Author Archives: Ben Hsu

QotW: Will the sport compact style make a nostalgic comeback?

Ah, the late-90s. You know the style: retina searing paint, aftermarket roll call down the door, a wing that could double as a dining surface, unpainted carbon fiber proudly on display, Kanji that looked like the default font from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 26 Comments

The new Lupin III trailer has Bluebird-Cedric police cars

There’s a new Lupin III movie coming out, and the latest trailer shows a car chase with some classic Japanese police cars. At first glance they appear to be 510 Bluebird Coupes, but of course, it would be kind of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

After 30 years, Subaru bids farewell to the EJ20 engine

Since the dawn of the modern Subaru era, the venerable EJ20 engine has been a hallmark of the marque. In its various guises the boxer four has powered everything from rally machines to family station wagons. Now, after 30 years … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Japan slammed by worst typhoon in 60 years

Japan is still trying to assess the damage done by Typhoon Hagibis over the weekend. According to the Japan Times, the death toll is up to 68, and rescue crews are working around the clock to find more survivors. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Drift back to school with an Initial D AE86 backpack

It’s hard getting up for class but when you’re wearing a snazzy AE86 backpack, you can slide to school in style. Forget your Jansport, a Japanese shop has made a replica of the Initial D Toyota Sprinter Trueno for all … Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

QotW: What car must be saved before they’re all gone?

As much as we love Skylines, Zs, RX-7s, Supras, 2000GTs, and so on, perhaps there really isn’t a need to rescue them all, since there are so many well-preserved examples out there already. Or maybe there is, if it’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 15 Comments

VIDEO: A first look at the new heritage gallery at Nissan’s Yokohama headquarters

As we reported in September, Nissan has opened a permanent heritage section at its headquarters building in Yokohama. Now, the company has released footage from the grand opening, giving us a first video look at the display.

Posted in Video | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 05 — Toyota fans save the day

Before Toyota moved to Texas, their displays were always a centerpiece of JCCS. A massive enclosed trailer would bring a truck-full of the Toyota USA Museum’s rolling treasures to the show. Now, with the company’s headquarters several states away and, … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — For Nissan, it’s the fans that make the marque

For Nissan, it was supposed to be a huge year. 2019 marked the 50th birthday of not only two nameplates iconic for Nissan, but for the automotive kingdom as a whole, the GT-R and the Z. However, Nissan is also … Continue reading →

Posted in events | 6 Comments

QotW: What’s your best advice for a JNC road trip?

Driving an old car for any distance can be a challenge. It’s not like hopping into a late model Camry with a cup of coffee and a bag of beef jerky and pointing that Toyota logo where you want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 9 Comments

Toyota has sold its 10 millionth Land Cruiser, celebrates in Japan and Europe but not US

Toyota is celebrating the sale of its 10 millionth worldwide sale of the venerable Land Cruiser. The longest serving nameplate not only in the Toyota lineup, but among all Japanese marques, it has taken 68 years for the go-anywhere truck … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Watch some classic Acura sports cars get abused for a mediocre ad

For its last several generation cycles, Acura has been trying to find a brand identity. The cancellation of the Integra/RSX, the long hiatus of the NSX, and the adoption of various corporate grilles haven’t done it any favors. More recently, … Continue reading →

Posted in 25 Year Club, cm | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Suzuki’s retro concept revives the dream of the Pulsar EXA

Suzuki has released images of its upcoming concepts for the Tokyo Motor Show, and they are pretty much bonkers. The most interesting one to JNCers will no doubt be the WakuSpo Concept, a small retro car that picks up where … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Motor Show | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Nissan opens permanent heritage gallery at Yokohama headquarters

Those who have been to Nissan’s headquarters building in Yokohama have no doubt experienced the gleaming showroom on the ground floor. The area displayed new, classic, and race cars, but whether visitors were welcomed by a fleet of vintage Skylines … Continue reading →

Posted in Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

How to eat a GT-R for lunch: The R32 sandwich grill

Even if you absolutely love Nissan Skyline GT-Rs, and I think most of us do, it can still be difficult to incorporate them into every single aspect of your life. For example, it’s not really possible to enjoy GT-R life … Continue reading →

Posted in nostalgic gear | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

BIKES: Honda is selling a retro CB1100 RS cafe racer

To mark the 50th anniversary of the game-changing CB750, also known as the world’s first superbike, Honda UK is selling a limited run of retro motorcycles based off the CB750’s successor, the CB1100 RS. Only 54 of the cafe racer-inspired … Continue reading →

Posted in Motorcycles | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? Almost brand new “New Silvia”

The S10 Nissan Silvia is an already rare car. Sold in the US as the Datsun 200SX, American-spec safety bumpers marred its clean lines, giving it an undeserved reputation as one of the ugliest cars Nissan ever made. Few in … Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

QotW: Which influential person in the JNC world, living or dead, would you like to meet?

History is full of influential men and women whose training, decisions, and determination conceived of and built the things we love today. Engineers, designers, CEOs, race car drivers, tuners, and so on. If someone had a magic  machine through which … Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | 13 Comments

Here’s the new Emperor’s Toyota Century convertible

The 30-year Heisei Era came to an end and the Reiwa Era began with the official transition of royal rule on May 1 of this year. However, the new emperor’s actual coronation ceremony, which expects foreign dignitaries and envoys from … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , | 7 Comments

A Subaru 360 came out to celebrate Subaru USA’s 10 millionth sale

Nate Wade Subaru of Salt Lake City, Utah is the oldest Subaru dealer in the United States. It just celebrated its 50th anniversary, and recently had the honor of selling Subaru’s 10 millionth car in the US. That car was … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments