Author Archives: Ben Hsu
Hakosuka Nissan Skyline Reborn, in Hot Wheels Form
We have long maintained that a car’s fame is directly proportional to how many diecast models of it have been made. Ford Mustang? You can’t swing a petrified cat at Toys R Us without hitting a scale replica of the … Continue reading
Kidney, Anyone? 1970 MS55 Toyota Crown Deluxe
This might just be the cleanest, most original MS55 Toyota Crown in the United States. It was purchased new in 1970 by an elderly woman in Butte, Montana, and comes with a thorough ownership history, including the original sticker and … Continue reading
New JD Classics Race Series for 1977-1985 Cars
If the idea of a MkII Toyota Supra lining up on the starting grid opposite a Mitsubishi Starion gets your motor going, then this is the race series for you. The new Motor Racing Legends JD Classics series will pit … Continue reading
Friday Video: Far East Movement Loves Datsun 240Zs
Alright, alright, we’ll post about it! We’ve been getting emails about Far East Movement‘s Z-heavy music videos almost as frequently as the songs are played in nightclubs. So apparently this LA-based band likes Datsun 240Zs and has populated at least … Continue reading
90 Years of the Mazda Logo
In honor of Mazda‘s 90th Anniversary, Mazda Europe has issued a press release documenting the evolution of the Mazda logo. From the word “Mazda” itself to a stylized flying M, here’s nearly a century’s worth of hood emblems and the … Continue reading
A Gaijin Looks at Japanese Modding Culture
We get so used to concepts like takeyari and tsurikawa it’s easy to forget that for some, it’s a mind-blowing world. Here’s a look at AOL Translogic’s tour of Japanese modding culture.
Ready to Wangan: 1979 Mazda RX-7
Something for the Mazdafarians: an off-white Hiroshima screamer sitting on red Enkei 92s. The black A-pillars give the SA22C the illusion of a cantilever roof and adds to the overall feeling of lightness. Want. [cVon12]
Friday Video: Datsun 280Z vs. Chevy Chevelle
You are not experiencing a deja vu. This is the second consecutive week in which we’ve had a car chase involving a brown, late-model Datsun Z. This one hails from a completely different continent — ours, in fact. Robert “Mannix” … Continue reading
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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
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
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


