Tag Archives: crown

EVENTS: The Final New Year Meeting, Part 01

It is with a heavy heart that we bring you this report on 2019’s New Year Meeting, held on the fourth weekend of January, for it is also the very last New Year Meeting. period. Twelve years ago, JNC became … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Treat your car right, or you might get Freaky Friday’d with it

A new commercial for JMS, a Japanese automotive parts store similar to Pep Boys or Autobacs, asks what happens when a car and its owner switch bodies. As the advert begins an owner displays less than kind behavior towards his … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2019 Osaka Auto Messe

Everyone knows the Tokyo Auto Salon, the massive annual car show where the big brands and tuning houses of Japan’s automotive aftermarket goes all-out to show its wares. But, there’s an equally big show that’s not quite as well known, … Continue reading

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Tokyo Auto Salon: A rallying cry for WRC’s return to Japan

At the Tokyo Auto Salon this year the carmakers of Japan joined forces for a display of their iconic rally cars. Toyota, Nissan, Subaru and Mitsubishi each brought turbocharged monsters to the halls of Makuhari Messe. For rally fans, it … Continue reading

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SEMA 2018: A mega-gallery of SEMA J-tin

It can be hard separating the wheat from the chaff at SEMA. There is so much going on that the pressure to build ever-wilder cars in order to stand out can result in some technically impressive but aesthetically questionable choices. … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: Kujira Crown taxis await you at Ginza Tokyu Hotel

Described as “a quiet oasis in the throbbing heart of the world’s biggest and busiest city,” the Ginza Tokyu Hotel was opened in 1960. It was the first hotel of Tokyu Hotels, one of Japan’s most prominent chains that still … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: Fukuyama Station, 1975

Fukuyama Station in Hiroshima Prefecture is located right by the 399-year-old Fukuyama Castle. Bullet trains whiz in and out of the station on a daily basis, and over 20,000 people pass though it every day. Back in 1975, parking at … Continue reading

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NEWS: Akio Toyoda checks out a classic Crown in Finland

Akio Toyoda was recently overseeing his business empire in Finland, when he came upon a vintage Toyota Crown. According to Toyota, the CEO was astounded to come upon the S40 sedan in a rural Finnish village, still looking as if … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: Nakagin Capsule Tower, 1972

Designed by Kisho Kurokawa, the Nakagin Capsule Tower is one of Tokyo’s most famous buildings, and a symbol of Japan’s post-war emergence as an innovator of industrial design. The building consisted of two concrete towers and 140 modular capsules, each … Continue reading

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VIDEO: How Toyota USA went from selling a single Land Cruiser in 1957 to making 25 million cars

Toyota USA opened its doors on October 31, 1957. In its first full year of sales, the division sold 288 vehicles total: 287 Toyopet Crowns, and one Land Cruiser. The company almost gave up the US market, but persevered. Today, it’s built 25 … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Nisei Week Car Show, 2018

The annual Nisei Festival in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles is a celebration of Japanese American culture. Nisei means “second generation” in Japanese, but with its 84 years since the inaugural festival, the event has already been passed … Continue reading

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MINICARS: A beginner’s guide to JNC Legos, Part 03

In the final installment of our beginner’s guide to Lego JNCs, we are going to focus on the prevailing style of builds in Japan. In Part 01 we admired highly complex creations comprised of hundreds of pieces where the sky’s the … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: The Shuto, circa 1969

The Shuto is the beltway system that circles downtown Tokyo, home to many a traffic jam during the day, and fleets of street racers at night. Construction began in 1962, and in this postcard from 1969 or 1970, you can … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Even when skies are gray in 1970s Tokyo, the cars shine

Most of us probably try to avoid driving our 1970s JNCs in the rain. But decades ago, in 1970s Tokyo, streets teemed with yet-to-be-nostalgic cars, even during a downpour. Bluebirds, Celicas, Savannas, Crowns, Sambars, Skylines, and even a few examples … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Tokyo life in 1992 was filled with boxy cars

The short film Goodnight, Tokyo is a love letter to Japan’s capital city. The 1992 video captured perfectly a slice of daily life in the metropolis — people going to work, children going to school, and trains, cars and boats … Continue reading

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NEWS: Kiichiro Toyoda inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame

Toyota Motor Corporation founder Kiichiro Toyoda has been inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. When he was born in 1894, his father Sakichi was already on his way to becoming one of Japan’s most famous inventors, by devising an … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: Meiji Jingu, 1967

We’ve covered a few car shows at Meiji Jingu Park in Tokyo, but here is what it looked like as a normal, everyday street in 1967. Look at all the Showa Era cars (Toyota Crown, 411 Bluebird, Prince Gloria, Mazda Familia, etc.) and trucks … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Walk through Toyota history with this new Crown ad

Not content to update a mainstay of Japanese culture with the debut of the new Century last week, Toyota has now unveiled a redesigned version of Japan’s second-most time-honored model, the Crown. The fifteenth generation goes on sale today, marking an … Continue reading

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EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2018, Part 01 — Sedans

If there’s one thing Toyota is known for, it’s sedans. Yes, the Camry is basically the default car that pops into most brains when the word “sedan” is uttered, but Toyota also has a mean portfolio of old school, rear-wheel-drive mobbers. From Cressida … Continue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? S40 Toyota Crown BOGO

There’s a incredibly rare S40 Toyota Crown being auctioned on Bring A Trailer right now. It’s located in New Hampshire and has no reserve. Specifically, it’s a 1966 Toyota Crown Deluxe with a 3R engine and a three-on-the-tree manual transmission. And, if you act now, they’ll … Continue reading

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