After a truly heroic restoration of a rusted out Cosmo Sport, Mazda Germany did what anyone would do with a newly restored classic rotary — take it on a three-day road rally. Continue reading
It is often said that rotary engines are unreliable. And yet, some of the greatest long-distance racers have been pistonless Mazdas, including what has been called the most successful endurance racer of all time: the Team Highball 1985 IMSA GTU RX-7. Continue reading
Japanese automakers seem to have a newfound passion for their heritage. In the past six months, Nissan, Mazda and Honda have all announced programs aimed at restoring iconic models. We’re not sure if the Automobile Council show has anything to do with it, but the unique event focuses on marque history and model lineage, and more importantly, has managed to gain support from major automakers both foreign and domestic. Continue reading
Mazda continued to flex its racing heritage muscle at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. In addition to its usual usual cadre of booming (and zooming) rotary racers, four new participants ripped around the renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the 2017 run of North America’s premier vintage racing event. The first is a car that caught our attention weeks ahead of the race: a 1978 Mazda RX-3 IMSA racer. Continue reading
[Author’s note: Sorry Ben, the above JNC company van is excluded from this QotW. I, too, think it is wonderful, but not in the summer with the exhaust heat coming through the floor ;)]
The way we conduct business is changing each and every day. Sitting at a desk with a comfy chair and bathrooms around the corner are being replaced with adequate A/C blowing while stopped in traffic or sitting at a parking area trying to send emails and munch on the latest drive-thru value set.
Sometimes work involves hauling gear, or having the ability to go the long distance worry-free. With so many jobs that take us out of the office, I want to ask:
What JNC would make a great mobile office?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC would represent the music of today?” Continue reading
At the height of the Bubble Era, meets stretched deep into the pre-dawn hours. Even at 4 am, parking areas like Ichikawa PA were filled with Savannas, Soarers, and Skylines. Tuning legend Isami Amemiya even shows up with an FC3S and his original rotary Chantez. Continue reading
Do you have some time to kill? Well, then perhaps you can watch a solid half hour of Japanese Suzuki TV spots, ranging from 1978 to 2000, ranging from sincere to zany and selling everything from scooters to off-roaders. Michael Jackson even makes an appearance in some of them. These commercials make me regret losing Suzuki in our market even more. Continue reading
Mazda Germany’s Cosmo Sport saga is finally complete. In the last batch of episodes, the car has gone from rust-holed barn occupant to show-worthy classic. If you’re new to the series, see parts 01 and 02, then watch the rest below. Continue reading
In a recent episode of Jay Leno’s Garage on CNBC, the Denim Prince gives a car to clothing designer Magnus Walker. Magnus melted the internet a few years ago when he began quietly posting his huge Porsche collection on an internet forum. Since then, he’s become on of the stars in the new school Porsche modding movement. He started his carefully curated collection with the early 911, specifically limiting it to one from every year between its introduction in 1964 to 1973. But as his renown grew, so did his tastes. He then expanded to other Porsches like the 930 Turbo, 964, 914, and 924, helping reignite the fervor in the collector’s world each time. Now, he’s into Toyota Corollas. Continue reading
Today is the first time a total solar eclipse will be visible in America in nearly a century, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most. So of course we’re going to make an Eclipse joke, but Mitsubishi actually beat us to it — they referenced this day back in 1990 when the Mitsubishi Eclipse debuted. Continue reading
Ben recently dropped some knowledge on us with the news about Biz Markie and his love of the Mazda MPV. I remember watching his videos and later as a guest on Yo! MTV Raps in the day. I think I even have some trading cards from the show somewhere…
Seeing the post got me wondering what JNC would represent the music of today. In all honesty, I don’t know what is huge these days and I just tap into what friends recommend, interesting tunes found on YouTube and stuff I grew up with. So, I tune to our readers to cherry pick a JNC and music sample of today. Remember, post a link to the music your JNC represents to be considered for the following:
What JNC would represent the music of today?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC needs a line of restoration parts support?” Continue reading
When we posted about the new Hot Wheels Fairlady Z casting we said there was more news we were excited to share when the time was right. That time is now. Two reveals in as many days, Hot Wheels has unveiled the latest JNC in the lineup, the C130 Nissan Laurel SGX. Finished in metallic green, and it’s a true beauty. And as always, we at JNC are honored to debut a new logo on the rear quarter panel with our friends at GReddy. Continue reading
Reactions to the Infiniti Prototype 9 have been polarized. Perhaps photos don’t do the one-off design exercise justice. Luckily for you, Infiniti has released a series of videos showcasing its retro EV racer concept. Sometimes seeing the car in motion helps. Continue reading
Hot Wheels has revealed an updated Nissan Fairlady Z which has a new, metal base. The front air dam is much more pronounced, as metal-chassis cars are typically for collectors and not orange tracks, where such a chin spoiler might interfere with the movement.
Nineties hip-hop had no shortage of love for Japanese cars, but one that typically isn’t mentioned in the same breath as Lexus and Acura is the Mazda MPV. In some circles, though, it was apparently quite the coveted machine. Continue reading
Michael Bay has unnecessarily ruined a lot of things, and today we add a Mazda REPU to that list. This is a scene from The Rock, and while most people remember the wanton destruction of a Ferrari F355, the clear tragedy here is the much rarer Mazda Rotary Engine Pickup. The saddest part is that the US-only Rotary Engine Pick Up was merely background fodder. They could have used any car and it wouldn’t have changed the movie one bit. Continue reading
Here at Japanese Nostalgic Car we have a new series called Featured Builds where we take a minute and look at some of the best builds we have seen on the JNC Forums and around the web. Our first feature comes from the JNC Subaru Garage, where member Nico has built what could be one of the most impressive 80s Subarus we’ve seen. Continue reading
Fifty years ago today, the third-generation Nissan Bluebird 510 went on sale. 1967 was a pivotal year for the Japanese auto industry, with seminal sports cars like the Toyota 2000GT and Mazda Cosmo Sport debuting within a couple of weeks of each other. While those blue chip thoroughbreds pull the most eyeballs and auction dollars, it is arguably the humble and once-ubiquitous Datsun 510 that altered Japan’s automotive industry the most. Continue reading
There have been numerous legendary Japanese rally cars (and trucks) throughout history — Toyota Celica GT-FOUR, Mitsubishi Pajero and Lancer Evolution, Subaru Impreza WRX, to name a few. However, the iconic Group B tends to not be associated with JNCs, with the Mazda RX-7 being one of the rare examples. We tempted you last March with a Group B-powered RX-7 rally car, but now you have an opportunity to own one of the bona fide full-on works-spec Group B cars from 1985. This may be one of the best kidney cars ever. Continue reading
Nothing beats a trunk full of fresh parts to help with that resto job on your latest J-tin project. Sometimes a mountain of parts is needed just to get the engine to breathe new life to an old but still cherished JNC. Getting those much needed parts can cost and arm and a leg to get the classic back on all four tires, if you can even find them in the first place. Yikes!
In the span of one week, we heard that Mazda and Honda was easing the pain and shortening the hunt for restoration parts for the Japan-market Eunos Roadster (Miata) and Honda Beat. (No doubt this is wondrous news to our own David Lovett who’s a proud owner of a bumble bee Beat — say that 5 times fast — in Texas!) Though David and a very small group of classic collectors may be in luck, I wanted to ask the group about their own wishes for restoration parts. What say you:
What JNC needs a line of reproduction parts support?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Who will win Japan’s automaker Game of Thrones, Toyota-Subaru-Mazda or Nissan-Mitsubishi?” Continue reading
If you like JNCs check out Classic 
