Here are some actual Tomica cars to go with your Tomica chocolates

For a number of years now Tomica has been offering car-shaped chocolates. The unfortunate thing with chocolate, though, is that once you eat it it’s gone. The alternative would be to get this newer form Tomica valentine, where you receive an actual (inedible) toy car, and the chocolate comes in the traditional red-and-white box that typically contains the car. Continue reading

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Off-roading game from ‘Art of Rally’ creator announced

In 2020 the indie game Art of Rally dazzled us with its gorgeous lo-fi graphics and incredible selection of cars. Its creator has now announced Over the Hill, a new game with the same graphical style but with classic off-roaders inspired by the real cars like the Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser. Continue reading

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The meaning behind MF Ghost’s “MF” initials finally revealed

Since MF Ghost’s inception there has been speculation about what the “MF” initials actually stand for. Author Shuichi Shigeno didn’t reveal it from the jump, and fans have been speculating about the meaning since the manga debuted in 2017. Some suggested it might be “My Father’s” Ghost, as protagonist Kanata returns to Japan and enters the race in order to find his long-lost father. Others have guessed “Master Fujiwara’s” Ghost, as it’s revealed that Initial D‘s Takumi Fujiwara was one of Kanata’s instructors. Or, maybe Shigeno was just having some fun with us Monkey Fighters. Continue reading

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Classic Subaru Wagons take to the slopes at ‘Gelande Taxi’ event

Speaking of Naeba Ski Resort, Subaru recently revived its Gelande Taxi promotion at the famed winter sports destination (it had been on hiatus since 2019 due to the pandemic). Instead of lifts, skiers and snowboarders can opt to take a Subaru wagon to the top of the slope. The cars all have professional drivers at the wheel, and it serves as an opportunity to show off Subaru’s all-wheel-drive system. This year, however, Subaru treated participants to a show of classic wagons that have served as official transport for the Japan Ski Team. Continue reading

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QotW: What LHD car would you drive in Japan?

It’s much easier to import a USDM car to Japan than it is to import a JDM car to the US, especially if you live in California. In Japan, you do have to prove its smogworthiness, but different emissions equipment isn’t an automatic fail. And major cities actually have LHD toll booths. Many marques, like Chevrolet, sell LHD cars directly from the dealership. Imagine going into an American Nissan showroom and being able to drive out in a RHD Skyline GT-R.

But contrary to popular belief, there are USDM cars that were “better” than their Japanese versions. Our S12 200SX/Silvia, for example, came with a V6 while Japan only got four-cylinders. Today, February 10, is Left Handed Day in Japan, a play on the word le (0) fu (2) to (10) in Japanese, and established by the Japan Southpaw Association.

What LHD car would you drive in Japan?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What kid-friendly commuter is still fun to drive?“. Continue reading

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Happy B210 Day from JNC!

You think your Skyline GT-R is so cool with your quad afterburners? Well the B210 Nissan Sunny Excellent came from the factory with six round taillights, and as a bonus you can call them sex (short for sextuple) afterburners. Whereas the standard Sunny came with a 1.2-liter A12, the Excellent borrowed the 1.4-liter A14 from the larger Nissan Violet. The Excellent was also slightly longer overall due to a longer front end. In Japan the nickname for this car was the Rocketto (rocket) Sunny for obvious reasons, and we’re still waiting for someone to import one and bring it to JCCS. Happy B210 Day from JNC!

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Honda ATC250R 3-wheeler still new-in-box from 1986 sells for $200,000

An incredible collection of almost 100 vintage Honda ATVs has gone up for sale. Many are described as museum pieces but the biggest prize of the bunch, what the consignor calls the “holy grail” is a 1986 Honda ATC250R that has remained “crated” — meaning it’s been stored in the box it was shipped in — for nearly 40 years. That one was sold ahead of the other pieces in the collection for a whopping $200,000. Continue reading

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Toyota Celica GT-Four skiing movie gets GR Yaris tribute

The 1987 romcom Take Me Out to the Snowland is said to have created a skiing boom in Japan, but the hit movie didn’t just hype up snow sports. The star car, a Toyota Celica GT-Four, became a popular sight at the slopes. Now, to celebrate a concert tie-in with the film, Toyota has created a tribute video with the GR Yaris. Continue reading

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Watch a Toyota Comfort GT-Z get a supercar-worthy restoration

The Toyota Comfort GT-Z Supercharger looks like a taxi, but is one of the best sleepers and rarest car Toyota ever made. Only 59 were built and, as the name implies, the base 3S-FE engine was forcibly induced by a Roots type blower, upping power from 110 to 160 horsepower. It’s likely the only car ever to come from the factory with RS-Watanabe 8-spokes. Now, a Hong Kong restoration shop that typically works on high-performance supercars has given one a thorough restoration worthy of the ages. Continue reading

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Finally, a Mitsubishi Galant Sigma review from when it was new

One car that has always held a strange fascination for us when it was new was the US-market Mitsubishi Galant Sigma. We vaguely remember seeing these when they were new but they weren’t very common then; today they seem to have completely vanished from existence. It’s a car so obscure that the Wikipedia entry on it is just one paragraph with a major error in it. (it was introduced in 1985, not 1987). Continue reading

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QotW: What kid-friendly commuter is still fun to drive?

As much as I love my Land Cruiser, I’ve been fantasizing about a car that’s a bit more fun-to-drive on a daily basis. Right now the LC is the only car in my fleet that’s kid-friendly (four doors, big trunk), but I’d like something that’s a bit more exciting in the traditional sense (sharp handling, three pedals). My son is old enough now that he’d appreciate if driving wasn’t just a slow lumber through traffic.

As a bonus, it would be nice if the car didn’t cost a lot, got decent mileage, and was nondescript enough that I could park it anywhere in LA without drawing attention. I have my AE86, for example, but it fails on the parking, attention, and door count metrics. Whichever car it is, if this ever becomes more than a fantasy, wouldn’t replace the Land Cruiser; I still need that for apocalypse reasons.

What kid-friendly commuter is still fun to drive?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Which Japanese classic should be remade for the modern age?“. Continue reading

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Tokyo Auto Salon sonohoka (odds and ends)

The Tokyo Auto Salon can be sensory overload. There’s just so much to see, you probably can’t finish it all in one day. In Japan the term sonohoka means “the rest” or “the others”, sort of like “etc.” in English. We featured several cars already, but here are sonohoka that caught JNC‘s eye, starting with a B110 Sunny at the Endless Brakes booth. Continue reading

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TOM’s Classic restoration division to sell complete 4A, 3S and 2JZ engines

At last year’s Tokyo Auto Salon TOM’s announced it would begin a restoration business to mark its 50th anniversary. At the time they displayed a complete A80 Supra that represented the type of restomod they could build. This year, they displayed a very incomplete AE86 to showcase how serious these builds would be. That, and a trio of crate motors should pique any Toyotaku’s interests. Continue reading

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The Mitsuoka Orochi was named after a giant eight-headed snake and took parts from famous Japanese sports cars

In all the years we’ve existed JNC has rarely mentioned the Mitsuoka Orochi. Frankly, we think it’s pretty ugly, and back in the early days of JNC it seemed to get disproportionate attention in English-language media. We wanted JNC to focus on cars with real history and provenance rather than gimmicks, so we avoided anything Mitsuoka. But now is the Orochi’s time to shine, because today begins the Year of the Snake, and Orochi in Japanese means “giant serpent”. Continue reading

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Nissan Fairlady Z gets R34 Bayside Blue, Midnight Purple

Nissan isn’t exactly doing well, but even a struggling company can toss a few bones to enthusiasts. At the Tokyo Auto Salon this year it unveiled a new Fairlady Z color for 2025. Bayside Blue, a hue made famous by the R34 Skyline GT-R over 25 years ago, is now available on a Z for the first time. Continue reading

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QotW: Which Japanese classic should be remade for the modern age?

One of the biggest stunners at the Tokyo Auto Salon was Rocky Auto’s remake of the Prince R380, constructed using the original body molds but with modern engines underneath. It got us thinking about which cars might be ideal for a similar treatment. This is a different question than that of which car’s body shell should be remanufactured. Those shells are pretty much only good for building track cars or providing replacement panels for rusted or damaged bodies. We’re talking about cars whose numbers are so scarce that you can’t even find a donor to begin with, like the R380 or Toyota 2000GT. You’d need not just the body, but chassis, suspension, glass, interior and more all built from scratch.

Which Japanese classic should be remade for the modern age?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What car from 2000 would you import from Japan?“. Continue reading

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Okawa Soarer tribute: Trust’s record-breaking Toyota reborn at the Tokyo Auto Salon

At a show like the Tokyo Auto Salon populated with so many incredible builds, it’s rare to find a singular standout car. But this year at the Trust booth a Toyota Soarer was that extraordinary car. Not only was it a superb showcase of Trust/GReddy’s tuning prowess, but it was a throwback to one of the most iconic custom cars in Japan’s rich history of modified automobiles. Continue reading

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Toyota showcases classic Supra, Subaru, Mazda and more at Tokyo Auto Salon

Toyota brought a bevy of classics to the Tokyo Auto Salon. It’s not the typical venue for such machinery, but Toyota’s presence was big and a lot of cars where shoved under the Gazoo Racing banner. What’s perhaps even more bizarre though is the fact that many of these classics weren’t even Toyota cars. Continue reading

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Pro Shop Wave’s Nissan 180SX takes the Tokyo Auto Salon back to the 90s

One of our favorite cars from this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon was the Nissan 180SX from Pro Shop Wave. It’s been about 25 years since the Kanagawa drift specialists have displayed a car at the Auto Salon, but the RPS13 was like a time warp to that era. The shop’s signature look was famously cool in the 90s Kanagawa drifting scene, and the 180SX conjured its vibes ever so faithfully. Continue reading

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QotW: What car from 2000 would you import from Japan?

It’s hard to believe, but Y2K was 25 years ago. It honestly doesn’t feel like that long ago, says the old man typing these words without using AI. Nevertheless, that means cars built in the year 2000 are now eligible for import under the US’s 25 year rule (thanks, Mercedes). We are almost nearing the end of the era of desirable cars, but there are still gems to be found.

What car from 2000 would you import from Japan?

The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How do you save a car from a natural disaster?“. Continue reading

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 19 Comments