Author Archives: Ben Hsu

Automobile realizes old Japanese cars are pretty cool after all

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Well lookee here. Automobile, long the bastion of if-it-ain’t-Euro-it’s-crap has suddenly discovered the awesomeness of classic Japanese sports cars. Are we in the bizarro world? Their March 2012 issue even manages to review four cars — Honda S800, Mazda Cosmo Sport, … Continue reading →

Posted in honda, mazda, media, nissan, toyota | 23 Comments

Wednesday Wall: Nissan Skyline 55th Anniversary Wallpapers

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Ben Hsu

For the Skyline‘s 55th birthday Nissan has released a series of wallpapers by artist Eizen Suzuki. The gorgeous illustrations depict each generation of the Japanese legend in various nostalgic settings, and a new one will be released every month of … Continue reading →

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Friday Video: Subaru commercials want your heartstrings tugged

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Ben Hsu

ToMoCo has plenty of FR heritage to capitalize on as they gear up for the Toyota 86 launch, but what about its Subaru BRZ twin? Instead of drifting XT coupes we get a  disowned son reuniting with his father over a … Continue reading →

Posted in cm, Friday Video, subaru | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

New York Times reports on vintage Japanese cars

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Ben Hsu

A few months ago Koji and Terry Yamaguchi of the JCCS, Jun Imai of Mattel and I were interviewed by a reporter from the New York Times about the growing collectibility of vintage Japanese cars.  This is the article. Nothing in … Continue reading →

Posted in media | Tagged , | 13 Comments

Wednesday Wall: Racing Toyotas from TRD

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Ben Hsu

As the Toyota 86 inches closer to its Japanese debut the Aichi mothership is releasing a slew of propaganda. The latest is a series of TRD wallpapers beautifully illustrated by Masahisa Higuchi. They depict the neo-hachiroku and its racing forebears, including the … Continue reading →

Posted in toyota, Wednesday Wall | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Wangan-Style Z31 Anniversary

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Some say we don’t post enough Z31s. Let’s rectify that right now with a hidari-handoru 1984 Nissan 300ZX 50th Anniversary Edition targa that’s returned home for modification, wangan style. That is all. [HTF]

Posted in nissan | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Hot Wheels Datsun 510 Bluebird in Metallic Gray

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Ben Hsu

The latest iteration of Hot Wheels‘ ever-popular Datsun 510 Bluebird is going to be metallic gray. It has the same graphics as the red one that came out late last year, but racier wheels. It’s still part of the “Faster … Continue reading →

Posted in minicars, nissan | Tagged , , , , , | 17 Comments

Friday Video: How not to stop a heavy duty dump truck with your Nissan Cedric

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Ben Hsu

As it turns out, ramming an 8,000-pound dump truck with your 2,800-pound Nissan Cedric Special 6 is not an effective method for slowing it down. Like always, what you need is a Sgt Daimon in his own Cedric several miles … Continue reading →

Posted in nissan, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Friday Video: Dekotora Chase!

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Ben Hsu

The 1996 film Super-Woman was not in fact about an ultra-strong female hero, but a cashier who uncovers shady dealings at a rival supermarket chain. The Japanese love of abbreviation strikes again! The movie would be altogether unremarkable except for a … Continue reading →

Posted in toyota, Video Games | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Your gallery of Superdeformed Nostalgics is here

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Ben Hsu

In case you were wondering where you could get your favorite nostalgic drawn in superdeformed anime style, your prayers have been answered. This unnamed master of Choro-Q style illustrations is a master of the form. Peep the gallery and video … Continue reading →

Posted in honda, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, prince, subaru, suzuki, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Early Japanese classics among top emerging collectibles says Hagerty

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Ben Hsu

With all the automotive madness whipped up by the Arizona auctions week, let’s take a look at how it affects the nostalgic car scene. First, collector car insurance company Hagerty issued a press release identifying three “segments represent[ing] a group … Continue reading →

Posted in honda, kei, nissan, subaru, toyota, wagons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Cedric-Corolla switcheroo pulls off 300 million yen heist

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Ben Hsu

The biggest robbery in Japanese history took place on December 10, 1968. On that day, duralumin cases with the year-end bonuses for an entire Tokyo Shibaura Electric (now Toshiba) factory was to be delivered by the Kokobunji branch of the … Continue reading →

Posted in nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Story of Ronald Reagan’s Subaru BRAT

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Here’s proof that Subies aren’t all driven by tree-hugging bleeding hearts. At least one was driven by a tax-slashing, commie-hating Reagan-style capitalist — Ronald Reagan himself. We mentioned the Gipper’s Subaru BRAT a couple of years ago, but now Benjamin Preston of Petersen’s 4Wheel … Continue reading →

Posted in subaru | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

The Story of Diane Krey, the “Mary” behind the Kenmeri Skyline

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Ben Hsu

The C10 hakosuka GT-R made “Skyline” a legend among Japanese gearheads, but the C110 kenmeri made it a household name. Its popularity was due in no small part to the now re-famous Ken & Mary television commercials that gave the fourth-gen Skyline its nickname and … Continue reading →

Posted in cm, nissan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Friday Video: Mitsubishi Colt Targa in Armor of God

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Twenty-five years ago the film Armour of God broke the following things: Hong Kong’s box office records, a tree in Yugoslavia, and, in a stunt gone awry, Jackie Chan‘s skull. Chan was rushed to the hospital to remove a fragment … Continue reading →

Posted in mitsubishi, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Animated Hondas from new “Blue Skies for our Children” ad campaign

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Honda’s new ad campaign features some animated classics and a Watchmen-like generational mirror. The only question that remains is why, when the son gets to the EG, doesn’t slam it while riding around in baseball hat cocked at a 45 … Continue reading →

Posted in cm, honda | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

JNC Project Hako and Kev’s Sexy Aussie Accent

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Listen to those sonorous vowels flow from the maw of JNC Aussie editor Kevin San as he talks to Hoon TV about his world-famous Project Hako.

Posted in Friday Video, nissan, project hako | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Scion FR-S Drifter and First 86 Program

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Toyota made two announcements today regarding the US-badged neo-hachiroku. Firstly, ToMoCo expects sales to be so piping hot that they built a website just to give the enthusiasts a chance to be one of the initial (no pun intended) 86 … Continue reading →

Posted in toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Kidney, Anyone? Frame-off Restored 1981 Toyota Hilux Trekker

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Ben Hsu

A die-hard Toyota truck nut (not to be confused with the plural) in Southern Pines, North Carolina has conducted a frame-off restoration of a 1981 Toyota Hilux Trekker. These ur-4Runners started out as a half-built Hilux pickups, which were then … Continue reading →

Posted in toyota, trucks | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Friday Video: Liberty Walk’s Boso Roots

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Ben Hsu

We first caught up with JDM tuning house Liberty Walk a couple of years ago at SEMA when we saw their catalog for the mini-hako. Sadly, it wasn’t on hand because LB was there to promote their main business of … Continue reading →

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