Classic ADSThe rise of Japan as a major automaking power has been one of the key developments to impact the industry during the past 50 years. Toyota was the first to promote its fledgling product line in MT, commencing with the Toyopet Crown-"the most driven, most-admired car of the Far East"-in our Aug. '58 issue. Billing it as a "new kind of economy car," Nissan Motor introduced the now-legendary Datsun 240-Z to a world eager for an affordable sports GT in 1970. Shortly thereafter, two more practical econo-wonders, the petite Honda 600 Coupe and its Subaru counterpart, attempted to lure potential customers away from VW's already revered Beetle. While the former touted a base price under $1700, the latter boasted a fully loaded sticker of just $1898.40. Their modern-day counterparts now retail for about 10 times that price.