Author Archives: Ben Hsu
SEMA 2017: Datsun is the new “it” marque
Despite brief surges in sport compacts, drifting, VIP, and other trends from the land of the rising sun, SEMA is still mostly an American car show. If we had to put a number on the resto modded muscle cars pushing 1,000 horsepower, lifted … Continue reading
SEMA 2017: Into the Badlands star Daniel Wu’s Datsun 510
One of the standout cars at SEMA was a 1972 Datsun 510 sitting in the Toyo Tires Tread Pass section. Though owned by a celebrity — Into the Badlands star Daniel Wu — that’s hardly the most interesting thing about it. … Continue reading
SEMA 2017: Toyota brings fifteen Camrys to world’s biggest tuner show
We’re not sure if Toyota is trolling the entire aftermarket community, but Japan’s largest carmaker basically filled their entire SEMA display with nothing but Camrys. There were no tricked out Toyota 86s, lifted Land Cruisers, or slammed Siennas. Nope, just … Continue reading
SEMA 2017: Jun Imai debuts his widebody Datsun Z
Five years ago, we watched as the pink slip of a dusty blue 1974 260Z was signed over to Jun Imai. It appeared as if attempts to turn it into something greater had been cut short, leaving a car that was neither stock nor carefully modified. If … Continue reading
Tokyo Motor Show: The heritage is strong with Daihatsu
Daihatsu came out strong this year with heritage models. We’ve already seen the Daihatsu DN Compagno concept, which shared the stage with a classic Compagno. Also at the Daihatsu stage was its most iconic nostalgic car, a 1959 Midget.
Posted in Tokyo Motor Show
Tagged daihatsu, DN Pro Cargo, kei, midget, TMS 2017, tokyo motor show
2 Comments
Tokyo Motor Show: 2018 Toyota Century
The Toyota Century is not just an executive sedan, it is a pillar of Japanese tradition. And like most Japanese traditions, it has carried on virtually unchanged for a long, long time. At the Tokyo Motor Show, however, nearly 50 years after … Continue reading
Tokyo Motor Show: Mazda’s concepts are simply stunning
In a largely disappointing Tokyo Motor Show, the stars of the Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Mitsubishi booths were autonomous or electric or overstyled crossovers — sometimes all three. Only Mazda bucked the trend with a couple of concepts that went old … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Motor Show
Tagged Kai, mazda, mazda 3, TMS 2017, tokyo motor show, Vision Concept
17 Comments
Tokyo Motor Show: Daihatsu saves the day
The Tokyo Motor Show was largely disappointing this year, mainly caused by high expectations. There was no Gran Turismo reunion of Supras, Zs, and Evos. In fact, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi all highlighted some sort of electric crossover van thingy. It was … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Motor Show
Tagged compagno, daihatsu, DN Compagno, TMS 2017, tokyo motor show
7 Comments
Tokyo Motor Show: Honda’s Sports EV concept will keep driving alive
Honda has unveiled what it believes is the next generation of sports cars at the Tokyo Motor Show. The Honda Sports EV is a concept model that the company says “combines EV performance and AI (artificial intelligence) inside a compact … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 08 — Best Booths
JCCS has become an international show. For years, the event has been growing, with ever better builds and spectators coming from farther reaches of the globe. This year, however, many top companies from Japan attended, while US-based ones upped the ante with … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 240z, 240Z/260Z/280Z, 280z, 510, a40, accord, ae86, Altra, b-series, bluebird, c10, c30, celica, civic, Civic EF, Civic Type R, Classic Car Nagoya, Colin Project, corolla, cosmo sport, datsun, e30, fd3s, fj60, Hakosuka, honda, Hypermini, Hyprmini, imsa, japanese classic car show, JCCS 2017, land cruiser, laurel, leaf, matchbox, mazda, miata, mx-5, nissan, osaka jdm, r30, racing beat, rx-3, rx-7, s30 z, skyline, sprinter carib, tercel, toyota, wagons, Wild Cards, Work Equip 40, work wheels, Z Car garage
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VIDEO: Burnouts and assorted antics with the Wild Cards
After the recent JCCS show, our friends the Wild Cards swung by the Hoonigan offices for a little video shoot. You’ll see cars like Roy De Guzman’s Hako, Jay Kho’s R30, Patrick Soliman’s Kenmeri, and even JNC award winner Gilbert Susana’s 510. … Continue reading
NEWS: Daihatsu’s retro concepts for the Tokyo Motor Show
This year’s Tokyo Motor Show might see the revival of some legendary models — Supra, Z, S2000, Evo — but it might be Daihatsu that takes the cake for the most charming heritage concepts this year. The compact car specialist has revealed a … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged compagno, daihatsu, DN Compagno, DN Pro Cargo, kei, midget, tokyo motor show
6 Comments
EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06 — Datsun 510 and the winner of the 2017 JNC Award
Every year, the kind folks at JCCS allow us to give one JNC award. This year, we were incredibly happy to give it to a Datsun 510, as 2017 happened to be the 50th anniversary of the Nissan 510 chassis. But which 510? There was … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 510, bluebird, datsun, japanese classic car show, JCCS 2017, nissan, Wild Cards
12 Comments
NEWS: Mazda’s Tokyo sedan concept to set next generation of design, looks rear-wheel-drive
Mazda has revealed some teasers for two concepts that will headline its Tokyo Motor Show display later this month. One is almost certainly the next-generation Mazda Axela (known stateside as the 3). The more far-out one is a sedan concept the Hiroshima carmaker … Continue reading
VIDEO: Listen to the sound of the Honda RA300 at Monza
Fifty years ago, the Honda RA300 won the Italian Grand Prix. Earlier this year, Honda took its famed racing machine back to Autodromo Nazionale Monza, and cranked its 48-valve, 12,000-rpm V12 for the fans to hear.
EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 05 — 80s & 90s
This year the JCCS Street Neo Classics show was put on hiatus because its venue, an area of the Toyota USA campus, is no longer available. If you’ve been following the news the company’s move to Texas is underway, so soon the long-standing Torrance … Continue reading
VIDEO: B110 Nissan Sunny vs KP61 Toyota Starlet touge battle
“Why no moar horsepower?” is probably the most oft repeated and annoying gripe leveled at Japanese cars. If you’d like to see a video that answers why, here it is. Japan’s roads are mountainous, tight and a ton of fun in small, … Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged b110, best motoring, keiichi tsuchiya, kp61, nissan, starlet, sunny, toyota
6 Comments
EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — Shakotan Sleds
We’ve shown you the JDM rarities, competition machines and museum pieces of JCCS, but we know what you really came here for — Nihon sleds slammed on some vintage barrels. It’s the quintessential Japanese modified car look, and there was plenty of it on … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 240Z/260Z/280Z, 521, 710, a20, a40, a60, ae86, b110, c10, celica, Civic 1G, corolla, corona, corona mark II, cressida, daruma, datsun, e30, fairlady roadster, Hakosuka, honda, honda N, japanese classic car show, JCCS 2017, kp61, mazda, nissan, rx-3, s30 z, skyline, sprinter trueno, starlet, sunchaser, sunny, supra, t80, te27, te37, violet, X10, x20, x30, x60, zokusha
6 Comments
