Japanese Tuners Are Obsessed With Old American Cars And The Results Are Rad

The United States came out of World War II as a dominant superpower, and has played an important role in shaping the world order ever since. In parallel, American clothing, music, and movies have travelled around the world in a way few other cultures could match. When it comes to cars, classic American automotive styles are often seen as an aesthetic ideal, particularly in Japan. That’s inspired a Japanese workshop to adopt those tropes for its own line up of modified Japanese automobiles.

Cal’s Motor is a new project split off from established custom car dealer Alpine Style. Its tagline is “California Dreamin'” with the company looking to trade on an image of sun, surf, and good times. When it comes to cars, the company leans heavily on 1950s maximalism, 1960s surf culture, and1970s/1980s Malaise. We’re talking bold colors, gorgeous two-tone paint jobs, and shiny dog dish wheels. Oh, and don’t forget the big rectangular grilles that are just dripping with chrome.

The company offers four major models. The Sonova, the Carica, the Havana, and the Beas make up the lineup, each designed to appeal to a different kind of customer.

The Sonova is a minivan based on the Nissan NV200 Vanette. It comes with 1.6-liter engine and an automatic gearbox in a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive configuration. Where the NV200 is a humble thing, though, the Sonova is anything but. In place of the original rounded front end, it wears a forward-slashed sharknose over a huge chrome bumper.  You get old-school rectangular headlights as part of the package, along with bright shiny chrome wheels wearing whitewall tires. The rear end has been suitably trimmed in turn, with a chrome on the bumper, trim and tail lights. It’s available in a stack of great throwback colors, most of which are part of a two-tone design.

If you want something that feels just a little more Japanese, though, consider the Carica. It’s available in both US and Euro Style versions, and is based on the Toyota Hiace van. You can have it in a variety of combinations with either two- or four-wheel-drive, and a selection of gasoline and diesel engines. Cal’s Motor then dives in to do its customization work, installing rectangular headlights and a gorgeous chrome grille to match. There’s something almost 1980s about the front-end design, even if the two-tone paint and wheel choice are still firing on strong vibes from American Graffiti.

Perhaps the most modern of the lineup is the Havana. It’s based on the Toyota Raize, also sold as the Daihatsu Rocky and Subaru Rex in Japan. It’s kind of amusing to name a California-inspired model Havana. Cuba is far closer to Florida, after all, and the nation has had a historically fraught relationship with the United States. No matter, though. It still evokes feelings of cruising on a beachside boulevard at sunset, and that’s what it’s all about.

As with the other models, it comes with whatever stock powertrain you want, which in this case covers 1.0-liter and 1.2-liter gasoline-powered models with two- or four-wheel-drive. Similarly to the Sonova, the Havana has a forward-slanted chrome grille that almost says Malaise Era to us. It’s mounted above a big chrome bumper that would surely be an unfair advantage in most collisions. It wears a sharp set of slotted chrome wheels with white-lettered tires, and the chrome motif continues across the rear bumper and tail lights, too.

Finally, the Beas and Beas+ are based on the beloved Suzuki Jimny. These models are built with a grille vaguely reminiscent of the rectangular sealed-beam layout seen on the Ford Bronco II. It’s paired with a chrome rear bumper and old-school wheels to complete the look. Ultimately, the modifications here are a little subtle, and it’s harder to forget you’re looking at a Suzuki. It still looks cool, but it feels more like a bodykit than a unique design of its own.

So what do these enjoyable reskins cost? Naturally, there’s a premium to pay above the stock vehicles. Prices start in the range of 4 million to 5 million yen, or roughly $27,000 – $33,000 for models like the Havana and Sonova. Both come in around 2 million yen above their base vehicles, or around $13,000 USD. The Beas comes in a little cheaper, the Carica a little more. Either way, it’s a reasonable price to pay for a nice bodykit and a paint job.

Of course, Cal’s Motor isn’t the only player in this game. Mitsuoka has been at this for a while, building cars like the Dodge Challenger-lookalike M55 Concept and the exquisite MX5-based Rock Star. Japanese audiences can’t get enough of those old-school American good looks. Having them wrapped around a modern, reliable JDM car underneath is a nice bonus.

The American automotive industry has produced innumerable classics over the years. It’s telling, or almost weird, even, that the music videos of today are still being made with the same vintage cars as they were 30 years ago. The fact that Japanese companies are still setting out to rework those same old design cliches is just further testament to their enduring value. Art deco lasted maybe ten years. Meanwhile, the golden age of American cars still holds influence today.

Image credits: Cal’s Motor