Author Archives: Ben Hsu
EVENTS: Houston Morningstar Meet
You might have heard there was a football game in Houston over the weekend. We were in town for the epic clash — something about classic Fords versus Jeep crossovers — but before the big game the local JNC community welcomed us to a Sunday morning meet.
Happy TE27 Day from JNC
When you think of Toyota performance, the color palette that pops into your head may largely depend on the cars you love. Yellow, orange and red for 80s IMSA racing, red and green Castrol for WRC, white and red for … Continue reading
Posted in Reminder
Tagged corolla, corolla levin, sprinter, sprinter trueno, te27, toyota
8 Comments
Perhaps the most thoroughly restored 1977 Celica ever
Inspired by TA22 Day yesterday, we stumbled across what is quite possibly the most thorough restoration of a 1977 Celica ever performed. Technically this isn’t a TA22, but it’s still a first-gen Celica and it’s an amazing story of an … Continue reading
Happy TA22 Day from JNC
Okay, it’s a stretch, but today is 2/2. In other words, Happy TA22 Day from JNC!
NEWS: Tokyo Motor Show may be a reunion of Japanese sports car icons
If the multitude of rumors are true, this fall’s Tokyo Motor Show could be one for the history books. Nissan, Toyota, and Honda are all said to be reviving sports car icons. A modern Z, Supra and S2000 could be in the … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged fairlady z, honda, nissan, S-FR, s2000, supra, tokyo motor show, toyota
12 Comments
RIP Namco founder Masaya Nakamura, 1925-2017
Video game pioneer Masaya Nakamura passed away on January 22 at the age of 91. News just broke in Japan, leading to an outpouring of love for the man whose company gave the world Pac-Man. However, before the round yellow ghost-hunter became a global phenomenon, … Continue reading
Posted in Video Games
Tagged dax, fuji speedway, honda, Masaya Nakamura, Mitsukoshi, Namco, pole position
6 Comments
Happy 97th Birthday, Mazda!
Ninety-seven years ago today, the Toyo Kogyo Cork Company was founded in Hiroshima. The cork business wasn’t exactly brimming in a rapidly industrializing Japan, so they soon shifted to heavy equipment, including the Mazdago 3-wheeled truck. Then they made some … Continue reading
Happy Year of the Rooster from JNC
Okay, so the logo of the Toyota Century is technically a fushichou, or phoenix derived from Chinese mythology. But, if you trace it back far enough, the fenghuang is also called the August Rooster and according to Wikipedia, sometimes replaces the rooster on … Continue reading
VIDEO: Roadkill‘s $1,500 Japanese car challenge
The last time we saw the Roadkill guys, they were busy being confounded by an AE86 with historic plates. Perhaps seeking to delve deeper into the world of J-tin, they recently filmed an episode in which they each spent $1,500 on a … Continue reading
NEWS: Mitsubishi may bring back Eclipse, but in name only
There is a rumor swirling around, reported by a reputable source, that Mitsubishi may revive the Eclipse name. The report comes from Autoblog, who says that Eclipse could be the name for a vehicle Mitsubishi will unveil at the 2017 … Continue reading
MARKETWATCH: 1977 Honda Civic sells for $15,400
The annual Scottsdale, Arizona car auctions have slowly been introducing Japanese classics to the larger collector market. There have been the expected Toyota 2000GT, Hakosuka GT-R, and Cosmo Sport, but also workhorse FJ40 Land Cruisers and tuner favorites like the R32 Skyline GT-R. Now, a … Continue reading
VIDEO: Toyota puts the Drift King behind the wheel of his first true love, a 4AG-powered AE86
Keiichi Tsuchiya’s love for the Toyota AE86 is well documented. Though he got his start with the Hachiroku, he’s since driven everything under the sun as co-host of Best Motoring and even scored a class win with an NSX at the 24 … Continue reading
VIDEO: The Honda Collection Hall takes a Prelude, F1 racers, and a ton of bikes out for a spin
It’s been a while since we checked in with the Honda Collection Hall and its regular exercising of vehicles in its massive collection. The museum much pride in the fact that, unlike many automotive galleries out there, everything in its care … Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged CB72, cb750, Dream 50, honda, honda collection hall, life, prelude, S500/S600/S800, SuperCub
4 Comments
TUNE UP: Keith Ape’s “Diamonds” Nissan 300ZX
If you liked the appearance of the FC Mazda RX-7 in The Weeknd’s “Party Monster” video that debuted last week, here’s another one just like it featuring a Z31 Nissan 300ZX. As was pointed out to us by reader Byron, rapper … Continue reading
Happy 117 Day from JNC
Today is January 17, so go out there and drive your Isuzu 117! What, don’t have one? Well, you can live vicariously by retracing this epic 10-day road trip across Japan in a 117 (links: Day 01, Day 02, Day 03, Day 04, Day 05, Day 06, Day … Continue reading
VIDEO: Watch James May put together a Honda Monkey
James May of former Top Gear and current Grand Tour fame is mostly known for doing loud things with powerful cars. However, Captain Slow, as he’s often called by his more basic colleagues, also has a well documented love for Honda motorcycles, tinkering, … Continue reading
TUNE UP: The Weeknd’s “Party Monster” Mazda RX-7
About a month ago, alternative R&B singer The Weeknd posted a photo of himself standing in the desert with an FC Mazda RX-7 in the background. Yesterday, that video, called “Party Monster,” dropped.
