Last weeks poll results
We kind of expected this outcome: the Toyota Crown S130 with spread winged exhaust won last weeks sudden death
Winners so far:
Bosozoku style Skyline C210
Bosozoku style Fairlady 280ZX
Toyota Crown S130 with spread winged exhaust
This weeks we try to keep it in the same era and in the same styling:
Nissan Gloria C330 Bosozoku style
Versus
Bosozoku style Toyota Mark II X3
Bosozoku lifestyle: cherry blossom Mark II
Eventhough the bosozoku lifestyle should be very rough according to its image there may still be some softness in the bosozoku car stylers. During springtime half of Japan goes crazy for cherry blossoms since it marks the end of the winter and the start of a cycle. Then take for example this zokusha Toyota Mark II RX30 with cherry blossoms at the background:
Cherry blossomed bosozoku styled Toyota Mark II RX30
I can only conclude some bosozoku car stylers still have soft spots. 😉
Exhaust of the week: sky high tail pipe!
This Toyota Mark II X4 made it as the Exhaust of the Week:
Toyota Mark II X4 with a sky high tail pipe
I hope he actually removes that pipe when he drives! It doesn’t look too comfortable with overpasses!
by bosozoku with no comments yetPopular Bosozoku cars: Toyota Mark II X3/X4
This weeks highlight is the Toyota Mark II X3/X4. The bodystyle is very distinct and can easily be recognized between all other bosozoku cars. A good example is this really nice Shakotan style Mark II X3:
Shakotan style Toyota Mark II X3
This Shakotan styled Mark II really shows how this almost stock car can be made very beautiful by simply adding two tone paint, a set of fat stretched tires and lowering the car till the ground.
The Mark II is a very popular model because it has very American styling, like the cokebottle lines and its grille and headlights are more British. This combination is ideal for the early 80s Granchan style.
Bosozoku style Toyota Mark II X4
This Bosozoku styled example has it all: extra wide fenders, big chin spoiler, oil cooler, changed (square) headlights and a very big wing on the trunk!
Bosozoku style Toyota Mark II X3
No headlights at all? Is that road-legal in Japan? Or are the headlights hidden somewhere? Then again: those big exhausts are not road-legal either…
The first Mark II was originally meant as a Corona model between the Crown and the normal Corona, hence the Mark II tag.
Factory stock Toyota Cressida MX41
The X3 and X4 are the third generation of the Mark II (shouldn’t it be called Mark IV then? 😉 ) and was sold as the Toyota Cressida overseas.
The difference between the X3 and the facelifted X4 are minor: only the grille and foglights are a tiny bit restyled. I couldn’t find a clear factory stock X3 picture, so you have to compare it with one of the Bosozoku styled cars. 😉
Factory stock Toyota Cressida MX41
The Cressida’s and Mark II differ only in engines: the European version had the high performance 18R engine while the American version had the older 4M engine. In Japan they had a wide variety in engines: 1L, 1M, 4M, 16R, 18R, 21R, 3T, 13T.
Only the 4M and 18R are true worthy engines for this car: the 4M because it is a SOHC inline 6 and has a big displacement and gives a smooth ride. The 18R because it is a high performance DOCH inline 4 with fuel injection and creates a sporty ride.
The X3 and X4 had an A43DL 4-speed automatic optional. This automatic had an overdrive and an overdrive lockout. Nowadays this sounds not like a big deal with all those 7 and 8 speed automatics, but back then the overdrive lockout was a major improvement.
Personally I would love to own a 4 door X3/X4 myself as a daily driver and slam it to the ground shakotan style. 😉
by banpei with 3 comments