Author Archives: Ben Hsu
ART CORNER: Announcing the JNC Ken & Mary Art Contest winners
This year we held our first ever JNC Art Contest. The theme, “Ken and Mary,” was inspired by the 40th anniversary of the C110 Skyline, and we asked our (extremely talented) readers to submit kenmeri related artwork. Here are the … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner, nissan
Tagged Art Corner, c110, Ken & Mary Art Contest, kenmeri, kgc110, kpgc110, nissan, skyline
13 Comments
Merry Christmas from JNC!
And now for your holiday viewing pleasure, a GX71 Mark II driver performing a heartwarming rendition of Jingle Bells with nothing but his exhaust. Merry Christmas from all of us at JNC!
VIDEO: “Napa Valley Roadsters” by Petrolicious
Hot on the heels of San Francisco Skyline, it’s It’s time for yet another beautifully shot video from Petrolicious. This time, the crew heads north into wine country for Napa Valley Roadsters, a look at two more Nissans, but this … Continue reading
Posted in nissan, Video
Tagged 1600 sports, 2000 sports, datsun, fairlady, fairlady roadster, nissan, Petrolicious
11 Comments
QotW: What do you want from Japanese Santa Claus?
Well it’s that time of year again, when we gather with our loved ones, reflect on the last 12 months, perhaps drink some hot cocoa, and tear into colorfully wrapped boxes like feral dogs on a holiday ham. And if … Continue reading
Posted in mazda, Question of the Week, toyota
Tagged 2000gt, 323, demio, mazda, mazda 2, mf10, protege, QotW, Question of the Week, toyota
45 Comments
POP QUIZ: What kind of car is this?
Obviously this isn’t really a Nissan Fairlady Z. What is it? Put your best guess in the comments below and we’ll have to use the no-googling honor system here. Find out on Sunday! UPDATE:
Posted in nissan, suzuki
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, cappuccino, datsun, fairlady z, nissan, s30, suzuki
44 Comments
VIDEO: The Birth of the Skyline Legend
Yesterday we wrote about the watershed events that put Datsun on the motorsports map in the USA (and by extension, the western world). Here’s how it began in Japan. We’ve written about the Prince Skyline GT-B‘s historic battle against the race-bred … Continue reading
Posted in motorsports, nissan, Prince
Tagged 1964 Japan grand prix, datsun, japan grand prix, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, nissan, porsche 904, prince, s54, shinichiro sakurai, skyline, skyline gt-b, suzuka, Tetsu Ikuzawa, Yoshikazu Sunako
14 Comments
BOOKS: The Stainless Steel Carrot, An Auto Racing Odyssey — Revisited
John Morton has lived a life most of us can only dream of. The legendary driver has had a storied career piloting everything from Shelby Cobras to Porsche Le Mans Prototypes. Of course, the reason Nissan nuts line up for … Continue reading
Posted in mazda, motorsports, nissan
Tagged 240z, 260, 280z, 510, bluebird, bre, brock racing enterprises, datsun, fairlady z, john morton, mazda, nissan, Pete Brock, rx-7, s30, savanna, scca, Sylvia Wilkinson, The Stainless Steel Carrot, trans-am
16 Comments
QotW: What modern car provides the most JNC driving experience?
Classics are great but sometimes you have no choice but to drive a new(ish) car. What that happens, we’d still like something that at least feels like a Japanese nostalgic car. What modern car provides the most JNC driving experience? … Continue reading
Posted in mazda, Question of the Week, suzuki
Tagged escudo, mazda, mazda roadster, miata, mx-5, pikes peak, suzuki
47 Comments
VIDEO: “San Francisco Skyline” by Petrolicious
You may recognize Ivan Jarmillo as one of the co-founders of the Bayline Gathering car show in San Francisco. As it happens, Ivan’s also the proud owner of two coveted classic Skylines, a white hakosuka and a silver kenmeri. In this video … Continue reading
Posted in nissan
Tagged c10, c110, datsun, Hakosuka, Ivan Jarmillo, kenmeri, kgc10, kgc110, kpgc10, kpgc110, nissan, Petrolicious, skyline
13 Comments
QotW: What’s the greatest Suzuki of all time?
We’re still depressed about the departure of Suzuki autos from the US. JNCers have already chimed in on what the company should have done differently, so perhaps before we can move on to Kubler Ross: 5th Stage!, we need to … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week, suzuki, toyota
Tagged aw11, mr2, QotW, Question of the Week, suzuki, toyota
21 Comments
FRIDAY VIDEO: Toyota Cresta and Nissan Bluebird double team Jackie Chan’s Mitsubishi Galant Sigma
When Hong Kong triads cold kidnap you from a moving car, a Mitsubishi Galant Sigma with Jackie Chan behind the wheel might be your only hope. That is, unless your abductors have armed themselves with the best of Japan’s luxo-box sedans, … Continue reading
Posted in Friday Video, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota, Video Games
Tagged 910, bluebird, cressida, cresta, Crime Story, datsun, Friday Video, galant sigma, jackie chan, maxima, mitsubishi, mx61, mx62, nissan, toyota, wagon, x60
1 Comment
HISTORY LESSON: Datsun’s Own Rotary Engine, the 1972 Sunny RE
Today’s article comes from our friends at RotaryNews. They dug up and compiled this interesting but brief history of a rotary engine built by a Japanese automaker other than Mazda. Enjoy and please “like” them on Facebook. —Ben Nissan‘s interest … Continue reading
Posted in History Lesson, mazda, nissan
Tagged 200sx, b110, datsun, datsun 1200, History Lesson, mazda, nissan, rotary engine, s110, silvia, sunny, wankel
9 Comments
Wednesday Wall: Mazda watercolors by Miki Nakajima
The Mazda Japan Facebook page has been posting a series of beautiful watercolor paintings by Mazda designer Miki Nakajima. Subjects range from the 1950 Mazda PB-type three-wheeler to the 1970 RX-500 concept to modern favorites like the MX-5. See the … Continue reading
Happy Doukoho Eve: Detonation! Violent Riders trailer
In honor of Doukoho Eve here’s your early Friday Video, the trailer for 1975’s Detonation! Violent Riders. Teruo Ishii’s bosozoku exploitation film arrived just as media frenzy surrounding Japan’s motorcycle gangs reached fever pitch. The plot follow two rival gangs vying for supremacy … Continue reading
Posted in bosozoku, Video Games
Tagged Bakuhatsu! Bosozoku, bosozoku, Detonation! Violent Riders, doukoho, zokusha
4 Comments
FRIDAY VIDEO: Kei Miura, TRA Kyoto, and the Rocket Bunny FR-S
At this point cave dwellers and castaways may be the only people on Earth who haven’t had their senses assaulted by Rocket Bunny‘s insanely wide-bodied Scion FR-Ss. However, it’s Kei Miura, Osaka Kanjo racer, ex-bosozoku and shacho at TRA Kyoto that’s the man … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 25,000-mile 1974 Mazda RX-4
Here’s another garage gem for east coasters JNCers. A seller near Philadelphia is unloading a 25,000-mile 1974 Mazda RX-4, and it’s a beaut. We’ve long contended that the pre-facelift big Luce coupe was one of the sexiest cars from its … Continue reading
FRIDAY VIDEO: Initial D Fifth Stage, Episode 01 – Encounter of Destiny
Admit it, you’ve been waiting for this, ever since Fifth Stage rumors surfaced months ago. There’s no shame in being a fan of Initial D. After all, it features some of our favorite cars drifting through the mountains of Japan, and it can’t … Continue reading
Posted in Friday Video, mazda, toyota
Tagged ae86, corolla, Fifth Stage, Initial D, levin, mazda, miata, mx-5, nb, rx-7, sprinter, Takumi Fujiwara, trueno
18 Comments
GRAND TOURING: Sailing through the desert in an Infiniti QX56
Lawrence of Arabia. The Road Warrior. Return of the Jedi. These journeys into the desert and the hazards that befall their heros were fully seared into our minds as we traveled from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Arizona for the 25th … Continue reading
Posted in Grand Touring
Tagged 240z, bob bondurant, datsun, fairlady, fairlady roadster, infiniti, L320, nissan, qx, qx56
12 Comments
