This coming Monday I’m going to be at our old pals Duncan Imports, where I’ll be doing what I love best: driving a bunch of weird or interesting cars while a camera is pointed at me, rambling on and on about the cars until I either collapse or the authorities are involved. There’s a vast, humbling amount of cars at Duncan that I could potentially drive, but realistically we’re only likely to be able shoot, oh, three videos. Maybe four. So, I’ve picked a dozen potential options here, and of these we need to pick three. I’ve also been told I can have access to a Japanese funerary car as a bonus car, so that may be the fourth bonus video. So, tell you what, let me be wildly optimistic: pick four. And I’ll try my best to get videos of all four. We’ll do our best!
Here’s the place I’m talking about. It’s JDM heaven:
Here’s the dozen I curated from the masses of incredible machines:
Some explanation of choices is in order: that Honda Accord limo is like the Accord I grew up with, only made into a bonkers limo; that Honda S-MX is a car designed for people to, well, bone in; that weird retro Toyota is just something I was always fascinated by, that’s a really early Datsun there, the Subaru 360 is kind of the ur-Kei car; That Toyota Corona is a fascinating example of what a rational car was back in 1968; the Autozam is a damn Autozam, and so on.
So, pick four! Can I do this with a survey? Let’s give it a try!
If that doesn’t work for some reason, just put your choices in the comments.
Look at this! You become an Autopian Member, and now you get to help pick what I drive! I’m your puppet! Revel in the power, let it intoxicate you!
The Datsun has operating instructions and semaphores – that’s an obvious choice.
The Toyota Classic and Mitsuoka Viewt offer modern versions of the Datsun, so they make sense. Plus all three of these tie well into the ponton design article. Then there’s time for something fun like the AZ-1 or the funerary car. What a wonderful life that these are the decisions you face!
Consider my username as a vote
The shocking thing about the Duncan inventory is the price for some of Malaise Era cars that are shitbox-on-wheels: AMC Pacer DL Wagon and Hatchback selling for $25,000 and $39,000 respectively, Chevrolet Chevette CS Hatchback for $19,000…I better stop here.
I can’t believe I’m saying this to Jason, but this list is not weird enough. I was just there Saturday and my opening negotiating position would be the turbine-powered 928. They wouldn’t actually let you, but from there you could bargain down to:
–the Alpine
–the Smart Roadster
–the Toyota Sport 800
–the Mazda Cosmos
So there’s an explanation for the omission of the Smart, that’s for me to drive when Jason drags me out there! I have to stop by our friends at the Lane, too.
Datsun Type 17
Subaru 360
AMC Pacer Wagon
Honda S-MX
In that order.
For the sake of spanning the most automotive time in one afternoon.
Man that would be a fun day.
If they have a Suzuki Carry, mostly because I am thinking of buying one within the next year.
Any 360cc-era classic kei cars! 😀 Love those things….Daihatsu Fellow Max? Suzuki Fronte? You name it…drive em! See if they have any Suzuki Stingray Frontes…amazing looking cars! 😀
When I went to the Christiansburg one a couple months back, the two vehicles that begged for my attention were the E-type as soon as I entered, then that awesome ‘37 around (iirc) the first corner. The 64 Rambler wagon was mint, and a really clean Pinto caught my eye as well.
I’d really like to see you drive the ‘37 and the Subaru 360—anything more would just be diabetes-inducing icing (which, to be clear, I would not abstain from reading nonetheless)
If you’re going to the Nashville there’s also a small startup dealer a couple hours south called southeast Imports ????
I put:
The Autoxam, the Datsun 17, the Pacer and the Delica (so you can bug Mercedes).
I kind of wish we had ranked choice voting for this, because I am a little afraid that some choices are in direct competition with each other and will cause both to fall behind.
That said, the ’37 is an obvious choice.
I’d love to see either van, but would prefer the S-MX.
The Viewt or the Classic would be good (voted Classic).
And the Stagea would be great, but the AZ-1 would be cool, too.
S-MX, 360, Alpine, Autozam
Probably the closest thing to a basic list possible.
Honda S-MX
Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear
Renault Alpine Coupe
Nissan Stagea
I voted, but in case it doesn’t get submitted (and because I want to make a list):
If that’s an ACM Pacer wagon in the bottom right, and it’s a choice, I nominate that!
That’s gotta have some odd quirks!
The Datsun then the Stagea for a nice comparison of the beginning, and arguable peak of an automotive manufacturer.
A great way to put it. I voted for both, but didn’t think about the progression
Drive the Accord limo four times.
Let’s see:
Subie 360, Alpine, Delica, Datsun 17
Hell yeah Duncan Imports! These folks are cool as hell and although I live in the DC area I spend a ton of time in rural VA/VA in general so I have a bit of pride that a local-ish place is getting some love. My answers are pretty obvious and I think a lot of us will give you similar:
1). Autozam AZ-1
No further explanation needed.
2). Stagea
Again…no explanation really needed, this is big deal/classic JDM forbidden fruit.
3). Renault Alpine
A cool car from a cool company with cool heritage that we remain deprived of to this day.
4). Delica
Mmmmmm lemme get uhhhh….V A N
Survey not working for me, possibly because one of the dozens of embedded Javascript hosts is blocked by security. So here’s my four, in order: 1937 Datsun Type 17, 1968 Subaru 360, 1981 Honda Accord Limo, and 1989 Renault Alpine Coupe. No, sorry, I didn’t pick the Autozam because it’s been done, and I didn’t pick the Pacer beacuse I’m old enough to remember them, and not fondly.
The survey worked, but looks like it would let me vote again when revisiting the page, but I only voted once. Alpine, Viewt, 360, Stagea,
Same. I also made nearly the same selection, substituting the Delica in place of the Alpine (though the Alpine is a great pick, I’ve just seen one in the flesh before, unlike the Delica).
I picked the Subaru 360, Renault Alpine, Datsun Type 17, and Autozam AZ-1.
“Thank you for reading The Autopian! If you’re seeing this text it means this content is for official members only. If you want to experience this automotive goodness, please consider supporting us by becoming a member. Thank you very much!”
Pay-walling people out who can’t, for whatever reason, contribute financially is ????.
I’m not a paid up member, I’m disappointed when I miss out on content. But I’m hugely grateful that the overwhelming majority of the excellent content is free.
Hey Ana! Please check out this post: https://www.theautopian.com/heres-what-you-get-when-you-become-an-autopian-member-and-how-it-will-make-this-the-greatest-car-website-ever/
We are, indeed, member supported. While the vast majority of the content we have is not in our “special member area,” pieces like this, where members get a chance to help choose which cars we drive, definitely is a “perk” we offer members. We’re small and we want to make this website sustainable and, to do that, we need to make membership valuable.
Can’t read it either, so I’ll just go with the Yamaha OX99-11
“Pay-walling people out who can’t, for whatever reason, contribute financially is…”
…a better way for them to make money than splashing a bunch of obnoxious ads all over the screen. I mean, we’re talking about maybe 1 paywalled article each week out of a slew of other awesome content. Boo hoo.
Wait, I paid for this at some point? I must have paid for the whole year in advance and forgot already. Sounds like something I’d do, ‘Vinyl’ is cheaper that way.
AdBlocker works wonders.