Tag Archives: corona

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 →

16 Comments

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 →

7 Comments

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 →

17 Comments

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 →

7 Comments

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 →

17 Comments

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 →

11 Comments

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 →

11 Comments

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 →

15 Comments

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 →

13 Comments

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 →

2 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 03 — Sporty Fours

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Ben Hsu

As we saw in Part 02, Toyota has had no shortage of grand, powerful machines powered by the legendary straight-six. However, the company built its fortunes on millions of inline-fours. Using its vast production reserves, it has over the years been able to bestow … Continue reading →

8 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 01 — A preview of what’s to come

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

Now in its 21st year, the All-Toyotafest has become quite possibly the most popular Japanese car show in southern California. How popular? Online registration for the 2016 gathering — all 450 spots — sold out just eight hours after going … Continue reading →

12 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Driving across Japan in a JNC, Day 08

Posted on April 17, 2016 by David Lovett

In the previous installment of our cross-Japan trip, we began the northeasterly journey back home, but on a different route that would hug the southern coast of Japan. As such, we’d voyage from Kyushu to Shikoku, two of the four islands that … Continue reading →

6 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Tohoku, Part 02

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Skorj

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the twin disasters — a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and devastating tsunami — that struck Japan off the coast of Tohoku in 2011. In remembrance, we are re-running a series of stories that relate to the event’s aftermath. This … Continue reading →

17 Comments

EVENTS: Old Car Heaven, Part 02

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Skorj

While Part 01 of our Old Car Heaven coverage concluded with a mob of rare Mitsubishis, we begin this installment along the perimeter of the show and a bevy of box vans. The Nissan Caravans were part of the Nissan Commercial Car … Continue reading →

17 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 Mooneyes All Odds Nationals

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Ben Hsu

If you’re looking for high-powered GT-Rs and the like, Mooneyes shows are probably not for you. The cars you find at a typical Mooneyes event celebrate the art of customization, whether it’s on kei cars or commercial trucks. The vehicles here less about racing than … Continue reading →

5 Comments

VIDEO: Toyota at the Tokyo Motor Show, 1954-2013

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Ben Hsu

In honor of the recent Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota has released a video showing a year-by-year review of every display it’s had since the show’s inception. Travel through time to see Crowns, Coronas, 2000GTs, Corollas, Celicas, and even more Crowns! Watch … Continue reading →

3 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06 — Road & Race

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Ben Hsu

The last installment of our JCCS coverage was a homage to bone stock beauts, but a huge contributor to the popularity of Japanese cars has always been their tunability. Here are the JCCS cars that were built for street and circuit, not preservation. 

8 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 05 — Stock as a Rock

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Ben Hsu

This year’s Japanese Classic Car Show seemed to have more diversity in bone-stock rides than ever. We might be reaching a point where fans of J-tin are truly beginning to appreciate unmolested cars. Along with the other time warps peppering our other … Continue reading →

14 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — Shakotan Boogaloo

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Ben Hsu

In Japan, shakotan is simply means a lowered car. Many different styles of car can technically qualify as shakotan, but if we’re going to steal a traditional Japanese term, we might as well apply it to traditional Japanese cars. You know it when … Continue reading →

26 Comments