Scouting locations for a photo shoot can be difficult.  When it comes to privately owned cars, how far you go to find that perfect spot is often limited by the owner’s unwillingness to travel, but with a nostalgic it’s sometimes the car itself that is stubborn.  On this particular day though, neither was a problem.  Rather, the challenge was in finding not only a suitable distraction-free background but also one that properly captured the feel of the car we were shooting.  Anonymous industrial locations are a dime a dozen and would not really help to tell the story behind Randy Hor’s Eleanor-inspired creation.  We needed to find someplace special.

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How many kidneys does a human body have, anyway? We’re car nuts, not doctors. Anyway, here’s a trio of interesting finds that crossed our paths over the long weekend.

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Since 1995, the Woodward Dream Cruise has taken over the streets of Detroit each August and is one of the biggest gatherings of muscle cars and hot rods on the planet. J-tin is a pretty rare sight at the WDC, but we’re not sure if that’s because photographers focus on the domestics or because there really isn’t any.

Motor Trend‘s article on this year’s cruise showed this Toyota Celica speedster, a custom job that lopped the roof off a first gen coupe – a scalped daruma, if you will. There’s also a droptop Datsun 260z in their gallery. They’re not exactly our cup of cha, but we’re glad that people are paying attention to them and that nostalgics are welcome at the WDC.

The Friday Video series has touched upon many great Japanese movies and TV programs celebrating the automobile. But while they made their cars brutish and macho and excellent for ramming criminals into submission, they never made cars sexy. Well, turn down the lights and pour yourself a masu of warm sake before hitting “play”.

1972’s Hairpin Circus was the seminal Japanese motoring film. The age of the personal RWD sports coupe was in full swing and Japan was still blissfully unaware of the oil crisis to come. The giants, especially Toyota, Mazda and Nissan, believed that they had earned their place on the world stage with world-class cars. So why not a world-class film dripping with passion and petrol?

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Despite a flagging global economy that’s hit Japan particularly hard and reports of the world’s auto manufacturers bailing on this year’s Tokyo Motor Show left and right this year, there are now some surprising rumors surfacing. If true, the 41st Tokyo Motor Show may be a retro revival of sorts.

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So Transformers not your style? Here’s our first open kidney offer that doesn’t involve an actual car. It’s a vintage Tomica Grand Prix Circuit set that we came across while skimming the Tomica Fan Club forums. Talk about cool… just look at that gorgeous box art, that beauteous orange plastic! (more…)

Hemmings once again turns their gaze to J-tin, this time choosing 10 cars that provide “Cheap Fun under the Rising Sun” (subscription required). The bravest pick is a tie between the Isuzu Impulse (shown above) and the Nissan NX2000, which we heartily applaud. (more…)

May 17, 2009, Mission Bay, San Diego, CA

Southern California hardly ever disappoints for the sheer number of nostalgics it contains. Case in point is the Old Skewl Meet today in gorgeous (overcast) Mission Bay in San Diego. This was just a get together, a free event, but it attracted not only locals, but a few guys from Los Angeles and even the Bay Area!

510’s and Ae86’s always show up to these events, but there were a few other surprises as well. (more…)

If you happened to see a blue Cressida wagon and blue AE86 pulled over on the 710 by the California Highway Patrol on the way to Toyotafest last Saturday, that was yours truly at JNC. We were running late and, shall we say, briskly, but an irate Officer Poncharello thought we were street racing. Somehow, we were able to convince him we weren’t and made it to the show to take the photos in this gallery. Unfortunately, each of us still got one of these: (more…)

Here’s another photo from the weekend’s Odaiba car show sent to us by Mooneyes. There seems to be something car-related going on all the time there. This Celica may seem as painful as the itasha cars to some, but it’s inspired by the silhouette racers of the late 70s and early 80s.

More pics after the jump. (more…)