Author Archives: Ben Hsu
EARTH DAY: Toyota Sports 800 Hybrid
Although hybrids may still seem like new-fangled technology, they’ve been around the block. And we’re not just talking about how the Prius, which debuted in 1997, is already over a decade old. No, let’s go back 31 years to when … Continue reading
Big Datsun Weekend Coming Up
A quick reminder: there are not one but two Datsun events coming up this weekend for you lucky folks in SoCal. First, there’s Motorsport Auto’s Z Car West Coast Nationals in Irvine, CA which is an all-weekend gala from Friday, … Continue reading
Superdeformed Contest Winners
And the winners of our Superdeformed Contest are… (drum roll, please): Larry W., Palm City, Florida Yi-Joe K., Kaneohe, Hawaii Gilles G., Montreal, Quebec Peter G., Yukon, Oklahoma Cory W., Modesto, California Bob J., Troy, Michigan Thanks for playing, everyone. … Continue reading
Posted in jnc
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SevenStock XI Dates Announced
We know this is a long way off, but put it in your planner, folks. We just got word from a source at Mazda that SevenStock, the annual celebration of all things rotary now in its 11th year, will be … Continue reading
Posted in events, mazda
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CA Proposal Threatening Pre-1976 Cars Denied
YES, we’ve got some great news! Last month we told you about a proposed California bill that would have made it mandatory in certain parts of the state to continue emissions testing on pre-1976 cars for the life of the … Continue reading
BRE 510 Does 0-600% in One eBay Sale
A while back, this Datsun 510 sold on eBay for $13,000, a steep price for what appeared to be a BRE-themed Datsun 510 replica. Only, it wasn’t a replica. According to the seller, it’s a one-of-a-kind prototype for a Datsun … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, for sale, nissan, racing
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1981 Isuzu I-Mark Diesel on Ebay
We don’t often have a lot of Isuzu news here, but the least-loved Japanese marque had some nice designs before completely falling out of the passenger car market altogether. The I-Mark was one of the first cars in the US … Continue reading
Posted in for sale, isuzu
13 Comments
Motoring J Style to Honor BRE Reunion
This recent article on Winding Road is a good read on the background of Martin Swig, a well-known California car collector. What it doesn’t mention though, is that Swig, along with his son David, in 2007 founded Motoring J Style, … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, events, nissan, racing
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NHK Top Sales, Nostalgic Rival to BBC Top Gear
Forget Knight Rider, forget Speed Racer, forget Seibu Keisatsu. This could quite possibly be the best show ever to hit the airwaves, and it’s a soap opera. NHK is launching a new drama series called Top Sales, about a car … Continue reading
Posted in japan, Video Games
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Land Cruisers You Can Wear
Someone over at this T-shirt site must love Land Cruisers because they have at least 3 shirts dedicated to the old Toyota workhorse. Our favorite one is this one pictured, even though we’re not really sure what it says. The … Continue reading
Posted in nostalgic gear, toyota, trucks
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Random House III: M Yokota Collection
You may remember the M. Yokota Collection, which has been mentioned on our blog before. Essentially, a super rich old dude built a museum around a massive collection of his diverse interests, one of which happens to be old Japanese … Continue reading
JNC Superdeformed Launch Contest
To celebrate our recent magazine launch, we’re giving away a few little trinkets that we picked up from our trip to Japan. Nothing special, just a few super deformed pullback cars that fly across your kitchen floor like a startled … Continue reading
Posted in jnc, minicar
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Jimny Cricket! Suzuki LJ20 on Ebay
In these days of skyrocketing gas prices where you have to take out a mortgage just to fill up your Escalade, how about a 4×4 with two-speed transfer case that gets 50mpg? If you don’t mind putting up with a … Continue reading
Posted in for sale, suzuki, trucks
5 Comments
Datsun 510 Futures Looking Bullish
First it appeared on album covers, now there’s a casting call from Hollywood. Is the Datsun 510 the next big thing? It seems that whenever a classic Japanese car is called for, the 510 is becoming quite the sizzling ticket. … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, nissan, Video Games
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JNC Magazine Shipping Now
We’re posting this random photo of a vintage Japanese mail truck based on the Honda Step Van because JNC magazine has finished printing and will be mailed out tomorrow! They’re coming straight from the printer so we haven’t even seen … Continue reading
Posted in jnc
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Mazda Rotary Endurance Racers, Then and Now
In 1968, Mazda took the world’s first ever rotary-powered race car, its brand new Cosmo Sports, racing at one of Europe’s toughest enduros, the Marathon de la Route 84 Hours at Germany’s Nürburgring. It finished fourth, behind a pair of … Continue reading
Posted in mazda, racing
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Hot Rod Datsun
We’ve seen Toyota and Mazda-powered hot rods, but here’s a totally bitchin’ speedster pushing Datsun power. A 260Z inline 6 to be exact, and it’s even made to resemble a Miller/Offy from back in the day. Blasphemy to some, perhaps, … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, Spotlight
4 Comments
Rotaries Are Blinding Us with Science
On April 27th, the National Science Museum in Japan will be holding a special exhibition celebrating 40 years of Mazda’s rotary engine. The exhibit, called “Showa Rotary Engine Vehicles,” will look at the history and future of rotary engines. The … Continue reading
Posted in japan, mazda
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Ice Cold Sapporos
It’s hard to believe that in all the talk about Sapporos in our forums, no one has ever mentioned this site, msapporo.com, where you can find entire brochures and owners manuals scanned, posted and categorized for your viewing pleasure. Fans … Continue reading
Posted in catalogs, mitsubishi
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