Here’s a collection of photos of nostalgic Japanese police cars strung together by an amateur Ken Burns. Some are equipped with high-power engine options and transmission pairings not available on civilian versions of the same model. But 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…)
What is it about criminal masterminds? Even in Japan, they can’t just kill off the hero with a point-blank gunshot to the head. Instead they string him up to elaborate yet escape-able death traps, such as this runaway Toyota that is both silver-hued and topical.
However, in this case we are at a loss to explain exactly how Yusaku Matsuda frees himself from this KE30 Corolla Goldberg murder device. Teleportation? Sheer badassery? Maybe he could give Prius driver James Sikes a pointer or two. Watch this clip from Detective Story and see for yourself.
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.
At long last, Toyota is bringing out the nostalgic guns. Accompanying the Toyota FT-86 Concept’s arrival at the Geneva Motor Show last week comes these official images. Unless you’re steeped in Toyota history you might have missed the significance of the concept’s 86 designation, but here’s visual proof of where Toyota is going with this. (more…)
Poor Sgt. Daimon. It seems that no matter what TV series he’s in, he is always called upon to dispatch a ridiculously over-armed bad guy with a single shot worthy of Vasily Zaytsev, after which he must solemnly watch their last gasps from behind his aviator shades. (more…)
Mark your calendars, Toyotaku — Toyotafest 2010 is open for registration. Come gather at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California for the biggest Toyota show in the US! Meet your fellow Toyota enthusiasts! You will not see a bigger collection of Toyota’s history anywhere else in this hemisphere. It all starts on Saturday, May 8 at 9am!
For a taste of Toyotafests past, here’s coverage of the 2009, 2008, 2007 shows
The Bug and the Beetle was a 1972 propaganda film by GM meant to whip workers into shape by stoking fear of foreign competition. How can you take a day off work when Germans and Japanese are pouring their cars onto our docks by the boatload? Franz and Hiro aren’t resting. If we don’t sell these Pontiacs, we’ll have to fire you, which means you’ll have no money with which to buy Pontiacs!
Of course, within a decade Japanese automakers would begin construction on US factories staffed with American workers. Times sure have changed, particularly at 5:50 when the company man voiceover says, “We cannot hope for the government to save us.” But if this film has taught us one thing, it’s that those minty fresh 1200s and 240Zs look mighty tempting. Then again, so do those Venturas. And those awesome Sony alarm clocks with the flip tiles!
The Volk TE37V is an exciting development because it shows that companies like Rays Wheels are keen on making new products for the nostalgic scene. However, the JNC staff is still torn between whether these are proper wheels for old school rides. (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…)
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.
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 
