Author Archives: Ben Hsu
VIDEO: Honda Serial One N600 update
Honda has been serving up a steady stream of videos documenting the restoration of the Serial One N600, the first Honda car built for the US market. The good news is that the videos have been getting longer, so we can … Continue reading
VIDEO: Wheeler Dealers flips a Honda Civic CVCC
In the most recent episode of Wheeler Dealers, hosts Mike Brewer and Edd China leave the UK and head to the sunny climes of Los Angeles. There, they pick up a well worn first-gen yellow (aren’t they all?) Honda Civic, … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the best Japanese getaway car?
Japan has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. but when a heist goes down, it’s a big one. As in, the kind you need a getaway car or two to pull off. A getaway car has to be … Continue reading
SHOP LIFE: A visit to Mooneyes Area 1
When recent travels took us to Yokohama, our resident illustrator and Japan native San Mamiya suggested that we meet up and go to Mooneyes Area 1. It had been a few years since we’d visited the Japanese headquarters of Mooneyes, and there’s always … Continue reading
Posted in Shop Life
Tagged ae86, Buick Riviera, corolla levin, crown, daihatsu, Ford Country Squire, gt-r, hiace, hilux, kawasaki, Mercury Cougar, Meyers Manx, midget, mooneyes, ms51, nissan, r32, s50, skyline, sprinter trueno, stout, town ace, toyota
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VIDEO: The UK’s only Cosmonaut
Rotorhead. Mazdafarian. Cosmonaut. Whatever you want to call him, Phil Blake is the UK’s only Cosmo Sport owner. And apropos of nothing, Mazda Europe has just released a video of him driving his car along the Scottish North Coast 500, … Continue reading
QotW: Which JNC had really low production numbers?
Sometimes market forces create strange anomalies. We all know the story about how Nissan built only 197 kenmeri Skyline GT-Rs before the racing program got canceled, but there are other instances that resulted in cars just as rare. For example, while … Continue reading
EVENTS: Mitsubishi Owners Day 2016
Though the company itself has undergone some big changes in 2016, Mitsubishi Owners Day was the same as ever. And by that, we mean as many chrome-bumpered classics as you can count on one hand, a only slightly more 80s cars, and … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 3000GT, Chrysler Conquest, eclipse, evo x, galant gto, gto, lancer evolution, Mighty Max, mirage, mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Owners' Day, montero, pajero, sigma, starion, starquest
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EVENTS: 2016 Nissan Jam, Part 01 — The Cool Ones
For its fourth year, Nissan Jam has moved once again, this time to La Palma Park in Anaheim. With its new, grassier venue, the gathering of Nissan, Datsun, and Infiniti vehicles has a more concours-ey feel.
NEWS: Mazda begins restoration of 929 sedan
Mazda North America has begun restoration of a 929 sedan, according to Jacob Brown, a Product Communications Specialist at the company. And according to Brown, JNC‘s very own Dave Yuan was a major reason they’ve been inspired to do it.
MOTORSPORT: Mazda’s 787B Le Mans livery rides again
It may not be 24 hours and it may not be Le Mans, but the Six Hours of Watkins Glen is no walk in the park. In honor of the 25th anniversary of its Le Mans win, Mazda wrapped one … Continue reading
Happy 4th of July from JNC
For the 4th of July, here’s the most patriotic looking zokusha we could find, the Muto Z. Happy Independence Day from JNC.
REMINDER: JCCS 2016 Registration opens today
Registration for the 2016 Japanese Classic Car Show has opened. Be sure to sign up for the US’s premier gathering of historic automobiles from Japan. The show takes place September 25, 2016 at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California and open … Continue reading
NEWS: Toyota creates Initial D-inspired 86
Often, things that are blindingly obvious to enthusiasts sail high over the heads of the automakers themselves. Sometimes, though, they nail it. Take, for example, Toyota UK’s creation of a Toyota GT86 (aka FR-S) inspired by Takumi Fujiwara’s fictional hachiroku from the classic … Continue reading
Honda celebrates 40 years of the Accord
The ubiquitous Honda Accord turns 40 today, launched in June of 1976 as America was still reeling from the oil crisis. It was small (with a wheelbase less than a modern Fit’s) and light enough (at 2,083 pounds) that it could easily surpass … Continue reading
VIDEO: Restored kenmeri Datsun 240K race car
The kenmeri Skyline famously was debuted in race regalia at the 1972 Tokyo Motor Show, only to have Nissan pull the plug on the motorsports program it would have competed in due to the Oil Shock of 1973. It may never have seen … Continue reading
QotW: What was your second car?
Over biru and yakitori dinner Monday night in Ikebukuro, the JNC Japan team discussed cars we’ve owned. Brandon had the bright idea of going around the table to with what their second car was — simply because the first is often a hand-me-down or but … Continue reading
PROFILES: Driving Toyota’s Great Race 1970 Corolla
“It’s a bit snug,” says Jamie Bestwick in typical British understatement as he slides his racing seat into position. He bashes into the knees of his navigator, Laurence Foster, who is hunched in the back seat. Bestwick, a 13-time X-Games … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your most heartbreaking tale of JNC loss?
It’s sure to be a quiet day at the office in Aichi today. After the exact opposite of a fairy tale ending to Toyota’s Le Mans race over the weekend, the tears of Toyotaku are flowing like the waters of the River Sarthe. … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Toyota wins the 23 Hours, 55 Minutes of Le Mans
Rumor has it that Mazda, as the only Japanese automaker to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall, has a pre-written letter ready to congratulate Toyota should it ever become the second. Despite what seemed like a sure victory, that letter … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 24 Hours of Le Mans, kamui kobayashi, Kazuki Nakajima, toyota, TS050
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