Category Archives: motorsports

Cry for what Mitsubishi’s Ralliart division has become

Mitsubishi has rebooted its Ralliart brand, the name once synonymous with Lancer Evolution rally cars and Dakar dominance. As a new video shows, the works team once responsible for world-beating motorsports development has now been demoted to hawking mudflaps, decals … Continue reading

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World record-holding Honda Civic drag car destroyed in crash

Some sad news in the world of import racing came last Thursday, when it was announced that Speedfactory Racing’s world record-holding EG Civic was destroyed in a crash. What’s even more tragic, it was wrecked in a final world record … Continue reading

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VIDEO: This is why there’s a drift tax

RIP to the fallen. If the video doesn’t work, click here.

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COLLECTIONS: Mazda restores historic 767B Le Mans racer

Mazda has something good in store at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. In what’s becoming a bit of a tradition for Mazda North American Operations, it’s adding a restored race car to its Heritage Collection: the #202 767B that … Continue reading

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MOTORSPORT: Nissan to restore 1971 Safari Rally winning Datsun 240Z

Deep within the corporate juggernaut of Nissan Motor Company there’s a team of 60 old school petrolheads. Many of them have been around for decades, bearing witness to the racing programs of the automaker’s most famous race cars. Next up … Continue reading

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NEWS: Nissan 360, Part 01 – Racing Heritage

For the Nissan faithful, the name Zama needs no introduction. The sleepy little town outside of Yokohama is home to Japan’s largest and most wondrous collection of classic and race cars, wholly owned by the Nissan Motor Company. For decades … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Formula D Round One / AE86 Nights, Part 01

Toyotaku in southern California had plenty to keep them occupied this past weekend, with not one but two events showcasing the venerable AE86 and its successor, the Scion FR-S. 

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We drive the new Toyota Pro/Celebrity TRD Scion FR-S, despite being neither Pro nor Celebrity

Since 1977, Toyota has been putting celebrities with varying degrees of track experience into race-prepped cars and unleashing them onto the streets of Long Beach. The carnage that unfolds is, thankfully, limited primarily to the sheetmetal of two dozen freshly … Continue reading

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MOTORSPORT: 76 Years of Nissan Motorsports

Watch footage from 76 years of Nissan motorsports, starting with the monopoly-piece looking 1936 Datsun racer to the futuristic 2012 Nissan DeltaWing. The video commemorates the new NISMO headquarters grand opening February 26, which will shift the seat of Nissan’s … Continue reading

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MOTORSPORT: Mazda 787B Named Le Mans car of the 1990s by Automobile Club de l’Ouest Jury

France’s Automobile Club de l’Ouest, the organizing body behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans, recently announced the 10 race cars they believe to be most emblematic of the legendary race. One car was chosen to represent each decade of … Continue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? NOS Datsun Competition L20 head, manifold and 50mm Mikunis

Today’s kidney trade is not even a complete car, but it could cost much more than one. The Nissan L20 Group 1 cylinder head is perhaps the rarest, most unobtainable piece of Datsun metal in the world. A race-only part … Continue reading

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VIDEO: 1972 Fuji Masters Super Touring Race

One of the greatest rivalries from the heyday of Japanese motorsports was that of Nissan versus Mazda. After the Savanna RX-3 snatched Nissan’s much anticipated 50th victory from the Skyline GT-R in December 1971, a blood feud was born. The … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Fundraiser for ex-Toyota 2000GT driver Scooter Patrick

This is just a quick post to let you guys know that Scooter Patrick, former driver of the white-and-red #33 Carroll Shelby SCCA Toyota 2000GT, has a case of rapid onset Alzheimer’s disease. There’s a fundraiser happening January 12, 2013 … Continue reading

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VIDEO: The Birth of the Skyline Legend

Yesterday we wrote about the watershed events that put Datsun on the motorsports map in the USA (and by extension, the western world). Here’s how it began in Japan. We’ve written about the Prince Skyline GT-B‘s historic battle against the race-bred … Continue reading

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BOOKS: The Stainless Steel Carrot, An Auto Racing Odyssey — Revisited

John Morton has lived a life most of us can only dream of. The legendary driver has had a storied career piloting everything from Shelby Cobras to Porsche Le Mans Prototypes. Of course, the reason Nissan nuts line up for … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2012 Skyline Nationals, Part 02 – Australia’s Insane 1980s Nissan Touring Cars

Despite the fact that various generations of Godzilla were the headliners at the 2012 Skyline Nationals, many of Nissan‘s 1980s Group A and Group C touring cars drew just as much attention displayed at the car show and in action at the track day … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2012 Formula D Car Show & Drifting Championships

Formula D isn’t the kind of event we here at JNC normally cover, but in recent years stateside drifting has grown tremendously, and with that growth it has welcomed with open arms the nostalgics that made all this tail-sliding possible. 

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Friday Video: IndyCar’s Alex Lloyd drives the BRE Datsun 510

We all know why the BRE Datsun 510 rules, but what’s it like to actually drive? In this fantastic video by Road & Track, professional IndyCar racer Alex Lloyd gives viewers a seat-of-the-pants rundown on what makes the car so magical. This … Continue reading

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EVENTS: MazFest/SevenStock 2012, Part 01: Early RX and Pistoned Mazdas

Mazda likes to brag that on any given weekend there are more of their cars on America’s road-race circuits than any other marque. It’s true that Mazdafarians love wringing their cars out, and MazFest has been one of the best events … Continue reading

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John Morton tribute at the Riverside International Auto Museum

The Riverside International Auto Museum recently threw a gala to honor the contributions of famed Datsun driver John Morton to the racing world. If you’re not familiar with the saga of the BRE team that Morton raced for, first go watch the Friday Video Against All … Continue reading

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