Author Archives: Ben Hsu
July 9 Is Collector Car Appreciation Day
There is no shortage of oddball Awareness Days celebrating everything from the bean to the penguin. But there has never been a day honoring the classic car, until now. SEMA has somehow convinced the US Senate to pass a resolution … Continue reading
EVENTS: 15th Annual All Toyotafest, Part I
Given the current state of Toyota‘s public image, the 15th Annual All Toyotafest was probably the company’s last safe haven in North America. When one gazes upon the bright colors and sparkling chrome of 35-year-old Celicas and Corollas, it’s hard … Continue reading
Friday Video: 1966 Toyota 2000GT Speed Trial
In honor of the 15th Annual Toyotafest this weekend, this week’s Friday Video is over 30 minutes devoted entirely to one defining moment in Japanese automotive history: the Toyota 2000GT‘s record breaking speed trial. 72 hours at Yatabe Test Circuit … Continue reading
JNC Limited Edition AE86 Heritage Shirt
Are you ready for Toyotafest this weekend? Since 2010 is the year the infamous 1985 Toyota Corolla GT-S officially becomes a classic, we wanted to honor it with the JNC AE86 Heritage tee, made especially for this event. Only 86 … Continue reading
Tomica 40th Anniversary Lacquer Nissan Fairlady Z432
If you thought the pure platinum Tomica Nissan Fairlady Z432 that Kev posted was a bit too outrageous at $80,000, perhaps you will find these more reasonable. Once again, the S20 powered S30 Z forms the basis for an extremely … Continue reading
BRE Nissan 370Z Revealed at the Mitty
Don’t you hate it when you get all dressed up for a party and then someone else shows up wearing the exact same livery? A couple of weeks ago Mazda revealed a tribute to the famous Datsun 240Zs of Peter Brock and John … Continue reading
Friday Video: Police vs. Datsun 810 Wagons
This one goes out to Jorge and everyone in the Goon Squad. How often do you get to see Tokyo’s Finest chasing a pair of Nissan Bluebird/Datsun 810 Wagons? Answer: not often. But it’s business as usual in Seibu Keisatsu-land, where … Continue reading
Event Horizon for the Weekend of Apr 30, 2010
If you know of or would like to publicize an event, send us a tip at the feedback address at the bottom of this page. This week: Thursday, April 29 / Santa Clara, CA: South Bay Old School Classic Import Meet … Continue reading
Nissan C110 Skyline Design Sketches
For those in love with the lines of the kenmeri Skyline, these design sketches from Car Styling gives us a peek into what could have been. Imagine the alternate universe in which one of these designs was chosen for the … Continue reading
Friday Video: Senseless Skyline Van and Mazda Luce Destruction
In this brief but heart-wrenching video, we see the tragic demise of two JNCer favorites, a VC110 Skyline Van — a kenmeri wagon in English — and a zenki Mazda Luce/RX-4/929 whose bumpers some of us would eat a live … Continue reading
Nissan Says Hey, We're Doing BRE Livery Too!
Well, well, well. It seems that Nissan is not about to let Mazda usurp the iconic BRE livery after all. Just days after the announcement of a factory-backed BRE Mazda MX-5, Nissan says they will revive the graphics on a … Continue reading
The Straight Sixes: Hakosuka, Kenmeri, Fairlady Z
Apita is a supermarket chain in Japan, and a good a place as any to meet up for a cruise. [Minkara]
Autoweek’s 40th Anniversary of the Nissan Z: In conjunction with the release of the 40th Anniversary Nissan 370Z, Autoweek is devoting much of its upcoming bi-weekly magazine to the Z-car. [Autoweek]
Friday Video: Bosozoku Crackdown!
Why are we so fascinated with the bosozoku lifestyle? Is it the outrageous rides, the demented hoonage, or the don’t-give-a-crap attitude? Here’s someone who is not fascinated: the police. In this footage from 1993, the Japanese constabulary put up an … Continue reading
Character, I Has It: MX36 Toyota Cressida Wagon
There really isn’t much to say about this MX36 Cressida, except that it is awesome. Slammed on Enkei 92s and rockin’ the original faux wood paneling, it’s loaded with character. [Kyusha Kai]
Kidney, Anyone? Rocky Auto RB20DET C130 Nissan Laurel
We like pig butts and we cannot lie. Rocky Auto has long been the purveyors of nostalgic Nissans prepped for the Modern Age. And although the focus of their bionic creations are typically S30 Zs or hakosuka with RB26 motors in … Continue reading
Gasp, Foreign Street Rod! Anyone who’s been to Toyotafest or JCCS has seen the Mooneyes Toyopet Crown V8, but once upon a time it was a cover car for Custom Rodder magazine. However, the entire article is spent defending the very … Continue reading
Wednesday Wall(s): Vintage Hondas by BOW
Kazuhiro Ikeda is one of Japan’s most well-known automotive artists. Going by his pen name BOW, he has drawn for Car, Car Graphic, Cycle World, and many others. Not only do his drawings of vintage machines look fanciful and fantastic, they … Continue reading


