Author Archives: Ben Hsu
EVENTS: 2014 SEMA Show, Part 01
Toyota’s SEMA presence this year was all about the Baja 1000. Ivan “Ironman” Stewart and his perfect hair were hanging around at the booth along with a ground pounding Toyota truck in the old tricolor racing livery.
NEWS: The first ND Mazda MX-5 race car is here
Mazda relentlessly brags about how it’s the most raced marque in America. Now it’s apparently gunning for the world. Today at SEMA, alongside the world’s first Miata race car — built from one of the Chicago Auto Show display models — … Continue reading
QotW: What JNC tuning trend needs to stop now?
We’re headed to the SEMA show this week, and you know what that means. Insane amounts of customized cars, the latest auto fashions, and thousands of people shaking their heads muttering “money does not equal taste.” What JNC tuning trend needs … Continue reading
25 YEARS of LEXUS, Part 01: The Lexus LS 400 is officially a Japanese nostalgic car
In honor of yet another landmark vehicle turning 25, let’s all raise a champagne glass to Lexus, Japan’s most luxurious marque. Now, set that glass down atop a pyramid of other glasses stacked on the hood of a dyno-strapped LS … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Mint 30k-mile Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo
The last Kidney Car we posted was a rare, 1980s turbocharged Mitsubishi. Here’s another one, the Starion’s less well-known sibling. This 1985 Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo is currently offered for sale in Raleigh, North Carolina and with just 30,328 miles on the … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Skylines, Truenos and Robots by Matt Spangler
We love it when JNCs pop up in unexpected places, especially when they’re obscure models never sold in the US. Last year, a hakosuka Skyline showed up in Adventure Time. More recently, we received an email from a friend that … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged 240z, ae86, Art Corner, c10, corolla, datsun, fairlady roadster, Hakosuka, levin, Matt Spangler, nissan, robots, s30, skyline, sprinter, te27, toyota, trueno
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EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 10 — Parking Area
Welcome to the final installment of our 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show coverage, a short one in which we scoured the parking area for J-tin whose owners had gone off to spectate. We begin with a clean Z20 Soarer and X80 Cressida, parked in tandem like an … Continue reading
QotW: Which non-sports, non-luxe JNC is destined to be a classic?
Identifying cars like the GT-R or LFA as future classics is like predicting you’ll see a crash in a Russian dashcam video. It’s obvious, and you don’t get a cookie. It’s much harder to recognize a run-of-the-mill model that will achieve greatness. Therefore, we ask: Which … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 09 — Editors’ Picks
Each year as part of our Japanese Classic Car Show coverage, we pick our favorites to highlight. We had six members of the JNC team at the show this year, plus one car that we voted on collectively to give the JNC Award. Here’s what we chose.
Posted in events
Tagged 510, bluebird, bosozoku, c110, datsun, Editor's Choice, galant gto, honda, hot wheels, japanese classic car show, jccs, jimny, jun imai, kenmeri, LJ80, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, prelude, rx-4, Ryu Asada, skyline, suzuki
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Toyota celebrates 50 years in Canada
Toyota is officially celebrating 50 years in Canada. Established in 1964, the story is similar to that of Toyota USA. From humble beginnings — just 755 cars sold in its first year — the company has grown at an amazing … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show Part 08 — Motorcycles
Though sleds of chrome and Nihon steel will always be at the heart of JCCS, in 2011 organizers began accepting vintage Japanese motorcycles as well. It’s fitting, anyway, as two-wheeled vehicles are still hugely popular in Japan, and is how much of the Japanese motoring … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show
Part 07 — Taking Stock
As we near the end of our 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show coverage, we delve into the crux of what it means to have a classic car show. Here are some of the rarest and best preserved Japanese nostalgic cars you’ll see … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 240z, 280z, 510, a20, a40, accord, acura, ae86, b210, b310, black pearl, bluebird, CA6, capella, celica, charade, corolla, corona, cosmo, Cosplay, cressida, crown, crx, daihatsu, datsun, e20, ef, honda, honey bee, integra, kujira, mazda, miata, mx-5, MX-5 NA, MX-5 ND, n10, N360/N600, nissan, nsx, Peter Cunningham, prelude, pulsar, RealTime Racing, rx-2, rx-3, rx-5, s30, s60, sunny, t80, TLX, toyota, wagons, x30, x60
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QotW: Which People’s JNC is due for a remake?
Italy had a Beetle; It was called the Fiat 500. So did Britain, the Mini. The VW Beetle was Germany’s Beetle, obviously, but it was America’s too. What all these cars had in common is that they started out as affordable, economical … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 05 — Made in the 80s
While chrome-bumpered machines from the 60s and 70s are still the Japanese Classic Car Show’s core, urethane capped 80s cars are making their presence known in a big way. In this installment we look at iconic cars from the Reagan decade.
QotW: What car is not worth preserving?
Recently the JNC wagon, our daily driven 1986 Cressida, was backed into, smashing the headlight, front bumper and fender. That’s the danger with driving your beloved classic around. Add years of rock chips and other indignities suffered during LA driving … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — Modified Machines
This year the Japanese Classic Car Show began screening entrants. A JNC editorial on the development generated heated debate, with many assuming that the Queen Mary lawn would be filled with identical, bone stock examples that all looked the same. Turns out, … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 03 — The Sixties
The Sixties were a time of rapid growth and optimism for Japan. Automakers just built whatever they felt like with no cares given to what western markets would bear, and before the companies themselves settled into a comfortable pattern of four-year lifecycles. There is probably no … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — JDM
As long-time readers know, the Japanese domestic market was stocked with stunning machinery that never made it to our shores. The Japanese Classic Car Show is likely the only place in the western hemisphere where you can see so many of … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 240z, 280zx, 510, b110, bluebird, c10, c110, c30, civic, civic wagon, corolla, corolla levin, datsun, ef, fairlady z, galant gto, honda, Kazuhiro Furukawa, laurel, mitsubishi, nissan, osaka jdm, p30, publica, r30, Ryu Asada, s130, s30, skyline, sports 800, sprinter trueno, starlet, sunny, te27, toyota
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QotW: What’s the best shade of JNC orange?
With fall among us (well, not all of us, as it is a balmy 100 degrees in Los Angeles in October), the leaves are changing. Therefore, it’s time we ask: What’s the best shade of JNC orange? Japanese cars have … Continue reading
