Monthly Archives: December 2011

JNC’s Top Stories of 2011

As the year draws to a close, we’d like to wish all JNCers a happy new year. May all your roads be smooth, and your all schools be old. For this year’s nengajou, we chose this photo of the real-life version … Continue reading

Posted in jnc | 7 Comments

Fuji-go and Sakura-go Ride Again

53 years ago, Nissan sent a pair of Datsun 210 sedans to compete in what was known as the “World’s Cruelest Rally.” The 1958 Around-Australia Mobilgas Trial was a tortuous, 19-day circumnavigation around the continent, over mostly unpaved roads. Named … Continue reading

Posted in motorsports, nissan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Toyota 86 and Sports 800 reunited for the holidays

It may be AE86 Jr., but when the holidays come the Toyota 86 prefers to spend time with its great grandpa, the Sports 800. A picture perfect family reunion, or is this Toyota telling us, “Hey, we made a front-engined, … Continue reading

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Subaru’s 1986 XT Turbo Restoration

Strolling the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center at last month’s SEMA show, we were blown away by Subaru of America‘s impeccable 1986 XT Turbo. It’s not every day that you see a fully restored 1980s tech wedge, so we … Continue reading

Posted in subaru | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments

Haunted by the Ghosts of Nostalgics Past

For someone who loves driving, I am notoriously bad at recognizing landmarks. It’s embarrassing, really. Ex-girlfriends have raised many an eyebrow, astonished at how I could fail to notice — even though “we’ve passed by a thousand times” — that a new … Continue reading

Posted in toyota | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Merry Christmas from JNC

We at JNC would like to wish you a Merry Christmas. May your travels in an old, airbag-less car be safe and your stockings filled with rare NOS parts. And if you are absolutely sick of hearing “Silent Night” over … Continue reading

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2011 Hot Wheels Holiday Hot Rods Datsun 240Z

There’s one more Hot Wheels car we have to mention, and that’s the 2011 Holiday Hot Rods Datsun 240Z. Each year Hot Wheels selects a few castings to don Christmas themed apparel, and this year the Datsun 240Z made the … Continue reading

Posted in minicars, nissan | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

2012 Hot Wheels “Hot Ones” will include 80s Japanese Honda CRX, Subaru BRAT, A60 Supra and more

As the holidays descend upon us visions of toy cars are dancing in our heads. In addition to the Mazda RX-7 appearing in the 2012 Hot Wheels main lineup, there’s even more excitement for fans of old school Japanese cars in … Continue reading

Posted in honda, minicars, mitsubishi, subaru, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

2012 Hot Wheels X JNC Mazda RX-7

2011 was a banner year for Japanese nostalgics in the Hot Wheels lineup with the release of both the hakosuka and kenmeri Nissan Skylines, as well as the BRE Datsun 510 in the Vintage Racing line. We at JNC were proud to have … Continue reading

Posted in mazda, minicars | Tagged , , , , , , | 33 Comments

Friday Video: Osaka JDM’s Wonder Civics

Okay, so you’re unlikely to see an S800 at the Norm Reeves Honda show tomorrow, but what about the E-AT Civic? The third-gen Civic is a wholly under-appreciated chassis among hipster Honda kids, despite the fact that it was largely … Continue reading

Posted in honda | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

MOTORSPORTS: The not-so-famous Yoshimura-tuned Honda S800 racers

Like we said yesterday, the Honda S800 was one of the premiere Japanese race cars of the Sixties. The yellow-and-red 1968 S800 RSC is the most famous, but many more have buzzed down Suzuka’s main straight. Some of Japan’s most … Continue reading

Posted in honda, motorsports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

MOTORSPORTS: The famous 1968 Honda S800 RSC

In a quiet corner of the Honda Collection Hall at Twin Ring Motegi circuit sits what is arguably the most famous Honda S-car of all time, the 1968 Honda S800 RSC. As any collector of Japanese diecast or player of … Continue reading

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Pomade Run at the Mooneyes Xmas Party

This past Saturday some of the JNC crew strolled down to Toyota Speedway at Irwindale to join the annual Mooneyes Xmas Party. Although the car show/drag race caters heavily to domestic hot rods, lead sleds, and kustoms of every stripe … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Kidney, Anyone? 1977 Datsun 710 Wagon

Actually, for the extremely reasonable price of $1,500 this 1977 Datsun 710 Wagon may not require a vital organ at all. The green goon, lovingly named “Kermit” by its seller, appears to have been well cared for and sparingly operated. … Continue reading

Posted in for sale, nissan, wagons | 9 Comments

Friday Video: Vintage Japanese cars cold blown to smithereens

And now for something completely different, various clips from Japanese film and teevee, in which cars that are not Nissan Cedrics get blown to kingdom come. If you have a weak stomach for rare nostalgics — Centuries, hakosukas, kujira Crowns, … Continue reading

Posted in honda, isuzu, mazda, nissan, toyota, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Purple Hakosuka is your maximum strength dose of old school Japan

We’ve been on a new car tear, reporting on neo-hachirokus, retro Honda kei cars, and even classic bikes from the Tokyo Motor Show. And that’s left you handcuffed to a bedpost with the shakes, hankering for some old school smack. Well this … Continue reading

Posted in bosozoku, nissan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Yamaha Y125 Moegi is your retro 1955 YA-1 motorcycle

Our final report from the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show looks at another retro-styled concept from a Japanese manufacturer. The Yamaha Y125 Moegi is a lightweight motorcycle designed after the 1955 Yamaha YA-1. Its 125cc SOHC four-stroke single-cylinder engine gets 80 km/l, or an astounding … Continue reading

Posted in Auto Shows, Motorcycles | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Honda N Concept 4 is your retro N360 kei car

With all the hubbub surrounding the Toyota 86, another car banking on the nostalgia of its predecessor was largely overlooked at the Tokyo Motor Show. The Honda N Concept 4 is a near-production-ready evolution of the Honda EV-N from 2009. 

Posted in honda | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Hot Wheels selects AE86 Corolla to represent the 80s in “Cars of the Decades”

Hot Wheels‘ “Cars of the Decades” is a special edition series that selects one iconic model to exemplify the decade in which it was born. Each car comes in special packaging and paint schemes reflecting that period — flower power … Continue reading

Posted in minicars, toyota | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Friday Video: The New Hachiroku in Motion

UPDATE: For those who want race tracks and engine sounds, here’s the pornographic BRZ GT300 video that was just released.

Posted in subaru, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments