Stories of rare car restorations are always heartwarming, but it is especially so when the labor of love is a father-daughter project. Throw in the fact that the daughter was just 12 years old when they began the restoration, and you get a truly noteworthy tale. The journey of Gemma Wade and her 1976 Toyota 1000 was so impressive, Toyota UK featured it on their official website. Continue reading
Fifty years ago today, on February 21, 1969, Nissan unleashed three letters unto the world that would change automotive history forever: GT-R. For a sub-model that’s encapsulated the dreams of so many, including those far beyond its intended reach, surprisingly little was known about the model outside of Japan until the last decade or so. Continue reading
Nissan has been quietly developing the next-generation Fairlady Z since December 2017, according to Japanese auto tabloid Best Car. The magazine claims that despite the many rumors of a “Z35” over the years, Nissan’s priorities had been shifted towards crossovers and electric vehicles. However, it contends, the impending launch of the new Toyota Supra a little over a year ago prompted Nissan to develop the Z in earnest. Continue reading
A new European commercial for the 2019 Toyota Corolla shows the hatchback speeding through the desert, leaving in its dust old milestones of automotive history. Pre-war racers, hot rods, and even Toyota’s own historic models are passed, implying that the new Corolla is superior. Continue reading
A new commercial for JMS, a Japanese automotive parts store similar to Pep Boys or Autobacs, asks what happens when a car and its owner switch bodies. As the advert begins an owner displays less than kind behavior towards his Daihatsu Hijet, leaving it dirty, smacking into tree branches, and filling it with trash. Then he meets a pair of ne’er-do-wells hanging at a konbini with a cherry, BBS’ed, and lowered S130 Toyota Crown who chide him for treating his ride like crap. Continue reading
There’s a new first-generation Toyota Celica miniature car coming, and the source may surprise you. It was revealed at the Nuremburg Toy Fair in Germany earlier this month, and comes from French company Majorette. Apparently the A20 Celica is becoming appreciated enough as a classic in Europe that it will now be immortalized in diecast form. Continue reading
It’s that time again to ask any questions you might have about Japan. From car culture, to JNC, to travel and anything in between.
What do you want to know about Japan (Part 2)?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Did you ever dream of owning a Nissan or Mitsubishi?” Continue reading
The President was supposed to be the grandest car in Nissan’s lineup, so it’s particularly tragic when we come across one that’s completely rotten. Its insides have seen decades of decay, and it’s probably beyond hope. Still, seeing a President in this state reminds of what could have been, which makes it all the more sad. Let’s make sure we never let this happen again.
Everyone knows the Tokyo Auto Salon, the massive annual car show where the big brands and tuning houses of Japan’s automotive aftermarket goes all-out to show its wares. But, there’s an equally big show that’s not quite as well known, the Osaka Auto Messe, which was on from 9-11 February this year. Continue reading
A Nissan Skyline KGC110 that looked to be beyond hope has been brought back to life in Kuwait. The video starts out with a decrepit Kenmeri that looks like it had been left in a field to rust for decades. It looks like it’s beyond hope, but by the end it’s transformed into a gleaming gold example good enough for any car show. For Valentine’s Day, it’s a true labor of love. Continue reading
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, here’s a collection of red cars for your viewing pleasure. The theme is the early days of Japan’s post-war auto industry. Can you name them all? Happy Valentine’s Day from JNC! Continue reading
A Mazda race car long thought to have been lost to history surfaced. The Mazda 254i not only competed in the 1982 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but represents the last of its breed. It was the final iteration of Mazda’s Le Mans race cars based on a production RX-7, and now the last surviving example has been rediscovered. Continue reading
If there was a single concept car that summed up what optimism 1980s and the upcoming digital revolution, it would have to be the relatively unknown Subaru BLT concept of 1987. As you may have guessed, it didn’t stand for Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato, but rather the somehow even more bizarre Business and Leisure Transport. Introduced at the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show, the BLT imagined the perfect vehicle for the working professional, and served as a rolling office for the high-powered businessperson. Continue reading
When people talk about sporty Japanese cars from the 70s, the Datsun 240Z usually gets first billing. The Toyota Celica, however, was just as compelling, even with its Malaise Era safety bumpers. In fact, when compared with its competition from that post-oil crisis period in America, the Celica is decades head of its time. Continue reading
This week’s question comes from an unlikely source — Porsche. Spotted in a Macan forum, the print ad features a 964-generation 911 and thus would have run sometime between 1990 and 1994. Of course, by then Nissan and Mitsubishi had sent forth plenty of incredible cars into the world. Z-cars, Skylines, GTOs, VR-4s, and so on. So thanks, Porsche, for giving us an excellent Question of the Week (for the sake of argument, let’s open this up to other JNCs as well).
Did you spend your youth dreaming about someday owning a Nissan or Mitsubishi?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s the best JNC you can find for $1,000?” Continue reading
Mazda’s headline at Chicago Auto Show was all about the 30th Anniversary Edition Miata — and its subsequent selling out four hours later — but CEO Masahiro Moro buried an even more exciting Miata revelation in the press conference. Mazda will be bringing the official reproduction parts developed in the Japanese Roadster Restore program to the US. NA Miata owners, rejoice! Continue reading
Looks like a lot of people wanted an orange Miata. The entire allotment of the 30th Anniversary Edition models, announced this morning, that were destined for the US have already sold out. To be fair, that’s the US market’s 500 units so you still might be able to get one, you’ll just have to import one of the other 2,500 from other markets. Continue reading
Honda didn’t introduce a new model or updated trim package at the Chicago Auto Show this year. Instead, with champagne-filled flutes passed around to the assembled guests, they celebrated 30 years of the NSX. Honda’s unleashing of its mid-engined wonder forever changed the automotive world. There’s a clear line of demarcation in the supercars that came B.N. (before NSX) and those that came after. Continue reading
Mazda has returned to the site of the NA Miata’s debut, the Chicago Auto Show, to announce the arrival of the 30th Anniversary Edition Miata. Offered in both soft-top original and RF retractable targa flavors, only 3,000 will be made worldwide, with 500 coming to the US. Also, it’s very, very orange. Continue reading
Thirty years ago, Honda went to the Chicago Auto Show to introduce a concept it called New Sports eXperimental. As we all know, the Acura NSX would become one of the best cars ever to emerge from Japan, or from humanity, really. But long before anyone even drove the thing, it was already causing a stir. Continue reading
If you like JNCs check out Classic 
