As the nose shifts rightwards, the beams of the headlights shift and expand along the concrete wall of the car park with a smoothness matched by the slick steering of your chosen night cruiser. To stir up images, feelings, vibes of certain far eastern nostalgic nights, you might pick a Japanese saloon car with plush, cosseting interior, and charming exterior ready to reflect city lights at just the right angle.

This means something like a Lexus LS400, Toyota Crown, Honda Legend, or for those who can’t contain themselves to cruising, a Nissan Skyline. The follow on from this, in this age of overvalued modern classics, is that it’s worth exploring the unusual angles and shining a light in the darker corners to find an alternative to the cars expensive enough to ship internationally.

The Mazda Xedos 6 is such an alternative. Hiding in the shadows, unappreciated yet perfect for duty on the city circuit, its only failing when new was to not match its BMW counterpart. Now, though, that is far from the point. The soft edges of its dynamics can be embraced rather than derided. Along with its silky smooth sewing machine of a V6, its delicate pistons displacing a mere 333cc each, you can nestle yourself into its peculiarly contoured leather seats and enjoy some low speed composure.

Street lights flicker across its glass and skim across the rear deck, where the taillights cast their soft red glow through the darkness. Muffled thumps from the road scarcely break through to the cabin, the sound of the air rustling through the windows mixing with the engine’s rich humming, the Japanese cruiser a picture of serenity, a quiet observer of the nightscape.

It may not have the Cars & Sake presence of some attention Chasers, but it ticks all the boxes for Camry prices. Rarity being one of its stronger qualities means that if you want one, you’ll have to watch the shadows carefully in case one sees the light of day, or preferably night.

Photo credit – Mazda UK