Author Archives: Ben Hsu
Happy Belated 8-6 Day
The night of August 5, Eight Six Day Eve, is when all the hachiroku owners go to sleep with visions of twin cams and LSDs dancing in their heads. The legendary AE86s have such a huge following that enthusiasts actually … Continue reading
Posted in toyota
2 Comments
Mazda Releases 40th Anniv RX-8
If you live in Japan, you can go down to your local Mazda or Mazda Anfini dealer today and commemorate the 40th anniversary of the rotary engine with the newly released Rotary Engine 40th Anniversary limited edition version of their … Continue reading
Posted in mazda
Leave a comment
Wats Going On: RS-Watanabe Gallery
We couldn’t very well mention classic JDM wheels without paying our respects to Racing Service Watanabe. Their iconic eight-spoke wheels look good on any old school cruiser. It is rumored that amongst the nostalgic tuner crowd, the phrase “Get your … Continue reading
Posted in wheels
Leave a comment
Wheel Bearings: Classic JDM Rims Guide
We’re trying to collect photos of old school JDM wheels in this forum thread. Please stop by and show whatcha got, or what you’ve come across while cruising the web. The most sought after classic JDM rims are the infamous … Continue reading
Posted in wheels
9 Comments
Absolute Zero
Thanks to our friends at grandJDM, the biggest car news blog in the States, Autoblog, received a little lesson in Japanese supercar history today. There is absolutely no reason for us to repeat the excellent write-up that grandJDM has done … Continue reading
Posted in concepts
Leave a comment
Ode to Toy
Here’s a poignantly written column by Jay Bookman of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution called “Summer Ode to a Beloved Rust Bucket” about his 1980 Toyota Corolla. The piece begins with an amusing story about how his neighbor’s kid is mystified by … Continue reading
Posted in toyota
Leave a comment
Models! No, Made of Plastic. Of Cars, That Is
Look closely. Closer. Notice something? If you can believe it, these are not images of real cars. Their creator, known only as pcman, is one of the most talented scale model builders we have ever seen, through a glue-induced haze … Continue reading
Posted in minicar
2 Comments
Truck Everlasting
The popularity of old school Japanese vehicles just keeps on growing, pervading every band of the automotive spectrum. Mini Truckin’ magazine just put this seriously slammed Datsun NL320 on their September cover as part of a retrospective on the pint-sized … Continue reading
Brunei Toyota Guy
Ok, we’re not going to complain, even though it’s taking ever fiber of our beings. We promised we wouldn’t. It’s just that in Toyota of Brunei has, to celebrate their 40th anniversary, held a contest to find the oldest and … Continue reading
Posted in toyota
Leave a comment
Z-Yota Races Ferrari, Receives Hate
Van from grandJDM posted this incredible video in our forum the other day of a 240Z with a 7m-GTE underhood outrunning a Ferrari F430 in a stoplight battle. Later that day, US-based Autoblog posted it and in just nine minutes … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, nissan, Nuts and Bolts, toyota
2 Comments
Lock Down Your Speakers
This is just tragic. Initially, what caught our eye was this photo of a battered 240Z on Cardomain. Turns out, it was a post about how the 27 year old driver of this Datsun was rear ended and paralyzed as … Continue reading
Posted in datsun
Leave a comment
The Art of Car
If being deformed sounds bad, then super-deformed must be worse, right? Well, not if you’re in Japan. For whatever reason, the Japanese just love taking perfectly good cars and deforming their classic proportions to make cartoony illustrations or extremely cute … Continue reading
Posted in japan
Leave a comment
Return of the ‘Roku, Maybe
Rumors of an AE86 successor has been spreading across the web like the blob at end of Akira in the past couple of days. One of the few cars more well known by its chassis code than it’s actual name, … Continue reading
Posted in toyota
2 Comments
Motor Trend Hearts Hondas
Back when we were growing up in the late 80s and early 90s, you’d be hard pressed to find an article about classic Japanese cars in any major automotive publication. My, how times have changed. Motor Trend recently published this … Continue reading
Posted in honda
2 Comments
Electric Datsun 1200
The Wall Street Journal has turned its attention to White Zombie. Not the band, but the 1972 Datsun 1200 that can run a sub-12 in the quarter mile and smoke a whole gaggle of V8-powered muscle cars while getting terrific … Continue reading
A Long Dime Comin'
The sheer number of oddities to be found on craigslist can easily overwhelm the innocent mind. For example, this limousine. Is this an answer to a question nobody asked, the Joker’s car in the next Batman movie, a poorly constructed … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, nissan
Leave a comment
Master of Your CarDomain
More old school love just keeps popping up on the web. Cardomain, the social networking site for the automotively-minded, has implemented a groups feature, and the CarDomain Blog posted this Group of the Day item the day we were supposed … Continue reading
Posted in Nuts and Bolts
Leave a comment
EVENTS: Motoring J Style
We came, we saw, we covered. The San Francisco area has the most beautiful weather we have ever experienced, just about perfect for cruising in an old school Japanese car with questionable A/C, and we’re sad to be home.
Posted in events
Leave a comment
Toyotas of Puget Sound Off
Motoring J Style might have been the most publicized nostalgic car event of the weekend, but it wasn’t the only one. The Puget Sound Toyota Owners Club held their third annual Toyota Festival on Sunday, July 29. The event welcomes … Continue reading
