Author Archives: Dave Yuan
Happy Mother’s Day from JNC!
Show how much you love your mom by singing her a Carol today. Happy Mother’s Day from JNC!
NEWS: Mazda’s new Australian HQ proudly displays Heritage Collection
Mazda Australia recently celebrated the opening of its new headquarters in Mulgrave, a suburb of Melbourne. While this type of news usually excites business journals more than enthusiasts, the new state-of-the-art building does have something that catches our attention: a … Continue reading
NEWS: One million Miatas and Counting
The Mazda MX-5 Miata (or Roadster if you’re in JDM-land), that modern symbol of the lightweight sports car, has just reached an impressive milestone: one million units produced.
EARTH DAY: The Mazda EX-005 was a rotary hybrid built in 1970
In celebratin of Earth Day, here’s a rotary-powered Japanese nostalgic hybrid. The Mazda EX-005 debuted at the 1970 Tokyo Motor Show and was a bubble approximately the size of an office chair.
NEWS: Mazda finishes exquisite restoration of Cosmo Sport
We recently updated you on the progress of Mazda’s amazing restoration of a 1967 L10A Cosmo Sport with the help of some Hiroshima high school students. Here’s the latest: it’s finished!
RIP Yoshimi Katayama, 1940 — 2016
It was announced in Japanese media yesterday that Yoshimi Katayama (片山義美) — the legendary race car driver often associated with Mazda — had passed away on March 26. He was 75. His prolific career was marked by some of Japan’s most … Continue reading
NY Auto Show: 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF shows off a power folding targa top
We’re live at the New York Auto Show, where Mazda just unveiled the 2017 MX-5 Miata RF. The “RF” stands for retractable fastback, and it’s pretty much the next best thing to a bona fide Miata coupe. The top has a … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Mazda RX-7 rally car with Group B power
It’s been said a thousand times: Group B race cars are among the most iconic, exciting, and outrageous in motorsport history, tearing through dirt or tarmac in outlandish style and manner. However, fans of Japanese sports cars may feel a … Continue reading
MINICARS: The 2016 Hot Wheels Honda Odyssey takes inspiration from an 80s turbo hatch
The norm of our minicars articles is to report breaking news on miniaturized JNCs. Today, however, we’re telling you about a new Hot Wheels, um, minivan. Worry not, it’s a Honda! Not good enough? Read on, you’ll like it.
NEWS: Hiroshima high schoolers restore a Mazda Cosmo Sport, Part 02
As we reported back in September, last year a group of young Mazda employees and students from the local Hiroshima Technical High School embarked on the restoration of an L10A Cosmo Sports. It was part of an initiative to celebrate … Continue reading
Happy 96th Birthday to Mazda!
96 years ago today, Toyo Kogyo was founded in Hiroshima by Jujiro Matsuda. Predecessor to Mazda, it moved from making corks to precision machinery, eventually into motor vehicles, and onward to the rotary engine, sports cars, and racing. Here’s to … Continue reading
Tokyo Motor Show: What the RX-Vision means for Mazda
Now that the dust from the 44th Tokyo Motor Show has settled and we’ve had a chance to contemplate the implications of the unveilings, there has emerged one clear winner: Mazda. For years, enthusiasts fantasized and clamored for Mazda to bring … Continue reading
Happy 9/29 Day from JNC!
The piston engine’d version of the Mazda RX-4 was called the Luce in Japan and the 929 elsewhere in the world. Happy 9/29 Day!
NEWS: Hiroshima high schoolers restore a Mazda Cosmo Sport
Think back a little…or a lot, what were you doing in high school? Going to band camp? Studying for the SAT? Slacking off? Or maybe restoring a Mazda Cosmo Sport? …wait what?! Turns out, if you were one of the … Continue reading
MINICARS: 2015 Japanese Model Kit Roundup
It’s summertime, time to go outside and play! Or, whip out those Tamiya paint cans and spray the plastic bodies of your favorite JNC model kits. Do it outside when it’s sunny and dry to avoid accidentally painting your furniture or … Continue reading
How the Mazda RX-3 and RX-7 came to be called “Savanna”
Fuji, 1971. The mighty Hakosuka was slated to reach its record 50th win in Japanese touring car racing, only to have that taken away by a plucky upstart from Hiroshima known as the Mazda Savanna (aka. RX-3). Years later, its spirit … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: The Mazda RX-7 that won the 24 Hours of Spa
With a small but passionate maker of sporty cars and oddball engines taking center stage at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, all manner of Hiroshima steel could be found on the show grounds. A seemingly mundane Mazda RX-7 looked like any number of cars … Continue reading