Author Archives: Ben Hsu
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
13 Comments
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
6 Comments
VIDEO: How Toyota USA went from selling a single Land Cruiser in 1957 to making 25 million cars
Toyota USA opened its doors on October 31, 1957. In its first full year of sales, the division sold 288 vehicles total: 287 Toyopet Crowns, and one Land Cruiser. The company almost gave up the US market, but persevered. Today, it’s built 25 … Continue reading
EVENTS: Nisei Week Car Show, 2018
The annual Nisei Festival in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles is a celebration of Japanese American culture. Nisei means “second generation” in Japanese, but with its 84 years since the inaugural festival, the event has already been passed … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 240sx, 240z, 280zx, a60, A80, abunai deka, acura, ae86, celica, century, civic, Civic EG, corolla, corona, crown, datsun, e70, f31, fairlady roadster, fd3s, G50, hilux, honda, infiniti, integra, Integra DA, itasha, lancer, lancer evolution, Lancer Evolution VI, Lancer Evolution X, Lancer Turbo, legend, Lexus LS, m30, mazda, miata, Miata NA, mitsubishi, mustang, mx-5, N80, Nisei Week, nissan, Q45, rx-7, s13, s130, s14, s2000, s30 z, s50, silvia, supra, T180, t80, toyota, vip
9 Comments
NEWS: A Nissan Fairlady Z goes up in flames in Japan
Last week a Nissan Fairlady Z caught fire near Lake Yamanaka in Japan. The area, located by Mt Fuji, is known for its outdoor sports, scenery, and driving roads, and it’s a frequent hot spot for Miatas, Toyota 86es, and the … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Nissan Fairlady 240Z-G
Monterey Car Week takes place next week, and we’re seeing more Japan-market classics trickling their way over to US shores. Perhaps the most desirable among this year’s crop is a genuine 1972 Nissan Fairlady 240ZG, a homologation special with factory … Continue reading
Posted in for sale
Tagged 2000gt, 240zg, acura, fairlady z, honda, lexus, lfa, monterey historics, nissan, nsx, s30 z, toyota
3 Comments
Yurt it up with a Datsun 620 King Cab camper
We just learned about a new Japanese magazine that we are now obsessed with. Outdoor Aso-Kuru, which roughly translates to “vehicles for playing outdoors” is all about cars and trucks that have been modified for camping, and the photo that … Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: The Shuto, circa 1969
The Shuto is the beltway system that circles downtown Tokyo, home to many a traffic jam during the day, and fleets of street racers at night. Construction began in 1962, and in this postcard from 1969 or 1970, you can … Continue reading
Posted in Showa Snap
Tagged bluebird, Bluebird 410/411, crown, hilux, shuto, Taxi, toyota
12 Comments
VIDEO: No matter what “it” is, the Land Cruiser gets it done
Toyota has released a short film about the Land Cruiser, and it is pretty epic. The two-minute movie features clips of 70-Series Land Cruisers around the world, simply going about their daily duties of ferrying people and cargo. But as … Continue reading
QotW: What car would Japanese Knight Rider drive?
The arrival last week of the Seibu Keisatsu cars at Nissan’s Zama warehouse got us thinking about cheesy 80s TV shows and their vehicular stars. Perhaps the most famous of these was Knight Rider, a “shadowy flight into the dangerous world … Continue reading
