The gazelle his father rode was his idol
Did you know that the sibling of the Nissan S110 “Silvia” was the “Gazelle”? Here is the story of the owner, Mr. Sarutani, who has been searching for a turbo model of such a Gazelle for 20 years and finally obtained it. What kind of car is this model that he has admired since he was in junior high school?
Ever since middle school, he kept looking for it
Old cars gather at Okutama Lake in Tokyo early in the morning on the third Sunday of every month. This time, we will introduce a turbo model of the “Gazelle,” the sibling of the Nissan S110 Silvia.
Mr. Sarutani’s car is a 1981 Gazelle Turbo XE hatchback model with a Z18 turbo engine. It has different details from the hardtop RS.
“I got this car about 10 years ago now, when I got my wish. My father had driven one when I was a child, so when I was in junior high school, I decided that I would drive one in the future, and I had been looking for one for a long time. But Gazelles were often roofed off by motorcycle gangs back then, and there were no good ones left. I had been looking for a hatchback manual car for a long time, but I couldn’t find one in good condition. After all, it took me 20 years to find this car.
Full of the latest details unique to hatchbacks of the time
The main feature of this hatchback model is that it has a large bumper similar to the North American version. And one more thing, Mr. Sarutani told us.
“The hatchback will be the first in Japan to use a one-arm wiper. It doesn’t move in a complicated way like the Mercedes-Benz, it just moves in a normal fan shape, but it was revolutionary at the time. Compared to the Mercedes-Benz, the wiper has a small area to wipe, which is a little annoying, but it is generally satisfactory.”
By the way, the Gazelle lineup started with only the NA Z18 and Z20 models, followed by the XE Turbo in 1980 and the RS in 1982, which were common to both hardtop and hatchback models.
The emblem on the tip of the hood was obtained when he was a boy
The “TURBO” sticker in mirrored letters on the resin part of the front bumper, reminiscent of the BMW “2002 Turbo,” was an option at the time. The wheels are special size 8-spoke wheels ordered from Watanabe. A black Nardi steering wheel was also installed. Other than that, the car is kept in stock condition.
The GAZELLE emblem on the front edge of the front hood has not lost its color and is in good condition, but this emblem was the first thing Mr. Sarutani went to the dealer to get when he was in junior high school and decided he would drive a Gazelle in the future. Through these efforts and the connections among club members, he is enjoying a life of old cars.