Author Archives: Ben Hsu
EVENTS: 2016 Z-Bash
Eighty-two years ago today Nissan Motor Company was established. What better way to celebrate than with a slew of photos of its most iconic sports car? Fortunately, the recent Z-Bash show in Anaheim, California had approximately 400 of them.
NIHON LIFE: June is Illegal Exhaust Awareness Month in Japan
Time for a JNC public service announcement: If you have a car in Japan, and you have an aftermarket exhaust on it, be careful during the month of June. It’s Illegal Exhaust Awareness Month, and authorities will be cracking down on modified … Continue reading
QotW: How do you live the JNC life?
Not all of us are lucky enough to own the car of our dreams. And even if we do, sometimes that’s just not enough. Do you pore over every volume of Kousoku Yuen ever published? Build your dream garage in plastic model kits? … Continue reading
NEWS: Refreshed Nissan GT-R NISMO debuts
In a nod to Godzillas past, Nissan took to the Nürburgring today to debut the 2017 GT-R NISMO. It was only appropriate, since the famed German circuit was the site where its predecessor, the R33 Skyline GT-R, broke the production car record … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 05 — Editors’ Choice
For the final installment of this year’s Toyotafest we share the JNC staff favorites. In a show packed with prime Aichi steel, it wasn’t easy to narrow down the field, making the results probably over-long. But hey, it’s a good problem to have, … Continue reading
QotW: What should the next JNC wagon be?
After 9 years of dutiful service it has come time to retire the JNC Cressida wagon. It has faithfully carried the JNC crew to nearly every Toyotafest, JCCS, SevenStock, Nissan Jam, and SEMA — usually packed to the headliner with gear … Continue reading
VIDEO: Watch the Drift King drift a hakosuka GT-R
Keiichi Tsuchiya might be happy smoking new GT-Rs, but he has nothing but admiration for the old ones. In another Best Motoring video uploaded last night Keiichi Tsuchiya climbs into a couple of Victory 50-tuned Hakos and gets ’em slideways like the … Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged best motoring, c10, gc10, Hakosuka, keiichi tsuchiya, kpgc10, nissan, skyline, Tsukuba Circuit
2 Comments
VIDEO: Watch a Toyota Starlet destroy an R34 GT-R
Power-to-weight ratio is the key in this old Hot Version race in which Keiichi Tsuchiya and Akira Iida pit a pair of Toyota Starlets against an R34 Skyline GT-R and the Kei Office S15 Silvia. The Drift King puts it all on the table in a classic David … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged akira iida, best motoring, hot version, keiichi tsuchiya, kp61, starlet, toyota
3 Comments
Sokichi Shikiba, 1939 – 2016
Racing driver Sokichi Shikiba died yesterday, May 17, in a hospital in Tokyo as a result of liver failure. He was 77 years old. Born to a hospital manager in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture in 1939, Shikiba grew up with a generation of young … Continue reading
Posted in Legends
Tagged bugatti, corona, ferrari, japan grand prix, lotus, porsche 904, prince, racing mate, s54, skyline, Sokichi Shikiba, suzuka circuit, T20, Tetsu Ikuzawa, tojiro ukiya, toyota
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EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 04 — Off-Road Kings
There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Toyota trucks. Tales of their indestructibility are told throughout the world, and this year’s Toyotafest saw a variety of Aichi dromedaries from all corners of the globe.
Posted in events
Tagged 4runner, 70-series, back to the future, CB 100, fj45, fj60, fj62, fj75, FZJ80, hilux, Hilux Surf, honda, land cruiser, monkey, RN23, stout, toyota, toyotafest, trucks, utilitas, z50
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VIDEO: Best Motoring tests a Mitsubishi Mirage Cyborg
Ever since Best Motoring launched an official YouTube channel, it’s been delivering non-stop JDM goodness. But if you’re absolutely sick of watching S2000 touge battles and Silvias and Chasers duke it out for drift supremacy, then perhaps a video about the Mitsubishi … Continue reading
REMINDER: Nissan Jam is coming
Registration for the fourth annual Nissan Jam is open. The annual Datsun, Nissan, and Infiniti car show will be held on June 12 in a new venue this year, La Palma Park in Anaheim, California. Registration is $35 for any Datsun, Nissan, … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the baddest Nissan-Mitsubishi combo?
Almost exactly one year ago when news of the Toyota-Mazda partnership broke, it seemed like two companies, each excelling at their own particular skill sets, would only make each other better. Our QotW asked what the ultimate Toyota-Mazda combo would be. Somehow, though, Nissan’s … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 02 — Straight Sixes
As engines go, the Toyota straight-six is one of the best conceived by humankind. Smooth as Suntory whiskey, as long-lived as a mountain, and capable of stupid amounts of horsepower in later iterations, they are a triumph of automotive engineering. It’s no wonder the … Continue reading
VIDEO: Battle of the 80s track weapons
Long before it was Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the circuit was sponsored by Nissan and had the 200-horsepower 1984 300ZX Turbo as its official pace car. In a video from the period, the most 80s vehicular battle you can imagine pits … Continue reading
VIDEO: A 240Z built for a 10,000-mile off-road race
You thought Touge California was tough? It was only eight hours, 200 miles, and took place on pavement. This Datsun 240Z was built to tackle a rally that starts in Beijing, China, goes 10,000 miles through the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, Russia … Continue reading
NEWS: Toyota builds an 86 shooting brake
The shooting brake has long been the holy grail of a certain type of car guy. Half sports car, half station wagon, it’s a body style long extinct from the automotive kingdom but not from the hearts of enthusiasts. Google … Continue reading
