Tag Archives: fd3s

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

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VIDEO: Mazda UK celebrates 40 years of the RX-7

2018 marks 40 years since the debut of the original Mazda RX-7. According to Mazda UK, Mazda has sold 2 million rotary-engined cars, with 850,000 of them being RX-7s. To honor the occasion, they’ve produced a video bringing together three … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Tomica Limited Vintage made an FD3S Mazda RX-7 and it looks amazing

We haven’t written about Tomica Limited Vintage in a while, but the collectors’ offshoot of Japan’s most popular diecast cars has been quietly churning out excellent 1:64-scale models of classics for a while. The latest, however, is sure to make … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Japanese artist recreates Initial D touge scenes with amazing model cars

It’s an iconic scene from the pages of Initial D — Takumi Fujiwara’s AE86 touge-battling Keisuke Takahashi’s FD RX-7, drifting through a hairpin. A Japanese artist known as Shinga on Twitter has recreated the moment, but as much as the finished product looks … Continue reading

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Tokyo Auto Salon: RE Amemiya’s personal Cosmo Sport

For Mazda fans the name RE Amemiya need no introduction. Isami Amemiya founded his rotary tuning house in 1974, and has been responsible for the world’s most insane modified Mazdas since. Ama-san has been sending these mad creations, usually FC or FD RX-7s, … Continue reading

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VIDEO: This stunning Mazda collection goes beyond rotaries

When you hear Mazda collector, typically that means a fleet of rotaries or Miatas. Danny Irvine has one of the most impressive Mazda collections around, precisely because it goes beyond RX-7s and Cosmos. In fact, his stable includes everything from K360 … Continue reading

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QotW: What’s your favorite JNC underdog story?

Unless you emerged from a coma this morning you know that the underdog Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl last night. It was a fantastic close game down to the final minutes. Of course, JNCs often had their own underdog stories and a … Continue reading

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RIP Kenichi Yamamoto, Father of the Mazda Rotary Engine, 1922-2017

Kenichi Yamamoto, who famously led Mazda’s “47 Ronin” team that brought the rotary engine into reality, passed away on December 20, 2017. His family made public his passing to the Japanese press on Christmas Day. Yamamoto was 95. A bona fide legend in … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Radwood 2 – Electric Boogaloo

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. 

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

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

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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

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EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — JDM Goodness

We say this every year, but it’s true: the quality and selection of cars at the Japanese Classic Car Show keeps getting better with age. This year, the representation from Japan was increased substantially, with nameplates both beloved and obscure. Here are … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Get your Then & Now Hot Wheels Mazda RX-7s this Saturday

This Saturday, September 16, is another one of Hot Wheels’ Kmart exclusive K Days, and it’s one you won’t want to miss. It will be the only opportunity to buy this Mazda RX-7 pair in red at a retail store. 

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EVENTS: Automobile Council, Part 03 — Live the Classic Car Lifestyle

Now that Automobile Council has somehow swayed a bunch of automakers into putting on a big show about their heritage and getting you all jazzed about living the classic motoring lifestyle, you’re going to need a Japanese nostalgic car. That’s why the show also … Continue reading

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VIDEO: The latest Hot Version pits the Nissan GT-R against the Mazda Rotary

Speaking of rivalries, the Nissan GT-R and Mazda rotary have one that stretches back some 45 years. It was Hiroshima’s pistonless wonder that kept the Hakosuka GT-R from capturing its much sought-after 50th touring car win. While Nissan did eventually get that 50th win, … Continue reading

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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

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels Mazda RX-7 FD3S

You’ve seen the 3D prototypes, now here is the first peek at the new Mazda RX-7 FD3S casting courtesy of the official Hot Wheels design team (you can follow all their antics at their Instagram account). Finished in a dark metallic … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Lego JNCs that need to be made into sets

Did you know that Lego has an Ideas website where you can submit models for a vote, and if you receive enough, the company will consider making the set? It takes 10,000 votes to get a model reviewed, and combing through … Continue reading

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MINICARS: A brief update on upcoming Hot Wheels

Yesterday we stopped by El Segundo to catch up with our friends at the Hot Wheels Design Center. We can’t report on everything that happened — though JNCers will have to hold on to their butts in 2018 — but here are a … Continue reading

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MINICARS: All the Japanese cars in the 2017 Hot Wheels mainline

Mattel has released the complete 2017 Hot Wheels mainline list, and it includes plenty of things for collectors of Japanese cars to get excited about. Old castings make a return, while new ones continue the trend. Here’s a complete rundown on … Continue reading

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