Monthly Archives: April 2016
GRAND TOURING: Driving across Japan in a JNC, Day 08
In the previous installment of our cross-Japan trip, we began the northeasterly journey back home, but on a different route that would hug the southern coast of Japan. As such, we’d voyage from Kyushu to Shikoku, two of the four islands that … Continue reading
Posted in Grand Touring
Tagged 117, 280zx, all-trac, b120, celica, Celica GT-Four, corona, daihatsu, datsun, fairlady z, Fellow, ferry, Grand Touring, isuzu, kei, mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Jeep, mr2, nissan, r30, s130, s30, sanitora, skyline, st165, sunny truck, sw20, T120, toyota
6 Comments
JNC PROJECT HAKO: look, Ma… I’m on TV!
There are lots of TV commercials which try to appeal to true enthusiasts, but if you were given the keys to a TV production company, what sort of commercial would you make? If you answered that you’d gather a whole … Continue reading
Posted in cm, project hako, project hakosuka
Tagged c10, Hakosuka, nissan, Project Hakosuka, skyline
1 Comment
VIDEO: It’s still fun to drive a stock R32 Skyline GT-R
Matt Farah is a guy who drives highly tuned cars on a regular basis, but one of his favorites is a car that is very nearly bone stock and over 25 years old. In fact, he liked it so much he … Continue reading
NEWS: Mazda finishes exquisite restoration of Cosmo Sport
We recently updated you on the progress of Mazda’s amazing restoration of a 1967 L10A Cosmo Sport with the help of some Hiroshima high school students. Here’s the latest: it’s finished!
VIDEO: Gems from the Honda Collection Hall in action
Do you have several hours to waste? If not, don’t click any further. Since the beginning of the year, Honda has been uploading videos of cars from the Honda Collection Hall at Twin Ring Motegi and taking them for spirited spins … Continue reading
NEWS: Owner of Toyota 2000GT crushed by tree files lawsuit
Remember that story of the Toyota 2000GT that was ruthlessly crushed by a tree and an uncaring universe? Well, it’s back in the Japanese news again, as the owner prepares to file a lawsuit against the province in which the accident occurred.
NEWS: Toyota’s new concept was designed to be passed down from one generation to the next
Toyota has created a car that lasts 100 years so it can be passed down within the family from one generation to the next. “But they already make the Camry!” you might say. That is true, but the Toyota Setsuna concept isn’t just an insanely … Continue reading
Happy 4/11 Day from JNC
In honor of today, here’s a photo from the time we drove a Datsun 411 through a sea of supercars during Monterey Historic Car Week. Happy 4/11!
QotW: What nostalgic-new body kit will be next?
The new Rocket Bunny Boss kit that turns unsuspecting FDs into some kind of Mazda centaur with an RX-3 head on an RX-7 body was, um, polarizing. It’s not the first new cars have been faceswapped with older fronts — as you can … Continue reading
A note about last weekend’s outage
The JNC server experienced a disk failure Friday night. It took almost the entire weekend for our webhost to diagnose and rectify the problem. We had to restore to the most recent backup, which was taken at 9:00am Friday. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
18 Comments
GRAND TOURING: Driving across Japan in a JNC, Day 07
In the last installment of our cross-Japan trip, a life-long personal goal was achieved. I had driven from the northern Hokkaido on one end of Japan to southern Kyushu on the other. However, the journey was far from over. We and our … Continue reading
RIP Yoshimi Katayama, 1940 — 2016
It was announced in Japanese media yesterday that Yoshimi Katayama (片山義美) — the legendary race car driver often associated with Mazda — had passed away on March 26. He was 75. His prolific career was marked by some of Japan’s most … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 787, capella, cosmo sport, le mans, mazda, r100, rx-2, rx-3, savanna, suzuki, yamaha, Yoshimi Katayama
8 Comments
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Custom Toyota Hilux Dually with fifth wheel and camper
Okay, time to pack it up. It’s done, people. This is the last car you’ll ever need to buy. Sell your house, quit your job, and leave the grid in the comfort of this custom Toyota Hilux and its matching camper.
TRA Kyoto’s new Boss kit turns FDs into RX-3s
One of the most photographed things at last year’s SEMA Show was the TRA Kyoto Boss kit that grafted a Datsun Sunny-esque nose onto an S14 Silvia. Now, its makers have applied the same principle to a Mazda, namely, melding a stylized Savanna … Continue reading
Posted in Product Guide
7 Comments
How the Toyota Corolla Changed American Motoring
Fifty years is a very long time. If you think about America 50 years ago, the synthesizer had just begun to find its way into mainstream music, a ’32 T-Bucket was as commonly street raced as a EF/EG/EK Civic in the … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: When NHRA opened the doors to Japanese funny cars
When I was a kid in the 70s, a Japanese manufacturer being represented in the pro ranks of NHRA drag racing was a laughable idea. Sure, Datsuns were competitive in road racing with production-based cars, but sanctioning bodies such as … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 280zx, datsun, drag racing, funny car, lancer celeste, mitsubishi, nhra, nissan, plymouth arrow, s130
13 Comments
NEWS: Mazda is working on a new, possibly turbo, rotary engine
Last fall at the Tokyo Motor Show Mazda revealed a stunning vision for the future. Appropriately, it was called the RX-Vision, and as the name implies, it was a rotary-powered sports car in the tradition of the Mazda RX-7 and Cosmo Sport. While … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the most interesting JNC throwback design cue?
Automakers often incorporate classic design cues into the modern cars. Sometimes they’re obvious, like the quad taillights of the Nissan GT-R. Sometimes they’re obscure, like the C-pillar of the second-generation Scion tC. There are probably some that only the most die-hard otaku … Continue reading
GRAND TOURING: Driving across Japan in a JNC, Day 06
As our compatriots in California enjoy themselves on the Touge California this weekend, we do a little driving of our own, in the sixth installment of our cross-Japan tour. On Day 05, we stowed our 1978 Isuzu 117 Coupé to explore Nagasaki on … Continue reading
