Tag Archives: corona

VIDEO: How Toyota revolutionized mass production

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Matt De Mangos

Toyota is not only one of the most respected and efficient carmakers in the world, but one of the most respected and efficient manufacturers of anything, period. Companies from Boeing to Intel have adopted Toyota’s Just In Time manufacturing technique, … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: Nisei Week Car Show, 2018

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Ben Hsu

The annual Nisei Festival in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles is a celebration of Japanese American culture. Nisei means “second generation” in Japanese, but with its 84 years since the inaugural festival, the event has already been passed … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2018, Part 05 — A whole lot of RWD

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Toyota still makes large sedans, economical cars with transversely mounted engines, and powerful sports cars (at least in V8 form), but the once plentiful species of lightweight, rear-wheel-drive compact has dwindled to just one model. Toyotafest might be the last place in the … Continue reading →

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SHOWA SNAP: Toyota taxis queue at the old Kyoto Station

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Kyoto is one of Japan’s most historic cities, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at its travel hub. Bullet trains pull into Kyoto Station on an hourly basis, sending hundreds of passengers into a vast structure of glass and steel resembling a spaceport. … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2018 New Year Meeting, Part 02 — Sixties Sedans

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Ricky Silverio

In Part 01 of our New Year Meeting coverage we concentrated on sports cars and coupes from the 1960s. However, there were many fine four-doors from that era as well, and as the two-doors rise in price the once neglected sedans are gaining … Continue reading →

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How the Corona convinced Florida’s first Toyota dealer to sell these weird Japanese cars

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Today there’s a second “first Toyota dealer” story on the interwebs, but this one comes from Florida rather than France. The story of how Dave Zinn in 1965 opened the Sunshine State’s first showroom for a then-obscure brand called Toyota … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: Radwood 2 – Electric Boogaloo

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Ben Hsu

From the moment co-organizer Art Cervantes told us the name of the event, we knew it would be incredible. Radwood. It was a car show exclusively for 80s and 90s machines. Like Goodwood but, you know, rad. 

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Consider the Following: RT40 Toyota Corona

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Ryan Senensky

With the prices of the most popular models entering unattainable status for a lot of younger JNCers, we felt it necessary to highlight some painfully overlooked yet still affordable (for now) nostalgics. Welcome to another Consider the Following installment, in which we consider the RT40 Toyota … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — Shakotan Sleds

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Ben Hsu

We’ve shown you the JDM rarities, competition machines and museum pieces of JCCS, but we know what you really came here for — Nihon sleds slammed on some vintage barrels. It’s the quintessential Japanese modified car look, and there was plenty of it on … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — JDM Goodness

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Ben Hsu

We say this every year, but it’s true: the quality and selection of cars at the Japanese Classic Car Show keeps getting better with age. This year, the representation from Japan was increased substantially, with nameplates both beloved and obscure. Here are … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2017, Part 03 — Fun to Drive

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Ben Hsu

“Fun to Drive” was the tagline of Toyota Japan for much of the 1980s, and it was absolutely true. Toyota once had a whole portfolio of stylish, slingable cars that were also — and this is a key component of fun … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2017 All-Toyotafest 2017, Part 01 — New Digs

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Like RAV4 sales numbers, the number of cars at Toyotafest is ever-expanding. Now in its 22nd year, the country’s most comprehensive Toyota, Lexus and Scion car show has outgrown its home at the Queen Mary. This year, organizers from the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: Old School Reunion Las Vegas

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Ben Hsu

When a new car show for classic imports sprang up Las Vegas, it was an opportunity for our friends in the Wild Cards car club to reunite. Usually it’s the Las Vegas cohort that has to travel to SoCal, but in this case … Continue reading →

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VIDEO: A Datsun 240Z is the hero car in this 1979 chase movie

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Ben Hsu

1970s Los Angeles was an automotive paradise. Not only did you have a diverse mix of Detroit land yachts, European compacts and heaps of Japanese runabouts, but its freeways ran long and wide. Back then, before the 405 was one giant parking lot, … Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Just a reminder that Toyota is cooler everywhere that is not the US

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Ben Hsu

So at this point we’ve seen official ads featuring classic Toyotas in Japan, Colombia, the UK, and Australia. Now, three new videos have emerged Down Under featuring a trio of dedicated enthusiasts and their classic Toyotas. These include the original owner of a 1976 … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: Kiryu Classic Car Festival, Part 02 — The Parade

Posted on December 16, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

By any standard the Kiryu Classic Car Festival is a memorable and diverse gathering of kyusha with no shortage of charm. Even better, however, is that after the car show part of the event concluded, the cars go for a parade through the streets … Continue reading →

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GRAND TOURING: Chubu and Kinki, Part 01

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Skorj

After a longer than usual break between our tours, we decided to take a full week off and continue our Western Coast explorations through the Chubu and Kinki regions. As we embarked, the outer bands of a seasonal typhoon loomed over Japan. … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 05 — Editors’ Choice

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Ben Hsu

For the final installment of this year’s Toyotafest we share the JNC staff favorites. In a show packed with prime Aichi steel, it wasn’t easy to narrow down the field, making the results probably over-long. But hey, it’s a good problem to have, … Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Australians explain why the “shovelnose” was so important to Toyota

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Ben Hsu

The RT40 Corona was hugely important in the US, saving Toyota’s skin after an embarrassing debut with the S30 Crown. However, that was nothing compared to the way it utterly transformed the Australian market for Toyota when it debuted in … Continue reading →

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Sokichi Shikiba, 1939 – 2016

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Racing driver Sokichi Shikiba died yesterday, May 17, in a hospital in Tokyo as a result of liver failure. He was 77 years old. Born to a hospital manager in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture in 1939, Shikiba grew up with a generation of young … Continue reading →

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