Holy Grail

‘Classic’ and ‘Japanese’ used to be mutually exclusive terms in the classic car world. However, after years of rejection, some self-appointed connoisseurs in the ‘old guard’ reluctantly admitted that the likes of select Mazda and Datsun models made the cut. Even then, these Japanese classics were considered a subspecies, not really on a par with their British or European classics.

Well, we’re here to say screw that—and, thankfully, many are starting to agree with us. The definition brackets are constantly shifting, with most examples aged 30 years or older up for consideration in the category, as long as they have made some form of impact in their lifetime.

We are now well into the years when Japanese