Turning Japanese: 60 Years of Japanese Motoringin OZ is a snapshot of the rich history of Japanese cars in Australia – on the road as well as on the race track.
The first Japanese cars to reach our shores in the late 1950s and early ‘60s were mostly small, crude and often the object of laughter – and sometimes even hostility, because some older Australians (with memories of the war still fresh) remained suspicious of these strange little cars from Japan. But as the Japanese manufacturers rapidly improved, it wasn't long before Australia was won over. These new Japanese brands just had too much style, were too well appointed and offered irresistible value for money – and in some cases were just too plain cheeky to ignore.
From the quaintly named Nissan Cedric of the early ‘60s to today’s Nissan GTR ‘Godzilla’ sportscar … this is a quirky look back at our four-wheeled love affair with the Land of the Rising Sun.