Author Archives: Ben Hsu
QotW: What’s your best story involving a small car?
Small cars are going the way of the dodo. Toyota has killed the Yaris, Honda has killed the Fit, and Mazda has killed the 2. Only in the US market, of course; all those cars are alive and well in other … Continue reading
How Hondas from the S800 to the NSX have inspired our greatest living supercar builder
Gordon Murray, perhaps the world’s greatest living supercar builder, came out with a new car this week, the GMA T.50. This isn’t typical JNC fare, but we are very much admirers of Murray’s car-building philosophy. Murray’s notions of ideal car … Continue reading
Posted in Legends
Tagged acura, Formula One, Gordon Murray, honda, McLaren Honda MP4, nsx, s800
10 Comments
VIDEO: Can you identify 100 years’ worth of Mazda interiors?
Mazda has released a video called “The Evolution of Mazda Interiors” as the latest installment of their 100th anniversary celebrations. As you might expect, it’s a series of driver’s-view shots from Mazda cars over the decades. While I can do … Continue reading
NEWS: 2021 Mazda 3 Turbo will destroy all comers with a $29,900 base price
There are few new cars more hotly anticipated around the JNC offices than the Mazda 3 Turbo. The non-turbo is already an absolute hoot, and on paper the forced-induction version looked to be even better, with 250-horses, 320 lb-ft (on … Continue reading
Toyota is building a Motorsports Village at Fuji Speedway
Toyota, which owns Fuji Speedway, is planning to turn the facility into a world-class motorsports destination. It has announced plans to a motorsports village that will include a luxury hotel, museum, and facilities for both racing teams and privateers to … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your fondest Pajero/Montero memory?
The death of the Mitsubishi Pajero has hit us pretty hard here here at JNC. So, we’ve been watching old Dakar videos and trying to remember the fond times we had with Pajeros. For me, it was the time a … Continue reading
There’s nothing more satisfying than using the right tool for the job
Japanese tool company KTC has developed a new gadget to help ease the act of pulling out a relay. If you’ve worked on any car with a cramped fuse box, you know that what should be an easy task is … Continue reading
Mitsubishi ending Pajero production, closing down dedicated Pajero plant
Mitsubishi announced yesterday that it is ending production of the Pajero and shutting down its plant, Pajero Manufacturing Co., Ltd., responsible for building the legendary SUV since the model’s inception in 1982. This is not exactly surprising, as Mitsubishi announced … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged assembly line, city, fac, honda, mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Jeep, Pajero/Montero, toyota, Toyota DA
12 Comments
SHOWA SNAP: A fleet of convertible Toyota Crowns are ready for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics
We would be in the first week of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if the coronavirus hadn’t thrown a giant pole vaulter’s bar into the entire world’s plans. The first time Japan’s capital hosted the Olympic Games was back in 1964, … Continue reading
QotW: At what point do you fly instead of drive?
On this day in 1949, the first commercial jet made its maiden test-flight in England, ushering in a new age of travel by dramatically shrinking the time between two points. Fast forward 71 years, and flying is about as glamorous … Continue reading
Now you can get classic Nissan coronavirus face masks
If you want to protect yourself (and others) from transmitting a harmful virus while simultaneously expressing your love for classic Nissans, there is now a face mask for you. In Japan, you can now get two types of masks, one … Continue reading
BRIDE racing seat face masks now come in red
Last month, our story about face masks by Japanese racing seat maker BRIDE became one of our most-shared items of the year on social media. Why? We have no idea. But since you loved them so much, it seems only … Continue reading
Happy 720 Day from JNC
Today is Ugly Truck Day, except the 1981 Datsun 720 King Cab GL was anything but. With an elegant shade of 80s brown and a stripe kit to die for, it was a beaut. Plus the GL trim had amenities … Continue reading
QotW: What does your dream truck look like?
Today is Ugly Truck Day but, as we all know, that’s kind of a misnomer. Even ugly trucks are actually good-looking trucks, because while dents, scratches, or rust ruin a car, those same imperfections give a truck character. That is, … Continue reading
Now that Nissan has a new logo, let’s take a look at a history of Nissan logos
Nissan has a new logo, debuting on the electric Ariya Crossover unveiled in Yokohama this week. Usually we have to be dragged kicking and screaming toward any change like this, but in this case, we have to say, the new … Continue reading
RIP Yoshihiko Matsuo, Nissan Fairlady Z and Datsun 240Z designer, 1933—2020
Yoshihiko Matsuo, the man who spearheaded the design of one of the most influential sports cars of all time, has died. Matsuo led the Nissan design team that penned the S30 Fairlady Z, known as the Datsun 240Z in the … Continue reading
Posted in Legends
Tagged 240Z/260Z/280Z, datsun, fairlady z, nissan, s30 z, Yoshihiko Matsuo
21 Comments
VIDEO: Keiichi Tsuchiya drifts a collector’s stock $37,000 AE86
The AE86 is a hot commodity now, with very nice examples selling in the mid-$20,000 range in the US. In Japan, however, cherry low-mileage examples have been commanding top prices for years. In 2017, Hot Version gathered a dream gathering … Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged ae86, best motoring, corolla, corolla levin, d1gp, hot version, keiichi tsuchiya, Max Orido, Nob Taniguchi, sprinter trueno, toyota, Tsukuba Circuit
6 Comments
SHOWA SNAP: Oji San-chome, Kita Ward, Tokyo, 1967
At 10:00 am on April 20, 1967, a procession of Shinto priests followed by a brass band opened a pedestrian footbridge over a five-way intersection in Tokyo. This type of blessing ceremony is typical of grand openings in Japan, even … Continue reading
Posted in Showa Snap
3 Comments
