Monthly Archives: March 2017

Happy Pi Day from JNC

Happy Pi Day, the day in which we celebrate the mathematical constant π, or 3.14, the ratio of a circle’s diameter to its circumference. According to people who know math, it’s very useful in all sorts of equations involving circles. … Continue reading

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RIP John Surtees, 1934 – 2017

The world of motorsport lost one of its true legends last week. John Surtees, the only person to win World Championships in both motorcycles and automobiles, and an important player in the emergence of Honda as a racing power, died … Continue reading

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MINICARS: How to get your Hot Wheels mail-in Toyota 4×4 Pickup

Following on the heels of the Kmart-Datsun 510 promotion is another mail-in offer from Hot Wheels. This time, the free car (except for shipping) is an exclusive 1987 Toyota Pickup, complete with metal base and knobby, rubbery off-road tires. 

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QotW: Take the JNC Challenge, Part 04 (UPDATED)

Update: Hi folks, sorry for not updating the QotW earlier, I was on assignment at Mt. Fuji for an interesting project that  I cannot disclose yet. In the rush to get out the snow-capped icon, we left the actual QotW … Continue reading

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EVENTS: New Year Meeting 2017, Part 08 — Leaving in Style

The New Year Meeting is an magical festival of vehicular awesomeness, but what happens when the party’s over? Most owners drive their cars home, but sometimes you want to ship your precious cargo. With many areas of Japan more crowded … Continue reading

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EVENTS: New Year Meeting 2017, Part 07 — Motorbikes

The New Year Meeting is an amazing show, but there is one element missing, one that’s just as much a part of Japanese classic culture as the cars we love: motorbikes. Unlike in the US, where two-wheelers are mostly a … Continue reading

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NEWS: Toyota Yaris GRMN revealed at Geneva

With its debut at the Geneva Motor Show this week, we finally have news about the hopped-up Toyota Yaris GRMN. And great news — It’s going to be the full package that everyone was hoping for and potentially the most exciting … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels X JNC Datsun 510 Bluebird Wagon “JNC Surf Patrol”

We at JNC recently received a very special surprise from our friends at Hot Wheels — a JNC surf patrol wagon! These photos, taken from one of the conference rooms at the Mattel design center in El Segundo, California, show the 2017 mainline … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Celicas, Civics, RX-7s and Sunnys, racing together, in modern times

Last month in Australia was the Bathurst 12 Hour, an enduro packed with Nissan GT-Rs, BMW M6s, Vipers, Porsches, and Lamborghinis duking it out for supremacy. Nobody cares, though, because the supporting races, filled with JNCs, were about a million times more … Continue reading

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VIDEO: See the Prince R380 on US soil for the first time at the Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance

As far as we know, the 1966 Prince R380 has never been shown on US soil. That’s about to change this weekend when this pivotal Japanese race car makes its North American debut at the Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance. 

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MOTORSPORT: Tomiko Yoshikawa, pioneer in Japan’s racing world

In honor of International Women’s Day, this is the story of Tomiko Yoshikawa, a race car driver and pioneer in the Japanese racing world. Born in 1954 in an Aichi Prefecture, Yoshikawa was a self-described furyou shoujo, a “bad girl” … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon, Part 01 — Legends of Rally

The Tokyo Auto Salon this year was its usual bacchanal of outrageous VIP luxury sleds, retina burning drift machines, and European exotics dripping money and diamonds out of their exhaust pipes. But in the midst of the madness, some companies actually brought … Continue reading

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NEWS: Coming to America, the Honda Civic Type R

This gallery contains 14 photos.

Honda is finally bringing the Civic Type R stateside. The production version was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this morning, promising what Honda does best — blistering performance in a front-wheel-drive package. With the decades-long clamoring fanboys now answered, here’s all … Continue reading

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EVENTS: New Year Meeting 2017, Part 06 — Trucks, Wagons, Vans, and Kei Jidosha

One of the great things about the New Year Meeting is that in addition to all the brilliant classics and street machines, commercial vehicles are welcomed as well. There aren’t many places on the planet where you’ll see such a gathering of classic Japanese … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Australia, a RWD Toyota paradise

Imagine a world just like ours, except that RWD Toyotas are everywhere, people still refer to their cars as “good ol’ girl,” and the “Oh What a Feeling!” jump at the end of Toyota ads never went away. The dream of the 80s … Continue reading

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QotW: Take the JNC Challenge, Part 03

Welcome back gang to the third installment to the QotW Challenge. If you need a refresher, we took suggestions on what JNC daily driver would you buy with a budget of $2000. The result was a Civic Shuttle. Afterwards, we … Continue reading

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EVENTS: New Year Meeting 2017, Part 05 — Nissan & Mitsubishi

This year was a special milestone for the New Year Meeting, as it was the show’s 40th year. It was quite a milestone for the event, which started in 1977 at the Tokyo Prince Hotel, a much smaller venue. Back then, no one would … Continue reading

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EVENTS: New Year Meeting 2017, Part 04 — Aichi Steel

After visiting the New Year Meeting’s swap meet and club display we ventured into the main car show area, where Isuzu and Hino were the featured marques this year. While that may have satisfied the approximately four Isuzu and Hino fans out there, here’s something … Continue reading

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REMINDER: 2017 Toyotafest registration opens

Just a quick reminder that Toyotafest registration has opened. Actually, it opened yesterday but the site experienced some downtime, so if you tried to register but couldn’t, you should be able to now. The show takes place on Saturday, May … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Gerard’s Subaru GS-R Coupe and Subaru Ranch

There are people who collect classic Ferraris or Volkswagens. Some people are named Jay Leno and collect everything. Then there’s Gerard Kleyn, who collects classic Subarus. Specifically, he collects cars that utilized the 4×140 lug pattern, predating Legacys and Imprezas. … Continue reading

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