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
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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The ultimate Mazda Miata model car collection can be yours for just $1,300
Strap in, NA Miata fans. Mazda Japan has unveiled the ultimate collection of MX-5 scale models. The 17-model diecast car set, each slightly different, represents the complete history of the first-generation Mazda Roadster. And it costs a whopping ¥180,000, or about $1300 USD. Continue reading
QotW: What car has been absolutely ruined by pop culture?
Pop culture can make cars into stars, but also destroy them. If it wasn’t for Back to the Future the DeLorean would be a historical footnote. If it wasn’t for 007, the Aston Martin DB4 would not even be uttered in the same breath as Porsche today. On the other hand, how many Highland Green ’68 Mustangs do we have to see at a Ford show? How many JZA80 Supras must be bastardized to recreate a cringey car from a mediocre movie? How many iterations of the silver and blue 2 Fast 2 Furious R34 must we walk past in the Target toy aisle? Sometimes fandom goes too far.
What car has been absolutely ruined by pop culture?
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 craziest tire-related story?“. Continue reading
Jerry Seinfeld is a Subaru guy
Jerry Seinfeld is famous for his vast Porsche collection. And his jokes, but his collection of some of the world’s most historic and rarest P-cars, which he stores in a hollowed-out three-story brownstone in New York City, is the envy of many a car guy. That’s why it may surprise some readers to know that despite having his pick of Stüttgart’s finest, sometimes he just chooses to bomb around in a Subaru. Continue reading
Autobacs and Blitz will help tune your Toyota GR86 exactly like the one in ‘MF Ghost’
MF Ghost is apparently shaping up to be this generation’s Initial D. The manga and anime is so popular that Japanese aftermarket parts retailer Autobacs is teaming up with tuning house Blitz to create a series of MF Ghost Corners in its stores. There, customers will be able to buy parts to tune their carss exactly like Kanata’s R35-besting Toyota 86. Continue reading
Taxis queue before Marunouchi Toei theater circa 1966
It’s springtime in 1966 and you’re looking to catch a flick at the Marunouchi Toei. It had just opened in 1960 (and still exists today). Will it be the yakuza drama Nihon Daikyôkaku (English title: Japan’s Most Chivalrous), or perhaps the latest installment from Hollywood’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in Napoleon Solo: A Companion from Hell? Whatever you choose, when you emerge from the theater you’ll have taxis in an array of colors to choose from. Will it be an S40 Toyota Crowns or an H31 Nissan Cedric? The starting fare was only ¥100. UPDATE: And as reader dokydoky points out, the Marunouchi Toei is scheduled to close for good this summer.
Image: @ichikawakon
Isuzu’s 80s pickup restomod steals the Bangkok Motor Show
At the recent Bangkok Motor Show it was Isuzu that surprised attendees with a restomod based on an 80s compact truck. The Dragonmax Concept began life as a 1988 Isuzu TFR pickup built for the Thai market. Isuzu updated almost every aspect of the truck except for the body, which remains remarkably faithful to the blister-flared design that adorned the North American Isuzu Pickup, Amigo, and Rodeo. Continue reading
QotW: What’s your craziest tire-related story?
Today, April 7, is Tire Gauge Day in Japan. It was established by Asahi Sangyo, a tire gauge manufacturer established in 1946, to remind people of the importance of keeping your car tires properly inflated. My craziest story doesn’t involve the tires on my own car, but that of a tractor-trailer wheel-and-tire combo that came bounding over the highway median one day while I was taking my 66,000-mile factory 5-speed ’97 Lexus SC300 out for a drive one day. It was bouncing at least 15 feet in the air headed right toward me. I swerved two lanes and the truck tire, which typically weighs 110-120 pounds, obliterated the front of Prius that was behind me.
What’s your craziest tire-related story?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Gun to your head, which crossover would you drive for the rest of your life?“. Continue reading
Sayonara, Supra. The MkV Final Edition is here
It seems like only yesterday the purists were up in arms about the Supra being a BMW underneath. Seven years later, it seems that enthusiasts have come to accept the A90 for what it is, a pure sports car that exists in spite of a dying segment. A rarity. But time waits for no one, and the Supra must also drive off into the sunset. The 2026 GR Supra MkV Final Edition will mark the end of the A90. Continue reading
Toyota’s Yuzu Edition GR86 is a throwback to the original Scion FR-S
Are people starting to get nostalgic about Scions? The original FR-S was a revelation, a lightweight FR sports coupe at a time when the segment seemed almost extinct. It’s no wonder it became a tuner favorite. Toyota’s Scion brand is no longer with us, but an entire generation of car enthusiasts came of age with the marque’s mod-friendly business model. For 2026, Toyota is returning to those heady days by releasing a GR86 Yuzu Edition. Continue reading
Japanese car importers get whiplash from slew of new tariffs
Car enthusiasts looking to buy an imported Japanese car or truck likely experienced a roller coaster of emotions yesterday. As the Trump administration rolls out its tariffs the news seemed to vacillate between very good and very bad for JDM vehicle buyers, and at the end of the day the result is still not 100 percent clear, but most likely landing on the “bad” side. Continue reading
Honda to auction parts from iconic racing engines, starting with Ayrton Senna’s championship V10
Honda Racing will soon make engine parts from its most famous racing machines available for purchase. To kick things off, they’re auctioning pieces from the V10 Formula 1 engine in which Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger won the 1990 F1 season. After that, the company will offer up IndyCar and racing motorcycle engine parts from the Honda Collection Hall as well. Continue reading
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Tagged ayrton senna, formula 1, honda, honda collection hall, McLaren-Honda
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Seven & I Holdings, 7-Eleven parent company, buys controlling stake in Nissan
After months of negotiations, the fate of Nissan has been determined. Seven & I Holdings, the parent company of convenience store chain 7-Eleven, will own a controlling stake in the 91-year-old carmaker. “We welcome Nissan into our family of brands, and are excited to move into the automotive space,” said Seven & I president Ryuichi Isaka. Continue reading
QotW: Gun to your head, which crossover would you drive for the rest of your life?
The body style wars were bloody, but a clear victor has emerged. Sedans are dead; the crossover reigns supreme. Future generations will sing the praises of Mazda CX-5s and Acura MDXes the way we applaud ‘Speed 6s and Integras. Resistance is futile. But before you’re absorbed into the collective, the overlords will grant you one reprieve. You get to choose the crossover you drive for the rest of your miserable little existence, or perish. No body-on-frame SUVs, no vans, no wagons.
Gun to your head, which crossover would you drive for the rest of your life?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “When a marque dies, do its classics lose their luster or become more legendary?“. Continue reading
Nissan’s new CEO promises R36 GT-R
Nissan’s newly appointed “car-guy” CEO, Ivan Espinosa, wants to make sure Nissan’s heritage doesn’t get lost. Even though Nissan closed the order books on the GT-R earlier this month Espinosa, who takes the reins of Nissan in April, is reassuring enthusiasts that the GT-R name will not go gentle into the night. Continue reading
Get your JDM dream car now, because a 25 percent tariff is coming
Currently Japanese cars built outside the US, new or used, are subject to a 2.5 percent import tax, but soon that number is going to get a lot bigger. On Wednesday President Trump announced plans to increase the tariff on imported cars and auto parts by 25 percent. Continue reading
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Mazda and Toyota rumored to be working on straight-six sports car
Reports out of Japan claim that Toyota and Mazda are rumored to be deepening their ties by jointly working on a new sports car. The two companies are already linked in that Toyota owns 5.1 percent of Mazda and the two have a factory in Huntsville, Alabama that builds the Corolla Cross, Mazda CX-50, and CX-50 Hybrid (which uses a Toyota drivetrain). However, a co-developed sports car like what Toyota and Subaru have done with the GR86 and BRZ would strengthen the bond on another level. Continue reading
Mitsubishi reportedly partnering with Foxconn for electric vehicle production
Speaking of dying marques, Mitsubishi is reportedly on the verge of announcing deal with electronics giant Foxconn. The Taiwanese firm, best known for producing the iPhone for Apple, would build electric vehicles for Mitsubishi. This venture move would mark Foxconn’s first venture in automobile manufacturing. Continue reading
