Author Archives: Ben Hsu

Boyd Coddington Custom 17 & 18 Inch Celica Supra Wheels

The Toyota Celica Supra P-Type is one of the best looking OEM wheels ever made. The classic four-spoke alloy was delivered stock with the MA61 from 1982 to 1986, and although the L-Types had a 15×6 option, the wider P-Type 14×7 … Continue reading

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What a Datsun 240Z Looks Like Going 173 MPH

Remember the Datsun 240Z that recently broke the F/GT Class record at the Bonneville Salt Flats? Here’s a video on Rebello Racing of what that looks like from the cockpit. Or is that footage from a Space Shuttle launch? No, … Continue reading

Posted in motorsports, nissan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mazda Assembly Lines Through the Ages

Straight outta Hiroshima, let’s take a journey through Mazda’s assembly lines over the years. The above is a 1980 plant churning out the SA22C RX-7 Savanna by the boatload.

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Awesomeness Lurks at the Swiss Toyota Museum

It’s been a while since we checked into the Swiss Toyota Museum, but this photo from their newsletter that recently landed in our inbox makes us want to pack our bags and high-tail it to the Alps. Here is a … Continue reading

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Friday Video: Datsun 260Z Drifts Through Zandvoort, Sorta

If  anything, the Dutch rival the Japanese for television weirdness, so we’ll ignore the plot of this Bassie & Adriaan episode and cut straight to the chase. In it, a Datsun 260Z pursues a clown in a Matra Rancho. There are … Continue reading

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Gallbladder, Anyone? Citrus Green Datsun 280ZX

Would you rather have: a super low mileage gem, or an ultra rare color? Citrus Green is likely the rarest color ever to grace a Datsun 280ZX, excluding the one-off specials. It’s the color I’d have because I dig oddball hues … Continue reading

Posted in datsun, for sale, nissan | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Enkei Wheels Resurrects Enkei 92 Mesh Rim

Need some nostalgic meshies that haven’t seen one too many pothole and aren’t stricken with a classic case of curb rash? The old school revivals keep on coming with the (re-)introduction of the Enkei 92!

Posted in wheels | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Japanese Nostalgics at the 2010 Art Center Classic

The Art Center College of Design is one of the top transportation design schools in the world, and each year the Art Center Classic gathers some of the world’s best automotive forms in a show that would make Jeremy Clarkson … Continue reading

Posted in datsun, events, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Toyota Truck: Weapon of Choice

Car enthusiasts have long noticed that news footage from war-torn regions inevitably result in grainy shots of heavily armed men overflowing from the beds of Toyota pickups. Whether it’s rebels, guerillas, insurgents, counterinsurgents or, on occasion, the US Special Forces, … Continue reading

Posted in toyota, trucks | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Friday Video: How to Kill a President

Before the feds kick down our door, let’s clarify: a Nissan President. Although the hero Nissan Leopard F31 (aka Infiniti M30) never comes face to face with said President in this episode of Abunai Deka, it does chase down a … Continue reading

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Honda Fit RS Now Road Sailing in Sunset Orange

The Honda Fit has taken up the small-car slot that the Civic 1200 once held in the automaker’s US lineup. So it’s no surprise that when Honda resurrected the RS badge that first appeared on the 1974 Civic RS, they … Continue reading

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Kobayashi Tire & Wheel: Old School Japanese Garage

Kobayashi Tire & Wheel is totally old school. How old? According to its website, the tire & wheel shop was established way back in 1923! You can tell this isn’t your run-of-the-mill JDM version of Big O Tires, because they … Continue reading

Posted in datsun, honda, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

C32 Laurel

Tsurikawa, check. Shako stance, check. Two-tone, check. Work Equip 03s, check. RB20DET? Possibly. Don’t get us wrong. We’re grateful for the Cressida, but sad that Nissan never brought this rival to the Toyota luxemobile stateside. There can never be too much 80s boxiness. … Continue reading

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Friday Video: Nissan Cedric vs Matsuda

Yusaku Matsuda, to be precise. Although not a rotary-powered model, it still exhibits all the nimble handling the brand is known for. Video below the fold.

Posted in datsun, nissan, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Toyota Skyline, Anyone?

Since we mentioned the BRE Mitsubishi Evo yesterday, we might as well one of the most classic examples of minicar marque-model mismatch. Zee Toys went out of business in 1996 but in its heyday the company had, among other products, … Continue reading

Posted in datsun, honda, minicars, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

BRE Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X?

So we were browsing the diecast aisle at Target the other day when the unmistakeable red/white/blue livery of Brock Racing Enterprises caught our eye. It was slathered over a big honkin’ semi rig with a matching smaller car on the … Continue reading

Posted in datsun, minicars, mitsubishi, motorsports, nissan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Kidney, Anyone? 2500-mile 1982 Toyota Starlet

Who says the northeast doesn’t have any nostalgic treasures? The spectre of oxidization may loom large, but that just guarantees that when a specimen emerges, it’ll be a low-mileage garaged beauty. Unlike the $500 finds from SoCal whose odometers have … Continue reading

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Friday Video: Toyota Corona vs Nissan Cedric

Finally, an inter-marque rivalry between the two titans of Japanese auto manufacturing! As with last week, we are unsure which movie this chase comes from, but who cares? We’ve got a daring escape by a bank robber in a jacked … Continue reading

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Where to Get Tomica Toys in the US

We reported that Tomica was returning to the US market and debuting at the JCCS. Here are the details on where to buy them.

Posted in minicars | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Datsun 240Z Breaks Bonneville Record with 172.9 MPH Run

This salt-caked 1972 Datsun 240Z hit 172.9 miles per hour on September 17. In doing so, it broke the the F/GT class (GT = Grand Touring gas-only class, F = the engine size, which has been upgraded to 3.0L) record previously held … Continue reading

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