Last night with nothing better to do, my wife and I decided to take an evening trip to Costco (I got like 4 pounds of trail mix in a bag the size of my torso, Big Hero 6 on DVD, and we shared a lovely hot dog and pepsi value meal). On the way out of our little shopping/wasting time excursion, I spotted this lovely little bronze beast. It’s just SOOO 80s! I set down my bags, my wife briefly rolled her eyes mockingly, and I took a few photos. I still can’t get over how clean 1980s Japanese cars can be in this neck of the woods. Aside from the interior being beat, and the front spoiler showing some wear, this thing was immaculate. I wanted to leave a note offering the person cash, but the fact that I’ve already got 5 cars and only one garage space helped me walk away. I don’t know what this car’s owner thought they’d fit from Costco, though. I’ve driven a few of these things, and they don’t offer much in the way of storage.


First, the bad news. Those wheels are a horrendous eyesore. Whoever designed them at American Racing really should know better. The interior was outfitted by someone with similar taste to explain the wheels. The cheap knockoff-leather APC-esque bright red ‘racing’ seat covers do not belong on a riotously fun mid-engine model like this. The car also sits way too high. She is an aging beauty, please allow her to do it gracefully. The good news is, with a set of vintage mesh-headrest black Recaros and a set of vintage Watanabe wheels (plus maybe repair and paint the front spoiler) lowered on some sport springs. These won’t stay cheap forever, so if you see one at a good price, buy it and fix it up, because you could be sitting on a gold mine in about a decade. In the case of this car, maybe a “bronze mine”.

All photos ©2015 Hooniverse/Bradley C. Brownell, All Rights Reserved.