Author Archives: Ben Hsu
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
EVENTS: 2013 Nostalgic2Days, Part 03
We begin Part 03 of our Nostalgic2Days coverage with four generations of beautiful ‘Ladies. There’s the Wangan wedge Z31, disco club S130, world beating S30, and the pre-Z roadster spanning two decades of sporting Nissans.
Posted in events, mazda, nissan, toyota
Tagged 110s, 240z, 240zg, 252i, 260z, 280z, c10, c110, c210, calsonic, cedric, cedric 130, cosmo sport, datsun, fairlady z, Garage Star Field, Hakosuka, kenmeri, kgc10, kgc110, kp61, kpgc10, kpgc110, mazda, mooneyes, nissan, panasport, prince, publica, r32, r381, Red Megaphone, rx-7, s130, s30, s54, savanna, skyline, skyline gt-b, star road, starlet, toyota, Victory 50, z31
9 Comments
QotW: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to get the JNC (or part) of your dreams?
We’ve met a lot of crazy JNC owners over the years and heard even crazier stories. From buying a one-way ticket from LA to Philly in order to drive back with a set of Celica smiley bumpers, to putt-putting a … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2013 Nostalgic2Days, Part 02
Welcome back to JNC‘s Nostalgic2Days coverage, from the Pacifico Yokohama convention center. The building itself might be located in the city’s Minato Mirai 21, or “Future Port of the 21st Century” district, but the cars are all from back in … Continue reading
Posted in events, nissan, suzuki, toyota
Tagged 240k, 240z, 260z, 280z, a60, b120, Biko Works, bosozoku, c10, c110, celica, crown, ct50, datsun, dax, dr30, fairlady z, Hakosuka, honda, kaido, kenmeri, kgc10, kgc110, kpgc10, kpgc110, mighty boy, mooneyes, ms51, nissan, nos2days, nostalgic hero, Nostalgic2Days, os giken, r30, ra25, revive jalopy, RS Start, rs watanabe, rs56, s30, s50, sanitora, skyline, sunny truck, supra, suzuki, tekamen, toyota, watanabe, Work CR-01, z432, z432-R
22 Comments
We drive the new Toyota Pro/Celebrity TRD Scion FR-S, despite being neither Pro nor Celebrity
Since 1977, Toyota has been putting celebrities with varying degrees of track experience into race-prepped cars and unleashing them onto the streets of Long Beach. The carnage that unfolds is, thankfully, limited primarily to the sheetmetal of two dozen freshly … Continue reading
Posted in motorsports, toyota
Tagged fr-s, gt 86, long beach grand prix, scion, toyota, toyota 86, Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race
8 Comments
PRODUCT GUIDE: Koyorad Datsun 510 Radiator
While we’re on the topic of mods for your classic car, cooling is an important part of keeping your nostalgic in tip-top running order. Stock radiators in older cars were usually pretty flimsy to begin with, and after years of … Continue reading
