Tag Archives: a40

Sonny Chiba, actor, action hero, Toyota spokesman, 1939—2021

Legendary Japanese action hero Sonny Chiba died on August 19 of pneumonia resulting from a COVID-19 infection. Known for his on-screen tough-guy persona, he often played martial arts masters, samurai, and yakuza. The actor in such films as The Street … Continue reading

Posted in Legends | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

2021 All-Toyotafest, Part 02 — Supra & Lexus

One of the great developments we noticed this year was the ascendancy of the A70 Supra. We can’t remember seeing such a high turnout of the third-gen Supra at Toyotafest, and it was good to see this important chassis receive … Continue reading

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

ART CORNER: These pixel art JNCs are the bee’s knees

There’s probably a pretty big overlap in the Venn diagram of people who are really into Japanese classic cars and people who are really into old video games before the graphics got too realistic. That’s why these pixel art cars … Continue reading

Posted in Art Corner | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

What cars were parked at Toyota USA headquarters in the 1980s?

Toyota is long gone from southern California, but back when they were still in Torrance, their massive campus was a showcase of its then-current models. This was especially true in the 1980s, when their star was on the rise. These … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 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

Toyota brought these classic Supras to the A90 launch

At the test drive of the first 2020 Supras this week at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia, Toyota also brought along several examples of classic Supras to go along with the new kid on the block. Sadly, though … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

VIDEO: Who did it better, Toyota USA or Toyota UK?

Recently, Toyota subsidiaries on both sides of the pond put out a call to enthusiasts and owners, assembled them at a race track, and filmed the experience. In the US, it was to promote the new Supra at Auto Club … Continue reading

Posted in Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? Toyota hoarder selling off entire collection

It appears we have found the answer to what lies at the end of the rainbow: a collection of old Toyotas in various states of disrepair. Just outside of Las Vegas, a seller is purging a literal lot of Aichi … Continue reading

Posted in for sale | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

SEMA 2018: Toyota brings it with Supras, Trucks, and RWD Corollas

We’ve poked fun at Toyota’s SEMA presence before, like when they brought a buncha Camrys to the world’s biggest tuner show. This year, however, they brought the ruckus, with a slew of Supras, a team of Tacomas, and a rear-wheel-drive … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

SEMA 2018: All five generations of Toyota Supra

As you might have heard, Toyota is coming out with a new Supra. It makes sense that they would use the aftermarket extravaganza that is SEMA to build some excitement for the model’s long-awaited return. What we didn’t expect was … Continue reading

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

SHOWA SNAP: Los Angeles in the early 1980s

Welcome to the first Showa Snap from the US. Taken in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, it contains a glorious sampling of Nihon steel. Right in the foreground there’s three sporty coupes from three major manufacturers, all lined up … Continue reading

Posted in Showa Snap | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

VIDEO: Five generations of Supra together for the first time

Recently, a small gathering of Toyota Supra owners in the UK got to see the new Supra up close and personal. It was the first time all five generations of the Supra had been together under one roof. 

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

EVENTS: Radwood NorCal 2018

The Radwood phenomenon is spreading faster than hairspray-induced polyester fire. The celebration of 80s and 90s autodom is now on its fourth show in just two years, and the organizers tell us it was the biggest one yet. We attended … Continue reading

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

EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2018, Part 04 — RWD Celicas

With a new Supra on the way and Toyota’s increased focus on more powerful and likely very expensive sports cars, let us not forget the humble Celica. For seven generations it was Aichi’s entry level sports car, and long before the zippy front-drivers and AWD … Continue reading

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

Happy MA46 Day from JNC

With all the recent scuttlebutt about Supras both new and newly classic, we didn’t want to let April 6 pass by without mention of the Supra that started it all, the MA46. There’s a couple things to note about this spread from the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

RIP Dan Gurney, 1931-2018

A true titan of 20th-century motorsport, Dan Gurney has passed away at the age of 86. Considered by many to be the greatest American racing driver in history, Gurney’s contributions to the world of auto racing as a driver, engineer … Continue reading

Posted in Legends | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 08 — Best Booths

JCCS has become an international show. For years, the event has been growing, with ever better builds and spectators coming from farther reaches of the globe. This year, however, many top companies from Japan attended, while US-based ones upped the ante with … Continue reading

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

EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — Shakotan Sleds

We’ve shown you the JDM rarities, competition machines and museum pieces of JCCS, but we know what you really came here for — Nihon sleds slammed on some vintage barrels. It’s the quintessential Japanese modified car look, and there was plenty of it on … Continue reading

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

EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — Because Race Car

In Japan, you have full-blown vintage racing events devoted to Nihon steel, factory sponsored motorsports festivals, and manufacturer exhibits. These things don’t really happen in the US with Japanese automakers, so JCCS is one of the rare opportunities for competition machines to … Continue reading

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

EVENTS: 3rd Touge California, 2017

Because we, along with title sponsor Mazda, were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the rotary engine this year, a large contingent of piston-less cars were lined up at the starting grid of the 2017 Touge California. Joining them were decades-old twin-cam Toyota … Continue reading

Posted in Touge California | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments