Tag Archives: luce

Mini Kenmeri Skyline, Corona lowrider, slammed Jimny: the wild Tokyo Auto Salon customs by NATS

One of the most reliably entertaining booths at the Tokyo Auto Salon is that of NATS, the Nihon Automobile Technical School. The college teaches auto repair, but each year students get to indulge several far-out projects that end up on … Continue reading

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mazda Luce owner is part of multi-generational rotary family

With the rollout of the rotary engine’d Mazda MX-30 underway in Japan, Mazda is doing a video series on owners of rotary-powered cars. The first is Mr Shimzu, who drives a second-generation Mazda Luce, known as the RX-4 in the … Continue reading

Posted in Video | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Mazda 929 makes a great stealth luxo-cruiser, and it comes in stick

Its cool to want an 80s Japanese car now, but here’s a deep cut that’ll separate the wheat from the hipsters. The first-gen Mazda 929 was Hiroshima’s version of a big luxury sedan, not unlike a Toyota Cressida. Both were … Continue reading

Posted in Video | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? 1973 Mazda Luce with less than 4,000 miles

When considering the list of 6-figure Japanese cars, the Mazda RX-4 isn’t typically a chart topper. When new it was considered too heavy for its rotary engine, especially compared to its RX-3 and RX-2 stablemates. But man, it was a … Continue reading

Posted in for sale | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Happy 929 Day from JNC

The pre-facelift second-generation Mazda Luce is probably one of the most underappreciated 1970s Japanese designs. Called the 929 when equipped with a piston engine and the RX-4 under rotary power, it struck just the right balance of elegance and menace. … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Nicholas Cage drives a bugeye Celica in this bizarre Japanese movie

There’s a new trailer out for Prisoners of the Ghostland, a bizarre looking movie that takes place in some kind of Japanese Bartertown. It stars Nicholas Cage and, frankly, looks terrible, but there are at least some notable cars in … Continue reading

Posted in JNC Theater | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mazda almost built a front-drive rotary sedan in the 60s

Recently Mazda restored the 40-year-old MX-81 concept after it had been discovered in a warehouse. They shipped the Bertone-designed car back to Italy to have Italian coachbuilders recondition the body and interior.  However, the MX-81 from forty years ago is … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

VIDEO: Mazda tells its 100-year history with its most significant classics

As part of its continuing celebration of its 100th anniversary, Mazda has produced a short film covering its most significant classic models. Beautifully shot with a 15-minute runtime, it covers the company’s early history before delving into several milestone cars … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Happy 929 Day from JNC

The HC-generation Mazda 929 is oft forgotten, but Mazda’s ads at the time positioned it as a luxury sedan that could deliver better performance than the European brands for two-thirds the price. Come to think of it, that’s also their … Continue reading

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — USDM Rare

Even in the 15th year of the wonderful and ever-growing Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, California, after so many iterations, there are still new things for the casual Japanese car enthusiast to discover. The phyla of Japanese cars … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

EVENTS: Japanese Automotive Invitational 2019

Now in its second year, the Japanese Automotive Invitational seeks to introduce the idea of collectible Nihon steel to a crowd that considers a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM not classic enough. Located at the Infiniti booth that sits just outside … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

VIDEO: Mazda classics prep for a 5,000-km rally across Europe

Mazda Germany is back with the second season of its “Mazda Garage” YouTube series. Last year, the first season followed the restoration of a Mazda Cosmo Sport, which then went on to participate in the Hamburg-Berlin Klassik Rallye. This season the … Continue reading

Posted in Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

BACK ROADS: The HD Mazda 929

Mazda is on a roll these days, their current products heralded as best-in-segment in every class they compete in. Their designs have been stunning, especially in contrast to the current trend of excessively decorative styling, and their driving dynamics are top … Continue reading

Posted in Back Roads | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 Classic Japan show in Australia

One of our favourite nostalgic car shows in any country is Classic Japan, which is held in Melbourne, Australia in December every year. Melbourne is 1000 km away from JNC‘s Australian HQ in Sydney, so it’s also an opportunity to … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

EVENTS: Nostalgic2Days 2016, Part 03 — The Fast & the Fastidious

In this installment, we take a look at two very different types of cars: original barn finds and restorations whose every last nut is factory correct, and those that were treated like instruments of war. In other words, all the stuff that’s prized by predictably … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

TOUGE CALIFORNIA: The Cars and Teams of 2016

The Touge California is done. We’ve covered how the epic, 8-hour, 200-mile rally went, but we also wanted to recognize all the fearless drivers, stalwart navigators, and gorgeous machines that participated. Here are the cars and teams of the 2016 JNC Touge … Continue reading

Posted in Touge California | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Official 2016 JNC Touge California poster

For 2016, the official poster for the JNC Touge California features two landmark cars that will run the 200-mile vintage car rally this weekend. To honor title sponsor Mazda, we are highlighting a rare 1974 Mazda RX-4 Hardtop Coupé. A similar car will be … Continue reading

Posted in Touge California | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — Shakotan Boogaloo

In Japan, shakotan is simply means a lowered car. Many different styles of car can technically qualify as shakotan, but if we’re going to steal a traditional Japanese term, we might as well apply it to traditional Japanese cars. You know it when … Continue reading

Posted in events, jccs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Happy 9/29 Day from JNC!

The piston engine’d version of the Mazda RX-4 was called the Luce in Japan and the 929 elsewhere in the world. Happy 9/29 Day!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

COLLECTIONS: Inside Mazda North America’s Basement

Talk to Mazda employees about their cars, past and present, and it immediately becomes clear that the company is comprised of people passionate about what they’ve built. This is no small feat, and we have peeked behind the walls of enough automakers to … Continue reading

Posted in Collections, Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments