Naoko Nishimoto is 80. But that doesn't mean she's put her driving license on the shelf. For the past 25 years, she's driven a Mazda RX-7 with a rotary engine.
We've probably all come across this ad text: Nice car – bought and sold by an older lady. She was the first and only owner.
Often this kind of sales pitch doesn't hold up in the real world. But in Naoko Nishimoto's case, it's good enough. For the past 25 years, she, who is now 80 years old, has been driving a silver-gray Mazda RX-7. The last of its kind – the FD model.
But now it's over. At least with the car she affectionately calls 'Seven'. She has sold the car back to Mazda in Japan. And it's actually over with driving too. More on that in a moment.
She herself bought the car after seeing it portrayed in the anime series 'Initial D', which her son actually watched.
Two years ago, the admitted 'older lady' decided to put her driving license on the shelf. But not before she turned 80. On her birthday, she handed in her driving license (presumably to the police, ed.). While Mazda in Japan bought the car from her.
In a ceremony honoring both Nishimoto and the car, Mazda's CEO received the keys to the RX-7 from the 80-year-old woman's local dealership.
– Thank you so much for the 25 years we have shared together, Seven, said the older woman as she handed the keys to the director.
Naoko Nishimoto is far from the only elderly woman who, even in her advanced years, has struggled to survive behind the wheel. For 103-year-old Giuseppina Molinari, things went so badly that she had her Fiat Panda impounded. Read more about that story here .
Back in Japan, Nishimoto can now actually look forward to a long life. Or at least a few more years. Even if it's without a driver's license.
Women in Japan have the longest average life expectancy at 87 years. For men, according to Statistics Denmark, we have to go to Switzerland, where in 2016 a man could expect to live to be 81 years old on average.
