Tag Archives: le mans

GALLERIES: Nissan Yokohama Headquarters, 2015

It’s been a little over a year since we had the chance to visit Nissan’s Yokohama headquarters. The relatively new glass and steel tower was opened in 2009, replacing the long-standing Ginza HQ in the heart of Tokyo. While, like most automaker showrooms in … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Toyota Motorsport GmbH’s warehouse

Located beneath a wind tunnel at Toyota Motorposrt GmbH in Koln, Germany is a warehouse of cars worth far more than their weight in gold. From a WRC Celica GT-4 in Castrol livery to the sole GT-One road car, it’s a Gran Turismo player’s … Continue reading

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MOTORSPORT: Nissan puts the “LM” back in GT-R

JNC owners, myself included, love to spout on about the superiority of rear-wheel-drive to anyone that will listen (and many whom won’t). Nissan wants to prove all of us wrong with a front-wheel-drive GT-R. No, that is not a typo. The latest evolution … Continue reading

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MOTORSPORT: Happy 30th Anniversary, NISMO

In September 1984 Nissan Motorsports was established in Omori, Tokyo. It’s been 30 years of top-level racing on an international stage under the NISMO banner and the company is celebrating.

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MOTORSPORT: Perhaps the greatest Mazda collectibles of all time

There are rare collectibles and there are rare collectibles. What you see here are perhaps the greatest pieces of memorabilia a Mazdafarian could ever want. You know the story of the Mazda 787B. Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans … Continue reading

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VIDEO: What it’s like to own a Le Mans car in Japan

Japan’s shaken roadworthiness inspection is one of the world’s toughest. But it’s not strict enough, interestingly, to stop you from registering a full blown Le Mans prototype racer for street use. Motorhead and Maiham Media have produced a fantastic video … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2013 SEMA Show

The SEMA show is a purist’s worst nightmare. Stock is a dirty word to these people. You won’t find a single unmolested car in the whole Death Star-sized convention hall, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Those brave enough … Continue reading

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NEWS: Nissan 360, Part 01 – Racing Heritage

For the Nissan faithful, the name Zama needs no introduction. The sleepy little town outside of Yokohama is home to Japan’s largest and most wondrous collection of classic and race cars, wholly owned by the Nissan Motor Company. For decades … Continue reading

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MOTORSPORT: Mazda 787B Named Le Mans car of the 1990s by Automobile Club de l’Ouest Jury

France’s Automobile Club de l’Ouest, the organizing body behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans, recently announced the 10 race cars they believe to be most emblematic of the legendary race. One car was chosen to represent each decade of … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2012 SEMA Show

It should surprise no one that this year’s SEMA show revolved around a single car, the Scion FR-S. The neo-hachiroku has injected new life into the “sport compact” aftermarket, and this week you couldn’t swing a dead cat inside Las Vegas … Continue reading

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EVENTS: MazFest/SevenStock 2012: The Sevens

As the name implies, SevenStock was originally a gathering for Mazda‘s iconic sports car, the RX-7. Over the years it’s evolved to include all rotaries, and this year they teamed up with MazFest to throw one giant celebration of all cars flying … Continue reading

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Question of the Week: Which nostalgic had the best nickname?

One of the most entertaining things about vintage Japanese cars is the crazy nicknames. There’s obvious ones like hachiroku, shortened ones like hakosuka, and funny ones like butaketsu. Therefore, we ask you: Which nostalgic had the best nickname? There are … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2011 SevenStock

SevenStock is SoCal’s annual gathering of all things rotary, a celebration of an engine so competitive it was banned from SCCA, IMSA and Le Mans. This year, the Mazdafarian Mecca was the Pomona fairgrounds, home of the NHRA Museum. That seems … Continue reading

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Friday Video: Mazda 787B at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans

As we get ready for SevenStock tomorrow let’s round out Mazda Week with a Japanese documentary chronicling the Mazda 787B‘s historic siege on Le Mans. We are so completely obsessed with this machine that we made a shirt. The film hails from … Continue reading

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SevenStock Preview: JNC Mazda 787B Anniversary Shirt

Orange and green. For Mazdafarians, the colors instantly evoke the livery of the Mazda 787B. You know the history — the 700-horse monster was the first and only Japanese car to win outright at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the only … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2011 Japanese Classic Car Show Part 01, Best of the Best

We’ll get to the cars that we normals can afford in a minute, but first let us dream a little. The 2011 JCCS completely elevated the bar, bringing together several ultra-rare, six-figure machines that few Western eyes have gazed upon … Continue reading

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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

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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

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EVENTS: Nos2Days 2011, Part 03

Nos2Days is filled with wondrous machinery, but one of the mind-blowing cars on display was the legendary Dome Zero. Conceived during the supercar boom, the mid-engine marvel had the power-to-weight ratio of a Porsche of the era and was supposed … Continue reading

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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

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