Author Archives: John Roper
JCCS Preview: Get a limited edition Matchbox Datsun 510 Rally Car at JCCS only
Matchbox will be giving away some special edition cars at the 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show this Saturday. They’ve provided a sneak peek at the packaging of at least one of them, the 1970 Datsun 510 Rally Car car. This will have different … Continue reading
Posted in JCCS Preview
Tagged 510, datsun, japanese classic car show, JCCS 2017, matchbox
6 Comments
MINICARS: M2’s first Auto Japan release revealed
Here is the first look at the castings of M2 Machines’ new Auto-Japan series. If you aren’t familiar with M2, they are highly detailed 1:64 scale cars that have traditionally been American muscle cars and hot rods. This is their first foray into … Continue reading
Posted in minicars
Tagged 510, bluebird, c10, datsun, fairlady z, Fairlady Z432, kpgc10, M2 Machines, minicars, nissan, s30 z, skyline
16 Comments
MINICARS: M2 Machines reveals new line of diecast Japanese classics
As Japanese classics gain recognition in the real world, so too do they increase in popularity in the diecast realm. For most of its existence, diecast brand M2 Machines (not to be confused with Mazda’s M2) has focused on detailed … Continue reading
Posted in minicars
Tagged 510, bluebird, datsun, Fairlady Z432, Hakosuka, kpgc10, M2 Machines, minicars, nissan, s30 z, skyline
10 Comments
PROFILES: Randy York’s rare 1973 Datsun 510
Long before social media, Randy York was one of the first members of the Bluebirds email list. He ran United Five-Ten Owners (UFO) SoCal from the mid-80s through the 90s before it faded, and was a founding editor for the definitive … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2015 NISMO Fiesta
In its fifth year, NISMO Fiesta has become the premiere event for Nissan nuts of Texas. With a new venue in the capital of Austin, the Nissan devoted came from all over the Lone Star State, with a few traveling from as … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, 510, 610, 620, Cedric/Gloria 330, datsun, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, Fairlady ZG, gloria, gt-r, infiniti, M45, NISMO Fiesta, nissan, r35, s30, z32
23 Comments
JNC THEATER: Gorilla: Metropolitan Police Squad 8 DVD box set
Strap into your gull-winged Starion, because the entire 46-episode run of Gorilla: Metropolitan Police Department Squad 8 goes on sale tomorrow, December 17. What is Gorilla: Metropolitan Police Department Squad 8? It’s an 80s cop show produced in Japan, complete with shootouts, explosions, car chases, … Continue reading
Posted in Video Games
Tagged Debonair AMG, galant, galant sigma, Galant VR-4, Gorilla: Metropolitan Police Squad 8, JNC Theater, mitsubishi, pajero, starion
8 Comments
PRODUCT GUIDE: S2 Carbon Works Skate Decks
Are you jonesing for a glimpse of hakosuka Skyline or Datsun 510 during your sick front side 180 ollie? The S2 Carbon Works 2014 line of skate decks has some pretty cool JDM style rides, including a VIP Celsior/Lexus LS and … Continue reading
Posted in Product Guide
Tagged 510, bluebird, c10, datsun, Hakosuka, skate decks, skyline
9 Comments
PRODUCT GUIDE: Datsun 510 reproduction panels by Futofab
One way to tell if your car has attained true classic status is how many reproduction parts are available. For example, it is possible to buy an entire 1967-69 Camaro bare metal body brand new and completely licensed by GM. JNCs … Continue reading
Posted in nissan, Product Guide
Tagged 510, datsun, fast & furious, FutoFab, nissan, Product Guide
29 Comments
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Million Dollar Baby, Part 02
Two months ago a shockwave was sent through the automotive world when a 1967 Toyota 2000GT became the first Japanese car to break the million dollar barrier. 1,155,000 buckaroos to be exact. But was it a fluke? Well, we shall … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Belatrix Yellow 1967 Toyota 2000GT
This 1967 Toyota 2000GT is expected to fetch $650,000 to $850,000 when it crosses the auction block on April 27. If it does, it would be a new high for Japan’s first supercar.
WEDNESDAY WALL: High-res Hakos
Do you like GT-Rs? Of course you do. Here are some high-res versions by Rob Shaw from the Skyline Festival at Fuji Speedway.
KIDNEY, ANYONE? NOS Datsun Competition L20 head, manifold and 50mm Mikunis
Today’s kidney trade is not even a complete car, but it could cost much more than one. The Nissan L20 Group 1 cylinder head is perhaps the rarest, most unobtainable piece of Datsun metal in the world. A race-only part … Continue reading
Posted in for sale, motorsports, nissan
Tagged 510, bluebird, datsun, datsun competition parts, L16, L20, mikuni, nissan
18 Comments
VIDEO: @Speed Garage Thailand: The Garage Passion Built
Thailand is a hotbed of nostalgic car activity these days, and @Speed Garage is the perfect example of exactly why that is. From classic Skylines to a race-ready Toyota Starlet, it’s the stuff our most fevered dreams are made of. … Continue reading
QotW: Which nostalgic car makes the perfect daily driver?
Some of us are blessed with enough parking to house multiple cars. Others must choose only one to fulfill all their practical, reliable and/or economical reqs while maintaining a veneer of old school Japan cool. Therefore we must ask: Which … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
50 Comments
FRIDAY VIDEO: Wangan Midnight, The Movie, with subtitles
You know the drill. Boy meets Fairlady Z, boy restores Fairlady Z, boy learns Fairlady Z is possessed by a need to kill its owner. Wangan Midnight, the story of the Devil Z and its rivalry against the Blackbird Porsche … Continue reading
Posted in nissan, Video Games
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, 911, 930, blackbird, datsun, devil z, fairlady z, Friday Video, lancer celeste, mitsubishi, nissan, porsche, r34, s130, s30, skyline, wangan midnight
14 Comments
Marty McFly’s Back to the Future Toyota Pickup getting a restoration
While plebeians consider the DeLorean the “cool car” from Back to the Future, JNCers know that the real gem from the series was the jet black 1985 Toyota 4×4 Pickup that Marty McFly owned in his new-and-improved future. Now an outfit called Time … Continue reading
JCCS Preview: The Stainless Steel Carrot: An Auto Racing Odyssey — Revisited
Fans of famed Datsun driver John Morton will have the chance to meet him this weekend at JCCS. While you’re there, you might want to pick up a copy of The Stainless Steel Carrot: An Auto Racing Odyssey — Revisited … Continue reading
Posted in Books, nissan
Tagged bre, john morton, Pete Brock, peter brock, Stainless Steel Carrot, Sylvia Wilkinson
3 Comments
The coolest E82 Corolla on Earth is “unreal”
Can wheels/stance make anything look good? After looking at these photos we’d say the answer is a resounding “Yes!” It appears our friend Sebastian at VirtualModels, creator of the B310 Sunny California Shooting Brake, is at it again. Thankfully he has … Continue reading
