Author Archives: Ben Hsu
A 600-mile road trip in the JNC Project Hakosuka
JNC is attending two car shows this weekend, one on each side of the globe. For the SoCal team it will be an easy journey. Basically, I’ll take a leisurely 30 minute drive down to Anaheim for Radwood, the 80s and 90s car … Continue reading
Posted in jnc
Tagged 330, c10, cedric, Classic Japan, Hakosuka, JNC Project Hako, nissan, Project Hakosuka, skyline
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LA Auto Show: Mazda’s “north-star” offers a beacon of hope
If the Tokyo Motor Show was bleak, LA was a Blade Runner dystopia of crushing inhumanity. The cars unveiled weren’t autonomous pods so you didn’t get the sense that Skynet was taking over, but nearly every new model was a crossover. It’s as if … Continue reading
GALLERIES: Nissan says the Stanza Wagon is as iconic as the Datsun 510
Vindication. It’s a good feeling. Earlier this year when Ryan published a Consider the Following article about the many charms of the Nissan Stanza Wagon, the comments section got rather heated. Some couldn’t believe a Pulitzer-esque publication like JNC would sing the … Continue reading
NEWS: Nissan’s NISMO Heritage parts program launches
Nissan has begun its NISMO Heritage program, which manufactures parts for its iconic cars. The program kicks off with 74 parts for the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R, but there could be more in the future.
NEWS: Mitsubishi unveils a hideous tribute to its first car
Mitsubishi began work on its first car, simply named the Model A, in 1917. That was 100 years ago, and so to celebrate this momentous occasion Mitsubishi Motors North America commissioned a recreation of it. Sadly, the Re-Model A, as it is called, it … Continue reading
Happy Thanksgiving from JNC
Have a happy Thanksgiving, from all of us at JNC. A big domo arigato gozaimasu for reading, weighing in with your comments, and purchasing items from the shop, as well as for being enthusiasts, caretakers, and drivers of the cars we love. … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays
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Happy birthday, Soichiro Honda
We’ve had a lot of bike stories this week, and it could not have been more appropriate. Soichiro Honda would be 111 years old if he were alive today. Though infamously tough as a boss, he left a legacy that … Continue reading
Tokyo Motor Show: Incredible Iwate lacquer steering wheels
One of the most beautiful things we saw at the Tokyo Motor Show was located at a small, carless booth in a remote corner of the convention center. Japan is of course known for its traditional crafts, many that have been honed for … Continue reading
Radwood, the 80s and 90s car show, is coming to SoCal
Radwood is coming to southern California. What is Radwood? It’s a car show focused on the 80s and 90s lifestyle. Think Goodwood, but, you know, rad. The first Radwood took place in June in Brisbane, California. Though we couldn’t attend that one, it was … Continue reading
Posted in Reminder
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Tokyo Motor Show: Mikuni will make these throttle bodies if there’s enough interest
One of the interesting things about the Tokyo Motor Show that you don’t see in other major shows in LA or New York is that many major suppliers have booths too. The Mikuni Corporation is still alive and well, and makes a … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Motor Show
Tagged c10, c110, fairlady z, Hakosuka, kenmeri, l-series, mikuni, s30 z, skyline
26 Comments
Tokyo Motor Show: No one will ever catch the Honda Super Cub in sales
Some of you wanted more bike stories, so here’s one about the most popular bike in human history. A week before the Tokyo Motor Show the Honda Super Cub surpassed 100 million in sales, stretching its uncatchable lead as the most popular … Continue reading
VIDEO: Smoking Tire takes an old school 510 Wagon on a touge run
This video is about a month old, but it’s still worth sharing. Matt Farah’s Smoking Tire channel drives a lot of enthusiast cars, from Mustangs to Porsches, but this Datsun 510 Wagon is our kind of build. It was put together in … Continue reading
QotW: What tools do you keep in your JNC?
As clockwork-reliable as Japanese cars can be, when we’re talking about cars 30, 40 or 50 years old there’s always the chance of something breaking down. Most of us probably keep a few items in our JNCs at all times, whether we’re going out … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 09 — Bikes
Hey guys, we’ve been totally slacking on a hugely important segment of Japanese Nostalgic Cars because, well, they’re not actually cars. But, even with two fewer wheels, motorcycles and scooters have been an integral part of Japan’s motoring history. Here are … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Toyota Celica All-Trac Pace Car
To publicize the release of the turbocharged, AWD Celica All-Trac, Toyota and TRD USA built a pace car to lead the Long Beach Grand Prix. With race goodies like a roll cage, fuel cell and adjustable coilovers, was converted to circuit duty … Continue reading
Posted in for sale
Tagged all-trac, celica, gt-four, kidney anyone, long beach grand prix, st165, toyota
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Tokyo Motor Show: Nissan brought a Fairlady after all
After all our bellyaching about how there was no Supra or Fairlady at the Tokyo Motor Show this year as many had expected, it appears that we spoke to soon! Upon examining our TMS materials more carefully, it turns out that Nissan did in fact bring a … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Motor Show
Tagged e-Evolution, fairlady z, IMx, mitsubishi, nissan, TMS 2017, tokyo motor show
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SEMA 2017: An unmolested Toyota MR2 gave us the strength to carry on
Dearest Martha, As I took respite to pen this letter, I wondered if I would return from war the same man I was when I left home. SEMA is hell, my love. It has been just two days, but it … Continue reading
