Author Archives: Ben Hsu
MOTORSPORT: Watch these old Nissans dominate Fuji Speedway
If you’ve ever wondered why Nissan has such a strong following among Japanese enthusiasts, this video snapshot from 1970-71 explains it all. Nissans of all types dominate the field in two major races from those years. Though this was likely … Continue reading
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Tagged 1300 coupe 9, 1600gt, 510, a30, b110, bluebird, c10, cedric, Colt F2000, corolla, datsun, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, familia rotary coupe, fuji speedway, gloria, Hakosuka, Hiroshi Kubota, honda, Jackie Stewart, JAF Grand Prix, japan grand prix, Kenji Tohira, kpgc10, kunimitsu takahashi, Kuniomi Nagamatsu, masahiro hasemi, mazda, mitsubishi, moto kitano, Motoharu Kurosawa, nissan, pgc10, publica, s30 z, Shogo Omori, skyline, sunny, Toshinori Takechi, toyota
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QotW: What’s the best way to make progress on your project car?
There are many hurdles to moving forward on a big project. In the past year, my wife and I bought a house, moved, and had a baby. I waited a long time to have my own garage space but now … Continue reading
VIDEO: And now for your viewing pleasure, Hakosuka drift!
We were quite taken by this Hakosuka when we came across it in 2016, even though it might just be one of the rattiest examples to set a wheel into a car show. But, there’s a reason for its battle-scarred … Continue reading
Happy TE51 Day from JNC
One of the oddest Corolla body styles must have been the SR-5 Liftback, or what hipsters today would call a shooting brake. Essentially, it’s a wagon, but sporty because it has two doors. I still see one in my neighborhood … Continue reading
Toyotafest 2020 has been canceled, but you can still get these 50th anniversary of the Celica T-Shirts
We are sad to report that Toyotafest 2020 has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The show, originally scheduled for June 6, was to be the 25th annual Toyotafest, a momentous occasion to be sure. So, while quarter-century celebration … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Ease your quarantine blues with an official Mazda coloring book
Automakers continue to find new ways to help us deal with being stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Mazda’s latest scheme to help us kill some time is a downloadable coloring book that features seven of their landmark cars.
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged 3-wheel truck, 323, 787b, cosmo sport, familia, Familia BD, le mans, mazda, mazda 3, Miata NA, mx-5, r360, Type-DA
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VIDEO: Every Honda S-car, driving
Every iteration of Honda’s S-series cars has been a hoot to drive. In a newly released video, the Honda Collection Hall in at Twin Ring Motegi compiles runs by each of their S roadsters around the narrow footpath behind the … Continue reading
Watch all six episodes of Honda’s history as told by manga
Honda has re-released its full six-part cartoon history video series, told with manga panels. The series is based on the m the Shogakukan manga series about company founder Soichiro Honda. Though Honda has released the videos piecemeal before, the old … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged beat, Dream, formula 1, honda, Honda S-Series, manga, ra271, ra272, soichiro honda, super cub, t360, Takeo Fujisawa, Yoshio Nakamura
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Check out Isuzu City, the mind-blowing miniature town that is Japan’s largest diorama
Goodbye forever, readers. We at JNC have decided to move to a place in Japan where there are plenty of nostalgic cars, clean streets, and barely any traffic. It’s Isuzu City, population 3,300, located inside the Isuzu Plaza museum in … Continue reading
QotW: Do you have any fond memories of the Lexus GS?
We learned Friday that Lexus has killed off the GS name. It had been rumored for a while, and at the same time models like the ES are getting big enough to step on the GS’s toes. Plus, there’s that … Continue reading
The Lexus GS is no more.
Lexus has announced it is ending the GS nameplate. The Grand Sedan is no more. Sales for the luxury sedan have been slow as people move towards crossovers instead. It also spells doom for the wonderful 467-horsepower, naturally aspirated, V8-powered … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Here’s some classic Mazdas you can build out of paper
Carmakers have been coming up with creative ways to keep us occupied during the time of corona. The latest is Mazda’s recent release of papercraft cars marking its 100th anniversary. Specifically, they are the white and red Mazda R360 Coupé … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged cosmo sport, CX-3, cx-5, familia, Luce Rotary Coupe, mazda, mazda 2, mazda 3, mazda 6, Miata ND, mx-5, papercraft, r360
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CONCEPT CARS: 1991 Honda EP-X
Here at JNC, we have an Earth Day tradition where we dig deep into the memory banks to highlight an environmentally themed, often bizarre concept. This time around, we’d like to draw your attention to the alien-looking 1991 Honda EP-X.
VIDEO: More of the Daihatsu museum in a virtual tour
Daihatsu has uploaded more videos continuing the virtual tour of curiously named Humobility World, the company’s museum in Osaka. In part one, we saw the earliest Daihatsu products, a 5,842-pound diesel engine that’s likely the heaviest thing in Humobility World, … Continue reading
Posted in Galleries
Tagged charade, copen, daihatsu, Daihatsu Humobility World, Fellow, kei, midget, mira, Taft. Rocky
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ART CORNER: Stave off coronavirus boredom with an official Nissan coloring book
The time of coronavirus can be scary and boring, but being forced to quarantine can spawn creativity as well. Case in point. Nissan employees have been working from home for weeks now, and the quarantining designers have used some of … Continue reading
Mazda RWD rotary hybrid patent discovered
News about Japanese sports cars just keep on coming this week. First there was the RWD straight-six Mazda 6, then some rumors about the new Nissan Z. Now, there’s been some discoveries about a Mazda rotary-powered hybrid mounted in a … Continue reading
Toyota UAE’s Land Cruiser Heritage Edition has stripes
Toyota released a Heritage Edition of the J200-series Land Cruiser in the US last year, one with some snazzed up wheels and brightwork, as well as cool old school badges and logos. In the United Arab Emirates, where Land Cruisers … Continue reading
