Author Archives: Justin Principe
QotW: What car unfairly lives in the shadow of another?
Today, February 2, is Number Two Day in Japan. It’s an occasion to celebrate the penultimates, such as Mt Kitadake, the second tallest mountain in the country after Mt Fuji, or the Shinkoro Clock Tower, the second oldest clock tower … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
16 Comments
Nissan Skyline GT-Rs abound at the Tokyo Auto Salon’s Craft Sports booth
Okay, fine. We’ve shown you the obscure Isuzus and Daihatsus from the Tokyo Auto Salon, but people need their Skyline GT-R fix. It used to be that just seeing any Skyline GT-R was an unforgettable moment in a Gran Turismo-lover’s … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged nissan, r32, r33, r34, Skyline GT-R, tokyo auto salon, Tommykaira
2 Comments
A selection of Tokyo Auto Salon’s (mostly) stock cars
The Tokyo Auto Salon is known for insane builds, but that kind of stuff can be overwhelming. However, there are stock or mostly stock cars being restored and preserved, even among the pandemonium. Here are some of the cars that … Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged 180sx, datsun, fairlady z, fd3s, GR GT3, honda, life, mazda, nissan, Nissan S13, nsx, rx-7, s13, tokyo auto salon, toyota, z32
2 Comments
TOM’s Heritage gives you a peak tuner-era Toyota AE86 for $87,000
Two years ago at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon, TOM’s announced a heritage car program to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Rather than factory-perfect restorations, the cars coming out of TOM’s Heritage are what the company calls “reconstructions” based on the … Continue reading
Isuzu 117 Coupé quietly steals the spotlight at Tokyo Auto Salon
The Tokyo Auto Salon is full of wild sights, but one car that stood out from the noise was a wonderfully understated Isuzu 117 Coupé. The yellow classic was displayed at the Dunlop Japan booth showing off new Synchro Weather … Continue reading
QotW: Which Japanese tuning house would you most like to visit?
We’re currently in Japan for the Tokyo Auto Salon, but to maximize our visit we’re also on a tour of some Japanese tuning houses. They specialize in all sorts of cars, some a specific model, others a general make, and … Continue reading
QotW: What’s a telltale sign of a bad driver?
As car enthusiasts we have a fairly decent idea of how to handle our vehicles and how they function. Sadly, that isn’t the case for the majority of the car-owning public. Yet nearly everyone in America is allowed to captain … Continue reading
QotW: If you could travel to one moment in time, when would it be and what would you do?
Let’s say you got your hands on a flux capacitor and had the nuclear scientist know-how of Doc Brown to attach it to any vehicle you want. You know the rest — hit 88 mph, get instantly zapped into the … Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
7 Comments
QotW: Which car had the best evolution between generations?
Today, November 24, is Evolution Day, marking the date on which Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published in 1859. Like in the animal kingdom, when cars go from one generation to the next, changes can occur. Sometimes … Continue reading
Nissan Pathfinder to go BoF for next generation
A Nissan exec has reaffirmed that the next-generation Pathfinder could be a proper body-on-frame SUV. There’s already pretty solid confirmation that Nissan will be bringing the Xterra back from the dead with a BoF architecture. That design could spawn several … Continue reading
QotW: How do you satisfy your car addiction when you can’t access your actual car?
It’s been raining a lot in California, a rare occurrence, keeping us from tinkering with actual cars in the driveway. But like a junkie, we’re going through withdrawal. We tried hitting up the local Target for Hot Wheels but there … Continue reading
Mitsubishi still dreams of reviving the Lancer Evolution
At the Japan Mobility Show Mitsubishi’s stand was filled with mostly kei cars, vans, and SUVs. It was a sad state for the once great purveyor of performance. However one executive, Kaoru Sawase, said that the dream of the Lancer … Continue reading
QotW: Which JNC looks most proper in orange?
Autumn, the season of turning leaves and pumpkin spice everything. Orange objects are suddenly obligatory. But in the automotive world the color of paprika isn’t particularly popular. We can think of only two eras in which orange was widespread — … Continue reading
19th Annual All-Toyotafest, a preview
JNC on the way to the 19th annual All-Toyotafest, stopping for an early morning breakfast of champions. Supra-size me!
MINICARS: Hot Wheels X JNC Mitsubishi Starion/Chrysler Conquest
StarQuest fans rejoice, as we at JNC are proud to announce the newest Hot Wheels to don our trademark inkan — the Chrysler Conquest! Our lips have been sealed shut for months, however with its imminent release to the pegs, we felt … Continue reading
VIDEO: Circumnavigating North America in a Datsun Roadster
How should one traverse the continent of North America, spanning 37,850 miles, and have the most unadulterated and visceral driving experience? Do it in a Datsun. Or better yet, do it like Scott Fisher in his 1967 Datsun Sports 1600, … Continue reading
VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the Nissan IDx NISMO
Nissan has been parading their IDx concept cars all over SoCal recently, and this weekend they ended up in the garage of car enthusiast and comedian Jay Leno. Tonight Show prop master Greg Elliot joins the show once again with his … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Ex-works Toyota Celica ST185 Group A rally car
We have seen other historic Toyota race cars hit the market recently, and the appearance of this 1993 ex-works Toyota Celica ST185 indicates their collectability is increasing. Building on the victories of the ST165 chassis, the ST185 was introduced to usher Toyota into … Continue reading
Posted in for sale
Tagged carlos sainz, celica, group a, kidney anyone, motorsport, rally, st185, toyota, wrc
7 Comments
Mazda Cosmo Sport and Toyota 2000GT in this month’s Hemmings
A Toyota 2000GT and a Mazda Cosmo 110s will both grace the cover of the upcoming April issue of Hemmings Sport & Exotic Car. The pivotal pair of shiro historic flagships was garnered together by our buddy and fellow J-tin enthusiast Jeff … Continue reading
Posted in media
Tagged 2000gt, 510, bluebird, cosmo sport, datsun, hemmings, mazda, toyota
7 Comments
