JCCS 2021
The annual Japanese Classic Car Show is always one of, if not my favorite, car shows that I look forward to every year. 2021 was no exception, if anything I was anticipating this one more than in years past. The 15th anniversary in 2019 was amazing, the last one in Long Beach, so many great cars and great people to be around. This year the show moved from its home in Long Beach to the city of Anaheim. Held in the parking lot of Angels stadium, my initial thought was that perhaps the vibe would not be as it was in Long Beach. I’m glad I was proven wrong.
Sure I missed the cool air, grass, and sound of the waves crashing on the rocks at Long Beach, but the atmosphere was just as good on the flat asphalt outside Angels Stadium. More cars, more people, and surprisingly good weather, the 16th JCCS was nothing but reinforcement of what makes this event so special. The sheer number of cars that were at this year's event was stunning. It was difficult to determine just how many cars were there, as we stood in line waiting to get in. If the parking lot outside the event was any indication of the quality and volume of the cars inside, we were in for a treat. The organization and layout of everything was brilliant as it always is. As you walk into the gates, Toyota, Datsun/Nissan, and Mazda to your left, vendors in the center, and Honda, Subaru, and Suzuki to your right.
We opted to head to our left and check out the Toyotas first.
The Toyota booth was small but they did bring the new GR86, the new body lines look fantastic on the chassis. A much needed update, and a good looking one at that! I gravitated towards the 80’s Toyota pickups, but there was so much more to appreciate! There were two Toyotas I somehow forgot to grab pictures of, a beautiful Sera, and a pristine Hiace 4WD with the 3 liter Turbodiesel!
We then entered the world of Datsuns. These cars will always be special to me, but not just because they are great machines. I have so many connections to people that currently have or have had Datsuns in the past. My dad, who assisted in my car obsession with our ‘77 280Z and he also owned a 720 pickup, my dad’s best friends, one whom owned a couple of Skylines and a 280Z when he lived in Japan, the other who had an early Nissan pickup, one of my best friends and Crew member Chris and his dad who have four 240Z’s and a Roadster, and many other names and stories that I could write a whole other article about.
We ended up spending a lot of time in this section because there was just so much to see! My personal favorites were the F20C swapped Roadster, a trio of 280Z’s, and an SR20 swapped 720.
After checking out a few Miata’s, we ventured around the vendor booths and took a look at what they brought to the show. We also had to go grab some 2021 JCCS merch ;)
The vendor booths had some incredible machinery. Seeing the Fugu Z in person is always a treat, a true masterpiece. The iconic APEXi FD RX-7 is also a wonderful sight to behold. Too many other great cars to note, so I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
After walking around all the vendor areas, we stopped by the Honda tent. It felt as if the Honda display was the largest of the manufacturers that day. We checked out the motorcycle section, and then grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed home.
With another great JCCS in the books, I look forward to next years event, and hopefully my 280 will be ready for the show by then. Stay tuned for updates!
