Author Archives: Ben Hsu
100 YEAR CLUB: Mitsubishi Motors, Part 01
In a year of momentous anniversaries, the biggest one of all was Mitsubishi turning 100 years old. What would become Mitsubishi Motors was established in late 1917, meaning it has just passed the century mark. As the oldest carmaker in Japan, its … Continue reading
Posted in 100 Year Club
Tagged arrow, Colt 1000, Colt 600, delica, dodge colt, galant, Henry J, hillman minx, lancer, lancer celeste, Leo, minica, mitsubishi, mitsubishi 360, Mitsubishi 500, Mitsubishi Jeep, mitsubishi model a, Mizushima, PX-33, scooter, Silent Shaft, Silver Pigeon
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QotW: What’s your JNC New Year’s resolution?
It’s a new year, people! 2018 is upon us, and that means another 52 weeks, or 365.25 days, or 8,766 hours, or 525,949 minutes, or 31,556,926 seconds to make a dent in the JNC project of your dreams (well, not literally, we hope). … Continue reading
Happy New Year from JNC
さようなら, 2017。あけましておめでとうございます!
MOTORSPORT: A brief history of Cusco Racing
If you’ve been around Japanese cars for any appreciable time, you are probably familiar with Cusco racing parts. For many, the very step into the wide world of mods was a Cusco strut tower brace. What is perhaps less known, however, … Continue reading
25 YEAR CLUB: Lexus SC
It was somewhere just west of Omaha that I said to myself, “This car was made for this shit.” I was in the midst of a cross-country drive with nothing but a Lexus SC, a toothbrush, and fewer changes of underwear than days on … Continue reading
Posted in 25 Year Club
Tagged 25 Year Club, calty, Erwin Lui, lexus, lexus sc, soarer, toyota
35 Comments
NEWS: Honda’s 1970 Z360-inspired CR-Z
Images of Honda’s show cars have surfaced weeks ahead of the Tokyo Auto Salon in January. The custom car exhibition showcases the latest trends in Japan’s car scene, and wild modifications are no exception. One of the oddest, though, is a Honda CR-Z factory … Continue reading
Happy Holidays from all of us at JNC!
Wishing all JNC readers a safe and happy holiday season. May you have many meaningful moments with your loved ones, whether they be human or automobile.
Posted in Holidays
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MOTORSPORT: TS Cup Sunnys and Bluebirds race at the NISMO Festival
We’ve written a lot here at JNC about TS Cup Nissan Sunnys over the years. They always have a habit of showing up, no matter which classic car event in Japan you’re at. That makes sense, as it’s one of the most active … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 510, b110, b310, bluebird, datsun, fuji speedway, motorsports, nissan, sunny, ts cup
4 Comments
KIDNEY, ANYONE? A flatty Mitsubishi Starion to relive your Cannonball Run fantasies
When you say “Starion” most people remember the aggressively flared, turbo-charged sports coupe that pretty much defined 80s styling. The earliest incarnations of Starions, however, were not so in-your-face with its styling. Flat-siders are pretty much extinct these days, but one … Continue reading
Posted in for sale
Tagged Cannonball Run, jackie chan, kidney anyone, mitsubishi, starion
7 Comments
VIDEO: Datsuns filmed, appropriately, on Kodak 16mm
Here’s a video series JNCers might dig. In Future Classics, the cars aren’t fancy, but the owners are passionate about them. Self-described as the “brainchild of director Elias Ressegatti and cinematographer Daryl Hefti” and “shot in a bare-bones approach to … Continue reading
EVENTS: The 2017 NISMO Festival was a moving tribute to the Skyline
This year’s NISMO Festival was a special one, as it marked the event’s 20th anniversary. The inaugural NISMO Festival in 1997 was a small gathering put together by NISMO employees as a customer appreciation day. Nissan factory drivers showed up to interact with … Continue reading
VIDEO: This is how Honda has made 100 million Super Cubs
We at JNC love the Honda Super Cub. Honda recently passed the incredibly impressive milestone of having sold 100 million units since the Super Cub’s debut in 1958. That’s the same sales figures as the Volkswagen Beetle, Toyota Corolla, and Ford F-series pickup, … Continue reading
NEWS: Mazda starts Miata Roadster restoration program
On December 13 Mazda began accepting applications for its Roadster Restore program. Announced back in August, the program will revive first-generation NA Eunos Roadsters at classic centers throughout Japan, and reproduce about 150 select parts for sale.
VIDEO: Dance through the decades with the Honda Accord
Hey, what better way to declare the pedigree of your products than to show decades’ worth of history? Honda’s latest spot, called “With Every Era,” takes you through Accord generations along with era appropriate song and dance. We’re always happy to see automakers be proud of … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: On board with the Drift King in a Group A R32 Skyline GT-R
The R32 Skyline GT-R is a legend among legends, due in no small part to its utter domination of Group A touring car racing in the early 1990s. During the four years it competed in Japan it won every single race it … Continue reading
VIDEO: What it’s like to drive an Autozam AZ-1
“Ridge Racer-feeling” are the words used to describe the Autozam AZ-1, the Mazda-Suzuki collab that was quite possibly the pinnacle of the kei car breed. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, just death and taxes, or something like that. So in … Continue reading
