Monthly Archives: March 2014

QotW: What’s the most insane luxury feature on a JNC?

Japan’s culture had always put a high priority on service, but along with new technologies came novel ways for automakers to provide some truly crazy luxury experiences for their customers. Therefore we ask: What’s the most insane luxury feature? Heaps … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2014 Nostalgic2Days, Part 03

Part 03 of our 2014 Nos2Days coverage comes from a new contributor, Brandon Kelley, a resident of Tokyo. He met up with David, who supplied Parts 01 and 02, after a 45-minute train ride to Yokohama. The two of them toured … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2014 Nostalgic2Days, Part 02

Welcome to Part 02 of our Nostalgic2Days coverage, as we make our way across the Pacifico Convention Center on Yokohama’s historic waterfront. In this installment we’ll see the displays kyuusha tuning houses, some of the famous cars that have graced Nostalgic … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2014 Nostalgic2Days, Part 01

Every year Nostalgic Hero magazine holds one of the very best classic car shows in all the lands, Nostalgic2Days. This is the sixth time they’ve held the event and for the past 4 years I’ve made the pilgrimage to Yokohama what … Continue reading

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KEI HERO: Remembering the Suzuki Fronte Coupe

Can you name a rear-engined Japanese sports GT with Italian styling and specific output of over 100PS/L? Such a car was real, and it came from Suzuki. Suzuki is a marque with rather divergent reputations in the US versus Japan. … Continue reading

Posted in Back Roads | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

QotW: Which JNC has the greatest grille?

Grilles. They provide airflow, set one model apart from another, and can even form become the corporate identity of a brand. Japan has produced some truly outrageous grilles in its time, so therefore we ask: QotW: Which JNC has the … Continue reading

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BOOK CLUB: Datsun 280ZX, by Nissan Motor Corp

I purchase books fairly infrequently thanks to libraries. Automotive books are the exception. Information in high-quality books on cars tend to be less immortal than, say, the words of Shakespeare. Sales and circulation tend to be limited, and photos and schematics make … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Custom 1:18 Models by Yordy Kolner

Today’s guest writer is Yordy Kolner, who hails from the Netherlands and, like Luis Aguilar, builds custom scale models of his favorite Japanese cars. However, Yordy starts with 1:18 scale cars made of diecast metal. Here’s his story in his … Continue reading

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AUTO SHOWS: JNCs at the Chicago Auto Show, 1959-1989

The Chicago Auto Show first began in 1901 and calls itself the largest auto show in North America. They have an incredible photo archive spanning the decades, many of which include JNCs. Until someone invents a time machine, this is the closest … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Sunny Vol. 1 & 2 by Taiyo Matsumoto

The 2013 Cartoonist Studio Prize has been awarded to Taiyo Matsumoto for his works Sunny Vol. 1 and Sunny Vol. 2, about a group of kids living at a Japanese orphanage. At first we thought Sunny was the name of … Continue reading

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QotW: What’s the best shade of JNC green?

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we celebrate the color green, aka midori in Japanese. It was prevalent in the golden age of JNCs, from drab military olives to citrusy limes. What’s the best shade of JNC green? In 1983 … Continue reading

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BACK ROADS: Remebering the Honda City

As long-time Honda enthusiasts, it is hard nowadays not to marvel at the many creative and awesome machines that bore the iconic “H” during the 1980s. One of our favorites from those days is the Honda City. An unassuming econobox … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels X JNC Datsun 620, now in red

We at JNC are proud to present the latest Hot Wheels car to bear our inkan logo. The red Datsun 620 is the third recolor of a casting so popular some has built a life-size replica of it. This was … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Circumnavigating North America in a Datsun Roadster

How should one traverse the continent of North America, spanning 37,850 miles, and have the most unadulterated and visceral driving experience? Do it in a Datsun. Or better yet, do it like Scott Fisher in his 1967 Datsun Sports 1600, … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: The custom 1:24 models of Luis Aguilar, Part 02

We met Luis Aguilar at a local AE86 owner gathering and immediately had our brains melted by his astounding 1:24 scale plastic models. It wasn’t just his tremendous attention to detail that caught our eye, but his highly accurate adherence … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the Nissan IDx NISMO

Nissan has been parading their IDx concept cars all over SoCal recently, and this weekend they ended up in the garage of car enthusiast and comedian Jay Leno. Tonight Show prop master Greg Elliot joins the show once again with his … Continue reading

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QotW: Which JNC are you never sellin’?

Maybe it’s your first. Maybe it’s got some uber-rare option combo. Maybe you put your blood, sweat and tears into building it exactly way you want it. It might note even be that special to anyone else but you, but … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Red Line Club Carroll Shelby Toyota 2000GT

Um, you might want to join the Hot Wheels Red Line Club this year. It was announced today that one of the club exclusives this year will be none other than the SCCA Toyota 2000GT campaigned by Carroll Shelby. Last … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: The custom 1:24 models of Luis Aguilar, Part 01

We met Luis Aguilar at a local AE86 owner gathering and immediately had our brains melted by his astounding 1:24 scale plastic models. It wasn’t just his tremendous attention to detail that caught our eye, but his highly accurate adherence … Continue reading

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1974 Mitsubishi Lancer 1600GSR at Geneva Motor Show

The Geneva Motor Show is happening in Switzerland right now, and unless you’re into hideously modified exotics there’s not much of interest to the typical JNCer. Except, that is, if you happen to wander into the Mitsubishi booth where the … Continue reading

Posted in mitsubishi | Tagged , , | 7 Comments