Category Archives: concepts

1993 Nissan AP-X concept by Marcello Gandini was rumored to be a Z32 successor

At the 1993 Frankfurt Motor Show Nissan debuted the AP-X, a sports car concept meant to blend driving pleasure and environmental responsibility. The futuristic coupe was penned by Marcello Gandini, he of Lamborghini Miura, Countach, and Lancia Stratos fame. There … Continue reading

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Toyota 86 wagon revealed in never-before seen concept photos

Toyota has shared some photos of concepts that have, until now, never seen the light of day. Their public revelation comes as part of the 50th anniversary of Toyota’s pioneering CALTY design studio in Newport Beach, California, the first of … Continue reading

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The Toyota Retro Cruiser concept restored, 25 years later

The Toyota Retro Cruiser concept made a big splash when it debuted in 1999. It looked like an FJ40 from the outside, but the running gear underneath came from the most advanced Land Cruiser at the time, the J100. Not … Continue reading

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Never before seen Toyota concepts mark 50 years of first southern California design studio

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of CALTY Design Research, Toyota’s southern California design studio. Today, almost every non-US auto company has a studio in this mecca of car culture, but Toyota was the first. To mark … Continue reading

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Japanese automakers jointly built five EV concepts for the Tokyo Motor Show 50 years ago

The conventional wisdom is that Japanese automakers are dragging their feet when it comes to EVs. It’s kind of a reductive statement that doesn’t take into account the fact that most are simultaneously exploring many zero-carbon propulsion systems, or that … Continue reading

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The Subaru Amadeus, an SVX shooting brake concept, has been scrapped for parts

The Subaru SVX is one of the Bubble Era greats. The sleek grand touring coupé epitomized the ambition of Japan’s carmakers at the tail end of the Showa Era. But you know what would’ve been even cooler? An SVX shooting … Continue reading

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The 1991 Nissan FEV was an electric concept that should be built today

Every Earth Day we at JNC highlight a car engineered with conservation in mind. This year, we go back to the 1991 Tokyo Motor Show, when Nissan unveiled their first “modern” electric vehicle. Whereas previous EVs had been tiny city … Continue reading

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Mazda restores a 40-year-old concept that was the first MX car

It appears that Mazda is continuing its streak of restoring works from its 100-plus years of history. The latest car to be restored is the Mazda MX-81, a 40-year-old concept car that also happens to be the first Mazda to … Continue reading

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CONCEPT CARS: 1991 Honda EP-X

Here at JNC, we have an Earth Day tradition where we dig deep into the memory banks to highlight an environmentally themed, often bizarre concept. This time around, we’d like to draw your attention to the alien-looking 1991 Honda EP-X.

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CONCEPTS: The Subaru X-100 was designed to cross the US on a single tank of fuel

One of the big leaps to JNC popularity worldwide came as a result of the 1973 oil embargo. The crisis inspired designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs to think of ways to push the automobile’s fuel efficiency limits. One such person was … Continue reading

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ORIGINAL CONCEPT: 1987 Subaru BLT

If there was a single concept car that summed up the optimism 1980s and the upcoming digital revolution, it would have to be the relatively unknown Subaru BLT concept of 1987. As you may have guessed, it didn’t stand for … Continue reading

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EARTH DAY: The Mazda EX-005 was a rotary hybrid built in 1970

In celebratin of Earth Day, here’s a rotary-powered Japanese nostalgic hybrid. The Mazda EX-005 debuted at the 1970 Tokyo Motor Show and was a bubble approximately the size of an office chair. 

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EARTH DAY: Nissan built a hybrid-electric pickup back in 1973

Long before the Leaf — back in 1973 to be precise — Nissan had already been messing around with electric cars for decades. However, while the prevailing idea of an electric car was an office chair-sized bubble on wheels, Nissan built a space-tastic … Continue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? 1976 Honda Civic Lady Coggiola Protoype

Possibly the rarest Civic we’ve ever seen has turned up for sale in, of all places, the Netherlands AutoTrader website. This was brought to our attention from a post in our own forums by autofocus. Built by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Coggiola, … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Tokyo Motor Show, Day 02

On Day One of the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show we saw one of the most significant concepts to come out of Japan since the FT-86. With that excitement out of the way, we spent Day Two seeing what Nissan’s major … Continue reading

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QotW: What Japanese concept should have been produced?

The Tokyo Motor Show is known across the auto industry for having the most crazed concepts in auto-dom. Future is what Japan does best, but last week Toyota debuted a concept at a toy show to get Japanese kids off … Continue reading

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Toyota Camatte concept debuts at Tokyo Toy Show

This charming, retro-looking contraption is the Toyota Camatte, a real car that ToMoCo unveiled today at the Tokyo Toy Show. The venue may seem odd, but the concept’s goal is to spark children’s interest in cars, a noble cause if … Continue reading

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Fuji Heavy’s FT-86 is now called Subaru BRZ

For all the Toyotaku upset about the boxer motor beating at the heart of the upcoming Toyota FT-86/Scion FR-S, perhaps you’ll find the star-badged version more palatable. Fuji Heavy Industries has announced that their equivalent of the reborn AE86 will be … Continue reading

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Nostalgic Concept: 1977 Nissan AD-2

We’ve seen what Toyota was up to at the Tokyo Motor Show in the late 1970s. What about rival Nissan? Behold the 1977 Nissan AD-2, a design study for the ultimate luxury sedan. 

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Nostalgic Concept: 1977 Toyota F110

Ever since our visit to Calty Design Research we’ve been fascinated with the lost concepts borne from that studio. The bizarre 1977 Toyota F110 was unveiled at that year’s Tokyo Motor Show, depicting what a luxury sedan would look like in the coming … Continue reading

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