JNC “Z Generations” shirt will debut at Motorsport Auto’s Z-car West Coast Nationals this weekend

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Yee

It’s spring and SoCal’s car show season kicks off tomorrow with Motorsports Auto‘s Z-car West Coast Nationals. The weekend of Z madness begins Friday evening with a launch party at MSA headquarters in Orange, CA. Saturday will feature dyno runs, detailing sessions, and something you won’t want to miss if you own a Z of any generation — a garage sale. The main event, an all-Z car show, takes place on Sunday, and we will be there with Project Z and to debut our new JNC Z Generations shirt.   Continue reading →

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Donate $100 for a chance to own Victor Laury’s 1970 Datsun Fairlady Roadster

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Ben

Our friend and beloved member of California’s nostalgic car community Victor Laury is relinquishing is collection of beautiful Datsuns. Sadly, Vic suffered a stroke a while back and as a result he will no longer be able to drive his cherished cars. We recently told you about the sale of his Datsun 240Z and now the car Vic is most known for, his gorgeous 1970 Datsun Fairlady Roadster, must be passed on to a new owner as well.  Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels Subaru BRAT & A60 Toyota Supra leaked

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Ben

At a current bid of $8,100 is yesterday’s Kidney Car a bit too rich for your blood? Perhaps then a Hot Wheels Subaru BRAT would be kinder to your wallet. Though slated for later this year, renderings have been leaked to the intarwebs. The little Gipper-mobile appears to have rollbar spotlights, roo bars and a slight lift.

MA61 fans should also hold on to their collective pants right now, because renderings for a second-gen Celica Supra have also hit the Series of Tubes.  Continue reading →

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Kidney, Anyone? 44,000-mile 1979 Subaru BRAT

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Ben

Here in SoCal, the one marque of nostalgic we rarely see is Subaru. There just wasn’t much need for 4WD passenger vehicles in the perpetually sunny climes of Los Angeles. Subaru BRATs occasionally show up in junkyards — and judging by the layers of dust only after sitting immobile for years — but I can’t even remember the last time I saw one on the street. That’s why this all-original 1979 with just 44,726 miles on the clock just blows my mind. Continue reading →

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Question of the Week: What nostalgic race car would you have driven?

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Ben

Okay, so you’ve invented that time machine. Oddly, it can only serve one purpose — to put you in the cockpit of any classic Japanese motorsports machine.

What nostalgic race car would you have driven?

The JNC staff (except Kev) chose to zap themselves behind the wheel of the famous KPGC10 hakosuka GT-R, for the reasons of 1.) its legendary status, 2.) the fact that it played a key role in defining the culture we revere today, and 3.) we have a Hot Wheels of it. Kev, on the other hand, chose the bonkers KDR30 Skyline Silhouette Group 5 racer (something about him owning a hako already, the bastard). What say you, dear reader?

As always, the most entertaining, well-written, or inspiring comment will receive a random JDM toy of some kind. Click through to see the winner of last week’s question, “What is the ugliest Japanese car?“  Continue reading →

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Friday Video: Mr. Bean goes for a ride in Nissan’s Zama Warehouse

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Ben

Now that Nissan CEO Mr. Bean has revived the Datsun brand, it’s probably appropriate that he visit the Zama warehouse, where the company’s legendary collection of 400-plus classic and racing vehicles are stored.  Continue reading →

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EVENTS: AE86 Nights 5th Anniversary

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Dan

SoCal may have its drawbacks, but there aren’t many places where you can put the call out for a hachiroku party and have over 100 cars show up. AE86 Nights has been doing this almost every Saturday night since April of 2007, making this past weekend their five-year anniversary. Continue reading →

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Cataloguer: S130 Nissan Fairlady Z

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Ben

The S130 Fairlady Z is by no means an ugly car. In fact it was once considered the must-have car of its time. Yet nowadays it gets little to no love from the Z-car crowd, whose legion of newcomers much prefer the lighter, purer, and more O.G. S30 chassis. But just look at this photo from a Japanese S130 catalog! It’s got everything — a cool car, amazing lighting, a hot chick in a racing suit, and a damn puma.  Continue reading →

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Turn your Datsun into a Champion with the 210ZX!

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Matt

It’s as if the planets have aligned. Just as we posed a QotW about Japan’s ugliest car, a reader unearths this long-forgotten piece of motoring history. Behold, the Datsun 210ZX!  Continue reading →

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Question of the Week: What is the ugliest Japanese car?

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Ben

Without even reading the title, you can probably guess what this week’s QotW is just by photo alone.

What is the ugliest Japanese car?

Sorry Kev, but I’m going to have to make an executive decision on this one. The 1988 Autech Stelvio is both proof that the Italians were not infallible when it came to good design, and that there was once a time when Nissan was indeed crazy enough to green-light something like this. One of the automotive world’s great tragedies is that a road as incredible as the Stelvio Pass must now share a name with this abomination. Underneath, it’s an ¥18 million F31 Leopard/Infiniti M30, albeit one with 320hp, but as Kev has noted you could buy two NSX-Rs for that price.

As usual, the best (not the most-correct, but the most entertaining/well-written/inspiring) comment will receive a random JDM toy in the mail. Click through to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What is the most beautiful Japanese car?”   Continue reading →

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