Watch: Rare Killer Bee

Sting me! Chris Echols of Montgomery, Alabama was stung by a 1987 Nissan Be-1. Not a real bumblebee but a Be-1 model from Nissan’s “Pike Factory” designers. Echols and his wife are huge fans of Japanese Bubble Cars. So much so, that they own three different models. A Figaro, Pao, and the Be-1. In the late-1980s Japanese automakers were riding a wave booming business (the bubble, so to speak) and Nissan, led by industrial designer Naoki Sakai, unleashed throwback designs with a futuristic flair for simplicity. The goal for these new city cars was to blend fashion and design to compete with Honda. Owners lined up to grab one in Japan. For fans in the United States, a 25 year wait was in order. Echols scooped his 1987 Nissan Be-1 from a seller in Florida. Echols loves to drive his classic JDM. He wheeled it more than 100 miles to a cars and coffee in Leeds, Alabama. His Be-1 attracted a lot of attention from curious onlookers to hardcore JDM fans. Magic City Octane presented Echols with the “Pick of the Show” award as I was wrapping up my interview with him. Thanks for watching! Jody Potter — Junkyard Life: The Story Beneath the Rust