The Vintage Auto Salon was held today at the San Leandro Marina and it was yet another successful show from the minds of Ivan and James of
HJCG. They even arranged for special guest visits from Diane Krey-Wesley (“Mary” of the Ken and Mary Nissan commercials) and the famous Yoshiya Watanabe, founder of the Rocky Auto shop in Japan. Mr. Watanabe also hand-picked the award winners for the day!
What I love about the HJCG shows is the variety of cars from totally restored to works-in-progress and everything between. At each of their past shows I have been stunned by at least one rare, collectible JDM car. This year I was completely taken back by this incredibly gorgeous, impossibly-rare, jaw dropping Silvia:
This classy beauty exudes cool. Check out the split rear bumpers, jewel-like tailights, impressive front grille and a contrasting cream-colored interior:
The lowered stance and staggered Watanabe wheels against the pale green paint made this car almost too yummy for me to bear!
The Silvias were built on the Datsun Roadster’s frame employing the very same R16/4-speed drivetrain. Even the gauges and toggle switches were carry-overs. I had a hunch that this wasn’t a bone-stock Silvia though so I peered under the chassis and found a NISMO competition aluminum oil pan! I tracked down the owner and begged him to pop open the hood so I could quell my curiosity and behold…it had the mighty U20/5-speed with Solexes from a Datsun 2000. This elegant lady also packs a punch!
Z-car fans unite! Plenty of S30 action with some S130 love as well. RHD S30 alert! This car now sports beautiful Watanabe wheels(left). Eric drove his TurboZX-powered S30 from Modesto:
You don’t have to be a Datsun/Nissan fan to appreciate the Skyline. Heads turned as three early, GC10 “Hakosukas” and even a 80’s DR30 Skyline came to the show…both coupes were shades of silver and sported flares, triple-carbed L-series motors, cherry interiors and spoilers:
Everyone’s favorite 4-door “Skyrine” also lives with this DR30 Skyline…hello 80’s!
Engine swaps are always entertaining to see and this show had transplants that ranged from “expected” to almost “bizzarre”…
Rotary die-hards this has got to be the ultimate “pissed-on” swap: A Honda S2000 (F20C) drivetrain into a 1st gen RX-7. Complete with that requisite must-have for any F20-swapped car: the S2K gauge cluster. Yup:
Also rotary-related but nothing shockingly new are rotary swaps into Datsun 510s and Toyota Corollas. The green car is immaculate and won Mr. Watanabe’s heart. The orange 510 sports a roots-style supercharged (!) rotary!
Speaking of Datsun 510s, there were lots of clean SR/KA swapped cars and some amazingly stock examples as well:
Cool trucks too! Our roadster-friend Mark completed a KA24E engine swap into his 521 pickup (right)…
Gotta love those vintage wagons. Notice the almost “Chopped” look of the 610? Slim windows make for a cool profile…stock! The red Honda Civic had a boosted B-series. Several Toyota Coronas were present:
It was refreshing to see more Hondas at the show. The white EF Civic was super clean with an OCD-level of detail in the engine bay. We like it:
Have you ever seen a Toyota Sports 800 in person? Super tiny. Super rare!
More sweet Toyotas…I love the 1st gen Celica’s. I always thought the exterior and interior(dash) were ahead of their time:
Wheels! Wheels! Wheels! Another way to get your JDM-wheel fix is to attend these shows!
We will end with my favorite car, the Datsun Roadster. There was a good showing with 6 roadsters at one point including Mike A’s ’68 SPL/SR20 (He drove up from Pomona!), my ‘67.5 SPL/SR20, Dave P’s ’67 SRL, Will C’s ’69 SRL and a red SPL:
Our very own Dave P won the award for “Best Restored”…Mr. Watanabe and Rocky Auto approved! Congratulations Dave!
We want to give a big Thank You to James and Ivan for hosting another fun event. HJCG rules!
Lots of pictures in the gallery below so don’t forget to click after the jump!
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