas in my time, but wasn't expecting to come across a New Zealand-built, Ford Kent-powered Fraser Clubman here in Japan.

Over 340 units have been built since 1988, and the company is still going strong from what I can see.

This one is owned by .kai0417 - one of his nine cars - including a couple of Porsches, a couple of SMART ForTwos and a 1967 Datsun Bluebird.

It was a pleasure to meet you at Daikoku Parking Area, Takahiro!

これまでロータスセブンのレプリカを何台か見てきましたが、まさかニュージーランド製でフォード・ケントエンジン搭載のフレイザー・クラブマンに日本で出会うとは思いもしませんでした。

1988年以来340台以上が製造され、私の知る限り、会社は今もなお健在のようです。

この車は@takahiro.kai0417さんの所有で、ポルシェ2台、スマート・フォーツー2台、そして1967年式ダットサン・ブルーバードなど、9台の車を所有されているそうです。

大黒駐車場でお会いできて光栄でした、タカヒロさん！





This has got to be the cleanest KE10 Corolla I've ever seen in my life.We never got the four doors in Australia, althoug...
19/05/2026

This has got to be the cleanest KE10 Corolla I've ever seen in my life.

We never got the four doors in Australia, although there is a nice one rattling around Adelaide (ex-South Africa, I think?? Or ex-NZ; I forget).

Spotted last Sunday at the Daikoku Parking Area.





17/05/2026

Daikoku madness, but Sunday morning style.

Despite being catastrophically hungover, I made it.

There was so much cool stuff filtering through here for the hour I stuck around, even through it was hot AF.

I will post more later. Ignore my waxing lyrical about the Prince Skyline. I think I found another that ended up being my favourite.





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