Coming soon, to a screen near you… For those of you who may have missed the awesome Japanese Classic Car Show in October, here’s your chance to attend vicariously. The JCCS 2007 DVD is a professionally-filmed moving archive of the annual event, containing 50 minutes of footage of the over 350 cars who gathered for the yearly jamboree at the Queen Mary. In addition, there’s shots of the cars doing what they were born to do – drive, while looking cool. Bonus features include segments called So-Cal Rendezvous and Corollas on the Strip, and the first 100 orders get a sticker so head on over to the JCCS site and pre-order one. The DVD goes on sale December 15.
Today, satnav is no big deal. A lot of cars come with it, and even if yours doesn’t, a portable handheld unit is not expensive. Heck, very soon we’re sure that everyone’s mobile phones will have satnav capability for free anyway. But back in 1981 the technology simply wasn’t there and so Honda’s solution was this, the Electro Gyrocator.
Someone at Winding Road loves the Honda T-series. We can’t really blame them. What’s not to love about a 9000rpm kei-class truck that’s also historically significant for being Honda’s first four-wheeled vehicle? Check out the catalog scan – in English! – and this classic commercial.
Of course, that just begs the question, what if instead of a Mad Max-like desert, what if the post apocalyptic wasteland is actually covered in snow? Well, then you get the Snowler.
And for our own coverage of the only known example in the US, check out this article from our Profiles archive.
Whoa. What a night. I come home from a dinner where a lifelong buddy and his girl announced their engagement, and now I see JNC have made an announcement of their own. I’m not sure which one has made a bigger impact on me, haha.
We have a special announcement to make today. In spring of 2008, we are launching Japanese Nostalgic Car as a magazine. First, we want to truly thank all of you for supporting JNC. It really means a lot to us to have you visit our little corner of the web, and to see so much passion for the same cars we love. Seriously, we appreciate it, a lot!
A print version has been part of our plan from the beginning, but the website isn’t going anywhere. We will still update the site with unique content and the latest event photos. Nothing’s changing on that front.
Like most publications, the web and print versions will complement each other, and the magazine will have unique content as well (the photo is just a sample mock-up). Though it may seem backwards in this day and age to go from digital to analog, so to speak, there are things a magazine can offer that a website can’t.
This includes large, full-color photos and more varied layouts in a format you can take anywhere, whether it be train, plane, bathroom, patio, beach, or a nice warm couch. Paper and ink aren’t going anywhere, and let’s face it, a hobby with a physical magazine carries more weight. There are multiple titles devoted to vintage British, German, Italian, and American cars, but none for Japanese. Most Americans drive Japanese cars, and yet are woefully unaware of their great history. Japanese cars need and deserve a place on the newsstand. It is our hope that the magazine will fill that void, bring more people to the hobby and prevent these cars from being heartlessly discarded when used up.
Because this is still very much a niche market, we’re starting out small. We’re aiming for one issue each quarter, and if things go well then perhaps we’ll make it monthly. We’re making substantial sacrifices, both personally and financially in this endeavor, but we think it’ll benefit the scene as a whole in the long run. As we grow, we’ll be looking for contributors as well, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re interested in joining, or if you’d just like to give us a suggestion.
As a thank you for being a JapaneseNostalgicCar.com reader, we’ll give you guys a subscription discount. We’re still working on the details, but stay tuned for more. Thank you! [Link to Forum]
On the latest episode of BBC Top Gear, Jezza, the Hamster and Captain Slow celebrate the 40th anniversary of British Leyland in one of their famous cheap car challenges. Armed with 1200 pounds sterling, each of them is sent to buy the best BL manufactured car they can find, and then subject it to a barrage of challenges to test speed, durability, and humiliation.
Most embarrassingly of all, the Queen’s honor was put up against a 69hp lime green Datsun 120Y (aka B210, Sunny), complete with honeycomb hubcaps, piloted by The Stig. According to the lads, this model was the car that showed Britain automobiles could be reliable and expected to start on the first try.
The following are the presenters and their weapons of choice:
(May) Let it never be said that Fairlady is a silly, girly name for a car when the English have named a car the Austin Princess despite their first language being, in fact, English.
(Hammond) Or the Dolly Sprint. Well, to be fair, the real name is the Triumph Dolomite Sprint, which sounds like some kind of Olympic track and field event involving blaxploitation but is actually a pretty cool little car. DO-LO-MIIITE!
(Clarkson) The Rover SD1 was equipped with a 3.5L V8 and looks like a Clark Kent version of the Renault Alpine A310. Does it have what it takes to school a 1.2L Japanese four-cylinder of the same era?
We won’t spoil the ending for you, but it’s good to see a country that can joke about its own auto industry, and in the immortal words of James May, “Brown is a seventies color. This is a 1978 car. It’s very interesting.” So without further ado, here are the clips courtesy of YouTube: parts 1, 2, 3 and 4. Thanks to MadFlava for the tip!
I’m more than a little in love with this car. After I saw it in the round of photos from this year’s Japanese Classic Car Show, I was stuper keen to feature it on grandJDM. But, alas, JNC had beaten me to it. Those guys! I got an envelope stuffed with powder and their names on it, I tells ya. I kid, I kid.
Wake up, grab a cup o’ caff, and head over to JNC to check this bit out and the great write-up that goes with it. So damn hot.
If you’re hoping to jump into the classic JDM market and snap up a bargain, one possible obstacle could be the ol’ ball-and-chain. Otherwise known as the wife. Some of us are lucky enough to have understanding partners (and some of us can just buy them off – “car for me, diamonds for you, engine for me, shoes for you!”), but for those who aren’t, this seller on eBay has got just what you need.
What better way to convince the other half that buying a bit of classic J-tin is the right move, than to show her how great she’d look in it? “Look honey, this chick looks great in the car, so you probably would too!” Okay, a little more tact perhaps.
A thread at the www.auszoku.net forums the other day reminded us that Nissan South Africa still makes the B121 Nissan Sunny truck. Called the 1400 Bakkie, it is a 1971 Nissan design that you can still buy new today.
So it prompted us to think about older JDM rides that you might still be able to buy new.
Someone at Winding Road loves the Honda T-series. We can’t really blame them. What’s not to love about a 9000rpm kei-class truck that’s also historically significant for being Honda’s first four-wheeled vehicle? Check out the 
A print version has been part of our plan from the 
On the latest episode of BBC Top Gear, Jezza, the Hamster and Captain Slow celebrate the 40th anniversary of British Leyland in one of their famous cheap car challenges. Armed with 1200 pounds sterling, each of them is sent to buy the best BL manufactured car they can find, and then subject it to a barrage of challenges to test speed, durability, and humiliation.
