Author Archives: Ben Hsu
NEWS: Here’s Japan’s most delicious service area food
The food at Japan’s service areas is so good that NEXCO East, the expressway management company for eastern Japan, holds a contest to determine which one has the most tasty lunch. The Grand Prix winner this year was just announced, … Continue reading
Happy first day of spring from JNC
This is a friendly reminder from JNC that it’s the first day of spring. That means it’s time for the cherry blossoms to come out, and for your car that’s been in hibernation all winter to come out as well. Take to the … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays
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VIDEO: Mazda Canada celebrates 50 years
Fifty years ago, Mazda Canada started when a Familia Rotary Coupe, known on this side of the Pacific as an R100, went on sale. To celebrate half a century of sales, Mazda Canada released a flashback video covering significant milestones and models.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from JNC
Do you have the luck o’ the Irish when hunting for Hot Wheels? Maybe some green in the form of a Japan Historics 2 Nissan Laurel will bring you good fortune. Happy St. Patrick’s Day from JNC!
Posted in Holidays
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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Unmolested 1987 Toyota Corolla AE86 Coupe
A bone stock 1987 Toyota Corolla GT-S Coupe has surfaced auction on eBay in southern California. The AE86 chassis, famed for its drifting prowess and starring role in Initial D, has risen to legend status, especially as unmolested examples dwindle. That’s why even with nearly … Continue reading
PRODUCT GUIDE: The IRC MB52 “footprint” tire has our new favorite tread pattern
Japan has an incredible penchant for making vehicle modification fun, something that is missing from a lot of car cultures. While going through Ricky’s excellent article about the odds and ends of the NYM, I came across the funkiest tire I’ve ever seen on … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Japanese artist recreates Initial D touge scenes with amazing model cars
It’s an iconic scene from the pages of Initial D — Takumi Fujiwara’s AE86 touge-battling Keisuke Takahashi’s FD RX-7, drifting through a hairpin. A Japanese artist known as Shinga on Twitter has recreated the moment, but as much as the finished product looks … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged ae86, corolla, fd3s, Initial D, mazda, rx-7, sprinter trueno, toyota
8 Comments
NEWS: Next-gen Nissan Fairlady Z rumored to be co-developed with Mercedes-Benz
Should we be worried? The Axis Powers seem to be getting a bit uncomfortably close with their technology sharing. The latest rumor is that Nissan is preparing a seventh-generation Fairlady Z, one that is being co-developed with Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz.
MOTORSPORT: Australia’s Improved Production Racing is absolutely riveting
Even to car guys, a lot of modern racing is boring because there simply isn’t a lot of differentiation in the actual cars. Sanctioning bodies have made the rules so strict that in many cases the cars are basically identical. … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 510, 808, ae86, australia, b110, datsun, Improved Production Challenge, lancer evolution, Magna, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, r100, rx-3, rx-7, sa22, sunny, toyota
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QotW: How excited are you about the new Supra?
Few model names evoke as much zeal as “Supra.” Last week, Toyota finally made it clear that it will revive the name for a new sports car that it unveiled in racing guise at the Geneva Motor Show. It even wore number 90 on the … Continue reading
Happy 311 Day from JNC
Before the famous BRE Datsun 510s and 240Zs, there was the Datsun Roadster. This is the actual, restored car driven by Frank Monise. As the story goes, when asked why he hired Monise, Peter Brock said, “Because he kept beating … Continue reading
Happy TE37 Day from JNC
If you were a child of the 80s, you might remember a time when E30 Corollas were just about everywhere. Today, they’re mostly gone, and don’t even get as much love amongst collectors as TE27s and other Corollas. That is … Continue reading
NEWS: This is the new Toyota Supra
The last Toyota Supra is one of those rare cars that became a legend in its own time, but it’s been 16 years since it was discontinued. At the Geneva Motor Show this morning, the next generation of this venerated nameplate was … Continue reading
Happy Z32 Day from JNC
Sleek lines, twin turbos, and enough swag to steal Barbie away from Ken. That was the 1990-96 Nissan 300ZX. Let’s all rewatch one of the greatest car commercials of all time (it was so great in fact that the 300ZX had already been discontinued … Continue reading
Happy Z31 Day from JNC
It’s March 1, the day on which we celebrate the 80s icon that is the third-generation Nissan Z. May your day be filled with pop-up headlights, turbocharging, and T-tops. Happy Z31 Day from JNC.
EVENTS: 2018 New Year Meeting, Part 01 — Sixties Specials
The New Year Meeting is the oldest classic car event in Japan, held annually at the end of January, closer to the lunar new year than the Gregorian one. Having started in 1977, this year marked the 42nd time it was held. This … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 117, 2000gt, 510, bellett, bluebird, contessa, cosmo sport, datsun, fairlady roadster, hino, honda, Honda S-Series, isuzu, mazda, monkey, new year meeting, nissan, publica, r360, toyota
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MOTORSPORT: Nissan will be the featured marque at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Nissan has confirmed that it will be the featured marque at the 2018 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. The event celebrating vintage racing machines takes place at Laguna Seca during the Monterey Historics car week, and remains one of the most … Continue reading
VIDEO: The introduction of Suzuki’s first car
Suzuki’s first car, the Suzulight, was launched in 1955. At a time when few in Japan owned private cars, and few roads existed, the first cars were sold to doctors so they could make house visits.
