Tag Archives: subaru

Tokyo Vice‘s cars elevate a pretty great yakuza series to something totally unprecedented

The yakuza series Tokyo Vice is currently on its second season. It’s not the most mind-blowing crime story, but one thing it has going for it is its excellent use of period correct Japanese cars. The series is set in … Continue reading

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Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS sedan: Not quite a WRX, but deserving of a nod

It’s hard to overstate how badly we yearned for a Subaru WRX in the 1990s. But even as Fuji Heavy Industries stubbornly refused to import them due to a misguided belief that US market conditions weren’t right, they did toss … Continue reading

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QotW: What Subaru model is the most Subaru?

Happy Boxing Day from JNC! Speaking of boxers, Subaru is the most prolific builder of horizontally opposed engines in the automotive kingdom. But if you had to distill the Subaru essence into one model from any time in the company’s … Continue reading

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Subaru could return to WRC thanks to Akio Toyoda

Akio Toyota may have retired from being president of Toyota, but he appears to be active as ever when it comes to promoting cars. And it’s not just cars from his own company, which his grandfather founded, that he’s promoting. … Continue reading

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Sam Mitani’s Red Mist packs action and espionage with Japanese cars

In his second novel, former International Editor for Road & Track magazine Sam Mitani continues to blend gripping action and international intrigue with fast cars, most of which are Japanese. It’s not hard to understand why. Almost 30 years ago … Continue reading

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Subaru 22B STi prototype owned by Colin McRae up for auction

Adding a Subaru 22B STi to your garage would already be an accomplishment for any collector. It’s about as close as you can get to a factory WRC rally car and rare to boot. But if having a “normal” 22B … Continue reading

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Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III, blobeye Subaru WRX STi expand collector menu in Gran Turismo 7

The latest update for Gran Turismo 7 arrived on June 29 and it comes with long-time Japanese AWD rivals. The car we’re most excited for is the 1995 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III, the last of the Evos that to the … Continue reading

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Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, joined by British cars in 1969 Tokyo

This touched-up video shows the hustle and bustle of the Ginza area in 1969. Most of the footage was taken near the famous 4-chome intersection where landmarks like the Morinaga globe can be seen. The soon-to-be-demolished San’ai Dream Center can … Continue reading

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A Subaru Sambar is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ new Party Wagon

Like Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine and Inspector Gadget’s Gadgetmobile, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Party Wagon is one of the all-time great cartoon vans. Since the original show in 1987, it’s always been depicted as a generic yellow-and-green box on … Continue reading

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A Quiet Greatness is a gorgeous, must-have book about Japanese cars

As much as Japanese cars have permeated automotive culture, they’ve been lacking in one important aspect: the coffee table book. Walk into any bookstore (if you can still find them in your town), and you’ll see gorgeous volumes on Italian, … Continue reading

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Subaru Leone vs Subaru Leone pursuit in 1978’s Double Clutch

We wouldn’t call the car chase in the 1978 movie Double Clutch one of the all-time greats, but it’s definitely the only Subaru Leone vs. Subaru Leone car chase ever committed to film. We posted a shorter version of this … Continue reading

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Subaru sends off the WRX STI with Initial D anime-style ad

Considering how Subaru will not produce an WRX STI based on the current WRX model, it seems like rubbing salt in the wound to debut an exciting new video starring what we know now will be the final iteration of … Continue reading

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A Subaru 360 joins the super detailed subscription model club

  The 1/8 scale subscription models are among the most expensive and time consuming kits available in Japan. It takes serious commitment to complete them, and because of their complexity only a couple get produced per year. Only the most … Continue reading

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Honda co-founder Takeo Fujisawa to be inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame

Soichiro Honda may have been the genius engineer behind Honda Motor Company, but brains alone can’t sell products. For that, Honda-san relied on his friend and business partner Takeo Fujisawa (from left to right: Kiyoshi Kawashima, Soihciro Honda, Takeo Fujisawa), … Continue reading

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Abandoned Japanese cars of the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone

The Fukushima plant meltdown following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011 was one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. Today, there’s an area of about 143 square miles that’s still part of the nuclear exclusion zone deemed unsafe … Continue reading

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Toyota launches Refresh Program for “classic” 86/BRZ

We’re used to Japanese carmakers launching restoration and heritage programs these days, but here’s something we didn’t expect. Toyota is launching a factory refresh program for the first-generation Toyota 86. The announcement came from the Tokyo Auto Salon and the … Continue reading

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Happy Year of the Rabbit from JNC

Long before there were turbocharged boxers and AWD rally monsters coming out of Subaru, there was the Fuji Rabbit. Built from 1946-68, Japan’s first mass-produced scooter helped motorize the post-war citizenry. The sculpted body was made with the know-how of … Continue reading

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The Subaru Amadeus, an SVX shooting brake concept, has been scrapped for parts

The Subaru SVX is one of the Bubble Era greats. The sleek grand touring coupĂ© epitomized the ambition of Japan’s carmakers at the tail end of the Showa Era. But you know what would’ve been even cooler? An SVX shooting … Continue reading

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Subaru GL Wagon Gymkhana turns into literal Subaru ad

The long-awaited Gymkhana starring Travis Pastrana and a 1983 Subaru GL Wagon has finally dropped. It has all the crazy jumps, drifts and extreme stunts viewers have come to expect from one of these productions and certainly is entertaining to … Continue reading

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The Subaru Legacy Sport Sedan is a hidden turbocharged gem

It’s hard to believe now, but in the early 1990s Subaru’s formula of turbocharged engines in sharp-handling, all-wheel-drive compact sedans was a strange and novel concept. Among the earliest Subies to fit that mold was the turbo 1991 Legacy Sports … Continue reading

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