Author Archives: Ben Hsu
Toyota “Land Cruiser FJ” may be a baby off-road machine
If there’s one thing Toyota loves it’s reviving the chassis codes of past successes and making them full-blown model names. It did that with the FJ40-inspired FJ Cruiser back in 2007, then the AE86-inspired Toyota 86 in 2012. Now Toyota … Continue reading
Follow vintage Toyotas from factory to family in this 1973 promotional film
In 1973 Toyota released a 20-minute promotional film called “In Small Packages”. It was created to introduce the company and its various models to Americans. Not only is it filled with beautiful footage of Corollas, Celicas, Coronas, and Land Cruisers, … Continue reading
Posted in Showa Snap
Tagged a10, a20, carina, celica, corolla, corona, Corona MkII, e20, ex-III, fj40, hilux, land cruiser, te27, toyota
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Japan Automotive Hall of Fame honors Lexus founder, Honda F1 engineer, pioneers of four-wheel-steering
The Japan Automotive Hall of Fame has named four individuals to be inducted into their ranks. Each has been chosen for their contributions to Japan’s automotive industry. As with the four cars that were announced this year, there are names … Continue reading
Posted in Legends
Tagged 2012 All-Toyotafest, Airtrek, cordia, daihatsu, debonair, Diamante, formula 1, Galant Σ, honda, honda 1300, japan automotive hall of fame, Lancer EX Turbo, lexus, mazda, Miata NA, mira, mitsubishi, Mitsubishi i, prelude, ra271, ra272, RA300, RA302, Shoichi Sano, Shoichiro Toyoda, toyota, Tredia
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Japan Automotive Hall of Fame welcomes Nissan 510 Bluebird, Mitsubishi Pajero, Mazda 787B, and more
The Japan Automotive Hall of Fame has announced the inductees that will honored in its Historic & Heritage Vehicles category. The vehicles chosen have each determined to have contributed to the development of Japan’s automobile industry and car culture, and … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged 24 Hours of Le Mans, 510, 787b, bluebird, datsun, japan automotive hall of fame, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, otomo, pajero, prius, toyota
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QotW: What works from your childhood fueled your love for cars?
Last week I visited the home of some distant in-laws who were meeting my 4-year-old for the first time. They’re grandparents already and asked my kid if he’d like to play with some toys that once belonged to their now-adult … Continue reading
The Toyota Retro Cruiser concept restored, 25 years later
The Toyota Retro Cruiser concept made a big splash when it debuted in 1999. It looked like an FJ40 from the outside, but the running gear underneath came from the most advanced Land Cruiser at the time, the J100. Not … Continue reading
Posted in concepts
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Toyota’s “FJ Bruiser” is a mean, green rock crawler built from a worn-out FJ45
The over-the-top builds from SEMA keep on coming. Toyota’s centerpiece vehicle this year is the FJ Bruiser, a beast of an old Land Cruiser built to take on grueling rock crawls like King of the Hammers. The one-off started as … Continue reading
Nissan builds Safari Z tribute to Datsun 240Z rally car
We’ve grown pretty bored of the “safari” build trend that seems, inexplicably, to be still going strong. However, Nissan has built a car that actually deserves to be safari’d due to historical precedent. The Datsun 240Z actually did race in … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your most terrifying car story?
Boo, it’s Halloween! Gather around the campfire and tell us your spookiest tales of automotive terror. Was it that time a simple repair turned into a months-long jack stand occupation? A near miss on the road? A 10mm nut disappearing … Continue reading
Daihatsu brings the kawaii to Tokyo, may be prepping the Vision Copen for export
Daihatsu always has one of the coolest booths at the Tokyo Motor Sh— er, I mean Japan Mobility Show. This year they were one of the few companies to bring some classics from their heritage collection to the big show. … Continue reading
Nissan Hyper Force concept is a brutalist silhouette GT-R
The hits from the Tokyo Motor Show — sorry, Japan Mobility Show — just keep on coming. Nissan has revealed its Hyper Force concept, an absolutely insane take on a future GT-R. An unsparing collections of edges and angles, it … Continue reading
Honda Prelude revived as electric sports coupe
The rumors have been swirling since around this time last year, but now it’s confirmed. Honda has revived the Prelude name on a new sports coupe boasting an electrified powertrain. While not a drop-dead stunner like the Mazda concept revealed … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Mobility Show, Tokyo Motor Show
Tagged honda, Japan Mobility Show, prelude
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Never before seen Honda concepts reveal sports cars that didn’t make it
To celebrates its 60th anniversary of building cars, Honda has shared some images of never-before-seen concepts. Like the unbuilt V8 NSX from the 1970s, these cars were dreamt up at Honda’s Wako, Saitama design studio. They have something else in … Continue reading
QotW: What Toyota model is the most Toyota?
Several weeks ago we asked you to pick the one Honda that best represents the marque. Now do the same for Toyota. In theory it should be a lot harder, as Toyota had built a wider variety of cars than … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
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Honda S500, S600, and S800 explored with no stone unturned: The First Honda Automobiles 1958-1970
In the volumes of information available on Hondas, most of it centers on cars of the 1980s and newer. There hasn’t been a whole lot written about the earliest models that paved the way for the Civics and Accords we … Continue reading
Honda almost built a V8-powered NSX in the 1970s
Honda is unique among Japanese carmakers in that its first passenger vehicle was a sports car. The S500 roadster was released in October 1963, just months after the commercial T360, a small pickup that was their first four-wheeled offering. Sportiness … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged acura, concepts, fairlady z, honda, nissan, nsx, s2000, S500/S600/S800, z31
4 Comments
Honda to hold inaugural Cars, Bikes & Coffee car show at US headquarters
Just a reminder: If you’ve been wanting to visit the newly opened American Honda Collection Hall, your chance is coming up. This Saturday, October 21, is the inaugural Cars, Bikes & Coffee event that Honda is hosting at its US … Continue reading
