Japanese Collector Cars Were On Display At the 46th Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance

The year was 1958 and two Japanese automakers, Toyota and Nissan (who went by Datsun in the states at the time) began importing cars to the USA. These first cars were small and under powered, especially compared to the large vehicles that were being turned out by the Big Three in Detroit and even the remaining independents. The initial lack of success didn't deter the Japanese automakers and by the late 1960s they had managed to make some strong inroads into the American market. Today it is impossible to drive around or go to a store parking lot without seeing Japanese "imports," most of which are actually made in America. To celebrate the impact of these cars the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance became one of the very first major events to include a class for Japanese and Asian vehicles. The 46th installment of the Cincinnati concours had a fine selection including a 1972 Honda AZ600, a 1966 Honda S-600, a 1971 Datsun 240Z which was one of the very first popular imports, a 1987 Toyota MR2, a 1972 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser, a 2003 Subaru Impreza WRX which was famed for street racing, a 1997 Nissan StageA 260RS, and a 1990 Nissan 300 ZX.