Author Archives: Ben Hsu
QotW: How do you listen to audio content in your car?
Today, April 11, is National 8-Track Day. The short-lived audio format (so short-lived we apparently don’t even have a photo of one) was once the latest and greatest way to pump tunes out of your car. Nowadays, with most audio … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your favorite 4×4 vehicle?
Today, April 4, is 4×4 Day in Japan because, you know, 4/4. The “holiday” was started by Mercedes-Benz of Japan as a marketing exercise in 2016 to promote the G-Wagen. Funnily enough, it doesn’t appear to be a thing even … Continue reading
Japanese radio announcer assaulted by Mitsubishi engineer at Hall of Fame ceremony
According to reports from Japanese media, a shocking and uncharacteristically rowdy scene unfolded at a automotive industry event in Tokyo last night. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the Japan Organization of Kuruma Engineers (kuruma is Japanese for “car”) was … Continue reading
ASIMO is retiring: A history of Honda’s groundbreaking robots
On March 31, 2022 Honda’s ASIMO robot is cleaning out its desk, turning in its badge, and collecting that gold watch on its way out the door. ASIMO is going to retire. After 22 years of delighting children, advancing technology, … Continue reading
Japan bids farewell to the Highway Telephone
On March 31, 2022 another facet of Japanese automotive life is disappearing. The NEXCO Highway Telephone, a mainstay of the Heisei Era, will end service. Offered by the Nippon Expressway Company, which runs Japan’s highway system, the Highway Telephone is … Continue reading
Daihatsu Charade: the “Little Giant Killer” of the Safari Rally
Quick, think of a Japanese car that has won the Safari Rally. A Daihatsu Charade is probably not the the first thing that pops into mind. The 3-cylinder compact is most remembered in the States as the car that spearheaded … Continue reading
Mazda RWD sedan’s future less certain, but there’s no dead body yet
A statement by a Mazda exec has left many hopefuls in doubt about their rear-wheel-drive, inline-six sedan. In fact, it has caused many outlets to proclaimed that the car is definitively dead, or just a rumor that never had any … Continue reading
QotW: Who’s your favorite race car driver?
Ernest Hemingway once said, “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” That’s because these were the only ones where one could lose one’s life. Last week we lost one of the … Continue reading
Mitsubishi’s Pajero factory has been sold to manufacture toilet paper
Mitsubishi is selling its shuttered Pajero factory to Daio Paper, Japan’s leading maker of tissue and toilet paper. It’s an ignoble end for the plant, formerly the crown jewel of Mitsubishi Motors’ manufacturing empire. The facility was famously named after … Continue reading
Kunimitsu Takahashi, legendary racing driver and grandfather of drifting, dies at 82
One of the greatest names in Japanese motorsports has died. Kunimitsu Takahashi, motorcycle rider and automobile racing driver, passed away on March 16 at the age of 82. In the final years of his life, Takahashi had been battling lymphoma. … Continue reading
Posted in Legends
Tagged c10, honda, keiichi tsuchiya, kunimitsu takahashi, nissan, porsche, prince, r32, r380, r382, skyline
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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
