Author Archives: Ben Hsu
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
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
