Author Archives: Ben Hsu
LAT Story in Detroit News
Last week the Los Angeles Times ran a story on the recent Japanese Classic Car Show and the growing interest in classic J-rides. That story has been picked up by the Detroit News, one of the two major newspapers serving … Continue reading
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Nissans in Nashville
Howdy cowboys and cowgirls, if your travels this weekend happen to take you to the country music capital of the USA, Nashville, Tennessee, be sure to mosey on down to the Lane Motor Museum‘s “Nissan Z Cars” exhibit. The cars, … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, museum, nissan
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Let's Go Sailing, Road Sailing
The new and improved Honda Fit was recently unveiled to the public in Japan, and apparently the Friends of Asimo have resurrected the RS moniker for the new hatch. You know what that means – it’s time to go “Road … Continue reading
Posted in honda
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Mazda Design Contest, Part II
A few weeks ago we told you about the Mazda Design Challenge, which allowed you – the user! – to submit a design for the Mazda 3 of 2018. Well the submissions are in, and now the top 10, as … Continue reading
Posted in concepts, mazda
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Orange Crush Celica
If you’ve seen our coverage of TORC’s All-Toyotafest or the JCCS, you’ve no doubt noticed a super-clean ’77 Celica Liftback reflecting rays of pure orange light directly into your pupils. The owner of this beautiful machine is Brian Karasawa, who … Continue reading
Mitsubishi Celeste in Drag
For the past few days, the Hot Rod Reunion has been happening over in Bakersfield, California, and Monday was the final heat for the nostalgic funny car drag races. This is a venue that usually takes to Japanese car fans … Continue reading
Posted in mitsubishi
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The Chicago Tribune on Nostalgics
Last week, both the east and west coasts chimed in with their takes on vintage Japanese cars and their increasing value as classics. Some of our readers expressed dismay at the inevitable price hike that would come with more exposure … Continue reading
The LA Times on Nostalgics
Another day, another mention of nostalgics in the press. A Los Angeles Times article published today takes a look at the increasing collector values of vintage Japanese cars. To our regulars, this is nothing new, but again, we intend to … Continue reading
Toss Some Shrimp on the Bellet
What a way to close out the week. If your Sabbath includes some nice outdoor grilling, check this out. Our forum member Brett, who goes by the handle 1600GT, has created the coolest, if not the only, Isuzu Bellet-based barbecue … Continue reading
JNC THEATER: Seibu Keisatsu, Japan’s most popular cop show
Before we were old enough to drive, two things fueled our childhood lust for the automobile: diecast cars and crime dramas. We’d patiently sit through 45 minutes of predictable plot lines and commercial breaks timed to instill maximum agony like … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, nissan, Video Games
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March Madness
Twenty-five years ago, the Nissan March debuted at the 1981 Tokyo Motor Show with the rather inauspicious name of NX.018. The car was a salvo into the hotly-contested compact hatchback segment against the Honda City and Subaru Justy. Nissan opened … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, nissan
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Honda CR-X Redux?
The wackiest showcase of concept cars on Earth, the Tokyo Motor Show, is about drop. Sure, the big gala at Makuhari Messe is a great chance for Japanese automakers to express, in automotive form, technology, sustainability or speed. But let’s … Continue reading
Posted in concepts, honda, retro
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The Gray Lady on Nostalgics
We’re always scanning mainstream media outlets for stories on vintage Japanese cars, just to see where we enthusiasts stand in the eyes of the unenlightened. Well, we’ve managed to find another one from the New York Times, a task made … Continue reading
Posted in events, jnc
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Paint It, Black
One of the things we love about vintage Japanese cars (although this tends to apply to all vintage cars) is the wild colors that adorned their sheetmetal. In contrast, everything on the road today is “champagne” or some hue between … Continue reading
How to Make a Rotary Engine
Regulars on this site will know that Mazda celebrates the 40th anniversary of its rotary engine this year. The official birthday was on May 30, marked by the when Mazda’s first pistonless car, the 1967 Cosmo Sport, went on sale … Continue reading
Posted in mazda
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Z ACTion: Fastest Honda Z600?
After seeing the carbon fiber Honda Z600 that wowed the JCCS crowd over the weekend, we wondered – out loud and to the dismay/puzzlement of other post office patrons waiting in line with us – what is the fastest Honda … Continue reading
Posted in honda, suzuki
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Yankees Datsun
We had always heard stories about how Datsun promoted the 1200 Sunny in the US by some kind of giveaway prize at New York Yankees baseball games, but we never could find the photos. Thanks to our friends at Jalopnik, … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, nissan
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Shootout at the BRE Corral
The racing world is full of legendary rivalries – Chevy vs. Ford, Porsche vs. Ferrari, even Ford vs. Ferrari, and now, Porsche vs. Datsun. In the early days of Datsun’s entry into the US market, the BRE 510s and 240Zs … Continue reading
Brian Baker in the New York Times
You may remember Brian Baker from an article we did on his Honda T500F. One of the most passionate enthusiasts we’ve had the pleasure of meeting, Brian Baker was the first person to come to mind when Richard Chang of … Continue reading
Posted in honda
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