Author Archives: Ben Hsu
Two Nissan concepts have been crushed at a scrapyard
Once proudly displayed on auto show turntables with the eyes and cameras of global media trained on them, two Nissan concept cars have met their unceremonious ends in a Tennessee junkyard. Both were stars at Nissan’s booth at the North … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the dumbest thing a car company has offered?
Last week Acura dropped some details about the reborn Integra. We can debate the merits of the car itself, and we have, but the thing about the launch that left us appalled was the fact that Acura was offering buyers … Continue reading
Suzuka Circuit’s 60th anniversary Fan Appreciation Day
Over the weekend, Suzuka Circuit held its annual Fan Appreciation Day, a festival for motorsports enthusiasts of all stripes. The early spring event has always been an unofficial kick-off to Japan’s motorsports season, but this year it was a special … Continue reading
The Volk Racing 21A’s introduction completes Rays’ neo-classic wheels trilogy
Rays Wheels has launched their latest neo-classic model, the Volk Racing 21A. With its introduction to the market, the wheelmaker has completed its wheels inspired by the glory days of Japanese tuning and built for domestic cars of the era, … Continue reading
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Yumiko Okayasu went from acting to driver to race team owner
Yumiko Okayasu was born Tokyo in 1961, and began her career as the head of a street performance dance crew. By the mid-80s, she had joined the ranks of Japan’s entertainment industry as a singer and actor. Her big breakout … Continue reading
QotW: What vehicle would you use to escape a war-torn hellscape?
It was a good five minutes we had between a global pandemic and a world order-realigning conflict that will likely plunge us back into a new cold — or maybe even hot — war. Our hearts go out to the … Continue reading
1994 Infiniti Q45: Now with more grille!
Fair or not, the Infiniti launch in 1989 will forever be remembered in the annals of automotive business history as a series of blunders. The name was weird and misspelled (this was decades before words like Google or Lyft could … Continue reading
Toyota Supra belonging to Japanese Prime Minister candidate to undergo restoration
Although Sanae Takaichi lost her bid to become Japan’s first female Prime Minister last year, she remains one of Japan’s most powerful women. She also happens to be the original owner of a 1991 Toyota Supra 2.5GT Twin-Turbo Limited. For … Continue reading
R32 and R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R CRS concepts go for a spin at Fuji Speedway
The Nissan Skyline GT-R’s menu of factory tuned versions run deep, and one could argue that the NISMO CRS cars are the ultimate examples of the breed. The Clubman Race Spec treatment, which combines the highest level parts NISMO has … Continue reading
The Shelby SCCA Toyota 2000GT will likely be the first Japanese classic to break $2 million, maybe $3 million, at auction
Among historically significant Japanese cars, the 2000GT sits right there at the top of the heap. Among 2000GTs, the Carroll Shelby’s ex-SCCA race car is one of the most historically significant. The car is almost certainly going to be the … Continue reading
QotW: What Japanese car would you build a lowrider with?
We’ve always had a fascination for the way Japan blends a deeply studied foreign automotive style with its own. Earlier this year, a Toyota Century limousine lowrider took the Grand Prix in the sedan category at the Tokyo Auto Salon. … Continue reading
Toyota Crown making a return to the US?
The Toyota Crown might be returning to the US market, if a leaked dealer schedule sheet is to be believed. Though it’s been Toyota’s most popular and evergreen sedan in Japan for nearly 70 years, it was sold stateside for … Continue reading
The original Toyota 2000GT subscription model has been re-released, requiring $1,000 and year to complete
No, you’re not having déjà vu. Another expensive, mega-scale Toyota 2000GT model kit has just be released in Japan. Actually, re-released is more like it, because the 1:10-scale DeAgostini Toyota 2000GT is the model that kicked off the modern age … Continue reading
QotW: What are your thoughts on itasha?
Over the weekend I took my toddler to a local show to see some cars. Though it wasn’t advertised as an itasha event, fully 85 percent of the cars there had anime characters plastered all over them, even cars like … Continue reading
The Nissan Fairlady Z chair brings your Z into the comfort of your own home
Welcome to Japanese Nostalgic Car‘s home furniture-themed sub-section, Japanese Nostalgic Chair. Admittedly it’s not a frequently visited sub-section, as we’ve only once before had the occasion, when a small Japanese carpentry shop in Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture made a living … Continue reading
Alive Hoon, the first movie about pro drifting, has a trailer and behind-the-scenes video
It’s been over 20 years since the D1GP, the first professional drifting league, was born. So it’s a bit surprising that, in all this time, there hasn’t been a feature film about the sport (no, Tokyo Drift doesn’t count). But, … Continue reading
VIDEO: Drifting in America has come a long way since 1998
Drifting was still a little-known underground activity in the United States back in 1998. However, that didn’t stop some of Japan’s most famous drift racers and judges from visiting southern California to see what the nascent scene was all about. … Continue reading
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Tagged acura, ae86, Civic EG, crx, drifting, eclipse, honda, integra, keiichi tsuchiya, Ken Nomura, mitsubishi, mr2, s13, s14, sw20
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Toyota’s first race car, the Toyopet Racer, was nearly lost to history
For decades in the western world, the origins of Toyota’s motorsports history lay at the foot of the 1957 Toyopet Crown, which competed in that year’s 10,563-mile running of the Mobilgas Around-Australia rally. Many of Toyota’s own materials have reinforced … Continue reading
