Tag Archives: sa22

MOTORSPORT: Australia’s Improved Production Racing is absolutely riveting

Even to car guys, a lot of modern racing is boring because there simply isn’t a lot of differentiation in the actual cars. Sanctioning bodies have made the rules so strict that in many cases the cars are basically identical. … 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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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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EVENTS: Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 03 — Stock as a Rock

Before we get started on this installment of the 2017 JCCS coverage, let us just say that it has become impossible to capture every click-worthy car on camera. That’s a good thing, a testament to the ever-increasing quality of cars … 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 2017, Part 02 – Mazda, with heritage guns blazing

Now in its second year, Automobile Council gives car companies a chance to flex their heritage a bit. Some seized the opportunity better than others, but none came out with more guns blazing than Mazda. 

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MOTORSPORT: Team Highball IMSA RX-7, the most successful endurance racer of all time

It is often said that rotary engines are unreliable. And yet, some of the greatest long-distance racers have been pistonless Mazdas, including what has been called the most successful endurance racer of all time: the Team Highball 1985 IMSA GTU RX-7.

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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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VIDEO: Roadkill‘s $1,500 Japanese car challenge

The last time we saw the Roadkill guys, they were busy being confounded by an AE86 with historic plates. Perhaps seeking to delve deeper into the world of J-tin, they recently filmed an episode in which they each spent $1,500 on a … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Racing Beat at the 24 Hours of Daytona

The passing of Racing Beat cofounder Jim Mederer dealt a blow to the community of rotary and Mazda enthusiasts. In remembering the accomplishments of Jim and his shop over the years, we were reminded of the magnitude of their contribution to … 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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EVENTS: 2016 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 03 — Rotary Power

Mazda’s official JCCS display was a touching tribute to one of Japan’s late, great racing legends. And if Yoshimi Katayama was looking down from the afterlife, he surely would have been beaming over the private entries as well. There were some familiar faces, but … Continue reading

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JCCS Preview: History of Mazda Premium and a tribute to a racing legend

Mazda’s plan for JCCS this Saturday is two-fold and promises something for Mazdafarians of all stripes — a history of high-end models and a tribute to its motorsports legends.

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EVENTS: Automobile Council 2016

In an already packed calendar, a new event has appeared on the Japanese auto show roster. Recently, Tokyo hosted the inaugural Automobile Council, an affair whose stated goal was “Encouraging car culture to blossom in Japan.” That’s a noble aim if there ever was one, … Continue reading

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VIDEO: The age old battle of Skyline vs Rotary

Skyline vs Rotary. It’s one of the oldest rivalries in Japanese motorsports, ever since Mazda snatched the Skyline’s widely expected 50th touring car victory in 1972. The folks at Best Motoring have recreated the battle, with tributes to the works Hakosuka GT-R and Savanna … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Old School Love, New School Flavor

After featuring their Old School Love, New School Flavor show last year (Part 01, Part 02, Part 03) at Schiller Park in the Chicagoland area, organizers Team Nostalgic invited us to come out again so we could see what Chicago’s … Continue reading

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EVENTS: AE86 Nights 9th Anniversary

What started as a small gathering of enthusiasts of the last RWD Corolla eight years ago has grown into a gathering that attracts hundreds of cars from all over southern California. It all started with the beloved Hachiroku, and the types of … Continue reading

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TOUGE CALIFORNIA: The Cars and Teams of 2016

The Touge California is done. We’ve covered how the epic, 8-hour, 200-mile rally went, but we also wanted to recognize all the fearless drivers, stalwart navigators, and gorgeous machines that participated. Here are the cars and teams of the 2016 JNC Touge … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2nd JNC Touge California, 2016

Touge driving is not meant to be easy. This is doubly true when the car you’re driving ranges anywhere from 30 to 50 years old. Earlier this month, 28 Japanese nostalgic cars queued up at the start of the 2016 Touge California. By the … Continue reading

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