Author Archives: Ben Hsu
QotW: What’s your favorite Japanese car from 1995?
Today is Coming of Age Day in Japan, the day when all those who turn 20 years old between April 2 of the previous year and April 1 of the current one officially become adults. It’s fitting, because as is … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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RIP Yoshikazu Sunako, 1932 — 2020
It was announced yesterday that on January 3, 2020, racing driver Yoshikazu Sunako passed away at the age of 87. The former Prince and Nissan works driver was a pioneer during the nascent years of Japan’s motorsports scene, perhaps most … Continue reading
Toyota says the GR Yaris is a Celica GT-Four successor
At the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota has debuted a new hot hatch that it says is the spiritual successor to the almighty Celica GT-Four. While that claim does raise an eyebrow, the GR Yaris is a potent machine that could … Continue reading
Posted in tokyo auto salon
Tagged celica, Celica GT-Four, GR Yaris, homolgation, rally, st165, st185, st205, tokyo auto salon, toyota, wrc, yaris
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Toyota’s Supra Heritage Parts Program will be offered in the US
Last May Toyota became the latest Japanese carmaker to announce a heritage parts program, starting off with items for the Supra. Just hours ago, Toyota announced that not only is the program kicking off this spring, but that it will … Continue reading
The Honda Beat Parts program reveals why it’s so hard for carmakers to produce old parts
It’s been a while since we checked in on Honda’s Beat Parts program, which once again produces parts for Honda’s popular mid-engined, kei roadster. Since the program was announced in August 2017, the list of parts available has grown. And, … Continue reading
Tan Toyota Corona Liftbacks are the car of choice for broke lawyers trying to do the right thing
Recently Patrick sent me a link to the trailer for Dark Waters and wrote, “The magic happens at 0:08.” That magic, it turns out, was Mark Ruffalo’s character driving a tan T130 Toyota Corona Liftback. I didn’t really think anything … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your JNC New Year’s resolution?
It’s a new year, a new decade. A chance to start off right. Will you finally make progress on that long-awaited project, take that road trip of a lifetime, complete your collection of the JNCs of the Wonder Bread Crazy … Continue reading
Toyota has ended 51 years of Mark II, Mark X production
On December 23, Toyota held a farewell ceremony for the beloved Mark II and Mark X sedan. The final example, a white Mark X 250G, rolled off the line at Toyota’s second-oldest plant, the Motomachi factory in Aichi Prefecture, as … Continue reading
Travis Scott’s new album and videos feature a plethora of Japanese sports cars
When Ryan told me to check out Travis Scott’s new album two days after Christmas, I had to google who he was. A rapper, it turns out. I confess I haven’t actually listened to it, but the cover has caught … Continue reading
Happy New Year from JNC
Here’s to another decade, one that saw Japanese cars appreciated by a small cadre of knowledgeable enthusiasts to full-blown mainstream collectibles amid massive changes in the automotive world and corporate changes. To cement their classic status, nearly all the major … Continue reading
RIP Syd Mead, 1933 — 2019
On December 30, 2019, Syd Mead passed away at the age of 86. The legendary concept artist almost single-handedly shaped our visions of tomorrow, having designed the futures seen in films such as Blade Runner, Alien, Tron, and the Star … Continue reading
Posted in Legends
Tagged Akira, ballade, camry, corona, Gundam, honda, hot wheels, motorcycles, prelude, quint, Rays Wheels, SV40, Syd Mead, t80, toyota, Vigor
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NEWS: Ex-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn flees Japan ahead of trial
The strange saga of former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn keeps getting weirder. The disgraced executive, accused of misusing Nissan’s funds, has unexpectedly shown up in Lebanon after allegedly skipping bail ahead of his upcoming trial. The image above, of Ghosn … Continue reading
QotW: What did you think cars would be like in 2020?
The digits we assign to years are, of course, arbitrary, but 2020 still seems like a very futuristic number. When the JNCs we love were still new, 2020 seemed like a distant tomorrow, where we’d travel by tubes or sleek … Continue reading
VIDEO: Why don’t more people appreciate the Dodge Colt Vista?
These days, three-row CUVs are big, hulking things that blot out the sun when they lumber into your general vicinity. Back in the 80s, however, Mitsubishi built a 7-seater, all-wheel-drive wagon that basically does 90 percent of what a modern … Continue reading
Mazda 4-rotor vs Toyota V10: Which race car sounds better?
At Toyota’s recent Gazoo Racing Festival, fans got the rare opportunity to see — and hear — two vastly different top-level prototype race cars roaring side by side. Both the Mazda 787B’s quad-rotor and the Toyota TS010’s 3.5-liter V10 hailed … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 24 Hours of Le Mans, 787b, fuji speedway, Gazoo Racing Festival, Masanori Sekiya, mazda, toyota, TS010, yojiro terada
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Honda celebrates 30 years of manufacturing in East Liberty, Ohio
Honda is celebrating 30 years of manufacturing at its East Liberty, Ohio plant. The company began operations at the factory in 1989, seen here building the EF-generation Honda Civic. Since then, 5.9 million cars have been built there.
QotW: What are the biggest changes to the Japanese classic scene in the last decade?
As we wind down the decade, it’s a good time to reflect on how drastically the Japanese classic scene has changed in the past 10 years. The 2010s saw increased acceptance of Japanese cars as rapidly appreciating collectors’ items, modification … Continue reading
There’s an elephant in the room and it’s a Toyota 2000GT
Pat Goss, the Bob Ross of car repair, has been a staple of Maryland Public Television forever. Their names even kind of sound the same. In a recent episode, Goss is showing off a new parts cleaner while a Toyota … Continue reading
This awesome vintage motorcycle event but with cars, please
Even without a ton of knowledge about motorcycles, we can probably all agree that the Legend of Classic is a cool event. Held at Japan’s Tsukuba Circuit and Fuji Speedway, the vintage motorcycle racing event’s self-described philosophy is this: “To … Continue reading
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Circuit Wolf author Satoshi Ikezawa
If you’re wondering why Japan seems to have an inordinate number of Lotus Europas, the answer can be found in Satoshi Ikezawa’s Circuit Wolf. From January 1975 to June 1979, the wildly popular manga was one of the many car-themed … Continue reading
Posted in manga
Tagged 2000gt, 240zg, a20, celica, circuit wolf, cosmo sport, europa, fairlady z, Fairlady Z432, ferrari, Lamboghini, lotus, Maserati, mazda, nissan, porsche, rx-2, rx-3, sunny, toyota, toyota 7, ts cup
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