Do these handle?

I'm having trouble finding good reasons to pump more time and money into my Fairlane and starting to think about another old car, but something smaller and nimble that might even survive a few autocross runs and spirited drives. The list is mostly 70s Japanese cars 240Z/260Z, 510, RX2, RX3, Celica and the BMW 2002. Those all strike me as classic cars that can stop and turn much better than the average muscle car. I know the datsuns and bmw are good performers, but the mazdas and toyota I know less about. Really, it all comes down to availability since there are so few of them left anyway. Any comments on the first generation celica and rotary powered mazdas are appreciated.

They all were fairly dominant in their race classes, so yes.

It's good that you are looking for all of those cars to find one it will definitely help your chances in finding a car. You may want to look at SA22 RX7s, Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi Galant in Japan), Plymouth Arrow, and Datsun 610 as well.

A version of the Arrow called the Fire Arrow came with 4 wheel disc and that 2.6l Mitsubishi engine. There is a decent amount of support for that engine actually due to Starions using a turbo version of it. Such a large displacement engine in such a light car can make it somewhat quick too.

My personal favorite from this period wasn't sold in the US I don't think at least i've never seen one. Isuzu 117. You may be able to find one though because it's a favored car by people who like 70s Japanese stuff.

Galant GTO not released in the US but you get an idea of what you can make the car look like if you get foreign bumpers and a decent resto:

Datsun 610, for racing probably your best bet of these other than RX7. Shares a lot with other Nissan that are popular in vintage racing.

Isuzu 117:

Forgot about one. This is a Plymouth Arrow, which I think is a Lancer in Japan.

If you are interested in cars like that i'd recommend this forum so you can maybe get some ideas on additional cars to look for: http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/forum/

that Isuzu looks -very- european

Pre RX-7 wankels have a rep for having fragile seals. Make sure the oil metering pump system is working. IIRC, early RX-7 engines fit the earlier cars.

If you don't get a lot of feedback on the handling question here you might consider going down to you local library and seeing if the reference desk has some way to give you access to old magazine reviews and articles. They used to have tons of stuff on microfiche, but I bet they have online access now. At least by reading contemporary reviews of the cars you might be able to see where the different cars ranked among themselves back in the day.

Fairlaine ? What year ? I had a 67 that I learned to drive with..they are big cars by today's standards. I also drove a RX-2 that we made into a drag car for a customer, big tires and a b13 . it dragged the rear bumper on the first real pass. Nothing sounds like a rotory at 9k . It didn't handle to well with big slicks on the back so the guy put a street tires on it to drive around the town... Till the cops told him it was way to loud. Sorry for rambling, but I like old cars .

Who cares if an RX3 handles... look at it. Plus... triangles!

As far as handling, the Celica can borrow much of the AE86 after market since basic suspensions are very similar.

My dad and I used to race one of these ('72 Corolla SR-5) in the SCCA's ITC class. Best handing car in it's class against Rabbit's, 210's, and 510's! [URL=http://s4.photobucket.com/user/composvt/media/DSC_9916.jpg.html][/URL]

Look for a TR8. Stops and handles like a sports car, but with the V8 engine, it feels like a muscle car in a straight line. You will be hard pressed to find more smiles for the dollar than a TR8. Modified ones quickly enter into the supercar performance realm. $10 to $15K will buy you a 12 second 1/4 mile version. There were two such examples on ebay. One with a turbo and one with a stroker 5.0 Rover. Heres a link to one of them. Same guy is selling both of them. http://classiccars.com/listings/view/427527/1980-triumph-tr8-for-sale-in-elburn-illinois-60119

Don't forget about the RX-4. They are a bit more common in the US than the RX3 nowadays and in my opinion they look just as good. They also had a cool hardtop body style and came with 13Bs.

Don't forget about Dodge Colts (Re branded mitsu lancers) too, though I'm kind of partial....

God this thread is filled with awesome. Hnnngggh!

mad_machine wrote: that Isuzu looks -very- european

I think they're the same as Opels of the period? But someone fact check me.

I feel like the hard part would be finding any of these cars. I would go 510 if it were me, because L20B and IRS.

racerfink wrote: My dad and I used to race one of these ('72 Corolla SR-5) in the SCCA's ITC class. Best handing car in it's class against Rabbit's, 210's, and 510's!

I used to autocross the ugly duckling version in E Prepared:

Stiff springs, Konis, swaybars and a full cage made for a very stiff and great handling car.

Appleseed wrote: God this thread is filled with awesome. Hnnngggh!

Dear god yes.

This one does! 78 Corolla FS

You people are making me miss my old Corolla wagon.

my ra29 celica on star specs handled great. no power steering so good feedback. Ae86 shares a lot of suspension components with it. I really liked that car.

mad_machine wrote: that Isuzu looks -very- european

It should, it's a Giugiaro design. Reminds me of a Fiat Dino almost. I think he designed the Impulse as well. It has a DOHC EFI engine as well. It's a sweet car but it might be near impossible to find here but they do exist. They are common on JDM import sites though.

I forgot about Fire Arrows completely before I went to this thread the first time. 4 Wheel Disc + 2.6l engine makes me kind of interested in it myself.

Sounds like the Celica would be THE car to get with if it can use AE86 aftermarket though. They are getting expensive, however. The other cars here probably are still cheaper.

Jeez, what kind of JNC Shangri-la do you guys live in? In Ohio a 1G Celica is considered extremely rare, and I've never even seen most of the rest of the stuff on this page, even in car shows.

West of the Mississippi my friend, in places where rust didn't kill the cool old stuff in a decade or two.

ShadowSix wrote: Jeez, what kind of JNC Shangri-la do you guys live in? In Ohio a 1G Celica is considered extremely rare, and I've never even seen most of the rest of the stuff on this page, even in car shows.

That's exactly how I feel living in pa, I did see a 510. Once

In reply to ShadowSix:

The pacific northwest.

Last week I spotted a 72 Toyota Corona in the grocery store parking lot. Not a restored car, not a drift kids car. Just a decent daily driver. I see RWD Corollas regularly, There are at least 50 510's in Eugene alone. Hell I still see Datsun 1200's at least once a month.