Author Archives: Ben Hsu
O, Canada!
As if their inexpensive health care and lack of violent crime weren’t enough, our neighbors to the north can import any car they please, as long as it’s 15 years old. Seriously, guys? Californians are still getting their exhaust holes … Continue reading
Posted in nissan, retro
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Random House, Part II
So recently we found out about the M. Yokota Collection, a museum in the village of Ikaho in Gunma Prefecture that has – in addition to a fantastic heap of nostalgics – a wine & chocolate shop, vast amounts of … Continue reading
Posted in japan, museum
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Toyota Goes Whole-Blog
In Japan, blogs are a favorite feature of automakers during new product launches or for marking significant occasions. Daihatsu recently launched one to commemorate their 100th anniversary. Nissan has been operating one since the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of … Continue reading
Posted in toyota
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Random House: Wine, Dolls, Squirrels, Cars
Rarely has more random a grouping been the theme of a single museum, but the M. Yokota Collection has all that and more. In fact, if you go by the sign in front of the building, it’s proper name is … Continue reading
Posted in japan, mitsubishi, museum
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Cars with Girl Names: Silvia
We all have that one friend who has given an affectionate pet name, usually female, to his car. Perhaps you are that one. Hollywood has no shortage of examples. Who could forget 1974’s Gone in 60 Seconds, when car thieves … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, nissan
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CLASSIC CM: Mazda RX-3 Wagon goes Hmmm
Ah, the 70s. Pogo sticks, fashionable men’s sweaters, and the Waylan Jennings-esque twang of country music synonymous with all that is automotive. For this Tuesday TV throwback from the height of Mazda’s rotary push, the crew from Hiroshima is touting … Continue reading
Posted in cm, mazda
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Datsun of Death
On June 2, 1976, from a scene straight out of the opening of Casino, journalist Don Bolles left a meeting with an informant for the Phoenix, Arizona corruption story he was investigating. He walked to his brand-new Datsun parked in … Continue reading
Pure and Simple: 510 Design Project
Nissan North America recently teamed up with Sweat Equity Enterprises, a youth entrepreneurship program, to design a low-cost urban car. Nissan received six designs from participants, with the retro, 510-esque Nissan Pure concept chosen as the winner of the competition. … Continue reading
Fasten Your Seatbelts: AE86 2-Wheel Record
He’re a peculiar public service announcement from the Danish government. Apparently, it’s a message about seat belt safety, in which an extremely skilled stunt-driver set world record for two-wheeled driving in an AE86 Corolla only to endure a dark, M. … Continue reading
Posted in cm, toyota
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Just In Time 30 Year Anniversary
Toyota celebrates many milestones this year, including their 50th year of sales in the US and their 50th year in motorsports. But perhaps the most significant one of all, not just to Toyota but the entire automotive industry, is the … Continue reading
Posted in manufacturing, toyota
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CM On: Car Commercial Database
Here’s an interesting site, the Car CM Database. There, you can see screenshots of your favorite cars, both old and new, starring in their own Japanese TV commercials. From wacky non sequiturs and nutty taglines to cameos by Western actors … Continue reading
Posted in cm
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Economies of Scale
When we were kids, we’d scuff up furniture, walls, floors, ceilings and anything else our parents valued with hundreds of little metal cars. Of course, in the US that meant Matchbox or Hot Wheels, and for a brief while, Pocket … Continue reading
Posted in minicar, minicars
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FEATURES: 1986 Toyota Cressida Wagon
New article here, about the recent trip taken to attend the Monterey Historics.
Contacted Sports
Who knows what Toyotas lurk in the hearts of barns? The Toyotageek knows! The world is big. Cars are small. You just never know what’s out there, waiting for a Nostalgia Jones to unearth it, and with a length of … Continue reading
Posted in toyota
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Random Pic Onslaught, Part 2
Heading towards Laguna Seca for the Monterey Historics, you get to share the highway with some pretty choice machinery. An aggressively-driven Aston Martin DB9 came up fast from behind, but moments later this green 510 absolutely ripped past everyone and … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, honda, nissan, toyota
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Peace Accord
Here’s a scanned photo from waaay back (as in, before the days of digital photography) from Dutch member honda-ronny at 1stgencivic.org that shows just what happens when law enforcement receives a contact high from nearby Amsterdam, or when they’re not … Continue reading
Posted in honda
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Hardy Laurel
Three chaps from the Uke bought a 1982 Nissan Laurel for a hundred pounds sterling, or just under 200 US dollars. That may not seem like breaking news, but these gents intend to drive their banger saloon from Calais, France … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, nissan
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Daihatsu 100th Anniversary Editions
Europe’s acceptance of minicars has allowed Daihatsu, Japan’s specialist of small, to thrive. Whereas they packed up their subcompacts (possibly in suitcases) and left the US and Australian markets in 1992 and 2006, the Old World still gets the new … Continue reading
Posted in kei
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Gift Box
While looking through the photos from the UK’s recent Retro Rides Show on Old Japanese Car, this hakosuka Skyline GT-R done up in the paint scheme of the legendary Grand Champion series car that took the checkered flag at Fuji … Continue reading
Posted in nissan, racing
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