"Narrow" Porsche in Japan

[Schiefer]

A Japanese Porsche legend:





Born in August, 1942, Tetsu Ikuzawa began his racing career on motorbikes. In 1963, he started racing in a Prince Skyline Sport (the Prince Motor Company was later bought by Nissan).

Debuting on four wheels in the Japan Grand Prix, he raced Skylines in Japan for three years before coming to Europe to measure his talent. He won the 1967 British Formula 3 series – the first Japanese driver to achieve such a feat – also winning the under 1,000cc class at the 1967 Nürburgring 500-kilometre race.

Back in Japan, Tetsu raced a Porsche 906 in the 1967 Japan Grand Prix. Victory in that event led to a works drive in the Porsche 908 at Watkins Glen.

Formula 1 was always a goal. Tetsu’s “Team Nippon” F2 team should have been a route to F1, but a slow car in the GRD 272 didn’t help. F1 never happened, but Tetsu went on to race at Le Mans for Sigma, and later for Kremer Porsche. Tetsu subsequently ran a Japanese F2 team, fostered the first Japanese F1 driver Satoru Nakajima and was director of the Nissan Europe Racing Team.

Now in his seventies, Tetsu did his first classic racing last year, using a 911 in the Sideways Trophy championship, and beat younger drivers in lighter cars to the flag. He is a true Porsche legend! (Source: EB-Motorsport)

[Schiefer]

Living and racing in England in 1969, Tetsu bought a Signal Yellow 911 S Targa. The car stayed with him for years, travelling right around the world and ending up back in Japan.







When the car was sold some time later, Tetsu lost contact with it. A few years ago, he decided to track the car down. After a long and laborious global search, he eventually found the Targa – now black and wearing a ducktail and a truly horrid steering wheel – in the town of Nogano, Japan.



Ikuzawa-san immediately commissioned Porsche Classic in Stuttgart to restore the car to its former glory. No mean feat, as much of it was flaked across a Japanese garage floor. It was not in the best of states!

A Porsche fan par excellence, Tetsu went a step further in his restoration. A new 997 Targa from the Exclusive range was ordered: painted Signal Yellow and featuring the same houndstooth interior that his original ’69 S came equipped with. (Source: Twinspark Racing)



A google search on the plate number QL 1129 came up empty. Because of this I contacted Fred Hampton in the UK to hear if he had any info on this car/plate number and to confirm that the building in the back of the picture is AFN. This is his response:

The QL was a number plate designation which was allocated to indicate the car would be exported out of the UK - you don't see such a thing these days but driving around London in the 1970's you would see them quite often - on account of embassy staff buying cars to take home.

The building in the background is certainly the AFN salesroom, parts dept and offices. AFN were situated at London Road, Isleworth in West London. There is a book published on their History which mainly focusses on the BMW and Frazer Nash cars in the pre war/post war era but then goes on to cover the 356s and PORSCHES from the time the Aldington family acquired the concession from Connaught Cars in the early 1950's. The building still exists but it is now a VW dealership.

[Schiefer]

Still racing!!





Some more pics: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/kousuke427sc/66024930.html

[beh911]

Excellent posts on Ikuzawa and his quest to find his 69S, Schiefer.

[so blue]

Hi,

I live in Japan and my grandfather bought the 911 from Mitsuwa back in 1971.
He actually had gray 911 before this one which he sold after year or 2...and i was thinking "maybe" you have his old 911.

Anyway, here is the photos of his legacy that I inherited. Its got 91,000km, all original.


L1004037 copy by So Lens, on Flickr

L1004149 copy by So Lens, on Flickr

L1004080 by So Lens, on Flickr

[fryardds]

Very cool! Special car, especially since your grandfather owned it. Is it a Sportomatic?

Really enjoying this thread. I have learned a bunch, great photos too.

[Schiefer]

Hi,
I live in Japan and my grandfather bought the 911 from Mitsuwa back in 1971.
He actually had gray 911 before this one which he sold after year or 2...and i was thinking "maybe" you have his old 911.

Anyway, here is the photos of his legacy that I inherited. Its got 91,000km, all original.

Thanks for your reply and welcome to the S-Registry!

It would have been fantastic if my car was owned by your grandfather, but think they are too close in production for that to be possible. Do you know what date/month he picked up the blue metallic 71S at Mitsuwa?? My car was not sold immediately, so maybe they were standing next to each other in the showroom??

What a wonderful 71S and great pictures! Please share more with us of your family history with this car. It is not often we get the chance to hear about cars like this.

Attaching a picture of my car today, VIN: 9110300963. Detailed project thread coming soon.



Also a picture showing approximately what it looked like when it was sold new in Japan. (Picture borrowed from Milou)

Excellent posts on Ikuzawa and his quest to find his 69S, Schiefer.

More to come on Mr. Ikuzawa. I was surprised to see there was so much information on the Internet, but guess the best info can only be found by searching in Japanese.

[Schiefer]

I'm going to Japan in a few weeks. Are there "must visit" Porsche shops or places in Tokyo, Kyoto, etc? I'm a bit flexible and would love to see some great 911s while I'm over there, particularly ones originally delivered in Japan in the early to mid-1970s.

Not open to the public, but an interesting place to visit if you could get an appointment. Maybe Brian knows the yellow RS??



All the cars pictured here are from Naito-san's personal collection. His main business is in restoring and race-prepping classic cars and while the showroom isn’t exactly hidden away – it's on a main street with glass frontage – there is no sign or contact details, and it’s obviously only opened up by appointment. Since Naito-san has never (until now) advertised his business, it’s extremely rare for the media to have access, so I felt honoured.

Full story and pics by Tim Brown/Classicdriver here:

http://www.classicdriver.com/en/arti...rapher-s-story

[e72phil]

Radmund,

attached are some more pics as requested. These are all taken at a small, out-of-the-way workshop who's exterior belies what is hidden inside under a tarp, like a real lightweight RS.

Interestingly the 66 Bahama Yellow car is the same colour as my own 1968 911S SWB Aussie delivered RHD car.

[Schiefer]

Many thanks Phil!
I find these out-of-the-way workshops with dream cars inside very fascinating. Hope to visit one day. The 914´s also seem to be in great shape :-)