Here’s a collection of photos of nostalgic Japanese police cars strung together by an amateur, unidirectional Ken Burns. Some are equipped with high-power engine options and transmission pairings not available on civilian versions of the same model.
Sadly, Japanese patrol cars that have outlived their usefulness are scrapped when decommissioned, not auctioned off to the public like in the US. You can safely bet that only a few of these have survived, with the remaining examples locked away in museums (Nissan’s Zama collection has a genuine S30 Fairlady Z patrol car, for example). What we wouldn’t give for a kujira Crown black-and-white, an unmarked RX-4, or even that ‘73 Mustang! Watch the video after the jump. (more…)
This video comes courtesy of oldschool.co.nz via Retro-Classics. It’s from the heyday of the Fuji touring car championships and is unique in that the narration is in English! No more picking handfuls of syllables out of rapid-fire Japanese commentary that might as well be an auctioneer having an argument with the announcer at the Kentucky Derby.
This was likely a bit of Mazda propaganda from back in the day but we get to see all the Mazdafarian greats — Yojiro Terada, Yoshimi Katayama, and Takashi Yorino. It’s really an all-out battle between the rotaries and the hakosuka Skyline GT-Rs. Plus, we’ve got roaring J-tin and women in hip-hugging bell-bottoms. Part two after the jump. (more…)
It’s March in SoCal. That means the weather is warming and meets are ramping up. We rolled down to Cypress, California (home of Mitsubishi North America HQ) in the ol’ JNC wagon on Sunday to check it out. It was a great meet with some gorgeous rotaries but a lone, faded Mazda 616 caught our eye for its sheer rarity. (more…)
The first-gen Mazda RX-7 has competed in many forms of motorsport, from IMSA enduros to drag racing to touring car challenges. Here it is on dirt, with gratuitous helicopter tracking shots. Video after the jump.
This is going to be an expensive week for endocrine organs because this 1974 Mazda RX-4 is as mint as they come. The pre-facelift RX-4 is arguably the prettiest of all the early rotaries, and it’s hard enough finding an example in any condition.
This one has an interior as white as the clean fallen snow and still wears plastic sheeting on the rear panels and sun visors. The dash is shiny, the suspension paint is still largely in tact, and it comes with both the original steelies and hubcaps, or a set of factory Toyo Kyogo alloys. The only downside is that to obtain your precious, you must retrieve it from Mordor New Zealand, where it currently resides. But hey, when you’re paying $20,000 what’s another couple thou for a boat ride? More photos after the jump. (more…)
We know many JNC readers are already aware of ABC Hobby’s awesome Genetic R/C lineup. But for those that aren’t, these are extremely high quality radio control car chassis from Japan, and the best part is they have a wide selection of nostalgic car bodies! There are a few examples after the jump, but they also have old school faves like the AE86, hakosuka and kenmeri Skyline, FC RX-7, along with some new school ones you’d never think of like the Toyota Estima! Check out the ABC Hobby website for details. (more…)
The Mazda RX-3 Savanna is a good looking machine by any measure. But the alluring depictions of it that graced catalogs and magazine covers back in the day are nothing short of pure art. This Japanese website has collected a wealth of these “paper treasures.” Mazdafarians, be warned. Your productivity might be seriously hampered. Our favorites are below. (more…)
MSN UK Picks Top 50 Japanese Cars: So another media outlet tackles the question of the top Japanese cars of all time. Since it was a British outlet, we’ll go with the 1965 Daihatsu Compagno, which was apparently the first Japanese car imported to the UK. There seem to be some, uh, glaring absences. No mention of the hakosuka Skyline, Mazda RX-3, AE86, and such. See for yourself.
This baby was made for scaling the Alps, breezing down the Autobahn, and evoking grand helicopter tracking shots! You probably can’t even remember the last time you saw one of these on the streets, but the Japanese the rear-wheel-drive coupe the 1979 Mazda Capella, Brits refer to it as the Mazda Montrose, and we Yanks know it as the very first Mazda 626.
Remember that hunka hunka road burnin’ Mazda we posted? Well apparently the cost to set the streets of your neighborhood afire is $11,000. Holy racing stripes, Batman! The 1977 Mazda RX-3 SP was and appearance package for the American incarnation of the Savanna.
To be perfectly honest, this one is missing some key SP pieces like the rear window louvers and super-sized chin spoiler (kind of makes one wonder if it’s a real SP). It’s also rather far from stock, with a half-bridgeported 12A, aftermarket clutch sandwich and Enkei 92 meshies painted to match. But it is rust free an apparently an exact match for the original color (though this is also the first time we’ve seen a white SP). Hey, an cancer-free 3 is hard enough to find in any condition. So is it worth 11 large? Apparently, yes! More pics after the jump or see the auction on ebay.
