Author Archives: Ben Hsu
QotW: What’s your JNC New Year’s resolution?
Happy Year of the Monkey! We’re like 80 percent sure that Han Dynasty astrologists weren’t talking about Honda’s 50cc mini-bike, but perhaps this will be an auspicious year for you, JNC-wise, anyway. Will you finally pull the trigger on that old … Continue reading
QotW: What automotive woes are you most eager to forget?
In Japan, the bonenkai (“year forgetting”) parties on December 31 are where you leave behind the stresses of the previous year, usually by consuming large quantities of alcohol with friends. Old cars can be the source of many reasons to down a pitcher of … Continue reading
Happy Holidays from all of us at JNC
From all of us at Japanese Nostalgic Car, have a happy holiday. May your desserts be sugared and your cars unsalted!
EVENTS: Hachimaru Meeting at Fuji Speedway
If it wasn’t for its glorious motorsports history, Fuji Speedway would be just about the worst place to hold a car show. It rains seemingly half the time there, and while that makes for cool photography, it can’t be pleasant for the … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 430, acty, ae86, c210, carry, corolla levin, crown, datsun, dr30, f31, gloria, Hachimaru Meeting, hiace, honda, infiniti, Infiniti G20, J80, land cruiser, leopard, mark II, nissan, P10, Primera, r30, r31, r32, s120, s130, skyline, soarer, sprinter trueno, suzuki, toyota, utilitas, vanette, x70, y30, z10
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Celebrate the holidays with your own JNC AE86 cookie cutters
Want a JNC-themed activity you can do with your family this holiday season? We at JNC have created an AE86 cookie cutter that you can download, 3D print, and use to make delicious, rear-wheel-drive cookies that will drift their way right … Continue reading
Posted in jnc
Tagged ae86, cookies, corolla gt-s, corolla levin, sprinter trueno, toyota
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QotW: What will you ask Japanese Santa Claus for this year?
Little known fact: Japanese Santa Claus lives in Hokkaido and has a team of magical Sanrio animals that can make any car part your little heart desires. If you’re a good boy or girl, he can deliver them via a flying Hino flatbed pulled … Continue reading
VIDEO: The Starion, a Mitsubishi that didn’t just race on dirt
While most Japanese automakers battled it out on Suzuka and Fuji, Mitsubishi took a different tack. From 1970s Lancers on the Safari Rally to the WRC Evos of the 90s to the Pajeros reigning supreme over Dakar, Mitsubishi has always loved to get dirty in the dirt. … Continue reading
VIDEO: 157 of Japan’s best Touge roads, brought to you by the Toyota 86
Going strictly by land mass, Japan is about 10 percent smaller than California, and a full 70 percent of its terrain is mountains. That’s why the twisting passes that cut through the ridges known as touge provide Japan’s preferred method of hooning. When the Toyota … Continue reading
QotW: What was the greatest single year for Japanese cars?
We’ve discussed which automaker had the best year, but which year had the best autos? Prior to 1970, Japanese cars were either grossly overpriced or built for a populace just graduating from a moped. By the turn of the decade, the automakers … Continue reading
VIDEO: Best Motoring now has its own YouTube channel
If you’re an enthusiast of a certain age, there is a very good chance you got your first taste of JDM cars from a pirated copy of a Best Motoring VHS tape. It would be inaccurate to call it a … Continue reading
VIDEO: Why the first-gen Honda Civic makes a great race car
One of our favorite series on the internet right now is by Shannons Insurance of Australia. In the latest episode, they explain why you should go out and buy a first-gen Civic immediately.
NEWS: ND Mazda Miata is Japan Car of the Year
As if the ND Miata needed any more accolades, it has just won Japan Car of the Year. Praised for its purity and sporting driving experience, it earned 442 points, beating out the second-place Honda S660, which garnered 401. The BMW 2-Series came … Continue reading
QotW: Which Japanese automaker had the best single-year lineup?
Models come and go, and some generations are better than others. However, once in a lifetime, maybe twice, cosmic forces just align and an automaker knocks it out of the park like the 1996 Chicago Bulls. Wrong metaphor? I don’t know sports. … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: 25 Hours of Thunderhill Miatas in retro livery
If you’re watching the 25 Hours of Thunderhill this weekend you might see a very familiar livery blasting around the northern California circuit. Mazda has sent a quartet of ND Miatas into the longest enduro in America and, fittingly, they’re … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 25 Hours of Thunderhill, mazda, miata, motorsport, mx-5, ND, rx-7, sa22
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JNC THEATER: Time Taxi takes you back in a Toyota Crown
Forget Deloreans, what would a time traveling car in Japan look like? A kujira Crown, apparently. In the drama Time Taxi an MS65 cab takes people back to rectify their mistakes — as long as they have the dough.
VIDEO: Shakotan car show rollout
And now for your viewing pleasure, a metric buttload of kyuusha leaving a car show in Japan. Every single one is a proper, old school Japanese sled. Also note the immaculate smoothness of Japan’s roads, which makes these shakotan rides possible. Watch … Continue reading
QotW: How do you prepare your JNC for winter?
As temps drop, weather gets precipitous and the dreaded salt spreaders come out, our driving patterns change. In LA the only difference is that we might have to actually check the weather report for the chance of rain. The rest of the world, … Continue reading
