Monthly Archives: May 2023
Wanton Toyota MR2 Spyder destruction proves takeovers aren’t about the cars
A couple in Tolland, Connecticut were heading home from a dinner in a Toyota MR2 Spyder when they passed through a street takeover on May 21. The crowd of supposed car enthusiasts ended up surrounding their mid-engined roadster and deliberately … Continue reading
Nissan R90CK that set “the greatest lap at Le Mans” is for sale
At the peak of Group C racing, this Nissan R90CK set what is considered one of the greatest laps in modern racing. At the qualifying session of the 1990 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, newcomer Mark Blundell … Continue reading
Happy S30 Day from JNC
The Nissan Fairlady Z is still the one. The original game-changer from the Land of the Rising Sun that set a new bar for sports cars in the 20th century. It’s beautiful from every angle, spanked not only the competition … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays
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QotW: Would you import a JDM car that you could get in America?
There are many degrees of JDM-ness, but we think it can be classified into four main categories. If we were to list them in order from most JDM to least, something very JDM like a Skyline GT-R that has absolutely … Continue reading
The seventh-gen Mazda Familia wagon only existed as a Ford
Talk about a genre of car that’s gone completely extinct. The compact wagon used to be a staple of American roadways, but first wagons vanished and now compacts are gone. The charm and sheer functionality of compact wagons is unmatched, … Continue reading
The R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO is right at home in Gran Turismo 7
If there’s anything Gran Turismo is known for, it’s having a zillion variations of the Nissan Skyline. The tradition continues with the latest Gran Turismo 7 update, which adds the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO to the list of playable … Continue reading
RIP Tina Turner, singer, actor, DSM spokesperson
Japan is known for poaching American celebrities for car commercials, and at first glance this spot for a DSM starring 12-time Grammy winner Tina Turner could easily be mistaken for that. But no, it’s a home-grown all-American ad for the … Continue reading
Mitsubishi Electric, which put the world’s first in-car GPS in the 1990 Mazda Cosmo, is leaving the nav business
Mazda’s Eunos Cosmo was a car of many firsts, one of which was the world’s first in-car GPS system over three decades ago. The so-called CCS (Car Communication System) was developed by Mitsubishi Electric, a trailblazer in car-based nav systems. … Continue reading
Overtake, a new racing anime, is coming this fall
The world is still waiting for the next Initial D, the last racing anime to really take the globe by storm. Could a new series about open wheel racing take the mantle? Titled Overtake, the series focuses on Formula 4, … Continue reading
QotW: What will my 3-year-old’s first car be?
My son is three. I’ve always had dreams about passing down my AE86 to him someday. But by the time he turns 16 in 2035, a car built in 1986 will be nearly 50 years old. That would be like … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
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See you at Toyotafest 2023!
We will be seeing you at Toyotafest 2023 this Saturday, May 20. Just look for the red JNC pop-up canopy or our tan Land Cruiser. Gates open from 9am to 3pm at Marina Green Park, 386 E. Shoreline Dr., Long … Continue reading
The Toyota MR2 strikes again in Eurovision 2023 and synth-laden music video
The AW11 Toyota MR2 has long been the car of choice for electronica-influenced bands. Maybe it’s something about the angular wedge shape and flip-up headlights that make it the go-to. Last week we posted about one of the most memorable … Continue reading
Japanese cars of the golden era courtesy of the Shizuoka Prefecture archives
The Shizuoka Prefectural government has an amazing video archive, as it turns out. Footage from the 1950s to the 1970s include a number of short films about public works projects, including the construction of roads. These clips are chock-full of … Continue reading
Posted in Showa Snap
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QotW: Should being celebrity-adjacent add to a car’s value?
As you may have heard, an R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R that appeared in one of The Fast and the Furious movies has sold for $1,357,000. Specifically, Paul Walker drove it in the fourth installment of the series. With an East … Continue reading
Nissan Crossing Ginza: Hakosuka GT-R, Pulsar EXA, and a kei car with a piano in it
The Nissan Crossing showroom in Ginza, Tokyo currently has an odd collection of cars on display. It’s typical for vehicles rotate in and out of the showroom from Nissan’s Zama warehouse for a few weeks at a time. More often … Continue reading
Posted in Galleries
Tagged c10, N13, nissan, Nissan Crossing Ginza, pulsar exa, Roox, skyline
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Lovers kissing in Toyota MR2s is one of Japan’s most memorable TV scenes
So you thought the scene in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift where Sung Kang drifts through the crowd at Shibuya Crossing was the most famous car-related clip to take place there? Well how about the time when two lovers just … Continue reading
The Toyota Automobile Museum has acquired a Celica XX, successor to a debated speed record
The Toyota Automobile Museum in Japan has a new acquisition, a 1983 Celica XX. We know it stateside as the second-generation Celica Supra but technically speaking this is a GA61, which is considerably different than the MA61 we got in … Continue reading
Posted in museums
Tagged a60, celica, datsun, fairlady roadster, nissan, sr311, supra, toyota, Toyota Automobile Museum
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Happy 510 Day from JNC
Let’s celebrate the one of the most iconic Japanese cars ever built, the Nissan Bluebird 510. SSS stands for Super Sports Sedan, but perhaps one of those S could be sleeper, especially if you option it out in grandpa spec … Continue reading
Toyota Camry vs Mazda 626 in 1983: History keeps on repeating
Motorweek was just two years old in 1983 when it decided to do a four-way test of five-door family hatchbacks. It’s not a format that stuck around — we’re talking about both the show’s comparo and the body style — … Continue reading
