Posts: 7207 Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada
Apparently this was Japan's "Batmobile" from a television series running in the sixties!
Quote from the blog:
It might be sacrilegious to admit among some auto enthusiasts, but there's more to driving than performance and speed. Sometimes it can be a matter of love, as it is for Yasushi Shiroi, who has spent the last 21 years building a faithful replica of a car from a '60s Japanese sci-fi show.
Shiroi's car is the star of the latest video from The Aficionauto and it's truly a labor of love. This machine, which is sort of like a Japanese Batmobile, is based on a 1958 Chrysler Imperial and is designed to recreate a car called the Pointer 1 from the series Ultra 7. The latter was apparently hugely popular when it ran in Japan in 1967 and 1968, and told the story a seven-member team that fought off aliens attacking Earth. While the car in the series never actually ran, Shiroi wanted one that would.
The Pointer 1 has been in constant development since Shiroi has owned it. All of the body modifications have been done in steel, but mechanically, it remains something of a mess. ?This replica might be slow – and to many people, ugly – but it has brought its owner about as much happiness as a car can, and that's something worth celebrating.
Posted 2014-03-04 5:25 PM (#429874 - in reply to #429860) Subject: Re: 1958 Imperial - ULTRA 7 POINTER
Expert
Posts: 2490 Location: Kansas City, KS
It's fascinating that an unusual American car became such an icon in Japan.
The video tells a great story. I've seen photos of this car before but never realized the passion Yasushi had for it.
Posted 2014-03-05 1:26 AM (#429937 - in reply to #429860) Subject: Re: 1958 Imperial - ULTRA 7 POINTER
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Posts: 13062 Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island
The worlds three thinnest books just became four; Italian war heroes, Famous Norwegian persons, German folk humor through the ages and Famous Japanese custom car builders
Posted 2014-03-06 4:25 PM (#430130 - in reply to #429860) Subject: Re: 1958 Imperial - ULTRA 7 POINTER
Expert
Posts: 2490 Location: Kansas City, KS
The first picture is the original car from the tv show. It was based on a 1957 Imperial.
The second picture is an older shot of Yasushi's re-creation which is based on a 1958 Imperial.
Comparing the video to Yasushi's older pictures shows he has changed the grille, lower lights and the letters on the hood. It's obviously a continual work in progress.
1958 Imperial - ULTRA 7 POINTER
pointer1.jpg (25KB - 109 downloads)
