The NFL will be running a series of tailgate party-themed ads in the upcoming season, and some classic Toyotas are about to get prominent placement. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot, courtesy of the JCCS. In one a poor, checker-trousered pigskin fan gets his finger caught by a Toyopet Crown’s trunklid.
Forget Tomicas and Choro-Qs, those are nice toys but the real money’s in J-Tin. No, not that J-tin, but actual toy cars from the 60s made of real tinplate. Most have friction motors inside that can move the car if you rev it up a little.
They go for big money among toy collectors, as demonstrated by these S30-generation Toyopet Crowns made by Asahi and Bandai. Seriously, even the “low” end $3800 is more than the combined cost of service, parts and the car itself for our daily driver JNC wagon. We’re not sure how rare these Crowns actually are, and although four figure price tags are by no means uncommon, these are the highest amounts we’ve seen on a tin toy. More pics after the jump.
It’s not Friday yet but in honor of known motorfan Akio Toyoda’s ascension to the top spot at Toyota, here’s a two-part video about the company’s motorsports history. Based on the intro with WRC ST185 and Ironman Stewart pickups, it looks like this video was made in the early 90s. But soon it delves into a brief history of the automobile itself, starting with the Benz trike and the 1907 Takuri.
From there goes on to talk about motorsports with early footage from Indianapolis, Daytona Beach and a 1936 Japanese auto race that even gives a shout out to then-18-year-old Soichiro Honda and his first race car.
From there, we get to see the Toyota AA racing a steam engine, a 1956 Toyopet Crown on a London-to-Tokyo 50,000km drive, and some fantastic footage of a 1957 Crown on the Mobilgas Rally around the Australian continent.
Continuing on the motorsports theme, our next stop is at the Japan Grand Prix. This one comes by way of banpei and appears to be a DVD about the race. Unfortunately embedding was disabled so you’ll have to click on the links below to watch the videos. (more…)
So perhaps Toyota fans are feeling a bit left out, what with all the Nissan-heavy chases from the likes of Seibu Keisatsu, Abunai Deka and this still-unnamed film. Well fret no more, thanks to JNCer a121 we have another Japan vs. Detroit showdown! This time, it’s an unmarked Toyota S50 Crown police car in pursuit of some gunmen in a Rambler American. And because this film, whose title we sadly know not, takes place in the Philippines there’s plenty of Toyota and Mitsubishi background candy for you to ogle. Happy viewing!
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…)
While Seibu Keisatsu may be the quintessential JNC cop show, here’s another zany vintage car chase video floating around the internet. The following selection is from a movie but we’re not sure which title, so if you figure it out, be sure to reply.
With this one we get a little more graphic with a Crown HT in the role of a bank robbery getaway car. Watch for the for the bad guy taking off his sunglasses… it’s classic.
Who knew that Mazdas could slice open a Nissan like a knife through hot butter? We have absolutely no idea what movie or TV show this is from, nor what is going on here, but it sure is zany! However, the fun times implied by a bright yellow Mazda Luce Legato surgically bisecting a Cedric down the middle seems to take a darker detour when the final crash engulfs several cars – and presumably their occupants – in flames and a (um, spoiler alert?) child’s red cap falls from the sky. If you know from where this clip originated, let us know in the comments.
JNC is back home in the States, but there’s still much leftover material from Japan to write about. Here’s a look at the typical Japanese scenery one encounters during a drive to Narita Airport. This was my coach, my friend Satoshi’s S130 Crown Wagon. (more…)
So sad… our last day in Japan, but at least it ended with a bang. Here’s a behind the scenes look at some upcoming material. My friend Goshu and I went to the Time Machine Festival at Fuji Speedway. Why does it always rain at this event? The cars were so unbelievably cool though, we kneeled in the water to get some detail shots anyway. By the end of the first hour, we were drenched. (more…)
JNC is back home in the States, but there’s still much leftover material from Japan to write about. Here’s a look at the typical Japanese scenery one encounters during a drive to Narita Airport. This was my coach, my friend Satoshi’s S130 Crown Wagon. 
