Author Archives: Ben Hsu
MOTORSPORT: There is now a giant 787B at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Measuring 32 feet long and 10 feet tall, the massive Mazda 787B towers above the Monterey-Salinas Highway. The road, also known as California State Route 68, passes by the entrance of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Apparently, when you buy the naming rights … Continue reading
VIDEO: Honda RA300 returns to Monza after 50 years
Honda debuted its RA300 Formula One car fifty years ago, near the tail end of the 1967 F1 season. Miraculously, it won the very first race it competed in, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, by running strong but steady near the … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Mint chocolate 30k-mile Colt Vista Wagon
The first-gen Mitsubishi Chariot is one of those cars that people forgot ever existed. In the US, it was extra hard for it to gain any recognition, because it was sold under the Dodge brand and called the Colt, a model name … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged chariot, dodge colt, kidney anyone, mitsubishi, Space Wagon
14 Comments
VIDEO: On board with the original Hakosuka GT-R touring car at Fuji Speedway
The legendary GT-R name began with boxy, sedan-based touring cars racing at Fuji Speedway. NISMO has just released a video in which they take one of these PGC10 Hakosuka Skyline GT-Rs out on Fuji Speedway, the circuit where they forged their legendary … Continue reading
QotW: What will happen to JNCs once autonomous cars take over?
It might take twenty years, it might take a hundred, but the the autonomous car revolution is coming. The question is, where will it leave those of us, presumably everyone who reads JNC, who prefer to manually hurtle ourselves across great distances in little metal … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
26 Comments
JCCS Preview: Limited Edition 50th Anniversary “Giant Killer” 510 shirts
Our Giant Killer shirt, honoring the Nissan Bluebird/Datsun 510 and its historic battles against established players, has been very popular. Thus far we have only offered it in single colors, black ink on a brown or orange shirt. Since 2017 is a special … Continue reading
Posted in JCCS Preview
Tagged 510, bluebird, datsun, Giant Killer, japanese classic car show, JCCS 2017, nissan
4 Comments
NEWS: Mitsubishi adds a next-gen Evo concept to Tokyo Motor Show lineup
Mitsubishi has released a teaser image of what it calls an “all-new flagship concept car” to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show next month. The company promises 4WD and a “low-slung aerodynamic” shape, but also an all-electric powertrain and … Continue reading
What is Toyota’s Gazoo Racing?
Toyota has launched a new performance line in Japan. Called GR, it offers performance parts and complete cars, with six models offered at launch. Four more will follow and hit the roads of Japan by spring 2018. Toyota hopes to “gradually” bring the … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged akio toyoda, Gazoo, Harrier, mark x, noah, prius, sports 800, suzuka, Suzuka 500, toyota, toyota 86, vitz, Voxy, yaris
17 Comments
KIDNEY, ANYONE? $90k Nissan 300ZX Turbo
Recently, a 1996 Nissan 300ZX sold for $90,100. No, that is not a typo, nor was it your typical Z32. It was perhaps the most collectible example in the US, a big reason why the price was 10 times what a typical specimen … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Initial D author’s new racing manga has begun
Four years after the conclusion of Initial D, author Shuichi Shigeno has embarked on the development of a new racing manga. The first chapter of the series, MF Ghost, has kicked off in Japan’s Weekly Young Magazine, where Initial D began … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged gt-r, impreza, Initial D, MF Ghost, nissan, r35, toyota, toyota 86
13 Comments
MOTORSPORT: Why Calsonic Blue is a legendary livery in Japanese racing
Outside of Japan, most enthusiasts’ first encounter with the legendary Calsonic Blue livery of Nissan’s touring cars was likely in Gran Turismo. Specifically, it graced the R32 Skyline GT-R of the Japan Touring Car Championships, and while Godzilla notably won every single JTCC … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 350z, b13, bluebird, calsonic, fairlady z, fuji speedway, gt-r, JGTC, jtcc, k12, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, march, Masahiko Kageyama, moto kitano, nissan, pulsar, r31, r32, r33, r34, r35, skyline, z33
12 Comments
Have a relaxing Labor Day from JNC
It’s Labor Day in the United States so the JNC staff is taking a break from our regularly scheduled program until tomorrow. Fifty years ago, though, the Mazda factory was hard at work churning out three-wheeled trucks. The K360 kei car … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 10,000-mile 1984 Toyota Corolla LE
Do you want a supremely mint example of a hugely influential mid-80s Corolla that helped spread the Toyota gospel far and wide around the world? Behold, a 10,500-mile Toyota Corolla LE sedan. What, you were expecting an AE86? The argument … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 34k-mile 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo
At this year’s Toyotafest we were saw an increase in stock (or stock appearing) and period correct examples of the second-generation MR2. Gone were the Invader body kits and intake snorkels from the Tuner Era heyday. Clearly, the unmolested SW20 is something collectable, … Continue reading
VIDEO: Restored Mazda Cosmo Sport runs the Hamburg-Berlin Rally
After a truly heroic restoration of a rusted out Cosmo Sport, Mazda Germany did what anyone would do with a newly restored classic rotary — take it on a three-day road rally.
VIDEO: Ichikawa Parking Area in the Bubble Era
At the height of the Bubble Era, meets stretched deep into the pre-dawn hours. Even at 4 am, parking areas like Ichikawa PA were filled with Savannas, Soarers, and Skylines. Tuning legend Isami Amemiya even shows up with an FC3S and his … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Bubble Era, eunos, fairlady z, fc3s, Ichikawa PA, mazda, miata, nissan, r32, skyline, soarer, toyota, z20, z31, z32
10 Comments
VIDEO: Mazda Germany’s Cosmo Sport restoration is done
Mazda Germany’s Cosmo Sport saga is finally complete. In the last batch of episodes, the car has gone from rust-holed barn occupant to show-worthy classic. If you’re new to the series, see parts 01 and 02, then watch the rest below.
Happy Eclipse Day from JNC
Today is the first time a total solar eclipse will be visible in America in nearly a century, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most. So of course we’re going to make an Eclipse joke, but Mitsubishi actually beat us to it — … Continue reading
