With its undulating cooling fins, the 1969 Honda 1300cc motor is a work of art. Not only does wind flow over its airfoils, but through the engine as well. Much like the way coolant is funneled through passages in a normal engine, Honda’s Duo Dyna Air Cooling system used a crank-driven rotor to force cold air through the block. (more…)

We know you’re all craving the soothing flavor of carrot shochu, but alas, limited edition bottles of Kimi Kurasu Machi have either sold out or were unavailable in your prefecture to begin with. What now? Calm your nerves with the lovely artwork of Ota Takashi. (more…)

Art students have Rome. Fashionistas, Paris. For car nuts, there’s Germany. No speed limits, giant glass museums for famed automakers, and legendary race circuits. If we ever make it to Deutschland though, we’re headed straight for Hartkirchen, located on the German-Austrian border, for the Toyota Museum there. It’s a two-story building dedicated to archiving the Toyotas sold in the German domestic market. (more…)

Nissan will soon sponsor an exhibit called “Car Design History – NISSAN Passion and Beauty of Function” at the Hiratsuka Museum of Art. The exhibit will follow the history of automotive design in Japan. Original sketches and clay models from Nissan’s past will be displayed, along with an studies in the evolution of the Bluebird, Fairlady and Skyline.

Six Nissan cars representing the landmarks of Nissan design will be on display.

• 1955 Datsun 113
• 1966 Sunny B10
• 1968 Skyline C10
• 1969 Fairlady Z S30
• PIVO Concept
• PIVO2 Concept

Shiro Nakamura, the chief of design who has led the company’s design team for that past decade and been responsible for everything from the 350Z to the GT-R, will speak on opening night, October 3. The exhibit will last 8 weeks until November 29.

Hours: 9:30 to 17:00
Admission: 800 yen
Website: http://www.city.hiratsuka.kanagawa.jp/art-muse/info6.htm

[Nissan]

Yutaka “Mr. K” Katayama, president of Nissan USA during the heyday of the Datsun brand, turns 100 today! Mr. K was dispatched to the US in 1960 to handle the west coast operations of a little known startup marque from across the Pacific. By the time his tenure ended, he had put the Datsun 240Z and 510 into the history books and set them well on their way to being some of the most highly regarded Japanese cars of all time.

The Datsun Heritage Museum will observe his birthday this Saturday, September 19, with a car show from 10am to 3pm. For more information, download this PDF file or visit the DHM website.

[Image: Datsun Heritage Museum]

We like to check out what’s going on at the Datsun Heritage Museum every couple of months or so, as they’re always changing the cars around and adding more cool exhibits. On our most recent trip there we spotted this cool little 280ZX-shaped go-kart on display. (more…)

Last week there was a car show and charity toy drive at the Datsun Heritage Museum. Click on the image above to see the gallery.

The grand opening of the Datsun Heritage Museum was this weekend. Koji Yamaguchi of the Japanese Classic Car Show was kind enough to cover it for us.

A couple of months ago we told you about a 1958 Toyopet Crown with a very unique history, having served as one of the cars of the Japanese Consulate in San Francisco, that sold for a record. $22,322. It’s one of the first Japanese cars imported to the US and its sudden appearance in the marketplace caught many by surprise. The winning bidder has now been revealed. (more…)

We were flipping through the radio dials when suddenly our ears perked up to the phrase “Toyota Museum” on American Public Media’s Marketplace. It was part of a segment on how corporations are recognizing their heritage.

Those who have been to the Toyota USA Museum in Torrance, CA know that it’s actually a warehouse with no markings whatsoever to indicate that there are classics galore housed inside. So far, the company has kept mum about whether a proper gallery is in the works.

Of note, the story mentions the fact that it was 10 years ago on Toyota USA’s 40th
birthday that they began to take an interest in preserving their history. Then they started buying back cars and restoring them. Today, the museum contains eleven million dollars’ worth of Toyotas, both production cars and concepts. You can listen to the story here, which includes an interview with curator Susan Sanborn talking about the Toyopet Crown.

[Marketplace]