Author Archives: Ben Hsu
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
9 Comments
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
14 Comments
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
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
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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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