Tag Archives: sa22

They’ve gone to plaid: You can now buy reproduction plaid fabric for the first-gen Mazda RX-7

Design patterns covering kyusha interiors fall into a special category of obsession for us. Who can resist the finely embossed crests in vinyl headrests, or the colorful swirls in 80s upholsteries? Unfortunately, these surfaces tend to be points of major … Continue reading

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Japanese Classic Car Show 2019: Upping the Game and Best in Show

We are 60 percent of the way to the point where the JCCS itself, if it were a car, would be eligible for classic status. In its 15 years in existence, the Japanese Classic Car Show has grown from a … Continue reading

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2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 03 — Zoom Zoom

The Mazda booth is always a classy affair at JCCS, and this year they brought a who’s who of classics and late model cars from their North American collection. Right off the bat was one of the first Mazda RX-7s … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Radwood NorCal 2019

Just a week after my colleagues were at SpoCom in SoCal, Radwood returned to its ancestral home in NorCal. The traveling show of 80s and 90s nostalgia started in the Bay Area in 2017, and has been expanding rapidly. There … Continue reading

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Happy Sevens Day from JNC

It’s the perfect day to exercise your rotary engine. Just remember to lubricate those apex seals! Happy Sevens Day from JNC!

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MOTORSPORT: When Nissan and Mazda ruled IMSA GTU

There was a time, not too long ago, when the US truly cared about road racing. On Saturdays and Sundays, Americans would tune into the International Motor Sports Association’s contests of speed, broadcast not on some obscure cable channel catering … Continue reading

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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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MOTORSPORT: Long-lost Mazda RX-7 Le Mans racer rediscovered after 35 years

A Mazda race car long thought to have been lost to history surfaced. The Mazda 254i not only competed in the 1982 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but represents the last of its breed. It was the … Continue reading

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SHOWA SNAP: Los Angeles in the early 1980s

Welcome to the first Showa Snap from the US. Taken in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, it contains a glorious sampling of Nihon steel. Right in the foreground there’s three sporty coupes from three major manufacturers, all lined up … Continue reading

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JCCS Spotlight: Best in Show Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE

We’ve completed eleven installments of the biggest JCCS ever. It was a landmark year, one that saw approximately 500 cars and over 10,000 spectators, both new records. The competition was tougher than ever, but when the dust settled there was … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06 — Mazdas

Vintage rotaries took a prime position at this year’s JCCS, thanks to a classy display by Mazda. Imagine a hillside blooming with brightly colored pistonless wonders from Hiroshima, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what the Mazda section … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Mazda classics prep for a 5,000-km rally across Europe

Mazda Germany is back with the second season of its “Mazda Garage” YouTube series. Last year, the first season followed the restoration of a Mazda Cosmo Sport, which then went on to participate in the Hamburg-Berlin Klassik Rallye. This season the … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Japan Post honors Mazda RX-7 with commemorative stamp set

Japan Post has issued another commemorative postage stamp set, this time honoring the first-generation Mazda RX-7. The set consists of 10 standard ¥62 stamps, each with an image depicting the SA22 Savanna RX-7. Notably, the set includes a shot of … 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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Japan Post celebrates 40th anniversary of Mazda RX-7 with exclusive rotary goods

Japan’s post offices have unleashed a slew of Mazda RX-7 themed merch to mark the 40th anniversary of the iconic Hiroshima sports car. The goods celebrate all three generations of the RX-7, as well as the rotary engine. The only … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Radwood NorCal 2018, the Greatest Hits

Among the many examples of 80s and 90s Japanese cars that populated Radwood NorCal this year, there were a few that really stood out to us. We hesitate to call them the best; except for the actual “Best Of” voted … 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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50 YEAR CLUB: Hot Wheels celebrates half a century of toy cars

Fifty years ago today, the world was introduced to what just might be the most influential cars ever made. The automotive world was forever changed on May 18, 1968 when Mattel introduced the Hot Wheels brand of toy cars to … Continue reading

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JNC THEATER: Behind the scenes with JDM Legends on the eve of their Velocity Channel premiere

Until now, the world of automotive-themed television shows has been pretty lackluster when it comes to Japanese cars. That’s all about to change with the Velocity Channel’s JDM Legends, titled after the Utah shop of the same name and premiering tomorrow, April 17. … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2018 New Year Meeting, Part 05 — Odds and Ends

One of the best parts about the largest classic car show in Tokyo is the random stuff you find for sale. We’ve covered the cars and trucks, so let’s take a look at the miscellany to be discovered in various corners of … Continue reading

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