Author Archives: Ben Hsu
VIDEO: A nation of car enthusiasts helps restore a tsunami-destroyed 1971 Corolla
Five years ago, waves from the devastating tsunami that struck Japan’s eastern coast swept Masayuki Watanabe’s 1971 Toyota Corolla from its garage. Today, he got that car back.
VIDEO: Check out this Honda Head’s massive collection
In a video titled Honda Kokoro (Honda Heart), a collector welcomes viewers into his incredible collection of Honda memorabilia. If the wall of valve covers didn’t clue you in already, it is a collection of epic proportions, from bikes to Hot Wheels, generators to Honda-branded … Continue reading
VIDEO: A key part of Japanese industry now lost
Here’s a video, perhaps in the same grade-school documentary series as the one about Japanese industry in the 1970s. It has no cars, but you can still learn a thing or two. In particular, there’s a scene showing a family-owned sewing business (6:19 in the video … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2016 New Year Meeting, Part 03 — This is Japan
A life-size Gundam robot towers above the trees. Giant windowless shopping centers operate like small cities. In this snapshot of a hyper-futuristic metropolis floating on a man-made island in Tokyo Bay, tradition comes in the form of a parking lot teeming … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 510, a10, a20, bluebird, bosozoku, c10, c110, carina, celica, chaser, cherry, cosmo, cresta, crown, daruma, datsun, e10, EVA, Fukuoka Style, Gundam, gurachan, gx71, Hakosuka, honda, kaido racer, kenmeri, life, Luce Legato, mark II, mazda, new year meeting, rx-5, skyline, ssr, toyota, x70
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VIDEO: Watch loads of JNC goodness in this documentary about Japan in the 1970s
The video you’re about to watch is what American schoolchildren were taught about Japan in the 1970s. Throughout it all, there are brilliant scenes of Showa Era Japanese streets and the cars that populate them.
QotW: What’s your best tale of JNC indestructibility?
One of the greatest things about owning a JNCs is its reliability. Think that’s boring? Well, while macchine nostalgico Italiano owners are leaking vital fluids, Deutsch nostalgischen auto owners are trying to figure out why you need to remove the transmission to change a bulb, … Continue reading
EVENTS: The Mazda Ice Academy explains why Mazdas are so darn fun to drive
The Mazda Ice Academy’s main reason for existence was to show off the Hiroshima automaker’s newfangled all-wheel-drive system. That was good, as we’d marveled before at how they managed to give a mid-size crossover better handling than many actual cars. We wanted … Continue reading
DESIGN: Nissan VP reveals challenges of designing with DNA
We recently had the chance to glimpse into the the mind of someone who spends every day thinking and making decisions about the cars we buy, drive, and love. Taro Ueda is Vice-President of Design at Nissan Design America, the automaker’s … Continue reading
VIDEO: Watch the R32 Skyline GT-R lap the Nürburgring
Nowadays, for any performance car worth their salt, a Nürburgring lap is a spec sheet staple, right there under horsepower, torque, and 0-60 time. But the Nissan Skyline GT-R was doing it before it was cool. Way before. Back in 1989, … Continue reading
QotW: What once-common car has suddenly disappeared?
It’s weird. One minute they’re everywhere, so common that you almost sick of seeing them. Seemed like every cool kid in town had one. Then one day you see one and you think to yourself, “Wow, it’s been a long time since … Continue reading
NEWS: Japan notes increase in Skyline, NSX prices due to overseas interest
The above chart was one of the most circulated automotive news items in Japan over the weekend. It depcits how the nation’s wheeled icons have skyrocketed in price since just four months, with a certain model jumping nearly 1 million yen. The cause? Cars joining … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Reality-bending JNCs for your viewing pleasure
Chris Labrooy is a British artist who creates brightly colored 3D models that look so real you can almost touch them — except that they exist only in pixels. One of his favorite subjects is cars, but stretched out into bizarre, logic-defying shapes. … Continue reading
Toyota Cressida Facebook page moderator experiences righteous meltdown
As many readers may know, I daily drive a Cressida wagon. That means I am part of the Toyota Cressida! Facebook group and occasionally get its posts in my feed when Zuckerburg feels like it. Recently, one of its moderators had a pretty … Continue reading
ART CORNER: The superdeformed model kits of Ryu Asada
Most of you know the name Ryu Asada from his work at Mattel designing hit diecast cars. The talented and creative veteran of both the Matchbox and Hot Wheels brands as penned some truly memorable castings, including JNC favorites like the Honda CRX, EF Civic, ’90 Acura NSX, and ’72 … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged 323, city, familia, Gunze, hilux, honda, hot wheels, mazda, model kits, motocompo, nissan, r30, Ryu Asada, skyline, superdeformed, toyota
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QotW: What’s the greatest VIP sedan?
Happy President’s Day from JNC! Now, which classic sedan would you most want to be seen emerging from as you conduct your official government business/captaining of industry/illicit yak duties? In other words: What’s the greatest VIP sedan? What say you, … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 4,000-mile Honda Accord
How much is a brand new Honda Accord LX hatchback worth? $21,000 and counting, apparently. Listed for sale in Annville, Pennsylvania, the Hampstead Green 1981 example is quite possibly the lowest mileage first-gen Accord in the country that is not … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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PRODUCT GUIDE: Koyorad FB Mazda RX-7 radiator
It’s somewhat surprising that there hasn’t been a decent aftermarket radiator for the first-gen Mazda RX-7 out there, but if you drive an FB, worry no more. Koyorad has just introduced the latest aluminum radiator in their ever-growing line for Japanese classics, … Continue reading
