Author Archives: Ben Hsu
Mazda developing dual-rotor engine as partners Subaru and Toyota commit to boxers and inline-fours
This week Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda jointly announced that they were teaming up to develop Japan’s next generation of combustion engines. Each company would specialize in the iconic engines that built their brands while striving toward carbon neutrality. Toyota would … Continue reading
Posted in News
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Reebok Skyline GT-R wins 1991’s Japan Touring Car Championship
Nissan has released a video of the 1991 All-Japan Touringcar Championships, the sophomore year of the R32 Skyline GT-Rs domination. The R32 had proven itself as a force to be reckoned with the previous year, so there were no less … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged Anders Olofsson, JTC, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, masahiro hasemi, nissan, r32, skyline, Toshio Suzuki
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QotW: If you could only drive cars from one year for the rest of your life, which would it be?
We’ve asked before what you’d select if you could only drive cars from a single marque. But instead of limiting the options to one brand, what it if it was one year? You can own and drive as many different … Continue reading
QotW: What dead nameplate should be revived as an electric car?
Today, May 20, is Electric Car Day in Japan. It was named so in 2009 after battery company Yuasa restored a century-old electric car. As we hurtle toward the EV era automakers seem to have settled on two main naming … Continue reading
Special Rescue Command Solbrain’s Sol Gallop — Guess the Tokusatsu Car!
From January 20, 1991 to January 26, 1992, kids could tune into the TV Asahi network Sunday mornings to watch the adventures of Special Rescue Command Solbrain. It’s about an elite police force that dons armored suits to fight crime … Continue reading
Automotive bearing manufacturing is a mesmerizing process
JTEKT is one of the three largest bearing suppliers in Japan, along with NSK and NTN. The original company dates back to 1935 when it was called Koyo Seiko, and some may remember the blue Koyo logo on bearings packages. … Continue reading
‘Return of Abunai Deka’ trailer promises car chases, gunfights, and the F31 Nissan Leopard
The dangerous detectives are back for a new movie to debut soon in Japan. Toei Studios has revealed a trailer for Return of Abunai Deka, the eight theatrical release in the series, which doesn’t include the original TV series that … Continue reading
Posted in Film/TV
Tagged abunai deka, f31, hiroshi tachi, leopard, mark x, nissan, toyota, Yuji Oshita
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Castrol Toyota liveried Mustang wins NASCAR’s Goodyear 500 in Darlington
Dude, is this a Soopra? No, it’s a NASCAR Mustang running the same livery that adorned the Castrol TOM’s Supra in JGTC, and Toyota’s Celica GT-Fours in WRC before that. And as it happens, driver Brad Keselowski won the weekend … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
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Toyotafest 2024 — Get an exclusive coupon code for a discount on admission
The 2024 All-Toyotafest will be here shortly, and we have a lot of announcements to make. First, JNC is partnering with the organizers of Toyotafest, TORC, the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club, to offer a coupon code for all attendees. … Continue reading
Toyota S-FR sportster reportedly under development
What is going on at Toyota? Not so long ago, they were called the most boring car company in the industry. Now they have one of the most exciting lineups around, with one AWD hot hatch and two rear-wheel-drive sports … Continue reading
Nissan Z celebrating 55th anniversary with special edition, report says
There’s a rumor that Nissan is preparing to launch a 55th anniversary edition of the Nissan Z later this year. Prototypes of the car have reportedly been brought stateside already, and dealer allocations will depend on how many Zs that … Continue reading
Posted in News
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QotW: What’s your favorite Showa Era car?
Today, April 29, is Showa Day, one of Japan’s national holidays. It’s considered a time to reflect on the Showa Era, which lasted from December 25, 1926 to January 7, 1989. But when you say Showa Era to the average … Continue reading
Even Mercedes-Benz is getting their classics from Japan
It’s been an unintentionally German week here on JNC. Many respondents, rightly so, said that Porsche had the best automaker heritage collection in the world. Then there was news that German supplier Bosch was launching a series of classic car … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the greenest car you’ve ever owned?
Happy Earth Day! We at JNC don’t see a love for cars as being in conflict with care for the planet. We’re all about preservation, whether it’s classic cars or mountain gorillas or clean rivers. We love our Land Cruisers … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
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Baby Toyota Land Cruiser rumored to arrive next year
Since last fall there have been rumblings of a baby Land Cruiser joining the Toyota lineup, a vehicle said to be called a “Jimny killer” internally. A new report out of Japan suggests that, whatever it’s called, the public could … Continue reading
QotW: Which carmaker takes the best care of its heritage?
The recent revelation that the Toyota USA Museum was crushing two of its cars was gut-wrenching for enthusiasts. Every carmaker struggles with the conflicting forces of keeping their heritage alive and having to juggle constraints of cost or space or … Continue reading
