A new commercial from Toyota Australia proves that it’s possible to hawk the Land Cruiser. It has just the right amount of heritage and humor, and it shows a bunch of Cruisers tearing through the Outback. It’s much better than any American Land Cruiser ad, in that we have never seen Toyota market the Land Cruiser in the US. But the Aussies, they are serious about their Land Cruisers down there. Continue reading
RIP Brian Wilson, Beach Boys songwriter who loved Hondas
Singer and songwriter Brian Wilson has died. Co-founder of the seminal surf-rock band The Beach Boys, Wilson is credited with creating the California sound that defined an era. His musical style created a movement centered around seasides, cruising, and carefree summers, and brought 1960s California to the masses. Cars were a big part of that and Wilson’s penned many an automotive hit single, but there’s only one whose title called out a marque by name — “Little Honda”. Continue reading
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This Nissan Sunny conversion on a Suzuki kei truck is the cat’s pajamas
Converting kei cars to look like other vehicles is a tried and true tradition in Japan. Often times the transformations are tongue in cheek, morphing them into something they’re clearly not, like a baroque vintage design or a far more expensive SUV. These can be hit or, more often than not, miss, but a new kit from Japan manages to graft on a nose from an entirely different car while not looking entirely out of place. Continue reading
J-tin abounds in Sabrina Carpenter’s latest music video
We suspect most of our readers are not in the Sabrina Carpenter demographic, but there’s no denying she’s one of the biggest pop stars in music right now. Her music video for ‘Manchild’ debuted on June 6 and it plays like a madcap 80s road trip movie. As Carpenter hitchhikes her way across the desert she encounters a wide variety of oddball vehicles, including much Nihon steel. Continue reading
QotW: What’s your favorite radio control car?
We suspect that there’s a pretty large overlap between fans of old Japanese cars and radio control cars. After all, many of the best RC cars come from Japan, from iconic Tamiyas to new school HPIs, highly detailed Kyoshos to ready-to-run Nikkos. Plus, it’s just fun to tinker with mechanical things that mimic real cars, and there’s plenty of hop-up parts as well. It’s a great first step for those who aren’t old enough for a full-size car to get into all things automotive.
What’s your favorite radio control car?
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 best rig for a novice off-roader?“. Continue reading
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The Japanese Classic Car Show reaches a milestone
The Japanese Classic Car Show has announced dates for 2025. It marks a significant milestone, as it happens to be the event’s 20th anniversary. The achievement isn’t just for the success of the JCCS, but the Japanese classic movement as a whole.
As the show’s announcement states, “Back in 2005, Japanese cars weren’t even widely seen as ‘classics.’ Now, thanks to a passionate community of fans, builders, and collectors, we’re proudly celebrating the craftsmanship, culture, and legacy that continue to thrive in the US and beyond.”
Twenty years ago Japanese cars were still largely seen as disposable. Many in the collector car community openly laughed at the idea that they could even become valuable classics. Today, that notion has been mostly dispelled and the JCCS, as the first show of its kind in America, played an enormous role.
The 2025 show will celebrate significant models from major manufacturers, including the first-gen Toyota Celica, Mazda RX-7, the Nissan/Datsun 240Z (with a BRE reunion including Peter Brock and John Morton), and the Honda Z600. Held within the JCCS will also be the 14th annual Japanese Classic Motorcycle Show, and there’s more to come.
The 2025 JCCS will be held at Marina Green Park in Long Beach, California on October 11. Registration will open July 7.
Toyota Land Cruiser ‘Lite’ patent image unearthed
Toyota has been teasing the idea of a baby Land Cruiser for over three years now. The notion seems one step closer to reality now that patent images showing a full render of the vehicle have been discovered. The rendering looks like a cross between several existing Toyota models, including thew new Land Cruiser 250 and dearly departed FJ Cruiser. Continue reading
Baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima was synonymous with the X60 Toyota Mark II
On June 3 baseball star Shigeo Nagashima passed away from lung cancer in a Tokyo hospital. Voted 1958’s Rookie of the Year, he was instrumental in establishing the Yomiuri Giants as Japan’s greatest baseball dynasty. By the time Nagashima retired in In 1980 he was a household name. Two years later he became Toyota’s spokesman for the new X60 Mark II. Continue reading
A closer look at the Tommykaira ZZII prototype
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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