Author Archives: Ben Hsu
JNC GEAR: Made in the 80s
JNC‘s 25-years-or-older rule has put the nostalgic cutoff at 1988. It’s time we embraced the 80s. This year, our annual Toyotafest shirt debut will be a tribute to the boxy designs of the techno-funk decade, the Turbo Era, the Bubble … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Million Dollar Baby: 1967 Toyota 2000GT
A couple of weeks ago John wrote about a 1967 Toyota 2000GT that had come up for auction with an expected fetch of $650,000 to $850,000. We rarely do a followup on Kidney Cars but this one bears mentioning. This … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Toyota 4A-GE made of Legos
In retrospect it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to build an 80s Toyota out of Legos; they’re all pretty darn boxy. But an iconic 80s Toyota engine? Well, a Lego artiste by the name of Solde has created a plastic … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the greatest Japanese Nostalgic Motorcycle?
We talk a lot about cars here, but really, the most Japanese form of transportation is the motorcycle. From pimped scooters to crotch rockets the variety and performance spectrum of Nihon’s bikes is just as great as that of their … Continue reading
Posted in honda, Question of the Week
Tagged civic, cvcc, honda, QotW, Question of the Week, sb1
23 Comments
QotW: What’s the most environmentally friendly JNC?
Today is Earth Day, and JNCs have always been at the forefront of environmentally friendly motoring. If it wasn’t for the Oil Crisis of 1973, JNCs may not have even entered the mainstream automotive world. From kei cars to hybrids … Continue reading
Posted in honda, Question of the Week
Tagged crx, fj40, honda, land cruiser, QotW, Question of the Week, toyota
18 Comments
MOTORSPORT: Mazda is the official car of the SCCA
Mazda often boasts that on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on racetracks than any other marque. As such, it was already the de facto car of the SCCA, but now it’s officially official. Mazda is the car of the Sports … Continue reading
Posted in mazda, motorsport
Tagged 787, demio, fb, fd, grand-am, imsa, mazda, mazda 2, mazda 6, miata, motorsport, mx-5, mx-6, rx-7, sa22, scca, yojiro terada
13 Comments
EVENTS: Formula D Round One / AE86 Nights, Part 02
In Part 01 of our coverage from last weekend’s SoCal car scene we watched the opening round of the 2013 Formula D season. After the smoke settled in Long Beach everyone booked it across the southland to El Monte for some grassroots … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the best Japanese nostalgic SUV?
We’ve asked you before what’s the coolest Japanese nostalgic truck, and the comments were as diverse as they were plentiful thanks to Nihon having pioneered the mini-truck segment altogether. However, Japan was also building SUVs before the term SUV even … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
Tagged fj40, land cruiser, QotW, Question of the Week, toyota
13 Comments
VIDEO: JNCs make the cut in Ron Howard’s Rush
The hottest video circulating automotive sites today is the trailer for Rush. Last year we reported that some classic Nihon cars were spotted on set, specifically, two daruma Celicas and a kujira Crown Hardtop. Moreover, the screen shot above, which … Continue reading
Posted in toyota, Video Games
Tagged celica, crown, daruma, formula 1, kujira, ms75, ron howard, rush, s60, ta22, toyota
12 Comments
QotW: What’s the worst thing about loving JNCs?
Aside from the occasional hater, most of you are here because you love Japanese nostalgic cars. But as we all know, what you love most can also hurt you the most. What’s the worst thing about loving JNCs? Being passionate … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, datsun, fairlady z, nissan, QotW, Question of the Week, s30
38 Comments
VIDEO: MotorFix’s V8-powered Corolla by XCar
If you’ve ever seen a ratty E70 Corolla mid-drift, chances are MotorFix was involved. The Gifu Prefecture shop is well known for its thoroughly modified but completely rat rodded fourth-gen Corollas. Remember, these are supsensionally identical to the AE86, and the … Continue reading
VIDEO: Nissan restores the 1947 Tama electric car
The Nissan Leaf might be making waves as the automaker’s all-electric car of the moment, but it wasn’t its first. Way back in 1947 the Tama E4S-47-1 was produced to serve a gasoline-starved post-war Japan. In a new video, Nissan restoration … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the best way to introduce someone to the world of JNCs?
There’s a certain segment of self-proclaimed car nuts convinced that latest equals greatest. Of course, JNCers know that they’re wrong. Dubs aren’t better than a set of 14-inch vintage barrels. A powerful AWD machine isn’t better than a lightweight RWD . … Continue reading
Honda/Acura to Completely Revert to 1991 Lineup
Honda Motor Corp. has shocked the automotive world with the announcement that it will be completely reverting to its 1991 lineup. Safety and emissions equipment will be updated and prices adjusted for inflation, but everything else — including its former … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the most impressive JNC restoration job you’ve seen?
Since it’s Easter this weekend, let’s talk about resurrection. It wasn’t too long ago that Japanese cars were considered disposable and unworthy of restoration. In our opinion, that only makes you crazy JNCers even more heroic when you put your blood, … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
Tagged fb, mazda, QotW, Question of the Week, rx-7, sa22, savanna
16 Comments
Beauteous Brown Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste wows 2013 Geneva Motor Show
By dint of being held in a European country known primarily as a tax haven, the Geneva Motor Show is where the latest Paganis and limited edition Lamborghinis are unveiled to the world’s Bond villains. However, this year Mitsubishi surprised everyone … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 55,000-mile AE86 Toyota Corolla
Like the beautiful brown Datsun 510 last week, this is not that AE86, but a lesser loved 1984 Toyota Corolla SR5. Still, it’s a 55,000-mile, RWD hachiroku, probably the best preserved example in the entire country and it’s on eBay right … Continue reading
QotW: If you could have one JNC as your only car, what would it be?
We know most of you have multiple cars. Your JNC, your kiddie haulers, your daily drivers, and so on. But let’s say you could only choose one vehicle to suit all your needs, and it had to be 25 years … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 18,000-mile 1978 Datsun 510
Raise your hands, who wants a showroom condition Datsun 510? Well, no, it’s not that 510, but the A10 Stanza was a fine machine in its own right. After all, it did win Australia’s Southern Cross Rally three times in a … Continue reading
MINICARS: Transformers Masterpiece Datsun 280ZX — Bluestreak and Prowl return
Many JNC readers (and staffers) are of a certain age, one where their childhood memories are filled with golden afternoons glued to television screens to watch the epic war between Autobot and Decepticon unfold. I am of that age, and … Continue reading
Posted in minicars, nissan
Tagged 280zx, bluestreak, datsun, fairlady z, masterpiece, nissan, police, prowl, s130, transformers
13 Comments
