Author Archives: Ben Hsu

CLASSIC CM: Celebrate Earth Day with Ansel Adams and Datsun

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Nissan is currently enjoying bragging rights as the biggest seller of electric vehicles in history, but the automaker’s environmental bona fides didn’t begin with the Leaf. Back in 1972 Datsun USA launched what would be, at the time, its widest reaching advertising campaign … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: AE86 Nights 8th Anniversary

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Ben Hsu

What started as an small gathering of Corolla drivers in a SoCal Kohl’s parking lot has grown into an annual event attracting hundreds of 86ers. AE86 Nights marked its 8th anniversary over the weekend, and suddenly a car that is almost extinct in … Continue reading →

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QotW: What’s the greatest “green” JNC?

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Ben Hsu

We’ve asked what the greatest shade of JNC green is, but not what the greatest “green” JNC is. Turbo straight sixes and V8s are sexy, but Earth Day is coming up this week so let’s limit this discussion cars with naturally … Continue reading →

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JNC THEATER: Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Ben Hsu

There was a 1977 Datsun 200SX race car parked on Hollywood Boulevard last night. Sitting in front of the landmark El Capitan Theater, it looked like either the setup for history’s most epic hooning video or a scene out of Boogie … Continue reading →

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QotW: What’s the greatest nostalgic Mitsubishi?

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Mitsubishi has begun taking orders for the Lancer Evolution Final Edition. When these last 1,000 Evo X models roll off the assembly line, the last bastion of Mitsubishi’s once proud performance lineup will be gone. What’s the greatest nostalgic Mitsubishi? Sure, there’s still the aging … Continue reading →

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NEWS: Mitsubishi begins taking orders for Final Edition Lancer Evo

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Ben Hsu

On Friday, Mitsubishi Motors began taking orders for the Lancer Evolution Final Edition. The special edition will commemorate 23 years of the rally-ready rocket before it drifts off into the sunset. Yes, the original Evo hasn’t crossed the 25 year threshold … Continue reading →

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JNC THEATER: Paul Newman Nissan Documentary Winning

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Ben Hsu

The producers of Adam Carolla’s upcoming documentary Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman has extended a special invitation to JNC readers. If you will be in the Los Angeles on April 16, you will definitely want to come to the film’s premiere. The charity … Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Toyota Stories from the UK

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Toyota UK is featuring a series of Toyota Stories, tales of classic old Aichi steel that have served their owners for decades in areas so remote that the rural dialects of English they speak might as well be Japanese. 

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VIDEO: JNC on After/DRIVE

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Like a half-finished Datsun B210 project bringing down the property value of an otherwise respectable neighborhood, I made an appearance on After/DRIVE last week. JNC was in town for the New York Auto Show, and it was a great honor to be invited onto … Continue reading →

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Welcome, new readers, to Japanese Nostalgic Car!

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Ben Hsu

If you arrived at our little corner of the web via coverage of the Touge California, welcome! Founded in 2006, JNC is the first publication in the US devoted to the world of classic Japanese autos. We’re excited to have you as part of our growing … Continue reading →

Posted in jnc | 5 Comments

QotW: What’s the sportiest Japanese nostalgic sedan?

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Last week Nissan announced it was bringing back the 4DSC moniker for the new Maxima. Japan, however, has been making 4-door sports cars from the Prince Skyline to the Lancer Evo. What’s the sportiest Japanese nostalgic sedan? What say you, … Continue reading →

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? All-original 1973 Toyota Corolla TE27

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Up for sale in the San Gabriel Valley outside Los Angeles is a 1973 Toyota Corolla Deluxe Coupe that looks as about as original as one can be. It has a claimed 68,000 miles on a 5-digit odometer, but the lack … Continue reading →

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BACK ROADS: 1965 Datsun Baby

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Nissan Motor Corporation has just announced the restoration of a piece of their history. Nissan built only 100 units of the two-seater coupe, which featured four-wheel independent suspension and front double wishbones back in 1965, making it rarer than a Kenmeri GT-R. Oh, … Continue reading →

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NEWS: 2016 Nissan Maxima resurrects the 4DSC

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Peer closely into the boomerang headlights of the 2016 Nissan Maxima and you will notice an small easter egg: 4DSC. It’s a callback to the now nostalgic 1988-94 Maxima and its subtle window sticker that told the world it was … Continue reading →

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NEWS: Subaru BRZ STI Concept

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Ever since the debut of the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S, people have been positively begging for a steroid-injected version. The best hope for a pumped up version of the joint Toyota-Subaru neo-hachiroku seemed to lie with Subaru’s boxer engineers, specifically STI, who could … Continue reading →

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NEWS: The Return of the 4DSC

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Ben Hsu

This is no April Fools joke. JNC is at the New York Auto Show, going on now, and while the 2016 Maxima hasn’t been unveiled yet Nissan’s designers did lift its skirt to give us an exclusive peek at the headlight. … Continue reading →

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Datsun 510 sells for $247,000

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Ben Hsu

The past twelve months have seen astounding prices for Japanese cars at auction, but perhaps none were as astounding as a bone stock Datsun 510 that sold recently at the Raeford Concours D’Elegance for $247,000, including the auction house’s 10 percent fees and … Continue reading →

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QotW: What’s the best JNC for NYC?

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Ben Hsu

JNC is in NYC this week for the New York International Auto Show. If you want to follow along, check us out on Facebook and Instagram. While in the Big Apple, we’ve come to wonder: What’s the best JNC for … Continue reading →

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GALLERIES: Nissan Yokohama Headquarters, 2015

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Ben Hsu

It’s been a little over a year since we had the chance to visit Nissan’s Yokohama headquarters. The relatively new glass and steel tower was opened in 2009, replacing the long-standing Ginza HQ in the heart of Tokyo. While, like most automaker showrooms in … Continue reading →

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JNC THEATER: 5000km to Glory

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Earlier this year the full 2 hour, 54 minute uncut version of 5000km to Glory was aired on Japanese TV for the first time. The 1969 film, an octane-filled tale of motorsports, honor, and heroic driving was tops at the Japanese box office … Continue reading →

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