Category Archives: motorsport
Nissan builds a Datsun 240Z Safari Rally tribute out of a Juke
Last June, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Datsun 240Z’s victory at the 1971 Safari Rally, Nissan Europe imagined a Juke homage to the original. Despite convincing Photoshop renders, the car was not actually built. However, due to “overwhelmingly … Continue reading
JGTC-winning Toyota Supra, Honda NSX, and Nissan Z to celebrate 60 years of Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka Circuit is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and still going strong as one of Japan’s premier tracks. Later this month, Round 3 of the 2022 SuperGT Championships will be held at there. To celebrate its birthday, Suzuka is … Continue reading
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Tagged A80, fairlady z, honda, JGTC, juichi wakisaka, nissan, nsx, supra, suzuka circuit, toyota, z33
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Daihatsu Charade: the “Little Giant Killer” of the Safari Rally
Quick, think of a Japanese car that has won the Safari Rally. A Daihatsu Charade is probably not the the first thing that pops into mind. The 3-cylinder compact is most remembered in the States as the car that spearheaded … Continue reading
Mitsubishi Ralliart gives Hiroshi Masuoka gets another shot at rallying glory
Mitsubishi has announced a new rally machine, the first to fly the Ralliart banner in over a decade. The not-available-in-the-US pickup will participate in the 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally later this year. The FIA-sanctioned contest isn’t well known outside … Continue reading
Yumiko Okayasu went from acting to driver to race team owner
Yumiko Okayasu was born Tokyo in 1961, and began her career as the head of a street performance dance crew. By the mid-80s, she had joined the ranks of Japan’s entertainment industry as a singer and actor. Her big breakout … Continue reading
Toyota’s first race car, the Toyopet Racer, was nearly lost to history
For decades in the western world, the origins of Toyota’s motorsports history lay at the foot of the 1957 Toyopet Crown, which competed in that year’s 10,563-mile running of the Mobilgas Around-Australia rally. Many of Toyota’s own materials have reinforced … Continue reading
Honda leaves Formula One with bittersweet championship win
The 2021 Formula One season concluded over the weekend. That means it was Honda’s final F1 race in an on-again, off-again factory effort that spanned over half a century. This time, though it seems fairly certain that the exit will … Continue reading
Watch an original Acura NSX being slung around by an F1 driver
At last weekend’s US Grand Prix, Formula One drivers from the Honda-powered Scuderia AlphaTauri team got the chance to throw an original Acura NSX around Austin, Texas’ Circuit of the Americas. Though their driving was impressive, it’s almost funny because … Continue reading
Honda is leaving Formula One with a retro livery homage to its first F1 car
Honda is getting ready to leave Formula One by year’s end on somewhat of a bittersweet note. After several years of disastrous results, Honda’s role as an engine supplier finally seemed to be turning the corner. Sadly, it was too … Continue reading
Mitsubishi revives Dakar Pajero livery for Rebelle Rally
Mitsubishi has never had great marketing in the US. They never really leaned into their illustrious rally heritage to promote vehicles like the Pajero. Now they’re reviving a historically significant Dakar Rally livery to compete in a modern rally. Well, … Continue reading
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Tagged Dakar Rally, mitsubishi, Outlander, pajero, Rebelle Rally
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The Isuzu Plaza museum’s latest exhibit has a Bellett race car
Last week the Isuzu Plaza museum in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture has opened a new exhibit. Called “Isuzu Challenging Spirit,” it shows a few off-the-beaten-path creations that the company, which is today primarily known for large trucks, has been responsible … Continue reading
Mitsubishi on why there won’t be a Lancer Evo, even though shareholders requested it
Mitsubishi made its first newsworthy announcement in years in May when it said it would revive Ralliart, its motorsports brand for all things rally. On June 23 at Mitsubishi Motors’ annual shareholders meeting, CEO Takao Kato got a bit more … Continue reading
Kunio Matsuura, Mr. Rotary Racing, led Mazda motorsports for 27 years to its 1991 Le Mans victory
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Mazda’s historic win at Le Mans with the iconic rotary-powered 787B. We have explored Mazda’s journey in this and other endurance racing events over the years, yet were only scratching the surface. The people … Continue reading
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Tagged 24 Hours of Daytona, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 787b, Fuji Grand Champion, Kenichi Yamamoto, Kunio Matsuura, mazda, rx-3, rx-7, sa22c, toyota 7
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Mitsubishi almost made a Starion 4WD Group B road car
This past Monday’s QotW explored “What JNC concept deserves to be found or restored?” Coincidentally, a never-before-seen Mitsubishi Starion 4WD Group B road car has just been unearthed, albeit in an illustrated and archival form. If it were put into … Continue reading
Mitsubishi Motors announces Ralliart revival
Japanese companies are in the midst of releasing their fiscal year financial reports right now. These are typically pretty boring investor briefs, but on May 11 Mitsubishi Motors divulged an interesting tidbit in theirs — that it plans to revive … Continue reading
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Tagged lancer evolution, mitsubishi, Ralliart, rally, starion, Triton
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Liberty Walk debuts S15 Silvia widebody with Super Silhouette throwback
The widebody wizards at Liberty Walk have done it again, and this time the subject is the S15 Nissan Silvia. Called the LB-Super Silhouette S15, the name is fitting, as it’s a direct callback to the Nichira Silvia Group 5 … Continue reading
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Tagged drifting, liberty walk, mazda, nissan, rotary engine, S15, silvia, Tetsuya Hibino
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Honda’s first F1 prototype appears in found footage
The photo of the boss man sitting on a Formula 1 prototype racer is one of the most famous images of Soichiro Honda. The car itself is long gone, and any media of the car, in motion or not, is … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Mami Ayukawa, singer and racing driver
Mami Ayukawa is probably best known as a singer, but she was also a well-known racing driver in her time. She holds an FIA A-class racing license and competed in numerous races in Japan throughout the late 80s and early … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: How the Datsun 510 revolutionized sedan racing in America
The Datsun 240Z is rightfully remembered as Nissan’s most competitive sports car, for sweeping 10 out of 10 National SCCA C-Production Championships between 1970 and 1979. However, the humble Datsun 510, initially expected to be nothing more than an econobox … Continue reading
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Tagged 510, Bob Sharp Racing, brock racing enterprises, datsun, imsa, john morton, nissan, scca, Walt Maas, yutaka katayama
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