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A Ford Mustang with wanderlust

Sean McFarland

This article was originally published on BBC Autos.

Ford used the 2014 New York auto show to commemorate the Mustang’s 50th birthday.

Since its launch at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, the Mustang has rarely wanted for attention. The philosophy was simple: house massive engines in sleek bodies riding on relatively prehistoric suspension systems. With variations that appealed to the casual top-down Sunday driver as well as the speed-obsessed drag kingpin, the Mustang struck a chord. That charm, however, was not contained to the US.

The chiseled lines of the Mustang fastback body style attracted the attention of Norwegian videographer Arnfinn Hushovd. His 1969 Mustang Mach 1 was imported from Florida in 2007 sporting an eye-catching Calypso Coral paintjob. Such a purchase would have been rare in the extreme at the time of the car’s manufacture, an era when European automakers favoured well-handling sports cars with modest power. Their US counterparts were partial to brute force. As a result – and as any viewing of Top Gear will underscore – American sports cars continue to be perceived as a bit vulgar on the Continent.

Though Hushovd’s Mach 1 may stick out in Scandinavia like a hammer in a drawer of scalpels, the owner celebrates the car’s qualities with the above tribute. Granted, the nouveau-disco soundtrack may make Abba blush, but the visuals handily make up for it. Check out 1:30 when the Mustang purrs under the contrasting lights of a Norwegian tunnel.

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JDM gems shine – in Utah

Sean McFarland

This article was originally published on BBC Autos.

BBC Autos’ recent visit to the quasi-museum lurking beneath Mazda’s Irvine, California, headquarters stirred a hankering for some classic Japanese metal.

At a time when muscle cars reigned in America, the Japanese domestic market – also known as JDM – was busy fabricating what would become some of the most coveted designs on the road. Models like the Nissan Skyline, bearing a nameplate traceable to the late 1950s, established themselves as some of the most respected and tunable sporting cars on the market.

The above video, by Utah-based videographer Josh Clason, showcases several flawless examples of rare and sought-after Japanese vehicles, including a first-generation Toyota Celica, a Nissan Skyline in the four-door 2000GT and two-door GT-R trims, and even a modified Toyota Starlet hatchback. These cars aren’t garage queens, however. Check out the shots at 2:47, when three of these classics take to the streets in a cruise that would please many a JDM fan.

Clason’s video artfully highlights the aspects that made these cars famous: the furrowed brow of the earlier Skylines, the narrow stance of the Celica and the low-slung body of the 2000GT. JDM Legends, a garage based in Murray, Utah, has restorations ranging from the faithful to the subtly modified – the white Skyline GT-R coming with a twin-turbocharged RB26 engine swap from a late ‘80s Skyline. With the right parts, this power plant can be tuned to over 1,000 horsepower. Love them or hate them, era-specific fender mirrors adorn each of the cars.

For North American fans who might fancy these gems from the land of the rising sun, JDM Legends maintains a selection of clean examples for sale. Meantime, savour the sight of these vehicles in high definition.