Category Archives: motorsports
Friday Video: Happy 86 Day!
Alright, fine. Here’s a Toyota with a Toyota engine. A hachiroku, to be specific, sailing through a gymkhana course in this oldie but goodie. Ken Block, eat your heart out. Happy 86 Day! Another run below the jump.
Team HDO SR20-Powered RA28 Toyota Celica Drift Machine
Yesterday we posted a period-correct vintage Toyota race car. Today we’re going with a thoroughly modern one. Wildly stickered nostalgics usually induce mild indigestion around the JNC office but I suppose we can make an exception when it’s a D1 Grand … Continue reading
Nostalgics at the 2011 Historic Acropolis Rally
Watch a parade of Corolla, Celica, Starlet, Gemini, and Mazda RX-7 rally cars rip through the dusty roads of Athens alongside Lancias and Porsches in the 2011 Historic Acropolis Rally.
850hp Toyota Celica Is Fastest Hill Climber at 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Like Pikes Peak, the Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of motordom’s greatest hill climbs, a spectacular celebration of racing machinery from across the spectrum. Unlike Pikes Peak, the ascent is only 1.16 miles, and takes you up someone’s driveway. … Continue reading
Monster Tajima’s Suzuki SX4 Breaks 10-Minute Barrier at 2011 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
We don’t often get to write about Suzukis, but this past Sunday, one made history. Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima has smashed the storied 10-minute barrier at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The long-time Suzuki rally racer clocked a time of … Continue reading
What the Mazda 787B Sounds Like
We mentioned a few weeks back that the Mazda 787B was making a return to Le Mans for the 20th anniversary of its victory there. One of its drivers, Johnny Herbert, was on hand to take it for another spin … Continue reading
Friday Video: KPGC10 Nissan Skyline GT-R vs Mazda Savanna RX-3
Last week we saw a meeting of some Japan’s best road-going GT cars. This Friday let’s look at two no-limit track machines. The KPGC10 Nissan Skyline GT-R and the Mazda Savanna RX-3 are old rivals, and Best Motoring brought them … Continue reading
RA21 Toyota Celica Drift Machine
This may look like an RA21 Toyota Celica. But look below the surface where the sun don’t shine and you’ll find a full-on AE86 drift machine. The result? Whether it’s smoking tires sideways or just cold chillin’ by a vending machine, … Continue reading
EVENTS: Toyotafest 2011 Part 04
Our coverage of Toyotafest 2011 continues! This A40 Celica hails from the glory days of the Camel GT series. It always amazes us just how much Japanese and American tuning styles differed back then. Goodyear Eagles? Gottis? Had this Celica … Continue reading
Mazda 787B Returns to Le Mans for 20th Anniversary of Victory
Twenty years ago, the Mazda 787B became the first and only rotary-powered car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s also the only Japanese car to win overall what has been called “the most demanding endurance race in … Continue reading
Restored TS B310 Sunny Preparing for Battle
Yesterday’s post about the Tomei exhaust manifold reminded us of the Restored KB310 Sunny sharing the paddocks at Fuji Speedway with a Porsche. However, whereas the latter is revered in classic car circles the world round, the Datsun is appreciated … Continue reading
Nostalgic Mitsubishi Funny Cars
Okay, so technically these are Dodge Colts and Plymouth Arrows, but as we all know they’re Mitsubishis in disguise. Before the Triple Diamond established an official US presence Chrysler rebadged them as Dodges and Plymouths, and that close association with … Continue reading
Sportsland Sugo Damaged in Earthquake
Japan is still recovering from last week’s record-breaking 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Sadly, reports say one of the nation’s great racetracks, Sportsland Sugo, has sustained damage. Located in the hard-hit Miyagi Prefecture, Sugo was built in 1975 by … Continue reading
“Save Japan” Disaster Relief Campaign from Japan’s Motorsports Community
Juichi and Shigekazu Wakisaka, the race car driving “1141” brothers, have started a relief fund from the Japanese motorsports community for victims of the Tohoku earthquake. Save Japan has the support of Japanese racers and motorsports personalities of diverse backgrounds, … Continue reading
The Spirit of Sendai: JNC’s Tribute to the Hi-Land Drags
The news out of Japan keeps getting worse. Nearly 1,600 are dead, the Nikkei stock market plunged 6%, and a second explosion has occurred at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Sendai, one of the hardest hit areas with some reports of … Continue reading
Kidney, Anyone? $64,000 Nissan Stanza Ex-Works Rally Car
The UK owner of this car is asking 40,000 pounds sterling (over US$64,000) for a Nissan Stanza. Surprised? Well, this is no ordinary Stanza. According to the seller, it’s the ex-works car that won the 1979 Southern Cross Rally. Held … Continue reading
Nissans at Le Mans: A Return with the Signature LMP2
Twenty-five years ago Nissan entered its first prototype style racer into the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now the automaker is returning to the Le Mans Cup series with the Signature LMP2, which will run NISMO-tuned VK45 V8 motors. … Continue reading
Friday Video: Nissan Skyline S54 GT-B vs Porsche 904
In light of Shinichiro Sakruai‘s passing we’ve been talking about the 1964 Japan Grand Prix a lot. As we’ve mentioned, this event was notable because that’s when Sakurai and Prince Motor Company threw down the gauntlets against the Porsche 904. … Continue reading
The KPGC10 Nissan Skyline GT-R in Battle
Our tribute to Shinichiro Sakurai, Father of the Skyline, continues with some of our favorite images of hakosuka in warpaint, ready for battle. After the S54 GT-B finished the 1964 Japan Grand Prix second to a purpose-built German race car, … Continue reading