Tag Archives: s40

Japan brought out its best cars for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964

The 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo was a turning point for Japan. They were the first Olympics to be held in Asia, and Japan was ready to rejoin the world as a symbol of modernity. As a show of its … Continue reading

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EVENTS: The inaugural Kyushu Kei Car Meeting

On Sunday April 25th the inaugural Kyushu Kei Car Meeting was held in Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture. I see a raised hand in the back there. “Inaugural” means, like, the first one? Well, yeah. Due to a glaringly obvious oversight, … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: Peko-chan looms large over Ginza, circa 1964

Four hundred years ago, Sukiyabashi was a bridge crossing the outermost moat of Edo Castle, which separating nobles and samurai from ordinary townsfolk. Post-war, it became one of the two main intersections in Tokyo’s ritzy Ginza shopping district. In 1964, … 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: 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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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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EVENTS: 2016 Kiryu Classic Car Festival, Part 01

The Kiryu Classic Car Festival holds a special place in the history of JNC. Back in 2006, long before any other English-language sites were interested in kyusha, it was the first show we covered in Japan. That also happened to be the first time … Continue reading

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GRAND TOURING: Isumi Matsuri

If there’s one thing that gets carriage-loads of people enthused, it’s trains — especially in Japan, where everyone loves trains. So, combining a wide range of Showa Era kyusha with a summer matsuri (festival) and organizing it at the most famous … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Nostalgic2Days 2016, Part 02 — Tuning Houses

For our second installment of the 2016 Nostalgic 2 Days event coverage, we’ll take a look at some of Japan’s kyusha tuning houses, beginning with our friends at Star Road. The Tokyo-based specialists of classic Skylines and Fairlady Zs typically holds court … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2015 Mooneyes All Odds Nationals

If you’re looking for high-powered GT-Rs and the like, Mooneyes shows are probably not for you. The cars you find at a typical Mooneyes event celebrate the art of customization, whether it’s on kei cars or commercial trucks. The vehicles here less about racing than … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Finnish Japanese Auto Extravaganza

Today’s guest writer is my friend Mika Latvala from Finland, who sent an event report from the Finnish Japanese Auto Extravaganza. Enjoy! —Ben The Finnish Japanese Auto Extravaganza, or FinnJAE, is for all Japanese car enthusiasts in the country. All cars are welcome, no matter … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2015 Nostalgic2Days, Part 02

One of the featured marques at this year’s Nostalgic2Days was Isuzu. It’s a brand that usually doesn’t get much love, here or in Japan, so it was a rare opportunity to see some machines from the company’s own collection. 

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EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 08 — Parking Area Finds

Closing out our coverage of the 2015 New Year Meeting, we make a quick run through the show’s parking area. Thanks to the Japanese protocol of backing into their parking spaces, we were able to get full views of spectators’ rides to the show unobstructed … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 03 — Bone Stock Beauties

Japan has been the source of some truly extreme car cultures. Sadly, a “custom car” was the type of vehicle deemed most unseemly by Japanese women in a recent survey. No matter. Despite a western eye that cherry picks the only the most severe … Continue reading

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Old Tokyo photos oozing with Japanese nostalgic cars

We recently stumbled upon a thread of old Tokyo photos on the architecture site SkyscraperCity. Though the focus was the buildings, we came for the cars. Just look at these pictures and dream of being amongst these machines when they were still new. 

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EVENTS: Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show

There’s no event on Earth that captures the the fusion of Japano-American car culture quite like the Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show. Everything from Baja Bugs to T-Buckets are represented, with the majority of cars shown are imports to … Continue reading

Posted in events, isuzu, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

EVENTS: Classic Japan 2012, Part 01 — Rock Stock

Today’s coverage of the 2012 Classic Japan comes courtesy of Australian contributor Adam Laws. Enjoy! —Dan November 25th saw the second running of Classic Japan in Melbourne, Australia, a show celebrating 25-plus-year-old J-tin, run by the Toyota Car Club of Australia (VIC), in conjunction … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2012 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, Part 03: Wagons

There’s a special place in the Japanese heart for wagons. Sure, they’re loved in America now, but over there in Japan they were always cool. At the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, where sports cars and two-doors are the exception, not the rule, … Continue reading

Posted in events, mazda, nissan, subaru, toyota, wagons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

See what Toyota USA looked like young and sexy

Toyota USA has launched its new Facebook timeline, populating it with some rarely-seen vintage photos of its early years. Like many over 50, its run into a few snags with the newfangled technology.

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Friday Video: S41 Prince Gloria vs ’65 Dodge Coronet

Miki Sugimoto was most known for her roles in 1970s exploitation films that lured viewers into 90 minutes of low-budget cinema with 0.5 seconds of soft-core nudity Sadly, the only cheap thrills we can promise today come from Sugimoto’s S41 Prince … Continue reading

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