Nice Cute Retro Cars

Two of my favorite Japanese retro cars I've seen runnin' round my town these days--The Nissan Figaro (1991) and Daihatsu Opti Classic (1992-2002).  The Figaro is a legendary model by Nissan's Pike Factory. It was considered a limited edition car, with only 20,000 built during its production in 1991.  A toy car as such.

Image courtesy, classicandperformancecar.com

Daihatsu Opti Classic, on the other hand, is considered a kei car produced by Daihatsu from 1992-2002 with only 659 cc engine (in contrast to Figaro's 987 cc turbo).  It is considered a descendant of Daihatsu Mira. 

Image courtesy, Wikipedia.org

Apparently, Figaro outshines Opti.  However, Opti is newer and its price are as low as half of Figaro's lowest price.  In Thailand retro cars like these are popular among niche collectors, and many (if not all) are transported from Japan (or elsewhere) as "parts," and that's considered as an illegal zigzagging.  Not to mention when you need the spare parts.  It's like adopting a Yorkshire Terrier or a Poodle.    

Even doorframes are customizable!

Pruksa Research, Design & Development (RDD), a subsidiary of Thailand's real estate titan Pruksa Real Estate PCL, has won a first runner-up award from the National Innovation Agency (NIA) in October 2011 for the its product design--the "Intelligent Doorframe."

Pruksa Real Estate PCL is well-known for its Lean manufacturing approach and its arguably biggest precast concrete plant in the world.  The RDD Department, for which I've been working, is the brain of the company.  The people here thrive for continuous improvement and innovation in design and construction. 

The design was geared toward DFA.  It was first designed to solve the on-site construction problems (particularly craftsmanship) by its easy installation methods.  Later, the concept of "customizable culture" (i.e.customizable, DIY gadgets for laptops and cell phones) was put forth.  These Intelligent Doorframes come in a wide range of possible styles. The best part is--The architrave (aka the mask) is detachable and able to be replaced by the house owner or even the house wife!

Credits:

Project Leader,  Supat Rattanasoponchai

Architect Supervisor,  Attanont Sukhapinda

Overall Presentation and Direction: Rangsiman S. and myself.

Graphic & Visualization: Rangsiman S. and myself

Marketing Data and SWOT: Matee B. and Cheno Group

Video Animation: Wilasinee B. 

Ambassadors: Nattiya S. and Natthames W. 

Supporters: Wilasinee B. and Kaewta K.

et al RDD-wide.

for more info visit pruksa.com or RDD's facebook