Author Archives: Ben Hsu

VIDEO: Watch Monster Tajima crush this New Zealand Hillclimb

Monster Tajima’s Suzuki Escudo is a legendary hillclimb machine. In this Option video circa 1998, the crew follows Tajima on his quest to win the New Zealand Gold Rush in Queenstown. Of course, that in itself is worth watching the … Continue reading

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QotW: What’s your favorite GT-R?

This week Nissan plans to celebrate 50 years of the iconic GT-R at the New York International Auto Show. Godzilla has had many incarnations over the years, from classic street machine to world-beating race car. Designs have spanned the chrome … Continue reading

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The $1.1 million GT-R50 is a triumph of Nissan’s supercar legacy

Supercars aren’t what they used to be. In a literal sense, they are, of course, quite a bit more than what they used to be. Nowadays, you have cars that spew a thousand horsepower, cars that easily stride to 200 … Continue reading

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VIDEO: This fire truck ties together the legend-making years of Land Cruiser history

In the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, the car collector and former talk show host gets behind the wheel of a Toyota Land Cruiser fire truck. It’s no secret that the prices of 60-series Land Cruisers are rapidly rising, … Continue reading

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Honda’s past and future machines transform and race in this cool animated ad

The Honda Formula One channel has made a dynamic ad showcasing the company’s wide range of machines. The video is animated in a nifty, high-contrast style, and depicts F1 cars racing and transforming into vehicles as wide-ranging as the Super … Continue reading

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QotW: Which JNC would you name your kid after?

As we’ve mentioned before, there are some new babies joining the JNC family. While there are many great girls’ names in the JNC world, there aren’t many choices for boys. Brandon Kelly and his wife got there first last week, … Continue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Some nut “walled in” an Acura Integra Type R inside a barn

The honest but sad truth is that Hondas are thief magnets. Shout the name of any 90s model from Civic to Prelude in a room of car enthusiasts and you will hear back a dozen stories of how someone’s friend, … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Honda Civic-only Million Card Cup race

The Million Card Cup was a Honda Civic-only race that took place in Japan from 1991-95. It was a fantastic snapshot of a (relatively) inexpensive series when the Civic was at the height of its tuning popularity. A round, held … Continue reading

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QotW: What are the rules of the road for your JNC?

As enthusiasts, we can be pretty particular when it comes to our cars. It can be annoying to passengers, sure, but they just don’t understand the love we have for our JNCs. My personal rule is never, ever, put your … Continue reading

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NEWS: Nissan expands Skyline GT-R reproduction parts program to RB26 engine, R32 body parts

NISMO has announced a significant expansion to its Skyline GT-R reproduction parts program. While the parts offered since the program’s launch in 2017 largely consisted of rubber and plastic bits that deteriorate with age, the latest batch of items are … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Who did it better, Toyota USA or Toyota UK?

Recently, Toyota subsidiaries on both sides of the pond put out a call to enthusiasts and owners, assembled them at a race track, and filmed the experience. In the US, it was to promote the new Supra at Auto Club … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Cringe at these old Subaru crash tests

Do you want to see a bunch of classic Subarus crash into walls? Just a warning, they are doubly horrifying, because it’s always sad to see some now-rare cars get destroyed, but also because of the primitive safety standards of … Continue reading

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NEWS: What could Nissan have planned for the NY Auto Show?

Nissan has released a teaser for the New York Auto Show next month. Titled “Ultimate Dream Garage,” the image shows several iconic Nissans, including an S30 Z, the Calsonic R32 Group A race car, the Tokyo Motor Show Kenmeri GT-R, … Continue reading

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PRODUCT GUIDE: Dixcel has an enormous catalog of brake parts for vintage Japanese cars

Parts for older Japanese cars are pretty hard to come by, but there’s at least one brake company that has made a point to produce as many parts for vintage cars as they can. At the recent 17th International Auto … Continue reading

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BIKES: Suzuki releases retro-styled Katana

Many Japanese motorcycle makers are coming out with retro-styled bikes these days. Kawasaki and Honda have made modern versions of the Z1 and CBX respectively, and now Suzuki has joined the fray. However, whereas Kawasaki and Honda referenced bikes of … Continue reading

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NEWS: Supra will not replace 86, next-gen in development

We had assumed that the Toyota 86 would continue ever since Subaru shot down the rumors that a second generation BRZ was canceled. At the time, only Subaru had confirmed that a next-gen was in development, but now a spokesperson … Continue reading

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QotW: What’s the one car you’d get from the year you were born?

JNC is proud to have readers of all ages, from teenagers just getting into vintage Nihon steel, to retired folks who remember these cars when new. Some of us were fortunate enough to have been born during golden years of … Continue reading

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Happy 323 Day from JNC

The first Japanese car to win a Group A WRC race wasn’t a Subaru. It wasn’t a Mitsubishi, either, or a Toyota. It was a Mazda. On Valentine’s Day 1987, the humble Mazda 323 4WD (known as the Mazda 323 … Continue reading

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MOTORSPORT: 1967 Daihatsu P-5 race car restored

These days Daihatsu is doing brisk business manufacturing an endless variety of kei cars as a Toyota subsidiary. It doesn’t have any presence to speak of in the world of motorsports today, but in the wild west of 1960s Japan, … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Praise the JNC gods for this Datsun 240Z bath toy

Because my wife is expecting and we will soon have a little car nut of our own, I have recently spent an inordinate amount of time in the baby section of stores, desperate for cool JNC-related stuff. Not surprisingly, it’s … Continue reading

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