Category Archives: trucks

A Nissan Patrol became the first vehicle to cross the Simpson Desert 60 years ago

Sixty years ago, the Sprigg family made history as the first to cross Australia’s Simpson Desert in a motorized vehicle. That vehicle was a G60 Nissan Patrol, a four-wheel-drive rival to the Toyota Land Cruiser. The Spriggs made the 12-day … Continue reading

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VIDEO: The Isuzu TX-80 helped build modern Japan

The Isuzu TX-series trucks were a fixture in Japan’s post-war reconstruction. Their rule spanned over three decades, from 1946-79, an era that saw Japan transform from a defeated power to and economic juggernaut. TX-series trucks hauled cargo, moved earth, and … Continue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? 1983 Datsun 720 Pickup on eBay with No Reserve

Want to stand out from the crowd and express your love for retro 80s styling? Now’s your chance. This 1983 Datsun 720 4×4 pickup is beautifully unmolested, and at 30 years old, looks almost brand new save for some minor bed wear that proves … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2013 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 – Rolling Stock

Purists will be pleased. This year’s JCCS had significantly more bone stock cars on display than any previous show. And they weren’t of the standard variety of, say, a 2000GT or Datsun 312, though those were well represented. We’re talking … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: The least resilient Land Cruisers you’ll ever see

Yesterday we saw Toyota FJ40s fetching some high prices at the recent Arizona auctions. These, on the other hand, are the cheapest Land Cruisers you’ll ever encounter. They’re also some of most easily destructible ones too, as they’re made completely out … Continue reading

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Wednesday Wall: Mazda watercolors by Miki Nakajima

The Mazda Japan Facebook page has been posting a series of beautiful watercolor paintings by Mazda designer Miki Nakajima. Subjects range from the 1950 Mazda PB-type three-wheeler to the 1970 RX-500 concept to modern favorites like the MX-5. See the … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 07: Trucks & Vans

Thought we were done with our barrage of 2012 JCCS photos? Think again! From mini trucks to land crushers, trucks have been part of the Nihon nostalgic scene for decades. And like their car counterparts, they have just as many … Continue reading

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QotW: What would you like to see at JCCS this year?

It’s JCCS week, rock ‘n’ rollers, so today’s question is all about the biggest kyuusha show in the hemisphere. What you would you like to see at JCCS this year? Our answer is perhaps a bit out there, blasphemous to … Continue reading

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QotW: What’s the coolest Japanese Nostalgic Truck?

There’s been a lot of QotWs about Japanese nostalgic cars, so it’s high time we asked about their bed-equipped workhorse counterparts that were responsible for creating an entire vehicle segment: What’s the coolest Japanese nostalgic truck? Our pick is the Datsun … Continue reading

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Friday Video: Depth of Speed’s Wagon Heritage

This Friday Josh Clason‘s Depth of Speed series returns with a new video about Duane Schaffer‘s Datsun 510 Wagon and Toyota Hilux. As always, the cinematography is gorgeous and the story quite moving to the die-hard car nut. Schaffer’s garage … Continue reading

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MINICARS: 2012 Hot Wheels ’87 Toyota Pickup

The latest nostalgic Hot Wheels to roll from the mad minds at Mattel is a 1987 Toyota Pickup. When it was first announced last December, we envisioned for reasons unknown a slammed minitruck, but instead it’s a lifted 4×4 that would … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2012 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, Part 01: Coupes, Two-Doors & Utes

As you can guess by the name, the Street Car Nationals put on by Mooneyes each year is a festival of Amesha — American car — culture. Instead of usual Japanese fare like step-lipped SSRs and racing livery, this show is all about chromed … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2012 All-Toyotafest, Part 04

We’ll let Patrick Ng‘s gorgeous TE27 kick off the fourth and final installment of our 17th Annual All-Toyotafest coverage. This tasty mango began life as a 1973 SR-5, an ultra-rare US-spec version of the Corolla Levin, with metal flares and all straight from the factory but … Continue reading

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Friday Video: Seizure-inducing onslaught of vintage photos is an Isuzu ad, surprisingly

Out of all the Japanese automakers we’d vote Isuzu, hands down, as the marque least likely scour the attic for a heritage hyping infodump of family photos in the name of advertising. Sure we’ve seen history-laden campaigns from the likes … Continue reading

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Kidney, Anyone? Frame-off Restored 1981 Toyota Hilux Trekker

A die-hard Toyota truck nut (not to be confused with the plural) in Southern Pines, North Carolina has conducted a frame-off restoration of a 1981 Toyota Hilux Trekker. These ur-4Runners started out as a half-built Hilux pickups, which were then … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2011 Japanese Classic Car Show Part 05, Wagons and Trucks

Our 2011 JCCS coverage continues onward as we look at classic haulin’ machines, starting with a quasi-boso Datsun 610 wagon. There’s nuttin’ like an old school goon laid out on ninja stars.

Posted in events, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota, trucks, wagons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Kidney, Anyone? 38,000-Mile 1985 Toyota 4Runner

Is the first-gen 4Runner becoming the next hot collectible? After all, it was one of the most capable SUVs of its time. It hails from an era of Aichi greats like the AE86 Corolla, AW11 MR2, and MX73 Cressida. Hell, … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Toyotafest 2011 Part 04

Our coverage of Toyotafest 2011 continues! This A40 Celica hails from the glory days of the Camel GT series. It always amazes us just how much Japanese and American tuning styles differed back then. Goodyear Eagles? Gottis? Had this Celica … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Toyotafest 2011 Part 03

We gave you a heads up that Cabe Toyota would bring a truckload of NOS parts to Toyotafest 2011 at blow-out prices. We’d like to imagine that they arrived in Cabe’s off-white Toyota Stout pick’em up. Paired with gray wheels … Continue reading

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Narusawa Village Showa Version 2 Gallery

Reason number 4,197 why Japan is awesome. No matter how miniscule the meet, wicked metal still shows up. Here’s a small gathering called Showa Version 2 that took place at the base of Mt. Fuji last November.

Posted in mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota, trucks, wagons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments