Late night, early morning fog that traditionally coats the Long Beach shoreline stayed away from Marina Green Park on Saturday, October 11th, easing entry for close to 500 cars, trucks, SUVs and motorcycles for the 20th annual Japanese Classic Car Show. Major manufacturers Nissan, Toyota, Mazda and Honda set up displays to honor their historic entries to the United States markets and feted those that made them famous for their racing prowess’.
It was a spectacular day and one that drew more than 5,000 visitors and their children, to gawk at the vehicles on display, to purchase items for their own rides and to partake in the beautiful weather and the products from the many food trucks on-hand, most serving Japanese-inspired edibles. There were close to 40 motorcycles on the lawn, including Suzukis, Kawasakis, Yamahas and Honda bikes of a variety of vintages.
The two largest displays were for Nissan and Toyota, and Nissan, in particular paid attention to its roots as Datsun and to the cars that raced and spread the manufacturer’s name far and wide. There were replicas of the Bob Sharp Racing Datsun 240Z that Sharp and Paul Newman drove to success; Nissan brought Peter Brock, Trevor Harris and John Morton along to sign autographs for a legion of fans that lined up early and stayed to celebrate the BRE Racing Datsun 510s.
Several of Brock’s designs were on display including cars that he drove successfully in both road racing and in Baja races over the road and in dirt. Brock Racing Enterprises is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025, having been launched in 1965. That Nissan brought the estimable Brock, designer Harris and racer Morton to their display made the history even that much more acute.
Toyota showed off a later model of the first Japanese car offered to American buyers, the 1957 Toyopet Crown, and kept it neatly behind stanchions and ropes. This 1961 Toyota Toyopet Crown, dressed in palish green livery, was underpowered and unsuccessful in the American marketplace. Toyota did its homework and the results showed up on the Marina Green Park as everything from Stout pickups to Starlets, Cressidas, Crowns, to the current GR Supra were on display for all to enjoy.
Mazda paid special tribute to Tom Matano, whose MX-5 Miata design remains the best and most accessible modern sports car to this day. Fans of that marque brought Miatas to the greens from far away to celebrate Matano. Mazda also showcased its IMSA sports cars like the loudest of its rotary-powered race cars. A land-speed-record attempting Mazda MX-5 Miata was on display, together with the RT-24P IMSA prototype which secured seven wins in three years. Rather than clean it up after its final run, this car kept all the rubber and dirt and was signed by fans. Mazda also had a Cosmo located in the vendor area that attracted plenty of attention.
Honda displayed vehicles from its start – including a good selection of running N600 mini-cars, all the way to the upcoming Prelude, returning to a dealership near you soon. There were a bevy of NSXs at the show; these sports cars from Honda’s Acura division are hard to find and becoming ever more valuable as time has gone on.
There were Subarus, Mitsubishis stuck here and there within the grounds, but no manufacturer displays from either company.
Individuals that have updated their older Japanese kyushus (love of classic cars) were the stars of this show. Most vehicles had been personally updated by owners who worked to keep some authenticity to them, even as more modern powertrains, wheels and tires made the cars more powerful and more steerable. And then there were, as there always are, the originals and the rats, un-restored and cherished for their authenticity. Talking with most of them revealed their passion for driving cars that were at least 30 years old, their belief that the coolest cars were right there on Marina Green and definitely worth celebrating.
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