Author Archives: Ben Hsu

Harry Bradley sketches Toyota Soarer, Isuzu Piazza, and Nissan Leopard

Remember the post about car designer Harry Bentley Bradley’s, uh, eccentric Infiniti J30? While Bradley was mainly known for designing hot rod and custom American cars and many early Hot Wheels castings, he also worked for a number of car … Continue reading

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Happy 4×4 Day from JNC

Today is 4×4 Day (April 4, or 4/4), and incidentally it was reported that the Toyota Land Cruiser J70 was returning to the Japanese market as a 3-Number class vehicle. These numbers, the smaller digits on top of Japanese license … Continue reading

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QotW: What are your hobbies?

Today is Hobby Day in Japan, a pun made from combining the numbers shi (4) and yumi (3) to make shumi (“hobby” in Japanese). Of course, one could argue that cars themselves are a hobby, but we’ve found that those … Continue reading

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Mazda CX-90, the first straight-six RWD machine from Hiroshima, is a superb driver

There isn’t a single new car on the market we’ve been more curious about than the Mazda CX-90. Normally we wouldn’t think twice about a heavy three-row SUV, but the CX-90 marks the long-awaited arrival of Mazda’s rear-wheel-drive, inline-six platform … Continue reading

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Toyota Celica revival is the “life’s dream” of new president Koji Sato

By this time tomorrow Akio Toyoda’s reign as President of Toyota Motor Corp will be over. He’s stepping aside and his protégé Koji Sato is taking over. Toyoda will be missed. When he took the helm the sportiest thing in … Continue reading

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Hot Wheels designer Harry Bradley’s “shark fin” Infiniti J30 is now for sale

The 1990s was a weird time. Although countless young enthusiasts were customizing Japanese cars already, they operated outside the purview of mainstream publications, seen as a fad that would quickly fade. And what kind of Japanese customs did the car … Continue reading

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Nissan is converting a Skyline GT-R into an R32 EV

Nissan has launched a teaser for an electric Skyline GT-R. No, it’s not speculation for an R36, but a classic R32 GT-R that will be converted to an EV. So far there’s very little about the project, which is commencing … Continue reading

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QotW: What JNC will never die?

We were as surprised as anyone to learn that the Toyota Camry was ending its 43-year run in Japan. It’s popular enough to live on in some form in places like the US even if it will no longer be … Continue reading

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The V10 Toyota Camry debuted 41 years ago today

The Camry we consider to the be the first-generation of Toyota’s hugely successful family sedan debuted in Japan 41 years ago today, on March 24, 1982. It almost seems like poetically tragic, seeing as how it came out yesterday that … Continue reading

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Toyota will end Camry sales in Japan after 43 years

The name Camry is almost synonymous with Toyota. It would be unthinkable for Toyota to kill its bread-and-butter model off in the US, but that’s exactly what’s happening in Japan. Today, Toyota notified its Japanese dealers that Camry production would … Continue reading

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A toy car helped Nissan reclaim the Skyline trademark from Ford

Two years ago Ford filed a trademark application for the name “Skyline” with the US patent office and was granted those rights. As one of Nissan’s most valuable properties, the makers of the GT-R weren’t about to let Skyline get … Continue reading

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QotW: What aspect of car life makes you happy?

Happy International Day of Happiness, the day created to recognize happiness as a fundamental human goal. As enthusiasts we derive joy from many aspects of car ownership. It could be a drive on your favorite road, the satisfaction of working … Continue reading

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The digital cars of Chris Labrooy are still fanciful fun

You might have noticed photos of some weird swan car built out of a Porsche 996 circulating on social media this week. Porsche is currently showing the art car in their display at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, … Continue reading

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A Subaru 360 joins the super detailed subscription model club

The 1/8 scale subscription models are among the most expensive and time consuming kits available in Japan. It takes serious commitment to complete them, and because of their complexity only a couple get produced per year. Only the most revered … Continue reading

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50th Anniversary Edition Nissan 300ZX does burnouts in Larry June’s “89 Earthquake” video

I have no idea who Larry June or The Alchemist are because I’m old. What I do know is that in their new video that just dropped this week for the song “89 Earthquake” there’s a Z31 Nissan 300ZX ripping … Continue reading

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Does the Nissan 350Z deserve its bad rap?

Expectations were high when the Z was making a comeback after a seven-year hiatus from the US market, particularly when the Nissan 350Z’s design and marketing invited direct comparisons to the game-changing Datsun 240Z. At the same time, it was … Continue reading

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Eriko Sanmiya retired from Olympic speed skating to race cars

Eriko Sanmiya is known in the English-speaking world almost exclusively as a speed skater. She competed in two Olympic Games and even broke the domestic record in the 1000m and placed second in the World Sprint Speed ​​Skating Championships. Clearly … Continue reading

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Please help find this stolen Honda Beat

Friend of JNC and past contributor Darren Brooke unfortunately had his Honda Beat stolen on March 3. It’s bright yellow, has a Washington license plate of BWG3102, and is quite unique in that it has a hardtop. It was taken … Continue reading

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Mini-trucks preserved as works of art at the Grand National Roadster Show

The Grand National Roadster Show is among the most prestigious car shows in the world. It’s also for a long time been a bastion of American car culture, a celebration of everything from hot rods to lead sleds to lowriders … Continue reading

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Isuzu Motors at the Yokohama Expo of 1989: upside-down cars and floating buses

During the Bubble Era, with Japan’s economy flush with cash, a number of regional expos sprang up around the country. Akin to miniature world’s fairs, they showcased local culture and industry thanks to corporate sponsors bursting with coin. One such … Continue reading

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