Tag Archives: daihatsu

Daihatsu, Japan’s maker of small cars, also made this giant diesel engine

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Like Nissan and Isuzu, Daihatsu is now also offering virtual tours of its museum. Though known mainly for kei cars nowadays, Daihatsu is 113 years old and started life making gigantic engines for steamships and industrial diesels. Though shorter than … Continue reading →

VIDEO: And the best Japanese car of 1995 was…

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Ben Hsu

By 2020 the 25-year threshold of what constitutes a classic car will cut off at 1995. What was the best Japanese car of that year? Back then, Japan’s Best Motoring sought the answer in a series of videos pitting several … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged 3000GT, A80, accord, Accord 5g, alto, best motoring, camry, capella, cappuccino, Cefiro, Celica GT-Four, celsior, daihatsu, estima, F20, familia, fd3s, fto, gto, honda, impreza, infiniti, Infiniti I, kei, lancer evolution, mazda, mira, mitsubishi, mr2, nissan, nsx, Odyssey, r32, RAV4, rx-7, s14, silvia, skyline, st205, subaru, supra, suzuki, sw20, toyota, Vivio, wrx | 1 Comment

See some rare Showa Era trucks at Mega Web right now

Posted on November 27, 2019 by Ben Hsu

If you’ve been to Tokyo you’ve likely visited MegaWeb, Toyota’s showroom in the Odaiba shopping district. The History Garage section has a rotating collection of classics, and typically you’ll be able to see a Toyota Sports 800, Mazda Cosmo Sport, … Continue reading →

Posted in Galleries | Tagged 3-wheeled truck, corona, daihatsu, datsun, datsun 220, honda, Honda T-Series, mazda, midget, nissan, Ohta, T20, toyoace, toyota, trucks | 6 Comments

Japanese Classic Car Show 2019, Part 09: Trucks, Vans, and Wagons

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Dan Hsu

We have arrived at what could be our favorite part of JCCS, the vans, trucks, SUVs, and wagons. And now, in addition to seeing amazing US-market builds of such cars, their Japan-market counterparts are flooding in. No longer are the … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 510, 521, 620, Blizzard, bluebird, corolla, corona, crown, daihatsu, datsun, dodge, e30, fj40, forte, H100, hiace, hilux, honda, J60, J80, jccs, land cruiser, Life StepVan, mazda, mitsubishi, montero, n10, N20, N30, nissan, pajero, Pajero Evolution, repu, s130, stout, t80, Taft, toyota, trucks, vans, wagons | 4 Comments

2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — USDM Rare

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Dan Hsu

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 626, brat, charade, daihatsu, datsun 710, Dodge Challenger, dodge colt, galant, Galant Lambda, Galant VR-4, impulse, isuzu, jccs, kei, lancer celeste, luce, mazda, mitsubishi, n10, nissan, p30, publica, pulsar, sambar, starlet, subaru, subaru 360, svx, toyota | 14 Comments

MOTORSPORT: 1967 Daihatsu P-5 race car restored

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Ben Hsu

These days Daihatsu is doing brisk business manufacturing an endless variety of kei cars as a Toyota subsidiary. It doesn’t have any presence to speak of in the world of motorsports today, but in the wild west of 1960s Japan, … Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged compagno, daihatsu, japan grand prix, P5, suzuka 1000km | 11 Comments

EVENTS: Final New Year Meeting, Part 02 — The End of an Era

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Ben Hsu

After 42 years, the New Year Meeting, once the biggest classic car show in Japan, is no more. The Odaiba venue where the event is held will soon be bulldozed, making way for the future. We’ve covered New Year Meetings … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 117, 240rs, 410/411, 510, a30, b10, b110, b120, b210, bluebird, c10, Cabstar, cedric, Cedric 30, civic, Civic EF, clipper, contessa, corolla, crown, crx, CRX EF, csp311, daihatsu, datsun, Domingo, e10, fairlady roadster, familia, Familia BD, Fellow, fellow max, gloria, Hakosuka, hino, honda, honda N, isuzu, kei, mazda, minica, Minica Skipper, mitsubishi, n10, new year meeting, nissan, porter, prince, publica, pulsar, s110, s50, S500/S600/S800, sanitora, silvia, skyline, subaru, sunny, sunny truck, t360, today, vans, wagons | 13 Comments

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

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in cm | Tagged crown, daihatsu, hijet, JMS, kei, s130, toyota | 8 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day from JNC

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Ben Hsu

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, here’s a collection of red cars for your viewing pleasure. The theme is the early days of Japan’s post-war auto industry. Can you name them all? Happy Valentine’s Day from JNC!

Posted in Holidays | Tagged 312, alto, bellett, bluebird, colt, compagno, daihatsu, datsun, hino, honda, Honda N-Series, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, prince, publica, r100, skyline, subaru, subaru 360, suzuki, toyota, Valentine's Day | 7 Comments

Tokyo Auto Salon: Japanese tradition in car form

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Ben Hsu

The classics of the chrome era at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon could be split into two camps. Restomods look towards the future, using a nod to the past to incorporate new and modern ideas. Then there are the cars … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged 521, advan, bosozoku, c10, Crown Comfort, daihatsu, datsun, Hakosuka, hiace, hijet, kaido racer, kei, nissan, skyline, tokyo auto salon, toyota | 3 Comments

Tokyo Auto Salon: Japanese Restomods

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Even after 27 years, The Tokyo Auto Salon is still the premier showcase of automotive fashion from a country that has no shortage of them. Many trends have come and gone over the decades, but TAS will probably always have … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged 2000gt, ae86, c10, c110, cherry, Civic Type R, copen, corolla, corolla levin, daihatsu, fairlady z, fc3s, Hakosuka, honda, kei, kenmeri, lexus, Lexus RC, liberty walk, mazda, nissan, r34, r35, Rocket Bunny, rocky auto, rx-7, s13, s14, S15, s30 z, s660, silvia, skyline, Speed Forme, star road, tokyo auto salon, toyota, wagons | 3 Comments

NEWS: Only 200 of these Daihatsu Copen Coupes will be sold

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

The Daihatsu Copen has been a gem among kei cars since it debuted in 2002. Its cheery face and folding hardtop convertible roof (still novel in those days) livened up any street it occupied, and created yet another branch on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged copen, daihatsu, kei, tokyo auto salon | 4 Comments

EVENTS: 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 10 — Bubble Era

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Ben Hsu

For 2018, the Japanese Classic Car Show expanded eligibility to cars up to 1995. That means for the first time, a flood of Bubble Era greats were able to attend. Welcome to a JCCS full of pop-up headlights, T-tops, and … Continue reading →

Posted in jccs | Tagged 200sx, 240sx, 3000GT, 300zx, A80, Bubble Era, celica, charade, daihatsu, f31, fc3s, fd3s, Galant VR-4, GC8, impreza, infiniti, jccs, lexus, lexus sc, m30, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, Q45, rx-7, s12, s13, subaru, supra, T180, toyota, z31, z32 | 10 Comments

NEWS: Daihatsu debuts retro-styled Mira Tocot kei car

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Daihatsu says that its Mira Tocot is designed for women, but we kind of want one. The styling is appealingly somewhat retro, and reminds of the Nissan Pao. It has the same utilitarian look and comes in cool throwback colors, and as most kei … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged daihatsu, kei, Mira Tocot | 11 Comments

Tokyo Auto Salon: Daihatsu Charade De Tomaso

Posted on February 13, 2018 by Ben Hsu

If you’re into tiny hatchbacks and Italian sports cars with Ford V8s, in 1980s Japan you could get a car combining both of these worlds. The Daihatsu Charade De Tomaso melded the work of Toyota’s compact car subsidiary and the Argentinian-Italian car builder into one … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged charade, daihatsu, De Tomaso, tokyo auto salon | 10 Comments

EVENTS: Radwood 2 – Electric Boogaloo

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Ben Hsu

From the moment co-organizer Art Cervantes told us the name of the event, we knew it would be incredible. Radwood. It was a car show exclusively for 80s and 90s machines. Like Goodwood but, you know, rad.

Posted in events | Tagged 240sx, 300zx, 4runner, 80-series, 929, a60, a70, A80, acura, ae86, aw11, brat, CBR900RR, celica, charade, chaser, civic, Civic EF, Civic EG, corolla, corona, cr-v, cressida, crx, daihatsu, delica, Dodge Raider, e70, eclipse, fc3s, fd3s, fj60, fj62, galant, Galant VR-4, honda, infiniti, integra, KA4, KA7, land cruiser, legend, lexus, Lexus LS, mazda, miata, Miata NA, Mighty Max, mitsubishi, montero, motocompo, mr2, MX-3, mx-5, N60, nissan, nsx, pajero, prelude, Q45, r33, r34, Radwood, rx-7, s13, sa22, skyline, subaru, supra, sw20, x70, x80, z31, z32 | 11 Comments

NEWS: Four cars inducted into Japan Automotive Hall of Fame

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Ben Hsu

The Japan Automotive Hall of Fame has announced the inductees into their Historic & Heritage Vehicles class for 2017. The selected automobiles are regarded to have contributed to the development of Japan’s automobile industry and car culture, and are deemed … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 3-wheeler, daihatsu, fj40, japan automotive hall of fame, land cruiser, prince, s54, skyline, subaru, subaru 1000, toyota, Tsubasa | 2 Comments

SEMA 2017: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Ben Hsu

As the largest trade event for custom cars in the US, possibly the world, SEMA can serve as a showcase for innovation and creativity, sometimes giving a spotlight for bloody knuckled backyard builds to shine. The flip side, though, is that SEMA’s high profile pressures talented craftsmen into pouring cash into cars whose sole purpose … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 240sx, 360 Modena, A80, acura, ae86, arrow, C-HR, c10, civic, Civic Type R, corolla, daihatsu, ef, eg, fd3s, ferrari, ford, GC8, Grom, gt-r, Hakosuka, hijet, honda, isuzu, lancer celeste, lexus, Lexus LC, Lexus LS, Lexus RC, liberty walk, mazda, miata, Miata ND, mitsubishi, mustang, mx-5, nissan, NPR, nsx, plymouth, r30, r32, r33, r35, Ridgeline, rx-7, s14, sema, SEMA 2017, sienna, skyline, subaru, supra, TLX, toyota | 20 Comments

Tokyo Motor Show: Daihatsu brought the wrong Compagno

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Matt De Mangos

Daihatsu’s booth at the Tokyo Motor Show was the only one that had any sort of nostalgia factor. They even brought out a classic Midget and classic Compagno to sit prominently on stage beside the concepts they inspired. Unfortunately for the latter, … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Motor Show | Tagged compagno, daihatsu, DN Compagno, TMS 2017, tokyo motor show | 9 Comments

Tokyo Motor Show: The heritage is strong with Daihatsu

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Daihatsu came out strong this year with heritage models. We’ve already seen the Daihatsu DN Compagno concept, which shared the stage with a classic Compagno. Also at the Daihatsu stage was its most iconic nostalgic car, a 1959 Midget.

Posted in Tokyo Motor Show | Tagged daihatsu, DN Pro Cargo, kei, midget, TMS 2017, tokyo motor show | 2 Comments