The Chaser was a luxurious mid-size sedan produced by Toyota since 1977. The first generation Chaser, same as our featured car for today, was famous for being one of the quietest cars on the road during its time.
But the car you see on today’s feature is no longer the same as when it first rolled out of Toyota’s assembly plant. It looks similar, somewhat, but its attitude is no longer the same. Gone is the goody-two-shoes daddy-o aura of the original car. It now sits lower to the ground, with aftermarket wheels, and awesome fitment. Totally Shakotan!
It also sports one of those passenger train grab handles or tsurikawa dangling below the rear bumper, reminiscent of rebellious Japanese culture where they used to illegally take those grab handles from local trains and hang them under the rear bumpers to show-off their bad boy attitude.
Shakotan is a car tuning culture in Japan that has been around since the 1970′s. Shako means “ground clearance” and Tan means “short“. So Shakotan cars are those which have short ground clearance. Just like the Toyota Chaser you see here today. Sometimes, Shakotan cars can be seen with overfenders and sometimes even huge spoilers. Though this car doesn’t sport that, who cares. It’s neat, stylish, and slammed. The tsurikawa is there to show and accentuate the ride height.
So seeing this old school classic luxury car rolling on today’s streets, Shakotan style, is a sight to behold.
Check out the rear view below…
