Monthly Archives: March 2021

The Honda S660 will end production with another homage to the Beat roadster

Honda has announced that production of the S660 is coming to a close. A spiritual successor to the Beat and tribute to the S-series roadsters, the mid-engined kei sports car will end its run in March 2022. Honda is sending … Continue reading

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Yokohama Rubber expands selection of ADVAN HF Type D

At the 2018 Tokyo Auto Salon 2018 we saw Yokohama Rubber reveal a neo-Advan HF Type D, wrapped around Work Equip 03s, all displayed a show-stopping, glistening white Hakosuka. Seven sizes were issued then, and now, two years later, Yokohama … Continue reading

Posted in Product Guide | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

The “Miracle Corolla” was destroyed in the Tohoku tsunami, then restored by car enthusiasts across Japan

On March 11, 2011 a devastating earthquake and resulting tsunami struck eastern Japan. Nearly 16,000 people were killed and almost 2,600 went missing in what was the fourth strongest earthquake ever recorded. Masayuki Watanabe was one of the lucky ones, … Continue reading

Posted in Restoration | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

VIDEO: There will probably never be a car like the SW20 MR2 again

The Toyota MR2 was one of those rare Japanese cars that evolved constantly throughout its life. There were five distinct revisions, called Type I through Type V, made to hone the small mid-engined runabout into a better driver’s car. We … Continue reading

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Before Toyota sells you its next supercar, it wants to know if you’ve ever owned a 2000GT

This year the FIA plans to kick off new Le Mans Hypercar class and Toyota will be there, ready and waiting with its Gazoo Racing Super Sport. The class homologation rules require 20 road cars to be built, and Toyota’s … Continue reading

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Happy 310 Day from JNC

All we can say is, square fenders are awesome. Happy B310 Day from JNC!

Posted in Holidays | 3 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? 15k-mile Unmolested AE86 Toyota Corolla Levin GT Apex Coupe

A one-owner, unmolested 1984 Toyota Corolla Levin GT Apex Coupe has turned up for sale in Essex, UK. Hunted nearly to extinction due to the popularity of the chassis in drifting, this surviving example only has 15,000 miles. It also … Continue reading

Posted in for sale | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

MOTORSPORT: Mami Ayukawa, singer and racing driver

Mami Ayukawa is probably best known as a singer, but she was also a well-known racing driver in her time. She holds an FIA A-class racing license and competed in numerous races in Japan throughout the late 80s and early … Continue reading

Posted in motorsport | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

QotW: What’s your favorite automotive game?

Coming this week is March 10 (aka Mar 10, aka Mario Day), and 2021 also happens to be the 40th  anniversary year for Nintendo’s plumber mascot. In the decades since his debut in Donkey Kong games have had a huge … Continue reading

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 26 Comments

VIDEO: Watch an R32 Skyline GT-R undergo NISMO’s $433,000 bare-metal restoration

Late last year, we were in awe when Omori Factory gave us a glimpse into NISMO’s unparalleled restoration program for the R32 Skyline GT-R. Re-issued factory parts matched with meticulous nut-and-bolt attention to detail has culminated in the rebirth of one very … Continue reading

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Against all odds, Mazda still innovates to make cars fun

It’s no secret we at JNC, along with most enthusiast publications, have a special fondness for a small carmaker from Hiroshima. In an age when most carmakers have all but given up on the internal combustion engine, Mazda is still … Continue reading

Posted in Next Version | Tagged , | 13 Comments

MINICARS: There’s a very good reason why this Toyoda AA model from the Toyota Automobile Museum costs ¥3,350

If you’ve been to the Toyota Automobile Museum’s gift shop, perhaps you’ve seen a 1:43 scale model of the company’s first production car, the 1936 Toyoda AA. It’s available in two colors and you can buy it for ¥3,350 (approx. … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Even the budget performance cars of 1991 Japan were incredible

God, 1991. It was a magical time for Japanese machinery. Every carmaker was offering an extraordinary car in their lineup, sometimes several. The abundance was so great that even at the low end of the price ladder, you could get … Continue reading

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Happy Z31 Day from JNC

Nissan cruelly left out the Z31 from the lineup when they talked about the Z Proto’s design inspirations last year. Don’t worry, Z31 stans. There’s a whole day devoted to celebrating the third-generation Nissan Z, and that’s today, 3/1. We’ll … Continue reading

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

QotW: How did you learn to drive a manual?

The conventional wisdom is that Americans don’t buy manual transmission cars. While that’s largely true for vehicles like a Nissan Sentra, it turns out Americans do overwhelmingly prefer stick-shifts when the right car comes along. For example, 90 percent of … Continue reading

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 27 Comments