Author Archives: Ben Hsu
QotW: What Japanese car did we get the better version of?
Type Rs, GT-Rs, S20s, SR20s, and so on. So often we hear about how Japan kept the best stuff for themselves, while we cackling execs foisted detuned sissy versions on our shores. But that’s wasn’t always the case, and we’d like to know: What … Continue reading
25 YEAR CLUB: The R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R is officially a Japanese Nostalgic Car
“No victory, unless GT-R.” That was the saying in Japan when Nissan’s Skyline GT-R became the most dominant racing machine of its era. No, this is not another story about the hakosuka’s 50-plus victories; the adage was coined for its successor. … Continue reading
EVENTS: Monterey Historics, Part 02 — The Auctions
We’re going to do things out of chronological order because we felt it was important to report on the auctions of four significant Japanese cars as they happened. Now that we’ve recuperated from the madness, here’s how it went down, … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 2000gt, c10, cosmo sport, fj40, Hakosuka, imsa, land cruiser, mazda, monterey historics, nissan, skyline, toyota
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QotW: What’s the next Japanese collectible?
Over the weekend we saw what the KPGC10, Cosmo Sport and 2000GT can do at auction. However, those flagship models have been the obvious choices in terms of collectibility. What’s the next Japanese collectible? If we’ve learned anything from Monterey, … Continue reading
NEWS: 1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport sells for $264,000
Minutes after the white Toyota 2000GT crossed the block at Gooding & Co., a short-wheel base 1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport did the same.Both were from the same collection, an unnamed collector that also sold a BMW 507 and 1969 Camaro … Continue reading
NEWS: Toyota 2000GTs sell for $1 million each
The Toyota 2000GT is a million dollar car. But you already knew that. In the auction world, the rule of thumb is that a car needs to sell for a particular price three time before it’s considered legit. Two 2000GTs … Continue reading
NEWS: KPGC10 Nissan Skyline GT-R sells for $242,000
We will have more detailed coverage early next week, but we just wanted to tell you that the first KPGC10 Skyline GT-R to sell at auction broke expectations with a $220,000 sale in Monterey. RM Auctions expected it to go … Continue reading
EVENTS: Monterey Historics, Part 01
So after we dropped off the hakosuka GT-R at Nissan’s garage, we set out to see what the rest of the Monterey Historics had to offer. It is the most mind-detonatingly expensive automotive festival in this hemisphere, a world we … Continue reading
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Tagged 2000gt, 787, fc3s, fj40, FT-1 Concept, imsa, Laguna Seca, land cruiser, lexus, Lexus LS, lfa, mazda, rx-7, rx-792p, toyota, yamaha
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EVENTS: KPGC10 Skyline GT-R at the Monterey Historics
We just brought a genuine KPGC10 Skyline GT-R to the Monterey Historics. It was a bit surreal to say the least, watching it enter the paddocks of the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Though it never raced here, the circuit is the GT-R’s natural environment, … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 370z, c10, gt-r, Hakosuka, jnc, Laguna Seca, monterey historics, NISMO, nissan, skyline
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PROFILES: The lost Datsun 240Z Sport Wagon
At this year’s Z Car Club of America’s annual convention, a unique 240Z was unveiled. The Datsun 240Z “Sport Wagon” was borne from the mind of Yoshihiko Matsuo, the original stylist of the Datsun 240Z. Though it was never put into … Continue reading
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QotW: JNC prices are on the rise. Good or bad?
We are headed to the Monterey Historics this week. Among the festivities are the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance in which million-dollar cars you’ve never heard of compete to see who has the bone-stockiest restoration, the Motorsports Reunion in which priceless pieces of … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 SpoCom
Google “SpoCom” and you’ll find more photos of bikinied booth babes than actual cars, but occasionally this “automotive lifestyle” show for the dubstep crowd does turn up some JNC gems. To show you, we dodged legions of rehearsing dance crews, suffered loud electronic distortion … Continue reading
Happy 8/6 Day from JNC
It’s that time of year again, August 6 or 8/6, the day on which we celebrate the hachiroku. It’s the drift king, the touge master, the car both Keiichi Tsuchiya and Takumi Fujiwara cut their teeth on, or to paraphrase Mad … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the greatest Z-Car?
As we prepare for the 2014 ZCon this week, we can’t help but reflect on how influential the Z-Car has been to the JNC scene. We don’t usually devote a QotW to a single model but the Z has earned … Continue reading
NEWS: Mazda gets naming rights to Hakone Turnpike
Mazda sure knows how to pick ’em. In the US, Mazda PR reps never let us forget that the full name for the famous corkscrew-having NorCal circuit is Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. On August 1 in Japan, they’ll be the official sponsors of the Hakone Turnpike, a … Continue reading
VIDEO: A Tale of Two Corollas
For your Hump Day viewing pleasure, we present two videos about 1970s Toyota Corollas. One’s stock, one’s anything but, though both are equally entertaining.
QotW: What’s the coolest JNC stereo deck?
The rise of Japanese stereo component systems parallels the popularity of Japanese cars. Since it’s already been determined that retro electronica bands love the styling of 80s Japanese cars, what about the devices used to play them? What’s the coolest JNC stereo deck? … Continue reading
Reminder: ZCon 2014, August 5-9
ZCon 2014 is coming up soon, and this year the organizers have a lot of great thing planned. First and foremost, you should know that this is not a Z-only gathering. While Zs from 240 to 370 are definitely a large part … Continue reading
