Author Archives: Ben Hsu
City pop’s Mariya Takeuchi provided the soundtracks for Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi ads
Today, March 20, is city pop queen Mariya Takeuchi’s 70th birthday. Her 1984 song “Plastic Love” may be on every single city pop playlist on YouTube, but Takeuchi recorded plenty of other hits and several them were used in memorable … Continue reading
Snow-melting sprinklers clear Japanese roads without salt
In northern areas of Japan snowfall can be a big problem for traffic. One solution that’s been used to combat the accumulation of snow on roadways is shosetsu (disappearing snow) or yuusetsu (melting snow) equipment embedded into the roads themselves. … Continue reading
Posted in Nihon Life
4 Comments
How far can a Nissan kei car go without refueling?
It’s easy to dismiss kei cars as weak, un-serious shoeboxes for misers. However, there’s a good reason why they comprise more than 34 percent of car sales in Japan. Even if you take the registration, parking and tax benefits out … Continue reading
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida steps down, opening doors for Honda merger again
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida has resigned. In typical Japanese fashion Uchida, who took the reins in 2020 after the Carlos Ghosn scandal, has fallen on his sword, likely to give the Honda merger a second chance. Merger talks between Honda … Continue reading
Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX: Once beloved, now extinct
If you didn’t live through its introduction it’s hard to grasp just how big of an impact the Mitsubishi Eclipse made. The all-wheel-drive turbo sports coupe was so beloved that major magazines devoted extra pages to it beyond the typical … Continue reading
Bob Sharp, Datsun and Nissan racing pioneer, 1939-2025
Racing legend Bob Sharp (right) died last week at the age of 85. The driver and race team owner helped establish Datsun as a motorsports force in America, winning six SCCA National titles and an IMSA GTU championship, all behind … Continue reading
Posted in Legends
Tagged 240Z/260Z/280Z, 510, bob sharp, datsun, fairlady roadster, imsa, nissan, paul newman, s30 z, scca
2 Comments
Toyota is restoring an A70 Supra with GR Heritage Parts
Toyota is restoring an A70 Supra via its Gazoo Racing Heritage Parts Program. A few years ago Toyota restarted production of parts for both generations of the Supra, A70 and A80 (in Japan the A40 and A60 were called the … Continue reading
Gene Hackman drove a Toyota Celica in the 24 Hours of Daytona
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman was found dead in his Santa Fe, New Mexico home yesterday, along with his wife and one of their three dogs. The cause of death is unknown as of yet. Though best known for his work … Continue reading
Build a huge R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO model that takes over two years to finish
Collectors fanatic enough to have built Japan’s 1/8 scale model kit of the KPGC10 Nissan Skyline GT-R can now have a companion GT-R to go with it. Deagostini has launched debuted its 1/8 scale BNR32 Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO. Like … Continue reading
QotW: Which JNC is a must-have for a car museum?
In case you hadn’t heard, San Francisco’s Academy of Art University is selling off most of its collection of 150 classic cars. As one of the nation’s top industrial design schools — and headed by none other than Tom Matano … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
20 Comments
QotW: How can we save my friend from buying a 12-year-old EV?
A friend recently called to ask for car buying advice. He commutes 60 miles each way to work and the fuel bill’s adding up. He is a car guy and owns a stable of fun cars, but they’re all either … Continue reading
A President gets away from special investigators in Frontline police show
Seibu Keisatsu wasn’t the only cop show full of product-placed Nissans. In fact, Special Investigation Frontline debuted earlier and ran for twice as long. Nissan provided the cars for the show, so the good guys typically cruised around in Cedrics, … Continue reading
Posted in Friday Video
Tagged cedric, h250, nissan, president, r30, skyline, Special Investigation Frontline
4 Comments
QotW: What LHD car would you drive in Japan?
It’s much easier to import a USDM car to Japan than it is to import a JDM car to the US, especially if you live in California. In Japan, you do have to prove its smogworthiness, but different emissions equipment … Continue reading
Toyota Celica GT-Four skiing movie gets GR Yaris tribute
The 1987 romcom Take Me Out to the Snowland is said to have created a skiing boom in Japan, but the hit movie didn’t just hype up snow sports. The star car, a Toyota Celica GT-Four, became a popular sight … Continue reading
Finally, a Mitsubishi Galant Sigma review from when it was new
One car that has always held a strange fascination for us when it was new was the US-market Mitsubishi Galant Sigma. We vaguely remember seeing these when they were new but they weren’t very common then; today they seem to … Continue reading
QotW: What kid-friendly commuter is still fun to drive?
As much as I love my Land Cruiser, I’ve been fantasizing about a car that’s a bit more fun-to-drive on a daily basis. Right now the LC is the only car in my fleet that’s kid-friendly (four doors, big trunk), … Continue reading
Nissan Fairlady Z gets R34 Bayside Blue, Midnight Purple
Nissan isn’t exactly doing well, but even a struggling company can toss a few bones to enthusiasts. At the Tokyo Auto Salon this year it unveiled a new Fairlady Z color for 2025. Bayside Blue, a hue made famous by … Continue reading
Okawa Soarer tribute: Trust’s record-breaking Toyota reborn at the Tokyo Auto Salon
At a show like the Tokyo Auto Salon populated with so many incredible builds, it’s rare to find a singular standout car. But this year at the Trust booth a Toyota Soarer was that extraordinary car. Not only was it … Continue reading
