By CHIE KOHARA/ Staff Writer
April 29, 2024 at 07:00 JST
A Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, left, and a Lotus Elan Series 4 are put on display for the special "Okuradashi-Ten" exhibition at the Toyota Automobile Museum in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, on Jan. 26. (Chie Kohara)
NAGAKUTE, Aichi Prefecture--Rare classic vehicles including a Corvette Stingray and a 1947 Mitsubishi motorcycle usually parked in a storehouse are seeing the light of day again in a special exhibition running at the Toyota Automobile Museum here.
The auto giant's museum keeps about 400 vehicles in storage and elsewhere.
"We'd like visitors to feel like being inside a storehouse and savor the rare vehicles," said curator Masami Hirata.
The "Okuradashi-Ten" (Storehouse Exhibition) features 13 vehicles not on permanent display to the public, showcased in five sections by theme.
The exhibits include classic sports cars produced in Japan, the United States and Europe, as well as Japanese and European economy cars from the 1950s and 1960s.
They include a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray from the United States; a 1959 DAF 600, the world's first car equipped with a continuously variable transmission developed by DAF in the Netherlands; and a passenger vehicle restored from a bus used to transport athletes and spectators during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Other historic vehicles include the Juji-go, a bicycle manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy-Industries Ltd. (present-day Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.) using duralumin and other aircraft materials in 1947 when the company shifted its focus from military equipment to consumer products after the war.
Admission to the museum is 1,200 yen ($7.75) for adults. The fee includes entrance to the special exhibition, which runs until June 30.
The venue is closed on Mondays.
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