The cars from Eunos you (REALLY) don't know

When JDM enthusiasts heard the word "Eunos", the only car they come out from their mind is the Roadster, known in the world market as the MX-5 Miata, but that's a load of rubbish because some people don't understand the true history of Japanese cars. Call themselves a JDM enthusiast? To be a true JDM enthusiast, they have to first know about the history of Japanese cars.

Eunos is not all about Mazda Roadsters and some JDM enthusiasts are making mistakes calling second-generation NB and third-generation NC Miatas a Eunos. Hey! Eunos Roadster refers to the first-generation Roadster/MX-5 Miata!

Eunos Roadster

Yes. That's the one. So, if you're tagging pics of NB or NC Miatas as "Eunos", I can't believe you're A) Can't understand Japanese very well, B) You don't know more about the history of Mazda, or C) You don't know more about the history of Japanese cars at all...

In order to fully understand what Eunos is, let's get to know the cars from Mazda's Eunos brand, a brand that was once a luxury brand until it was disappeared from history from the mid-90's. But first, a quick history lesson...

At the end of the 1980's, Mazda tries to diversify the Japanese car market by introducing three different marques. This is just like Toyota, Honda (with their Primo, Verno, and Clio marques), Mitsubishi, and Nissan from their heydays. The three marques are; Autozam (comprised of affordable entry-level cars), Efini (the exclusive luxury brand where the FD RX-7 is sold), and Eunos. Eunos is an upscale brand from Mazda and it's naming comes from the Greek word "eu" meaning "good" and "nos" referring to the abbreviation to the word "numbers".

Anyway, let's get to know the Eunos cars you'd never know...

Eunos 300 - Launched in late 1989, this 5-number size 4-door saloon served as the "volume zone" for Mazda's Eunos brand. It was basically a Mazda Persona in Eunos' clothing. Available engine types are a 1.8L F8 l4 and 2.0L FE l4 petrol engines, both can be mated with either a 4-speed auto or a 5-speed gearbox.

Eunos 300

Eunos 100 - Although this is just a Mazda Familia Astina hatchback sold at Eunos dealerships in late 1989, the 100 served as the entry-level model for the Eunos brand. It is available with either a 1.5L or a 1.8L petrol engine, each can be fitted with either a 4-speed auto or a 5-speed manual.

Eunos 100

Eunos Cargo - The Eunos Cargo is basically a third-generation Mazda Bongo passenger van, otherwise known as the Mazda E2000, the van that was once sold in the Philippines in the 90's, I think. This 1BOX-type van has 4330mm of length, 1645mm of width, and it can seat up to about 8 people. The 2.0L engine comes with two different flavors; petrol and diesel, and transmission offerings are either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. The diesel model only comes with an optional part-time 4WD system.

Eunos Cargo

Eunos Cosmo - Most Gran Turismo fans will probably remember this forgotten JDM masterpiece and so do I. The Cosmo is a luxury grand tourer which resurrected the legendary Cosmo name, the first rotary-engine powered Mazda from 1967. The entry-level models come with the 13B rotary engine which delivers 230PS of power but the top-of-the-line models come with the 20B rotary engine which develops a governed power output of 280PS. The Type-S model comes with a limited-slip diff, front double wishbone and rear multilink suspension, making it the sportier model that competes against Euro luxury coupes. On the inside, it's all about business in every angle and this is the first model to come with a GPS sat-nav system in the industry. The only gearbox available is a 4-speed automatic gearbox and no manual on sight, like a Subaru Alcyone SVX. It may not be a fun car to drive but for storing up memories, the Cosmo is worth remembering. It's one of my childhood memories when I played with one of these on Gran Turismo...

Eunos Cosmo

Eunos Presso - Available in other countries as the MX-3, the Presso is a kammback coupe and since I never heard of this, a kammback is a body style of a car with smooth contours that continues to the back that is abruptly cut off. It was derived from a German aerodynamicist Wunibald Kamm in the 1930's but this is how the Americans call it for those kind of shooting brakes. It went on sale in Japan on summer 1991 and the only offering for this 3-door coupe is a 1.8L K8 V6 engine which delivers 140PS of power. It can be fitted with either a 4-speed AT or a 5-speed MT. Then in 1993, 1.5L B5-ZE l4 engine was offered and even though it produces less than the 1.8L V6 model, it's more fuel efficient as this variant comes with 14.4km/L of fuel economy when fitted with a 5-speed MT.

Eunos Presso

Eunos 500 - Previewed at the 1991 Tokyo Motor Show and went on sale in Japan since 1992, the Eunos 500 is based on the Mazda Capella and it comes with a 2.0L V6 engine that develops 160PS of power and 18.3kg-m of torque and a 1.8L V6 engine developing 140PS of power. They can be fitted with a 4-speed auto or a 5-speed manual as usual. For the 1994 update, the 1.8L V6 was thrown away and replaced with a smaller 1.8L l4 engine developing a lesser 115PS of power output. It was soldiered on until production ended in 1999. The Eunos 500 was sold in Europe as the Xedos 6 and it was involved in the British Touring Car Championship in 1993 and 1994.

Eunos 500

Eunos 800 - Launched in Autumn 1993, the Eunos 800 is the flagship of Mazda's Eunos brand. Originally, it was part of the plan for launching Mazda's Amati brand but due to financial strife, the plan to launch the Amati luxury brand was cancelled and the Eunos 800 was sold to Europe as the Xedos 9 and in America as the Millenia. It was the only saloon in the world to be fitted with a Miller cycle engine in history and yes, we're talking about a 2.3L Miller cycle V6 engine that powers it aside from the 2.5L V6 engine offered on top-of-the-line models. The Eunos 800 was renamed as the Mazda Millenia in Japan in 1997 after Mazda's decision to axe the Eunos brand. This is the last Eunos brand car ever launched in history and while it was renamed as the Mazda Millenia, it gained a minor change that includes a downgrade from aluminum to steel due to cost-cutting measures. Ouch... The Millenia flagship soldiered on until production discontinued in 2003 with no successor in sight.

Eunos 800

So, now you finally know about the Eunos cars you REALLY don't know. Next time when you think about the forgotten Eunos brand from Mazda, think about these rather than just the MX-5 Miata. They maybe consigned from the history books but those unsung cars truly have a place in JDM history.

GT6: Cars that are Gran Turismo exclusive - Cizeta V16T

The Goodwood Hill Climb, famous for its annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, is considered a Gran Turismo-exclusive racetrack because the folks from Gran Turismo granted exclusive rights from the Goodwood FoS committee to feature this track in Gran Turismo 6.

At a moment notice, we will try out a car that is branded a "Gran Turismo exclusive", a real-life car you can only play on the Gran Turismo franchise and nowhere else. Think of it like Brainiac's Things You Can Run Through except this isn't the part where an idiot may or may not run through a certain object.



Today, it's the Gran Turismo-only Cizeta V16T. Since its first appearance in GT4, this rare V16-powered, long-forgotten, Italian supercar designed by Marcelo Gandini is considered a Gran Turismo exclusive and even in its latest appearance via Gran Turismo 6, you know that no other game would feature it...because the Cizeta V16T is a Gran Turismo exclusive and it's a general fact.

The supercar that should have been will run through the Goodwood Hill Climb but at what time will the V16T post?









It's a 0:52.971 lap time! As the name implies, this V16-powered engine mounted in the middle produced 568PS of power and mated with a 5-speed manual, its 0-60mph time is on the 4-second mark with the 204mph top speed. People say it's a fake Diablo but in general fact, both the Lamborghini Diablo and the Cizeta were designed by the same man. Thank goodness.

It maybe similar to the Diablo but it sure is quick for a very rare and legendary Italian supercar few enthusiasts knew about.

The Cizeta V16T - A GRAN TURISMO EXCLUSIVE CAR.

Fun with 60's Japanese Cars

Now, if you're from Japan and if you're aged from 50 and up, then you might remember a memorable classic Japanese TV commercial for Asahi Pentax camera but more importantly is this...



Yes, it maybe a classic oldies Japanese commercial for some oldies camera but with some 60's Japanese cars got featured in the ad like the Toyota 2000GT, Nissan S30 Fairlady, and the Mazda Cosmo, we kinda wondering that what if we can do that part from that ad...

To recreate that part from the classic Asahi Pentax ad, we decided to find a place to stage it and we think we found it...





We have chosen this venue to stage a reenactment. Yes, this is the Eiger Nordwand from the Gran Turismo 5 game. It maybe short, but thanks to its green scenery, recreating this part from the classic Japanese commercial from the 60's would be easy but in order to do this, we have to find the cars seen from that ad and it must be from the 1960's...



This fits right through its qualifications. This is a Japanese car from the 1960's and it's a kei car. It's called the Honda N360 and this set a benchmark for Honda kei cars. Produced from 1967 to 1972, the N360 is the brand's first kei car; small in size but big on fun. The N in the N360 name stands for norimono, which is Japanese for vehicle.



What surprised me that the N360 is a bit more of a Japanese clone of the classic Mini and we really do mean the Austin Morris Rover kind of Mini, not the BMW kind of Mini because we're talking nostalgia fun here but I think it looks broadly similar to the car that the Asahi Pentax commercial girl's driving. Hey! It does look like that one and that's about it. Anyway...

Kei cars in the past are powered by the 2-stroke air-cooled engines but for the N360, it comes with the air-cooled 4-stroke engine. This 2-cylinder SOHC engine produces about 31HP of power but at the end of its production life, it had increased to 36HP. For the first two years of the N360, about 400,000 units have been sold, and amazingly, outselling the legendary kei car, the Subaru 360. This car really helped Honda became a full-fledged carmaker even though the fact that Honda makes motorcycles for a living.

Mated on the N360 was the 4-speed manual gearbox with dog-clutch engagement, capable of reaching a top speed of about 115kph.

Enough analogy for now and since we're on the subject of 60's Japanese cars from the Asahi Pentax ad, look what we brought to complete the process...



This is the Toyota 2000GT. Dubbed as Japan's first supercar, the design of the 2000GT really resembles more of a Ferrari of that time but surprisingly, this car was made to crush opponents at Fuji and Suzuka and then set a top speed of 220kph when this car was tested at the Yatabe test course. Little known fact that they made a one-off convertible version for the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. It maybe a Bond car but it was driven by a Bond girl on that film named Akiko Wakabayashi or Aki, who was a Japanese special agent aiding James Bond's mission. Originally they would put a coupe version but because of the height of the interior that cannot accommodate Sean Connery's head, they decided to chop the 2000GT's roof away and made it open-top for the film.

Rarity aside, the Toyota 2000GT is a very rare classic car because they only made 300 of them, about 200 less than today's Lexus LFA's 500 units. When it was launched in the 1960's, they can't afford the pricing of 2,380,000 Yen, which in today's money, I think, is about 15 or 16 million yen. I think it could be more than my guessing but anyway, let's move on to the next one...



The Mazda Cosmo, when it was launched in 1967, is the first ever car to come with the world's first mass-produced two-rotor Wankel rotary engine. The rotary wankel engine was the brainchild of Sir Felix Wankel who sold the rights to Mazda from that time. This car is another instant rarity because when it stopped making these at 1972, about 1,176 cars were sold. Oh and for the fun of it, because of its futuristic styling, it did landed a role on the Ultraman TV show.



And here it is. Our last ingredient to finish it up, this is the first generation Nissan Fairlady and this was launched in 1969. I know, this is the first Fairlady Z car. 'Nuff said.

Now that we got all of the main ingredients, the stage of recreating a scene from the Asahi Pentax commercial is finally ready. Let's not forget that in that scene, the 2000GT was first then followed by the Cosmo, and the S30 Fairlady so the sequences has to be in that order...







...and that does it. The reenactment's done and those 60's Classic Japanese Cars finally got their...um...let's not say 60 seconds of fame, let's call it THE X FACTOR because the may be old but they still have their X FACTOR shining through their golden days of Japanese motoring.

This goes to show...60's Japanese Classic Cars are COOL. CLASSICS ARE COOL...

Bridging the war between Arthritis and Acne

It came from the era where subs are used
to defeat the Germans...

In Top Gear's Hill Climb Challenge episode, a sports-tuned version of the Austin Healey Sprite was served for the Austin Healey Sport Club who are up against a souped up Peugeot 306 served for the punks wearing hoodies, training shoes, and Argos jewerlies in the hill climb challenge at Prescott Hill. When handed these to The Stig, the Frogeye Sprite won the Hill Climb challenge in 58.4 seconds, faster than the 59.26 time set on a modified Peugeot 306.

Sadly though, we don't get a Peugeot 306 that we can souped up to make it more like the ones we saw on those Max Power magazines but we do get a classic British roadster that kicked a souped up hatchback at Prescott Hill. Although it might not be pleasant for the September Pennzoil Car Pack from Forza Motorsport 4 to have this Frogeye Sprite but it sure is great to have another one of Top Gear memorabilia. Thank you Austin Healey Sport Club. This is the kind of car where competition meets culture and it doesn't matter which car culture you're following either you are obsessed with vintage classics, import scene, or any car culture you are on, even on Forza Motorsport 4 because car culture is part of it.

The Mark I Sprite was launched in 1958 and produced until 1961 with 48,987 units made. The Brits nicknamed it Frogeye while the Americans nicknamed it Bugeye because of its headlights mounted on top of the bonnet.

Under the bonnet lies the 948cc A-Series 4-cylinder engine that produces 43HP of power and 71Nm of torque. According to British car magazine, The Motor, the Mark I Sprite can do 0-60mph in 20.5 seconds and top speed of 82.9mph. Fuel economy is 43 miles per imperial gallon.

The Mark I Sprite's success in motorsport can be traced back to the 1958 Alpine Rally where John Sprinzel and Willy Cave gathered a class victory. The most famous Sprite used in motorsports was the Sebring Sprite.

I was very glad to take a spin on this Frogeye Sprite and I was very pleased about its lightweight bodywork. If you tweak this Frogeye whatever you like, this lightweight frog can blitz through the corners like you've never expected, just like what happened on the Top Gear Hill Climb Challenge and kicked the modified 306's bumper. It goes to show that age and experience will always win for vigor, no matter which car culture you're following at. That's what the Frogeye Sprite taught me about car cultures.

Welcome Back: 1961 Jaguar E-type S1

E-Type Jags are immaculate to many

The origin of the Jaguar brand traced back in the 1920's when Sir William Lyons gathered together to create a motorcycle sidecar. The E-Type was launched in 1961, making it the premiere British car maker solidifying that position with this 2-seater sports coupe.

Powering the E-Type was its 3.8L DOHC 6-cylinder engine with three SU carbs to generate 265HP of power, 0-100kph in 7.2 seconds and top speed of 210kph. It was the last model with which Lyons would be directly involved with. The bodywork of the E-Type was inspired from the C- and D-Type race cars thanks to its curaceous shap[e and flowing lines. It was available in either a hardtop coupe and convertible.

Right until 1964, about a total of 7,820 E-Types were produced and about 90% of those were landed in the USA.

This car was featured in Top Gear Season 6 Episode 5 and it was driven by Jeremy Clarkson alongside the Aston Martin DB5. In the drag race portion, both the DB5 and the E-Type were lost to a Honda sedan. When handed to The Stig, the E-Type did it in 1:32.8.

2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type and on the Series 17 opener of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson pays tribute to it as well as driving the modern take of the E-Type Jag that is worth half-a-million Pounds.

Welcome Back: 1964 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage

The best Bond car is always the one that started it all. It remains one of the all time Bond car greats; the Aston Martin DB5.

Alpine escape

This car is famed for being the first ever James Bond car when it was first appeared in the Bond movie, Goldfinger. The DB naming was named in honor of David Brown, the head of Aston Martin from 1947 to 1972.

The DB5 served as the replacement for the DB4 and unlike the DB4, the all-aluminium 6-cylinder engine was enlarged from 3.7 L to 4.0 L as well as adding three SU carburetors, generating 282 bhp (210 kW) of power and a top speed of 145 mph (233 km/h). It was mated with a ZF five-speed transmission (except for some of the very first DB5s).

This car was produced from 1963 to 1965, with a total of 1,023 produced (123 convertible DB5s were produced). There was a shooting brake DB5 made by independent coachbuilder, Harold Radford, via modifiying 11 or 12 DB5 coupes.

This car was featured in Top Gear Season 6 Episode 5 and it was driven by Jeremy Clarkson alongside the immaculate Jaguar E-Type. In the drag race portion, both the DB5 and the E-Type were lost to a Honda sedan. When handed to The Stig, the DB5 did it in 1:46.0.

Welcome Back: 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe

In the 1950's the Mercedes-Benz 300SL was the fastest production car of its day. Codenamed W198, it was introduced in 1954 as a coupe with the fascinating gullwing doors and later an open roadster. 

This car is a softened road-legal version based on the company's successful 1952 race car, the W194. It comes with the 3.0L M198 SOHC I6 engine fitted with a Bosch mechanical gasoline direct injection system that generates about 212-222 hp. It was mated with the 4-speed manual transmission.

As of now, the classic 300SL with the gullwing doors became a collectible with prices in the US$700,000-1,000,000 range. Sports Car International ranked this car as the number 5 sports car of all time. The present day SLS AMG inspired the Gullwing doors from the 300SL.

The car that defeated the steam train from Top Gear...

In Series 13 opener of Top Gear, a letter from a viewer was sent to Top Gear and says here that what would Top Gear be look like when they were in 1949 and yep, Jeremy, Richard, and James take up for the big challenge. It's the 1949 episode. An epic 1949 race between the Jaguar XK120, the world's fastest on that time, the Vincent Black Shadow, which is the fastest motorbike on that time, and something that is bit 1949-ish but modern, a Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado steam train. Jeremy Clarkson took part on the A1 Tornado while James May is in the Jaguar XK120 and Richard Hammond, in his leather romper suit, rides on the Vincent Black Shadow in a race from King's Cross, London, to a bar in Edinburgh. In the end, the Jaguar XK120 defeated the A1 Tornado steam train while the Vincent Black Shadow motorbike is dead last because of problems.

The world's fastest car from the late 1940's

This is how Forza feels like when it's 1949

So, the Jaguar XK120, what made it very special that when this car was launched in 1948, it hailed as the world's fastest car from that era. The roadster version as seen at the 1948 London Motor Show was actually a pre-production model and its positive reception propelled Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production. As the name implies, it is capable of 120 mph (193 km/h) of top speed, which in 1948, hailed as the fastest car in the world courtesy of its 3.4L DOHC Straight-6 engine that generates 160 bhp (119 kW; 162 PS) @ 5000 rpm of power.

Back then, this car costs 1200 Pounds in 1948 but in today's world, that's about 35,000 Pounds. It's a Bugatti Veyron with the price of the 5 Series.

In the old days, XK120 units with standard 8:1 compression ratio were exported to the world market but in Britain, a 7:1 low compression version was provided with decreased power because of the post World War II austerity measures.

Most of the XK120's come with the independent torsion bar front suspension, semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear, recirculating ball steering, telescopically adjustable steering column, and all-round 12 inch drum brakes that can be easily broken or Alfin (ALuminium FINned) brake drums that has low chances of getting it broken. 

In 1951, an improved version, the XK120 SE (Special Edition) was launched with wire wheels, increased power, stiffer suspension and dual exhaust system. Therefore, the SE model produces 180 bhp (134 kW; 182 PS) of power but the one we have on Forza Motorsport 4 via the July Car Pack was actually the XK120 SE (C-Type Head) that comes with the improved 3.4L engine that churns out 210 bhp (157 kW; 213 PS) of power.

Off to kick some steam train rails...

During its tenure, the XK120 was heavily involved in motorsports beginning with its first victory at the Daily Express-sponsored One-Hour Production Car Race held on 30 August 1949 at Silverstone Circuit, England. From 1949 to 1954, the XK120 shines through various races such as the Le Mans, Targa Florio, Mille Miglia, Silverstone Production Car Race, Tourist Trophy, Mount Druitt 24 Hours Road Race, and we're not joking, NASCAR where Al Keller won the first NASCAR road race, held at Linden Airport, New Jersey, on June 13, 1954.

Nice view with this car!

Even in old days, cars are better than trains. Most Top Gear episodes always proving that cars are better than trains. The Aston Martin DB9 is better than the train heading to Monte Carlo, the Nissan R35 GT-R is better than the Shinkansen, and this...the Jaguar XK120 is better than the Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado steam train. I'm glad that this car showed up on Forza Motorsport 4 and I'm loving it not only because of the noise and its heritage but this really is the car that this shows that even six decades ago, in post-WW2 era, cars are better than trains! It pays to be a Top Gear fanatic.

BEAT THAT, CATHEDRALS EXPRESS!!!

24th Annual Pacific Northwest Historics Vintage Races

Despite that it rained at the Pacific Raceways, we visited the 24th Annual Pacific Northwest Historics held at Pacific Raceways and sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Seattle. I was greeted by a bunch of car clubs present at that venue...

From Fiats, Fairlady Z's, MG's, Minis, Alfas, Lotuses, even the mighty DeLorean from the Back To The Future trilogy, those car clubs of all sorts really wowed me since my visit to the Pacific Raceways.

There was one car I'm not utterly familiar off...it was a 1962 KELLISON but sorry, I have no idea what is this classic racer...

This one looks cool, a Smart Fortwo smothered with Rosso Corsa color and some Ferrari badges on it! Whoever owns this must have been a Ferrari fan who couldn't afford a Ferrari. He he he...

Vintage racers are the stars of the race. They came from various eras with various classes but the glorious noises from the classic racers are truly epic. They're more of a GOLDEN GOODIES and it feels like I went back in time to watch a race! Woo-hoo!

There's the Mercedes-Benz of Seattle booth!

This is the E63 AMG but...

This one has the all new M157 5.5L V8 BiTurbo engine, the kind of engine Forza blokes don't want to feature a single Mercedes-AMG model with the M157 engine on it.

This is the SLS AMG but that's the Roadster model. Sure, this model was featured on Top Gear.

The AutoCenter Northwest booth does feature the hottest luxury cars but for me, they're not as hot as this...

The all new Range Rover Evoque. Basically one of my favorites....

For my full gallery: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3869181566796.2156815.1196293706&type=3&l=f0c5ad332a

This trip to the Pacific Raceways will serve as my one step further for being a petrolhead. Those car clubs present, those classic racers, that's what amazed me at the 24th Annual Pacific Northwest Historics Vintage Races