Author Archives: Ben Hsu
VIDEO: Listen to the wail of the Prince R380
At the second Japan Grand Prix in 1964, Prince Motor Company pit a family sedan against a race car. And even though Shinichiro Sakurai stuffed a two extra cylinders down the nose of the Prince, the purpose-built Porsche 904 won … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged best motoring, fuji speedway, nissan, prince, r380, shinichiro sakurai, skyline
1 Comment
NEWS: Akio Toyoda actually built a Century GRMN
It seemed like a throwaway joke. Shortly after the Tokyo Motor Show last year, where Toyota unveiled only the third new Century design in 50 years, the company’s car-nut CEO Akio Toyoda was interviewed on a Japanese talk show called … Continue reading
JCCS Spotlight: The Wild Cards always turn up
It’s become something of a tradition. The Wild Cards team rolls in like a storm with a gang of the show’s most stunning cars. There’s always debut builds of the highest quality, but even many of their existing MVPs return … Continue reading
VIDEO: How the Mazda Familia evolved into the Mazda 3
Here’s an interesting little video about the evolution of the Mazda Familia, now known as the Mazda 3. In it Mazda chassis engineer and former editor-in-chief of Sport Compact Car Dave Coleman describes the link between the Mazda GLC and … Continue reading
JCCS Preview: See you all at the Japanese Classic Car Show this Saturday
The 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show is just two days away, and we are excited for what promises to be a new era for the country’s premier gathering of Nihon steel. After 13 years at the Queen Mary, the JCCS … Continue reading
JCCS Preview: Come see new Hot Wheels castings of Japanese cars at the JNC booth this Saturday
View this post on Instagram #Japaneseclassiccarshow in Long Beach is only 2 days away. Who's going?? Don't forget to stop by and check out our small display with some *new models* at @japanesenostalgiccar booth! ?? A post shared by HOT … Continue reading
Sam Mitani put Tuner Era dream machines into the mainstream
If you grew up in the pre-internet age, “buff books” like Road & Track were your bible. Magazines of its ilk were the only reliable sources of automotive news, but they were mostly concerned about cars that came fresh off … Continue reading
Posted in media
Tagged accord, fc3s, fd3s, greddy, Hakone Turnpike, hks, honda, integra, M2, M2 1028, mazda, miata, mitsuoka, mugen, mx-5, nissan, r32, re amemiya, rx-7, Sam Mitani, skyline, supra, The Prototype, tokyo auto salon, toyota, Veilside
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Happy 910 Day from JNC
Crack open a can of Coca-Cola Light and have a great September 10 with a photo of Nissan’s Super Silhouette Bluebird 910 race car. The 570PS monster won the championship in 1982 with Haruhito Yanagida behind the wheel. Memories of … Continue reading
NEWS: Nissan chief designer “excited” to be working on new Z
Nissan is working a new Z, or at least a concept. The revelation comes from none other than the company’s most senior designer, who said he was under “huge pressure” but at the same time “completely excited” at the prospect … Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: Nakagin Capsule Tower, 1972
Designed by Kisho Kurokawa, the Nakagin Capsule Tower is one of Tokyo’s most famous buildings, and a symbol of Japan’s post-war emergence as an innovator of industrial design. The building consisted of two concrete towers and 140 modular capsules, each … Continue reading
Posted in Showa Snap
Tagged corolla, crown, e10, ginza tanaka, h10, hiace, kujira, s50, s60, toyota
2 Comments
MOTORSPORT: Mazda’s Le Mans FC3S RX-7 rides again
Mazda’s most famous Le Mans story centers around that of the epic 787B and its historic victory in 1991, but there have been other contenders from Hiroshima. The humble Mazda RX-7 has been sent into battle many times, mostly in … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged fc3s, imsa, Laguna Seca, le mans, mazda, Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, rx-7, yojiro terada
6 Comments
NEWS: Honda to release retro Neo Classic kit for S660
We first saw the Honda S660 Neo Classic Kit at the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon, but it quickly got lost in the heaps of automotive absurdity the show is known for. Unlike most of the concoctions there, however, Honda will … Continue reading
VIDEO: Mazda classics prep for a 5,000-km rally across Europe
Mazda Germany is back with the second season of its “Mazda Garage” YouTube series. Last year, the first season followed the restoration of a Mazda Cosmo Sport, which then went on to participate in the Hamburg-Berlin Klassik Rallye. This season the … Continue reading
MINICARS: Japan Post honors Mazda RX-7 with commemorative stamp set
Japan Post has issued another commemorative postage stamp set, this time honoring the first-generation Mazda RX-7. The set consists of 10 standard ¥62 stamps, each with an image depicting the SA22 Savanna RX-7. Notably, the set includes a shot of … Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: A daruma Celica under Mt Fuji
So far Showa Snaps have only taken a look at cityscapes. Today’s ventures far out into the stretches between Japan’s major metropolitan areas. This stretch of pristine expressway is most likely between Tokyo and Nagoya, which passes beneath the shadow … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: The best display of Nissan race cars ever assembled in North America
Never before has a Japanese carmaker been the featured marque at the Monterey Historics. That is, until this year, when Nissan received the honor. As a result, collectors, racers, and Nissan themselves have brought together a truly epic assembly of … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 240Z/260Z/280Z, 300zx, 510, adam carolla, bluebird, bob sharp, bre, datsun, fairlady roadster, gt-r, GT-R50, GTP-ZX, imsa, john morton, le mans, nissan, paul newman, peter brock, r35, R390 GT1, s30 z, yutaka katayama, z31, z32
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MOTORSPORT: Mazda bringing quartet of four-rotor racers to Monterey
At the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion this week, Mazda will enter four quad-rotor cars into the vintage races. Perhaps the most notable one, however, is the 1991 FC3S RX-7 IMSA GTO, which returns to its ArtNature livery, the colors the … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 767b, 787, fc3s, imsa, mazda, monterey historics, rx-7, rx-792p
3 Comments
The one-of-one Nissan R390 GT1 Road Car makes landfall on US soil
Among the holy grails of Japanese cars from the 90s, the Nissan R390 GT1 Road Car stands heads and shoulders above all. The stuff of Gran Turismo dreams, it was a race car for the road. Nissan made only one, … Continue reading
JNC LIBRARY: Sam Mitani’s The Prototype is a thriller with Japanese cars at its center
In the world of spy thrillers, full of CIA agents, gunfights, and global power balance-changing secrets that cannot fall into the wrong hands, there typically aren’t a lot of Japanese cars mentioned. However, when the author is former International Editor … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged 370z, beat, brz, cappuccino, Crown Majesta, delica, fuji speedway, honda, kei, lancer evolution, lexus, Lexus GS, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, rx-7, Sam Mitani, silvia, suzuki, The Prototype, toyota
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