Author Archives: Ben Hsu
VIDEO: Chris Forsberg drifting a Datsun 280Z
And now for your viewing pleasure, Chris Forsberg drifting his 500hp, RB25-swapped Datsun 280Z. Chris may be better known his day job as a Formula D champ and pilot of a near-1,000hp Nissan 370Z powered by the VK56 V8 from a Titan … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your best high mileage JNC story?
One of the main reasons people buy Japanese cars in the first place is because of their ridiculous longevity. Ironically, Japanese roadworthiness inspections are so prohibitively expensive that it’s fairly common for many owners to ditch new cars after just … Continue reading
VIDEO: Japanese Nostalgia by Landin Williams
Our friend Ralph Constantino has a terrific collection of classic Japanese cars: a TE27 Sprinter, a couple of AE86s, and MR2 and some pre-Evo Mitsubishi Lancers. Basically, all the cars that many Filipinos grew up with back in the home … Continue reading
QotW: Which JNC has the greatest grille?
Grilles. They provide airflow, set one model apart from another, and can even form become the corporate identity of a brand. Japan has produced some truly outrageous grilles in its time, so therefore we ask: QotW: Which JNC has the … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Sunny Vol. 1 & 2 by Taiyo Matsumoto
The 2013 Cartoonist Studio Prize has been awarded to Taiyo Matsumoto for his works Sunny Vol. 1 and Sunny Vol. 2, about a group of kids living at a Japanese orphanage. At first we thought Sunny was the name of … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the best shade of JNC green?
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we celebrate the color green, aka midori in Japanese. It was prevalent in the golden age of JNCs, from drab military olives to citrusy limes. What’s the best shade of JNC green? In 1983 … Continue reading
1974 Mitsubishi Lancer 1600GSR at Geneva Motor Show
The Geneva Motor Show is happening in Switzerland right now, and unless you’re into hideously modified exotics there’s not much of interest to the typical JNCer. Except, that is, if you happen to wander into the Mitsubishi booth where the … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the best JNC for a new driver?
Last week we asked which JNC would get you the most dates. Let’s say the advice dispensed by our readers worked and netted you a mate. First comes love, then comes marriage, now it’s 16 years later you have a … Continue reading
VIDEO: This OS Giken twin-cam is the most glorious sound you’ll hear all week
You know the OS Giken TC24: The 9,000rpm twin-cam head for Nissan‘s L-series motor costing somewhere in the realm of $30,000 and harder to find than Yeti dandruff (only 11 were built). Last year we saw a new version, the … Continue reading
CATALOGUER: Hondas from around the world, circa 1983
Starting in 1979 Honda held yearly photography competitions among its distributors from around the world. Most appear to be brochure images localized to the many corners of the atlas where Hondas were sold. The best pictures were assembled in a … Continue reading
QotW: Which JNC will get you the most dates?
For most of their existence Japanese cars have been seen as economical, practical and reliable. Those may be great qualities, but they won’t necessarily improve your love life. Which JNC will get you the most dates? The Toyota 2000GT may … Continue reading
GALLERIES: Nissan Yokohama Headquarters Showroom
In the 80 years Nissan’s been around, its flagship showrooms have moved several times. The first truly glamorous location was at the 4-chome intersection in the heart of Ginza, sharing real estate during the booming 1960s with some of Japan’s oldest … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Perhaps the greatest Mazda collectibles of all time
There are rare collectibles and there are rare collectibles. What you see here are perhaps the greatest pieces of memorabilia a Mazdafarian could ever want. You know the story of the Mazda 787B. Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans … Continue reading
NEWS: Toyota applies for Supra trademark
Toyota has applied to the US Patent And Trademark Office to secure the name Supra, according to our friends at The Motor Report. With this, plus the recent reports seemingly confirming that the FT-1 concept concept will be developed into the next Toyota flagship, … Continue reading
QotW: Which JNC had the greatest interior?
Interiors. They just don’t make ’em like they used to. Do you want to sit in the infinite blackness of an East German coal mine or the tan aftermath of a khaki explosion at the Dockers factory? Back in the … Continue reading
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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Prototype Honda CB750 for $148,000
The Honda CB750 was earth-shattering when it debuted in 1969 that a new word had to be coined to describe it. And lo, the superbike was born. Soichiro Honda rocked the world with his large-displacement, transverse-mounted SOHC four-cylinder, unheard of in … Continue reading
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NEWS: Mazda Celebrates 25 Years of the MX-5
Mazda knew when they unveiled the Miata at the 1989 Chicago Auto Show that they had built a true driver’s car, one whose stated purpose was to create joy. That was 25 years ago today. What they couldn’t have known … Continue reading
NEWS: Toyota Supra and sub-Scion FR-S sports car confirmed
It’s back, baby! Reports out of Australia say that the show-stopping Toyota FT-1 concept unveiled last month at the Detroit Auto Show has been confirmed for production as the next Supra. Even better, it’ll be in the first of an … Continue reading
