At the turn of the century Tommykaira was on the verge of building a Japanese supercar. Gran Turismo players may remember the Tommykaira ZZII as a super light, mid-engined, all-wheel-drive weapon that decimated the competition. Sadly, that was as far as the car got, because funds ran dry and the real car never progressed beyond the prototype stage. As it turns out, that one prototype does run and is still kept at Tommykaira HQ in Japan. Continue reading
QotW: What’s the best rig for a novice off-roader?
Carefully plotting every tire placement through a rock-strewn trail at tortoise-like speeds can be just as exhilarating as perfectly connecting apex after apex to shave a tenth of a second off your lap time. And as it happens, today, June 2, is National Rocky Road Day. While the calendar authorities probably meant the ice cream flavor, it still got us thinking about what a good starter off-roader would be — something that’s affordable, plentiful (for parts scavenging), easy to operate and fix, and guilt-free when banging against rocks.
The affordability criterion likely eliminates any Land Cruiser and anything with the Toyota tax. The parts availability requirement will limit the JDM options. We almost think something like a beat-up Subaru or Honda CR-V might work better than an actual 4×4 if we’re just talking practice vehicles.
What’s the best rig for a novice off-roader?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your most memorable road trip?“. Continue reading
The Toyota RAV4 concept made a tiny splash at the Tokyo Motor Show
A new Toyota RAV4 debuted last week, and in the 30 years since the original hit ToMoCo showrooms a lot has changed. Today the RAV4 has superseded the Camry as the default car for sensible but unimaginative shoppers. However, the RAV4’s original concept was much more unconventional than the crossover it became. Continue reading
A Honda NSX-R has sold over over $1 million and it’s worth every penny
Over the weekend a 2003 Honda NSX-R sold at auction for over $1 million. Naturally, comments regarding the sale have been a tsunami of but-it’s-just-a-Honda type of responses. To which we say, what is wrong with you? Continue reading
Nissan might sell its Yokohama headquarters and showroom
In 2009 Nissan spent $450 million to build a brand new headquarters and showroom in Yokohama. Opened to coincide with the Port of Yokohama’s 150th anniversary, then-president Carlos Ghosn described the seaside high-rise as a “sailboat on a voyage across an ocean of unlimited possibilities.” Now, as the company bleeds cash and desperately searches for a lifeline, it’s considering selling its HQ. Continue reading
Toyota is coming out with a sub-Tacoma compact pickup
For years fans of Toyota trucks have been clamoring for a return to the compact pickup, the kind of mini-truck that helped Toyota establish itself in the US in the 70s and 80s. The Tacoma has gotten too big and expensive to fill that role, serving double duty as a workhorse and off-roader. Now a pickup that slots below the Tacoma has been confirmed. Continue reading
QotW: What’s your most memorable road trip?
The Friday before Memorial Day is National Road Trip Day in the US. In Japan today, May 26, also happens to be the anniversary of the opening of the Tomei Expressway, a famed route heading from Tokyo to points west. One of the reasons we love cars today is spending formative, pre-flatscreen years on extended interstate drives. I hope to instill that love in my son as well, so selfishly I’m also looking for ideas when asking:
What’s your most memorable road trip?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your best/worst dealership story?“. Continue reading
A brief history of the Toyota RAV4
Toyota debuted the sixth-generation RAV4 on May 21, continuing a crossover lineage that dates back 31 years. When the original launched in 1994 no one, probably not even Toyota, predicted how massive a sales success the model would be. Toyota has sold more than 15 million RAV4s in 180 countries around the world. There’s genuine history there and Toyota knows it. That’s why the newest one shared its global debut stage with six other models, including the 1989 concept that started it all. Here’s a brief history of the RAV4 from a Japanese market perspective. Continue reading
UD Trucks celebrates 90th anniversary
The company today known as UD Trucks was established in 1935. This year they’re kicking off a 90th anniversary campaign to celebrate nearly a century of trucks. The large truck and bus maker was founded by Kenzo Adachi in Saitama Prefecture and originally known as Nihon Diesel Industries. In 1960 Nissan purchased it and renamed it Nissan Diesel. Continue reading
Toyota 2000GT and LFA casually appear in Lexus ad with no mention
Here’s a puzzler for ya. A new Lexus commercial features Toyota’s two most legendary sports cars, but neither is mentioned or spotlighted at all. Normally the presence of such revered chariots would hint at the company’s storied history or legacy of high performance machines. Not here. The spot is for the Lexus NX, a competent luxury crossover but not the kind of car that sets your hair ablaze. Continue reading
Could Toyota be Nissan’s financial savior?
Last week Nissan announced a new recovery plan to dig itself out of its downward spiral. It announced that its deficit for the fiscal year ending in March 2025 had swelled to $4.5 billion and that it will close seven factories and cut 20,000 jobs (15 percent of its workforce). At the same time a new plan hopes returns is fortunes to the black by 2027, and a surprising new name has been bandied about as a potential backer: Toyota. Continue reading
QotW: What’s your best/worst dealership story?
Today is apparently the first ever National Automotive Dealer Day. Love ’em or hate ’em, dealerships are a part of life. We suspect that most people don’t like spending a lot of time in them, but if you love cars sooner or later you’ll have to step foot in one. Even those who wrench their own rides and never buy new will have to visit the parts counter. There’s really no escaping them.
What’s your best/worst dealership story?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s the craziest odometer reading you’ve ever seen?“. Continue reading
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Nissan’s mid-engined V6 Micra celebrates its 23rd anniversary with an refresh
Speaking of the Nissan March, Nissan Great Britain has just updated one of its wildest creations. Originally built 23 years ago, the Micra 350SR is what happened when Nissan GB crammed the ubiquitous VQ35 V6 engine midship into the back of the K12 March. To celebrate its ni (2 in Japanese) san (3 in Japanese) birthday, they’ve updated it for the modern age. Continue reading
Why SuperGT team owner Masahiro Kondo bought a first-gen Nissan March
To petrolheads Masahiko Kondo is best known as a racing driver and team manager. However, long before his motorsports career he was a teen heartthrob with his debut single Sneaker Blues shooting to number one in 1980 when Matchy, as he was nicknamed, was only 17 years old. It was inevitable that a company would scoop him up as a spokesperson, and Nissan did just that when they launched the March hatchback in 1982. Now over four decades later, despite having raced Skyline GT-Rs, Porsches, and Dodge Vipers at Le Mans, Kondo has decided to buy a 56-horsepower first-gen March and restore it. Continue reading
Toyotafest 2025 is coming soon. Get your coupon code here
The 2025 All-Toyotafest will be here in a little over a month. The show enters its 29th year and will be held at Marina Green Park in Long Beach, California on June 28, 2025. Registration is open for all Toyota, Lexus, and Scion owners. Spectators can buy tickets, and the organizers are graciously offering JNC readers a coupon code for $5 off any online ticket orders. Simply enter the coupon code JNC5 to receive your discount. See you there!
Vintage ANA livery with matching service vehicles
Here’s a Showa Snap taken by our friend Yoshida-san at Haneda Airport near Tokyo. The Boeing B727 is still finished in the old Mohican Blue livery of All Nippon Airways. Matching service cars include what appears to be a T130 Toyota Corona Van and a Toyota Hilux ramp truck. In 1982 ANA celebrated its 30th anniversary by adopting its Triton Blue livery and began phasing out the Mohican Blue. This photo was taken right around that time. Airline colorways are just as beautiful as the best racing liveries. Could there be a museum of airport service vehicles out there?
Toyota’s Le Mans livery pays homage to the legendary GT-One
Toyota has unveiled its liveries for the two cars it will enter in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. As it happens, 2025 marks Toyota’s 40th anniversary of Le Mans competition, which started with the Toyota 85C in 1985. To mark the milestone, Toyota is applying a livery from one of its most famous and beloved racers to one of this year’s entrants. Continue reading
QotW: What’s the craziest odometer reading you’ve ever seen?
Today, May 12, is National Odometer Day. The modern odometer is credited to William Clayton, a Mormon pioneer who attached a mileage counting device to his horse-drawn wagon in 1847. The device tracked wagon wheel’s number of revolutions as his party trekked west from Omaha to Salt Lake City. Today the odometer is an integral part of automotive life. We’ve gone from analog rollers to digital tickers, and whether on a garage queen or a hoopty, they provide a window into the life the car has lived.
What’s the craziest odometer reading you’ve ever seen?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Why do you like driving?“. Continue reading
Toyota wants all its cars to evoke a “This is it!” feeling
Toyota held its annual financial results conference on May 8. While most of the conference covered boring things like sales projections and the potential effects of US tariffs on Japan, president Koji Sato spoke briefly about the new direction Toyota will be taking with its products. Namely, he wants all Toyotas to conjure a “kodoka!” (Japanese for “This is it!”) feeling of excitement. Continue reading
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The Infiniti J30 was hard to look at but surprisingly well-appointed
If you were alive during the launch of Lexus, you’ll remember the army of naysayers decrying the LS400 as a cheaper version of established European luxury sedans. Infiniti, on the other hand, tried really hard to introduce a Japanese idea of luxury into the marketplace. Unfortunately, the Infiniti J30 proved that what buyers actually wanted was a cheaper version of an established European luxury sedan. Continue reading
