Author Archives: Ben Hsu
BOOK CLUB: Koichi Inouye’s 1960s Japanese sports cars volumes now available in English
Three Koichi Inouye books about 1960s Japanese sports cars have been translated into English and published as e-books. The works cover seminal automobiles from Japan’s largest automakers, the Honda S-Series, Toyota 2000GT and Sports 800, and the Datsun Fairlady roadster.
Posted in Books
Tagged 1600gt, 2000gt, datsun, fairlady roadster, honda, nissan, S-Series, sports 800, toyota
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QotW: What would Bunta drive in an Initial D prequel?
With the Initial D series winding down those craving more tales of the touge will have to wait for the feature film reboot this August. However, some JNCers have suggested the idea of a new story instead, one focused on the background of … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
Tagged Dodge Challenger, Galant Lambda, Initial D, mitsubishi, Plymouth Sapporo, Question of the Week
34 Comments
JNC THEATER: Initial D Final Stage
The anime that brought touge culture to US screens is coming to an end. Initial D, in manga form, concluded its 18-year run last summer. Now, the animated account of the story is following suit. Animax will air a total of four 30-minute episodes wrapping … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Original-owner 44k-mile Nissan 240SX
We’ve lamented the fact that AE86s have nearly all been drifted into oblivion, but what about its cross-town rival? The Nissan 240SX sold in larger numbers, but finding an unmolested one can still be a challenging proposition these days, especially when it’s a … Continue reading
NEWS: LA Times discovers classic Japanese cars
The Los Angeles Times recently published an article about the rising costs of classic Japanese cars. And while it’s likely not breaking news to JNC readers, it provides an interesting outsider’s perspective to something you know intimately. Plus, it profiles everyone’s favorite kyuusha power couple, … Continue reading
QotW: Which JNC is the rarest coelacanth?
The coelacanth was a species of deep-sea fish thought to have gone extinct 66 million years ago, during the age of the dinosaurs. That is, until 1998 when the L. menadoensis species of coelacanth was rediscovered in modern times by a UC Berkeley marine biologist … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 12k-mile Honda S800 Coupe at government auction
The cars at government auctions usually aren’t this interesting. In Fukuoka, Japan the Regional Taxation Bureau is trying to unload a Honda S800 Coupe with less than 12,000 miles. Yes, that’s miles, because this is something rare, even for Japan — a left … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 All-Toyotafest, Part 04 — Museum Pieces
For our final installment of Toyotafest coverage, we bring you the museum-worthy cars that put meaning to the word classic. Whether its racing provenance, rarity, pop culture status or just a stupendously fantastic specimen, these are the cars that are should be exhibited and preserved as inspiration … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 2000gt, a20, a40, ae86, back to the future, celica, corolla, dan gurney, events, fj80, hilux, Ivan Ironman Stewart, jza80, land cruiser, levin, lexus, Lexus CCS-R, lfa, mr2, N50, sprinter, supra, sw20, te27, toyota, toyotafest, trueno, van
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NEWS: Get one of 100 Mazda MX-5 25th Anniversary Editions today, while supplies last
In honor of the Miata’s 25th birthday Mazda has created just one hundred MX-5 25th Anniversary Edition roadsters. A special website will open for orders in just a few hours, on May 20 at 10:25 am Pacific Time. UPDATE: Well, that was quick. All 100 sold out … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 All-Toyotafest, Part 03 — Practicals
We’ve seen the high-end luxocruisers that gave Toyota its reputation of apocalypse-grade reliability and the long-forgotten sports coupes Akio Toyoda hopes will rekindle passions for his great-grandfather’s company, but Part 03 of our Toyotafest coverage is about the everyday cars and trucks that made the ToMoCo kingdom possible.
EVENTS: 2014 All-Toyotafest Part 02 — The Sports Coupes
This year Toyotafest fell on a very special occasion — President and CEO Akio Toyoda‘s 58th birthday. Since taking the helm of his great-grandfather’s company in 2009, Toyoda-san has vowed to bring the wakudoki back. What’s wakudoki? “A palpable, heart-pounding sense of excitement,” says Toyota. … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 All-Toyotafest, Part 01— Luxe & GT
Hanging like a cloud over the festivities of the 19th annual All-Toyotafest this year was the news that had been leaked to the press a week prior: Toyota USA was moving its headquarters, which had been a southern California fixture … Continue reading
VIDEO: Identify these nostalgic Nissan race cars by sound
Pop quiz, hotshot. Five nostalgic Nissan race machines tear down a straight. You have only the glorious sounds of their motors to identify whether they are the 1971 Safari 240Z, a touring spec B110 Sunny Excellent, the turbocharged 240RS, the OG Prince Skyline GT … Continue reading
2014 Nissan Jam registration now open
Registration for the 2014 Nissan Jam is now open. After the success of last year’s inaugural show, the venue has been opened up to include space for even more Nissan and Datsun cars than last year. Click here to register. All entrants receive a free … Continue reading
Posted in events
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QotW: What’s the story with your JNC’s keychain?
Keychains. They will soon be a thing of the past thanks to fancy push-button starters and “smart” keys. Can something really even be called a key fob if there is no key attached? Well, at least when you drive a JNC … Continue reading
Happy Mother’s Day from JNC
A page from the 1962 Mazda Carol 360 brochure, one of Japan’s first family cars. Happy Mother’s Day from JNC.
Happy 510 Day from JNC
Just a reminder to cherish your Bluebird on this May 10, our day of 510s. Happy 510 Day from your friends at JNC.
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 19k-mile 1974 Toyota Corolla
Proof again that California does not have a monopoly on classic J-tin comes in the form of this Philadelphia-based 1974 Toyota Corolla 1600 Deluxe. Said to be a one-owner car with just under 19,000 original miles, it is likely one of the least … Continue reading
NEWS: Honda S660 confirmed for 2015
Honda has greenlit the S660 roadster, shown at the Tokyo Motor Show last year, for production. The mid-engined kei sports car will begin rolling off the assembly lines in 2015.
QotW: Is Toyota making the right move?
Last week it was confirmed that Toyota USA would be moving from its home of 57 years in southern California to new digs in Plano, Texas. Is Toyota making the right move? On the one hand, there are dollars to … Continue reading
