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
A Toyota Cressida-based Paragon prototype has surfaced in a California junkyard
An extremely weird car has appeared in a California junkyard. It’s a Paragon sedan, essentially a Toyota Cressida dressed up to look like it’s from the 1930s. Though fitted with skirted fenders flanking an elongated hood and upright grille, as well as a bustle-butt rear, the greenhouse area is unmistakably that of an X60 Cressida. Continue reading
Tomica celebrates 55th anniversary by partnering with five actual carmakers
This year marks the 55th anniversary of Tomica, Japan’s favorite diecast car brand. To honor this milestone, Tomica worked with actual car designers from five automakers to come up with special anniversary graphics packages for models of their respective marques. Here’s what Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki came up with. Continue reading
QotW: Why do you like driving?
It’s hard to believe that in all the years we’ve done QotW we’ve never asked the most basic question about why we’re all here in the first place. If we like cars it should stand to reason that we like driving them. Today, May 5, is Fun Driving Day in Japan, as established by the Tokyo Metropolitain Expressway Company, which runs the Shuto. As they say, “Driving in a car allows you to go to places you can’t easily get to, see scenery you normally can’t see, and meet people you normally wouldn’t meet. Enjoying a drive is like taking a step into a new world.”
Why do you like driving?
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 favorite car care product?” Continue reading
Mattel Brick Shop Acura NSX features a JNC surprise
We’ve lamented the lack of cool Japanese cars represented in the interlocking brick section of the toy aisle, but that’s all about to change. Hot Wheels’s parent company is launching the Mattel Brick Shop, which offers a lineup of building sets designed to appeal to car enthusiasts. And we at JNC are stoked to tell you that the first Japanese car in the series, the 1990 Acura NSX, will also feature the JNC logo. Continue reading
Yoshimura recreates a 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750 race bike, but it’s street legal
At the recent Tokyo Motorcycle Show, Yoshimura unveiled a heavily modified 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750 to showcase its new Heritage Parts program. The idea was to recreate the race bike that Satoshi Tsujimoto rode at the 1986 Daytona 200, but make it legal for street use. Best of all, Yoshimura plans to sell the bike to the public. Continue reading
Akio Toyoda doesn’t like EV sports cars
Toyota chairman and racing driver Akio Toyoda has always been brutally honest about the auto industry, especially since he stepped down as the company’s CEO. His most recent sentiments about electric vehicles echo that of many enthusiasts — that he prefers internal combustion engines for sports cars and that EV racing is not exciting. Continue reading
Nissan executives want to bring back the Xterra
The Nissan Xterra debuted for the 2000 model year. That makes the originals 25 years old, eligible for historic car license plates and collector car insurance in most states. The Xterra was an unexpected hit for a bleak period at Nissan, rolling off assembly lines just weeks after the Renault alliance was signed. Now the company is facing another dark era, and top executives have expressed a desire to bring the Xterra back. Continue reading
QotW: What’s your favorite car care product?
Today, April 28, is Car Wash Day in Japan. The date comes from a play on words for 4 (yo), 2 (itsu), and 8 (ya), or yoitsya, which means “a good gloss” in Japanese. Washing your car can be a chore or a labor of love. But with the right tools and materials, it can be enjoyable. That’s closer to the intent of Car Wash Day’s creators, the Auto Parts & Accessories Retail Association, who say it’s “a day to increase your attachment to your car by washing it.”
What’s your favorite car care product?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What movie or TV wreck always makes you cringe?“. Continue reading
Mazda will build a rotary sports car if you actually buy it
Mazda has reaffirmed its desire to build a new sports car based on the gorgeous Iconic SP concept. It even wants to slap a rotary engine into it, creating a true successor to the RX-7 and RX-8. Things are ready to go, but the only thing holding Mazda back is the “business case”. In other words, it must sense that enthusiasts clamoring for the return of the RX will put their money where their mouths are. Continue reading
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Toyota unveils restored A70 Supra 2.5GT Twin Turbo
Last month Toyota revealed that it was hard at work bringing an A70 Supra 2.5GT Twin Turbo back to its former glory. The restoration is now complete, and Toyota has released a video showing how much work was involved. Like many project cars, tearing into it revealed unexpected challenges. Continue reading
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Nissan says next GT-R could share a platform with Honda NSX
Remember when Nissan and Honda’s merger talks fell apart earlier this year? Unsurprisingly the two companies are still talking, and as one senior Nissan exec revealed, one of the potential projects the two juggernauts could collaborate on is their respective flagships. In other words, the next-gen Nissan GT-R and Honda NSX could share a platform. Continue reading
The Nissan 315X was an EV concept from over half a century ago
Nissan pioneered the mass-market electric car with the Leaf, launched 15 years ago in 2010. At the 1970 Toky0 Motor Show, 55 years ago, it debuted an all-electric city car called the Nissan 315X. It’s Earth Day, so let’s take a look at an alternative fuel vehicle forgotten to history. Continue reading
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QotW: What movie or TV wreck makes you cringe?
Carspotting in movies and TV shows is a great pastime, especially when watching older forms of visual arts. Unfortunately, we all know that whenever a car appears on screen there’s always the chance that it’ll meet a grisly end. Even if the car wasn’t anything particularly rare when the scene was filmed, like the A20 Toyota Celica in the opening sequence of 1978’s The Incredible Hulk, sometimes it can still be difficult to watch.
What movie or TV wreck always makes you cringe?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What car has been absolutely ruined by pop culture?“. Continue reading
Hot Wheels X JNC Toyota Corolla Levin TE27 Team Transport
We are happy to announce that the next Hot Wheels to wear the JNC logo is the 1972 Toyota Corolla Levin. Not only that, but the car is part of the Team Transport series, which comes with a matching truck. The set is part of the premium Car Culture line, which means they’re intended for collectors and feature greater detail than a typical $1 Hot Wheels. Continue reading
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Rally drivers Hiroshi Masuoka and Teruo Katsuta receive Japanese government’s Sports Achievement Award
Two rally racers have received the Japanese government’s Sports Achievement Award. The honor is given to individuals that have made outstanding contributions in the world of sports. Hiroshi Masuoka won the Paris-Dakar Rally back-to-back, contributing to Mitsubishi’s era of dominance in the race. Teruo Katsuta won the first All-Japan Rally Series in 1969 and in 1975 became the first Japanese driver to compete in the RAC Rally. Continue reading
This Mazda Miata quote about light weight may be among automotive history’s greatest
When answering the question of what defines the Mazda Miata, chief technology officer Ryuichi Umeshita just laid down what might go down as one of the great quotes of automotive history: “I would say the most important thing is that it is lightweight. And that the second most important thing is that it is lightweight.” It echoes the great motto by Lotus founder Colin Chapman, “Simplify, then add lightness.” Continue reading
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