Category Archives: events

2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06 — Awesome 80s

The 80s were a pivotal time in Japan’s automotive history, and the JCCS did not disappoint with a of turbocharged, retractable-headlight, angular-bodied machines.

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 05 — Toyota fans save the day

Before Toyota moved to Texas, their displays were always a centerpiece of JCCS. A massive enclosed trailer would bring a truck-full of the Toyota USA Museum’s rolling treasures to the show. Now, with the company’s headquarters several states away and, … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — For Nissan, it’s the fans that make the marque

For Nissan, it was supposed to be a huge year. 2019 marked the 50th birthday of not only two nameplates iconic for Nissan, but for the automotive kingdom as a whole, the GT-R and the Z. However, Nissan is also … Continue reading

Posted in events | 6 Comments

2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 03 — Zoom Zoom

The Mazda booth is always a classy affair at JCCS, and this year they brought a who’s who of classics and late model cars from their North American collection. Right off the bat was one of the first Mazda RX-7s … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — JDM, yo

This year marked the 15th anniversary for America’s premier gathering of Nihon steel. To put that in perspective, at the first JCCS in 2005, the newest Japanese cars allowed for import under America’s 25-year import ban were built in 1980. … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — USDM Rare

Even in the 15th year of the wonderful and ever-growing Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, California, after so many iterations, there are still new things for the casual Japanese car enthusiast to discover. The phyla of Japanese cars … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

EVENTS: Infiniti celebrates 30 years

As host of the  Japanese Automotive Invitational, Infiniti took the opportunity to showcase, well, itself. 2019 happens to mark 30 years of Nissan’s luxury brand, and it threw a big birthday party complete with classics, concepts, and some special edition … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

EVENTS: Japanese Automotive Invitational 2019

Now in its second year, the Japanese Automotive Invitational seeks to introduce the idea of collectible Nihon steel to a crowd that considers a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM not classic enough. Located at the Infiniti booth that sits just outside … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

EVENTS: Radwood NorCal 2019

Just a week after my colleagues were at SpoCom in SoCal, Radwood returned to its ancestral home in NorCal. The traveling show of 80s and 90s nostalgia started in the Bay Area in 2017, and has been expanding rapidly. There … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

EVENTS: Some galleries from SpoCom SoCal 2019

If you want to see what thee latest trends in modified cars are, the SpoCom show is a pretty good place to start. The annual, multi-city show is where the cool kids vie for giant trophies for their whips. Subtlety … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged | 7 Comments

EVENT: Mazda celebrates Roadster’s 30th anniversary in Turin

People around the world continue to celebrate the 30th birthday of the Mazda Roadster, this time at the home of the Italian automotive industry. In June, over 300 MX-5s gathered in Turin, Italy’s Detroit, for “MX-5 Icon’s Day,” a celebration … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Toyotafest Spotlight: Our favorite car of the show

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a unicorn appears out of nowhere. It has always been a rare sight, even at Toyotafest and JCCS, to find any A10 Toyota Carina. To observe one as clean as Nestor Rabanal’s? … Continue reading

Posted in Spotlight | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

EVENTS: All-Toyotafest, Part 06 — Trucks

Many long-time Toyota enthusiasts may feel that the company has squandered their loyalty by farming out their sports car icon (no matter what the reasons) or dissolving important parts of the Toyota USA Museum. However, there is one thing Toyota … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Toyotafest Spotlight: This mint Starlet was once part of the Toyota USA Museum

We’ve already covered the Starlets from this year’s Toyotafest, but there was one particular example we had to point out. It’s not that it was bone stock, or flawless, or a rare 3C5 Coral Metallic color, though it was all … Continue reading

Posted in Spotlight | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

TOYOTAFEST SPOTLIGHT: One-owner Supra

Every once in a while you run into a car that simply drops your jaw. At this year’s Toyotafest, one of those cars was Gary Toomer’s 1984 Toyota Celica Supra. It looked as it it had rolled straight out of … Continue reading

Posted in Spotlight | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

EVENTS: All-Toyotafest, Part 05 — Big Sedans

There’s nothing like a big Toyota sedan, and Toyotafest was full of ’em. Whether you’re talking about the brilliant luxury of a Lexus LS or the deadbolt reliability of a Camry, each one had its fans and fastidious owners. With … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

EVENTS: All-Toyotafest, Part 04 — Starlets & Tercels

Over the years even traditional, Camry-hating mainstream car enthusiasts have come to appreciate some Toyotas, your Celicas, MR2s, and FR Corollas. However, when it comes to the marque’s most diminutive compacts, the love still tends to emanate only from the … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

EVENTS: 2019 All-Toyotafest, Part 03 — Classics that Started It All

It’s hard to believe, but this year’s Toyotafest was the 24th of annual shows held by the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club. It’s been almost a quarter century since the first one took place, and at that first one all … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2019, Part 02 — Fun Fours

This year’s Toyotafest was headlined by the many generations of Supra in support of the A90’s debut. With all the focus on the new six-cylinder sports car, let’s not forget that Toyota has built plenty of fun fours. More and … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2019, Part 01 — Real Supras

The theme of this year’s All-Toyotafest was, unavoidably, Supra. The 24th gathering of the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club featured generations of this one model on the offiical merchandise and promotional materals this year. Toyota gave many of the attendees … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments