Author Archives: Ben Hsu
Nicholas Cage drives a bugeye Celica in this bizarre Japanese movie
There’s a new trailer out for Prisoners of the Ghostland, a bizarre looking movie that takes place in some kind of Japanese Bartertown. It stars Nicholas Cage and, frankly, looks terrible, but there are at least some notable cars in … Continue reading
Posted in JNC Theater
Tagged celica, dekotora, HG50, luce, mazda, nissan, president, toyota
3 Comments
VIDEO: Your all-Toyota garage in 1989 needs nothing else
Toyota was on a roll in 1989, with three revised or all-new models that are all highly desirable today. If you bought the entire trio of Cressida, Supra, and Truck you’d have a vehicle for every situation right at your … Continue reading
QotW: What are your hopes for the reborn Acura Integra?
Late last week Acura dropped the news bomb about the rebirth of the Integra. No details about the car were given other than 1.) the name was coming back, and 2.) it would have a debossed logo like the beloved … Continue reading
VIDEO: The E90 Toyota Corolla offered 16-valve power to the masses
It’s really amazing what we take for granted in cars today. Back in 1988, Toyota extended its market dominance by offering multi-valve technology on a humble four-cylinder Corolla. That doesn’t seem like a big deal now, but was a small … Continue reading
VIDEO: Isuzu was on a roll in 1986
Isuzus that aren’t commercial trucks may be but a faint memory today, but back in 1986 the company seemed to be on a solid roll. They had just introduced a drastically improved Trooper SUV and an even more enhanced Impulse … Continue reading
Toyota Land Cruiser design sketches show evolution from FJ60
Releasing a car with impossibly high expectations on it can be a daunting task. With so much heritage to go on, the J300’s development team did not have an enviable task when they set out to develop the latest Land … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your ideal touge weapon?
Today is Mountain Day in Japan, a day to celebrate the geological structures that comprise 80 percent of the nation’s land mass. Of course to car enthusiasts, mountains, specifically touge roads, represent the hallowed ground on which the quintessential lightweight … Continue reading
Japan brought out its best cars for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964
The 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo was a turning point for Japan. They were the first Olympics to be held in Asia, and Japan was ready to rejoin the world as a symbol of modernity. As a show of its … Continue reading
Posted in Nihon Life
Tagged cedric, colt, corona, crown, crown eight, debonair, dyna, fuso, gloria, mitsubishi, nissan, Olympics, prince, s30, s40, shinkansen, t40, toyota
7 Comments
Mazda is working on an RX-Vision-esque flagship sports coupe, according to patent images
According to recently discovered Japanese patent filings, it appears Mazda is working on a flagship sports coupe. The unearthed illustrations show a rear corner view that looks like the stunning RX-Vision concept but with a slightly more production-friendly shape.
How one Nissan owner’s love for the Z31 led him to a rare widebody 300ZX
We at JNC have been known to love the third-generation Z-car, although it’s kind of a neglected stepchild of the line. Even Nissan themselves sometimes forgets about them. However, our appreciation of the Z31 is nothing compared to Colorado resident … Continue reading
Toyota announces Land Cruiser reproduction parts, starting with the FJ40
Yesterday marked 70 years since the venerable Toyota Land Cruiser debuted on August 1, 1951. And what better way to mark this milestone than for Toyota to announce that it would begin remaking parts for the now-classic 4×4.
QotW: What car do you wish you hadn’t sold?
Whenever the topic of classic Japanese cars comes up, one of the most frequent refrains we hear goes something like, “I used to have X car. I wish I had never sold it.” It seems that no matter who you … Continue reading
3DBotMaker’s JNC Tournament Final Round
Well, here it is the final round of 3DBotMaker‘s Japanese Nostalgic Car tournament. Who’s going to win? It’s the moment you (or at least we at the JNC water cooler) have all been waiting for. The two top finishers from … Continue reading
2021 All-Toyotafest, Part 02 — Supra & Lexus
One of the great developments we noticed this year was the ascendancy of the A70 Supra. We can’t remember seeing such a high turnout of the third-gen Supra at Toyotafest, and it was good to see this important chassis receive … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged a40, a60, a70, A80, A90, IS300 SportCross, lexus, Lexus GS, lexus is, lexus sc, supra, toyota, toyotafest
2 Comments
2021 All-Toyotafest, Part 01 — Starlet, Corolla, Celica, MR2
After a year and a half of no major car shows, it was good to be back. The 2021 Toyotafest picked back up right where 2019 left off, although a few changes had to be made due to the pandemic. … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your must-see Japanese automotive destination?
We were greatly saddened by MegaWeb’s closing announcement last week. The Toyota showroom was one of our favorite destinations in Tokyo. However, there still remains a great many automotive destinations for Japanese car enthusiasts, whether it’s a museum, company showroom, … Continue reading
3DBotMaker’s JNC Tournament Round 2
Round Two of 3DBotMaker’s JNC tournament has aired and, man, I am disappointed in myself. By all accounts my Toyota 2000GT should have been fast — it was painted like the Yatabe record breaker after all — but I didn’t … Continue reading
For the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Daihatsu followed the torch from Greece to Japan
The last time Tokyo hosted the Olympics, Japan had yet to prove itself as a global force in the automotive realm. The country’s budding carmakers was eager to seize the opportunity that the 1964 Summer Games presented, to introduce the … Continue reading
Ford has trademarked the Skyline name in America, but Nissan gets Fairlady Z trademark
A trademark for the name Skyline has been filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office under the category for motor vehicles. Normally, that would have enthusiasts cautiously optimistic about the potential of one of Japan’s most popular models coming … Continue reading
