Author Archives: Ben Hsu
QotW: What’s the most beautiful OEM color?
The world of nostalgics is filled with bold colors, perfectly paired two-tones and the whitest whites this side of heaven. Go to any gathering of vintage Japanese cars and it’s a feast for your retinas, a refreshing break from the … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2012 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, Part 04: Vans
All hail the one-box! Our final installment of the 2012 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals is going to be van-tastic! After all, the SCN is a festival of Amesha Kulture, and what’s more American than vannin’?
2012 Japanese Classic Car Show registration now open
The year’s most anticipated gathering of nostalgics will soon be upon us. The 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show falls on September 15 this year and will be held at the usual venue by the Queen Mary in sunny Long Beach, California. … Continue reading
Classic CM: “My Baby and Me” Mitsubishi Cordia ad by Randy Crawford
Mitsubishi had big plans for Tredia/Cordia twins when they debuted in 1982. The Triple Diamond Zaibatsu was ready to go mainstream with a front-wheel-drive compact, the wave of the future! Mitsu went as far as commissioning renowned album cover artist Shusei Nagaoka to … Continue reading
The last rotary has been built by Mazda
Last year Mazda said that come next June it would end production of the RX-8 and, by extension, the rotary engine. Well that day has arrived. Mazda has announced that last Friday, June 22, the final Wankel rolled off the assembly … Continue reading
Toyota Land Cruiser Museum opens at Miller Motorsports Park
This week the Toyota Land Cruiser received its own dedicated museum in Tooele, Utah. The Land Cruiser Heritage Museum currently holds 40 of the stalwart Japanese SUVs, ranging from the monstrous Mega Cruiser built for the JSDF to a 1959 FJ25, one of … Continue reading
Friday Video: Depth of Speed’s Wagon Heritage
This Friday Josh Clason‘s Depth of Speed series returns with a new video about Duane Schaffer‘s Datsun 510 Wagon and Toyota Hilux. As always, the cinematography is gorgeous and the story quite moving to the die-hard car nut. Schaffer’s garage … Continue reading
MINICARS: 2012 Hot Wheels ’87 Toyota Pickup
The latest nostalgic Hot Wheels to roll from the mad minds at Mattel is a 1987 Toyota Pickup. When it was first announced last December, we envisioned for reasons unknown a slammed minitruck, but instead it’s a lifted 4×4 that would … Continue reading
Friday Video: Depth of Speed’s Track Day & Taking the Plunge
What’s more stirring, the sight of a crimson hakosuka in motion or the heartfelt love of a car nut for his dream machine? Two new Depth of Speed videos follow the same red KGC10 Nissan Skyline, first as JDM Legends wrings it out … Continue reading
Toyota Camatte concept debuts at Tokyo Toy Show
This charming, retro-looking contraption is the Toyota Camatte, a real car that ToMoCo unveiled today at the Tokyo Toy Show. The venue may seem odd, but the concept’s goal is to spark children’s interest in cars, a noble cause if … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2012 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, Part 01: Coupes, Two-Doors & Utes
As you can guess by the name, the Street Car Nationals put on by Mooneyes each year is a festival of Amesha — American car — culture. Instead of usual Japanese fare like step-lipped SSRs and racing livery, this show is all about chromed … Continue reading
Wednesday Wall: 100 vintage Honda motorcycle wallpapers for your desktop
Honda Japan has given us some beautiful digital artwork for our computer desktops over the years, but mostly of the four-wheeled variety. Well motorcycle fans, your prayers have been answered. In a series called Motorcycle Graffiti, Honda dishes out 100 … Continue reading
24 Hrs of LeMons: Rust-Bound Rotary Rides Again
There’s something heroic about a 40-year-old Mazda RX-2 that’s more rust than steel charging down the banked lanes of Texas World Speedway. In this case, however, one may just as easily witness a decidedly unheroic banzai-flagged Mitsubishi Cordia or sombrero-clad … Continue reading
Question of the Week: What new car would you buy today to preserve for posterity?
Inspired by Jason’s article about Project Neo86, this week’s QotW should be obvious: What car would you buy today to preserve for posterity? Kev reported that today Toyota Australia announced a starting price of $29,000 for the GT86. For comparison’s … Continue reading


