Rare and Eclectic Treasures at the 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show
Heritage vehicles from Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, and more gathered in Southern California for one of the best nostalgic car events of the year.
Time and time again, the Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) continues to be the premier Southern California event where fans can enjoy vintage and historically significant vehicles from Japan’s biggest manufacturers.
For its 14th annual outing, JCCS hosted an eclectic showcase along the waterfront in downtown Long Beach, California. It was a perfect backdrop of palm trees and sunshine for the thousands of kyu-sha (enthusiasts of vintage Japanese cars) in attendance.
Official support from manufacturers like Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, and Honda has really helped this car show grow from its humble beginnings, as well as provide additional learning opportunities about the past, present, and future of Japanese-made automobiles.
For example, Nissan’s booth offered a mini-exhibit entitled “Crazy Good Zs,” which featured pristine examples of locally-owned classics. These cars were chosen specifically to help illustrate the evolution of Nissan’s storied Z car through the years.
Highlights of “Crazy Good Zs” included a father/son-built 1976 Datsun 280Z, a 1984 Nissan 300ZX 50th Anniversary Edition that still has its original window sticker, and a brand-new 2019 Nissan 370Z Heritage Edition painted in a model year-exclusive Deep Blue Pearl.
The best part was seeing the diverse group of owners & spectators sharing stories of how these cars have brought joy into their lives. It’s these conversations that carry on the passion for preserving the history of Japanese-made automobiles.
All kinds of makes and models were represented at the 2018 JCCS, including ones that were never released in North America. And while many of these collectible cars hail from Southern California, there were a significant number of them that traveled from other parts of the country just for this single day of gathering.
For us, the best part of JCCS was seeing the diverse group of owners and spectators sharing their stories of how these cars have brought joy into their lives. It’s these conversations that carry on the passion for preserving the history of Japanese-made automobiles. On this day, things like age, ethnicity, and background didn’t matter — we were all just kyu-sha.
Photo Gallery From the 14th Annual Japanese Classic Car Show
Photos for Team Speed by Andrew Chen