Author Archives: Ben Hsu
Tokyo Auto Salon: A gorgeous restomod Hakosuka shows off Yokohama’s vintage tire revival
Draped in the company’s trademark colors of black and red, the Yokohama Tire booth at the Tokyo Auto Salon was among the best of the show. A gleaming white Hakosuka Skyline stood proudly at its center, and while the goal was … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged Advan HF Type D, c10, Hakosuka, nissan, skyline, tokyo auto salon, yokohama
16 Comments
Tokyo Auto Salon: A woman-run tuning house’s ultra-Japanese custom creations
The car world is still, unfortunately, very male dominated, with few woman-run shops anywhere on the planet. At the Tokyo Auto Salon this year, however, one of the most striking booths was that of L-Tide, a woman-led shop located in western Tokyo, and its … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged 430, bosozoku, cedric, cresta, L-Tide, nissan, tokyo auto salon, toyota, vip, x60
16 Comments
Happy TE27 Day from JNC
Have a mango today, for it is TE27 Day. Take your Corolla Levin or Sprinter Trueno out for a drive to celebrate!
Tokyo Auto Salon: Nissan, Mitsubishi show cars with American roots
We’ve seen how Japanese tuners glean inspiration from vintage American styles, but it’s interesting when actual automakers do the same. Though Nissan and Mitsubishi are of the same family now, their branding is still very separate. Coincidentally, both showed cars whose … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged 370z, 370Z Heritage Edition, Delica D:5, Eclipse Cross, fairlady z, gt-r, mitsubishi, NISMO, nissan, r35, SuperGT, z34
3 Comments
Tokyo Auto Salon: Banzai Sports SSS-face Sunny Truck
If there is one thing people will seemingly never get tired of it’s putting other Nissan noses on a Sunny Truck. The latest example, shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon recently, was by Banzai Sports and features a Bluebird SSS face on the evergreen … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged 510, b210, bluebird, datsun, nissan, sunny truck, tokyo auto salon
3 Comments
VIDEO: Toyota’s football game ad had some vintage Aichi steel
The unavoidable championship football game that happened Sunday night isn’t a place you’d normally see some vintage Aichi steel, but if you were watching closely during the Superb Owl commercials, you might have caught some in Toyota’s “One Team” spot.
QotW: What’s your favorite JNC underdog story?
Unless you emerged from a coma this morning you know that the underdog Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl last night. It was a fantastic close game down to the final minutes. Of course, JNCs often had their own underdog stories and a … Continue reading
Tokyo Auto Salon: The championship-winning TOM’s KP47 Starlet was rebuilt around its original engine
Toyotaku know the name TOM’s well. Tachi Oiwa Motorsport is the has been Japan’s premier tuner of Toyota and Lexus cars for decades, serving as something of an unofficial performance arm for the Big T. For the Tokyo Auto Salon this year, they brought out … Continue reading
Happy TA22 Day from JNC
Hey, look, it’s a chassis code holiday where Americans and Australians don’t have to argue about whether the month comes first or not! Happy TA22 Day, better known as Daruma Day, everyone!
Tokyo Auto Salon: Maybe it’s time to stop calling Toyota boring
Modern Toyota often gets a bad rap for not indulging enough in its fun side. At the Tokyo Auto Salon, Japan’s carnival of car customization and tuning, the Big T reminded us that few other Japanese automakers willing to commit this level of far-out … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged crown, lexus, Lexus LC, nurburgring, S220, tokyo auto salon, toyota, toyota 86, vitz, wrc, yaris
5 Comments
VIDEO: Son gifts Dad with Supra identical to the one lost in a crash in 2006
Here’s a wonderfully heartwarming story about a son, his dad, and his dad’s beloved Toyota Supra. Jason Torchinsky tells the tale of the white-on-maroon A60 at Jalopnik. Even before Dalan Ruttan’s father bought the Supra in 1991, he had surrounded his office with … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Bob Sharp inducted into SCCA Hall of Fame
Nissan racing pioneer and legend Bob Sharp has been inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame. Sharp was one of eight inductees announced for the Sports Car Club of America’s 2018 honors, recognizing a lifetime’s worth of racing achievements, three-and-a-half … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 510, 610, bob sharp, datsun, fairlady roadster, nissan, paul newman
2 Comments
Tokyo Auto Salon: Alaska-to-Chile Land Cruiser restored
On March 29, 1960 a Toyota Land Cruiser embarked on a record-breaking north-to-south journey from Fairbanks, Alaska to Puerto Montt, Chile. The Land Cruiser covered 20,015 miles, took 117 days, and recorded the first time the trip had been completed without accidents. Also, it was bright … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 10k-mile Toyota MR2 for $30,000
The gods of mid-engine runabouts must be receiving their share of sacrifices, because here’s the second ridiculously low-milage MR2 we’ve seen for sale in less than a week. Though this 1986 model in Indianapolis has traveled more than double the distance of the 1993 … Continue reading
Tokyo Auto Salon: Endless brakes make this Hino Contessa a show stopper
One of the benefits of the growing interest in Japanese classics is that aftermarket companies are producing an increasing number of parts for the cars we know and love. One of the leaders of this movement is Endless Advance, the Japanese maker of … Continue reading
Posted in events, Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged contessa, Endless brakes, hino, tokyo auto salon
4 Comments
NEWS: Nissan still “working on” keeping the Z alive
The current Nissan Z is nearly a decade old and the automaker has given not even the slightest suggestion of a successor. However, the company’s most memorable model is perhaps not completely dead, according to a Nissan executive’s recent statements.
QotW: Which JNC introduced in 1993 is your favorite classic of 2018?
It’s hard to believe, but the year that gave us President Bill Clinton, Jurassic Park, and Beanie Babies is now 25 years in the rear view mirror. 1993 was a seminal year, quite possibly the peak of the Bubble Era cars, as … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 4,400-mile Toyota MR2 Turbo
If you wanted a brand new second-generation Toyota MR2 Turbo back in the day but foolishly did not buy one, this could be your one shot at redemption. Offered for sale in Canal Winchester, Ohio, is quite possibly the country’s lowest-mile all-original … Continue reading
COLLECTIONS: Nissan completes restoration of 24 Hours of Spa R31 Skyline
On Saturday Nissan celebrated the completion of its restoration of the Group A HR31 Skyline GTS-R that ran at the 1988 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. With only 800 homologation models made, the R31 Skyline GTS-R is a rare and technologically advanced model, even if often overshadowed … Continue reading
