Author Archives: Ben Hsu
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
American Suzuki Motor Corp, 1985-2012
After 27 years American Suzuki Motor Corp. has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Though it will no longer be selling cars in the US, the motorcycle and ATV side of things will continue on.
QotW: What music do you listen to when driving your nostalgic?
We all know the correct answer is “the engine,” but sometimes you need to rock out to some tunes to fully capture that nostalgic feel. What music do you listen to when driving your nostalgic? With songs their bosozoku-inspired costumes … Continue reading
Posted in nissan, Question of the Week, toyota
Tagged 2000gt, kishidan, nissan, QotW, Question of the Week, skyline, toyota
27 Comments
Reminder: Less than a month to go for Classic Japan 2012
Just a friendly reminder that there’s less than a month to go before the Classic Japan show of 2012 kicks off! The Melbourne, Australia event will showcase over 200 classic Japanese cars and over 50 motorcycles on the lawn at Como … Continue reading
Mazda RX-7 reportedly returning in 2017
2017 will be an important year for Mazda‘s rotary engine, as it will mark 50 years since the revolutionary motor’s debut in the 1967 Cosmo Sport. However, our mates at Australia’s aptly named The Motor Report are, well, reporting that 2017 is … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2012 ZCon
In the automotive kingdom there exists only a handful of models that can inspire a car show at the national level. We’re not talking about marques here; we mean a single model so iconic and beloved that its devotees have formed … Continue reading
Posted in events, nissan
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, 280zx, 300zx, black gold, black pearl, datsun, fairlady z, nissan, s130, s30, safari rally, shiro, z31, z32, zcca, zcon, zzzap
7 Comments
QotW: What car would you drive across Japan?
From Hokkaido to Kagoshima, Japan has some of the coolest highways and mountain passes known to man. We live vicariously through Skorj’s Grand Touring stories, in which he travels across Japan looking for nostalgic cars “in the wild.” Though he owns a Honda … Continue reading
Posted in minicars, Question of the Week
Tagged ae86, corolla, hachiroku, levin, QotW, Question of the Week, sprinter, te27, toyota, trueno
44 Comments
Friday Video: Jay Leno drives Toyota’s 1936 Toyoda AA
What’s it like to drive the first Toyota ever built? Jay Leno answers that question. Leno’s been on a whirlwind tour of Japan. First he stopped by the Nissan design center to drop hints about the 2014 Fairlady Z and take a … Continue reading
