People are not the only ones to star in movies or animes. Cars do, too.
Moreover, just like any other stars, cars that appear on movies, or what we call picture cars or picture vehicles, also experience a grand treatment on the set. They need to stay stunningly fresh to stay glamorous in every take.
So we compiled some of the notable vintage cars, of Japanese descent, from the world entertainment scene.
# 5 – The Athletic but Elegant Datsun Sports
The Datsun Fairlady 1600.
Also known as the Datsun Fairlady, in Japan and Australia, this car showed both lady-like elegance and the power of an athlete.
The Datsun Sports was released by Nissan in the 1960s. Because of its photo and telegenic appeal, it had not been long before it made its screen debut.
In the film Mirage, directed by Edward Dmytryk, the Fairlady made its first appearance along the streets of New York. Being released in 1965, some said that the Fairlady in this film was a 1600 model. Some said it was a 1500. Whatever it was, it sure made a spark in this mystery-thriller movie that made it win the Golden Seashell award at the 1965 San Sebastian International Film Festival.
After just 6 years, it was spotted once again, this time, in a TV series. Release by the American station, NBC Universal on March 1, 1971, the Fairlady was seen alongside actor Peter Falk, in this show entitled, Columbo.
# 4 – The Small but Terrible Honda S600
The Honda S600 as featured in Jay Leno’s Garage.
No. Being featured in the Play Station 2 game, Gran Turismo 4, was not Honda S600’s biggest media appearance.
Released by the Japanese car giant on March 1964, the kawaii-ness or the cuteness of this small vehicle readily appealed to the Japanese media production firm, Toho. Just a year after its grand launch, the car made it to the film, Frankeinstein Conquers the World, a science fiction kaiju film. A kaiju film is a Japanese film genre featuring monsters attacking major cities.
In 1968, the car got another picture-vehicle role for the Japanese TV series, Operation: Mystery!. The series featured the daily life inside the Science Research Institute (SRI) where strange phenomena happened every now and then. The show ran for 26 episodes and was aired by Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS).
# 3 – Mazda RX – 2, beauty spanning decades
A 1972 Mazda RX-2.
Also known as the Mazda Capella, this mid-sized car sold in the Japanese market sure also made waves abroad.
Released in 1970, the car made its screen debut on the American TV series, Kojak, in 1973. The show is a detective action-crime drama, which won three Golden Globes awards.
It was soon spotted in the Barbara Streisand movie of 1974, entitled For Pete’s Sake. The Mazda RX-2 was seen running around the streets of Brooklyn, as Streisand tried to cross the street.
Said to be the model platform of the Ford Telstar car, the Mazda RX-2 seemed to still have an appeal for the modern audience around the world. The car was still featured in the 2008 TV series from Australia, entitled Underbelly.
In 2009, it was shown in the American animated TV series, with the title, Archer. This show was at the #65 spot of the 250 Top Rated TV shows of the Internet Movie Database.
# 2 – Toyota Sports 800, the anime queen
A 1967 Toyota Sports 800.
Considered to be Toyota’s first car, the Sports 800 made its debut at the 1962 Toyota Auto Show. The car was specifically made for the Japanese market.
In 1968, the car was also featured in the series, Operation: Mystery!, just like the Honda S600. But it seemed like the beauty of the Toyota’s first two-seater had spanned longer than the other cars in this list.
The car made it to the collection of car enthusiast, Jun Kazama, the main character in the anime, What’s up Mechadoc? (Yoroshiku meka dokku). Released in 1984, almost 20 years after its launch, the Toyota Sports 800 was still making waves in this anime.
In 1985, it was featured in City Hunter, a Japanese manga by Tsukasa Hojo, the creator of other mangas like Cat’s Eye and Angel Heart. After 2 years, this had been turned into an anime, still featuring the Toyota Sports 800.
In 1996, it was featured in the anime version of the seinen manga, You’re Under Arrest (Taiho Shichauzo). Three years after, the Toyota Sports 800 still appeared in the movie version of the said anime.
In 1998, it was also included in the second movie adaptation of the phenomenal investigative manga, Detective Conan (Metantei Conan). The full title of the movie was Detective Conan: The Fourteenth Target.
# 1 – Toyota 2000GT and James Bond
The Toyota 2000GT as used in the James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice.
The Toyota 2000GT was actually a work in collaboration with Yamaha. Released at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show, the car proved that it was a true superstar.
The car used in the classic 1967 James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice, was actually a Toyota 2000GT.
Because the car was made for the Japanese market, this sports car has been small. There are rumors that when the James Bond crew were filming the movie in Tokyo, Sean Connery, who stood 6’ 2” inches tall, couldn’t fit inside the car. Because of this, a custom-made open-top version was made by Toyota. This was the only open-top version produced by the company.
These vintage cars truly proved that they are more than just eye-catchers on the road. They are true superstars, which made their way from the boulevard to Hollywood.
Banner photo is a Honda S600 car. Photo by Rich Niewiroski Jr., from Wikimedia Commons.
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