Author Archives: Kevin San
Seibu Keisatsu!
In the 1970s it must have been awfully tough to be a criminal. In the 1970s, cops had flared pants, suits with wide lapels, big guns and equally big hair. In the 1970s cops could not walk out onto the … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Stuff, nissan
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Upcoming Classic Events in Japan
For those of you lucky enough to be in Japan in the next few weeks, a few tasty classic car events are coming up. The first is the All Odds Nationals, which is to be held in the Odaiba: take … Continue reading
Posted in events
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Who cares? Mazda does!
Generally speaking, it’s very rare to find a car manufacturer that devotes some serious time to sharing the intimate details of its history with us. And early Mazda racing history in Japan is not an area that’s well known, so … Continue reading
Posted in mazda
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So. You wanna go to Japan (Part 4: Reflections)
Welcome to Part 4 of our Going to Japan series! So far, we’ve covered the basics of how to get around, feed yourself, find a place to stay, see car shows, meet tuners and buy parts without JDM Tax … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Stuff
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So. You wanna go to Japan (Part 3: cars, cars, cars!)
Welcome to part 3 of our Going To Japan series! By now you’ll be well sorted for the basics of survival in JDM-land and now we get down to business. Cars. Let’s face it, when it comes to cars, everyone’s … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Stuff
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So. You wanna go to Japan (Part 2: where to stay, walkin’ around)
Welcome to the second instalment of our guide on how to survive in Japan. You can find the first instalment here. So by now you’re a pro at whizzing around Tokyo on a train… but where should you stay, where … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Stuff
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The Master and The Apprentice
Magazines come and go—especially car magazines—but from the 1960s to the mid 1980s, Australia had a great magazine in the form of Sports Car World. It was the “right” kind of magazine, written by enthusiasts and never, ever featuring anything … Continue reading
Posted in toyota
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(Even more) Cool JDM Clothing…Part 3 (and counting)
Last month, we covered a few nostalgic JDM clothing brands which embrace old school cars and bikes: Samurai Motor Club and Neighbourhood. And yet there is still more….Kaminari69, which has the same old-school hot rod influences with 60s cars … Continue reading
Posted in Businesses, Japan Stuff, Websites
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So. You wanna go to Japan (Part 1: Getting Around)
A lot of people we talk to just love the idea of going to Japan for an automotive-themed vacation but the common vibe is always that Japan is a little intimidating. You can’t speak the language, you’re worried that it’s … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Stuff
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The Legend….of Option
Fans of JDM literature will be well familiar with Option Magazine. It’s a monthly “tuner” magazine, with cool feature cars and tech articles. Perhaps the biggest aftermarket tuning magazine in Japan, it has been in business since the late 1970s. … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Stuff, Miscellaneous
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SSR: Old School Wheels are New Again
Let’s say you have almost finished restoring your vintage JDM ride, you have the blueprinted motor, you have the multiple carbs, and you need wheels to suit. Sure, there are lots of second hand old school wheels available on Yahoo … Continue reading
Posted in Businesses, Miscellaneous
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Gorgeous JDM Car Art, by Bow
In JDM MX5/Roadster circles, one of the coolest things is the annual “Roadster Days” calendar by Japanese artist Bow. Beautifully illustrated, they’re wonderfully evocative pictures of the MX5 in its natural settings. Being a Roadster owner myself, I just had … Continue reading
Posted in Businesses, Japan Stuff
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Honda’s First Win on Four Wheels
We’ve had quite a few articles on the Honda S600 sports car lately (here and here), which reminded me that there is a great story about the S600 winning its class and coming 13th outright in the 1964 Nurburgring 500km … Continue reading
Posted in honda, racing
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Japan’s Stillborn 70s Supercar
Ask anyone to name Japan’s first mid engined supercar and most people would nominate the Honda NSX. Change tack and instead ask about JDM prototype mid engined supercars and the extremely well-informed would say, ok, Nissan Mid-4. However. Japan’s very … Continue reading
Posted in Japan Stuff, Miscellaneous, racing, Websites
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Need your fix of JDM Books and Videos?
Let’s say you’ve trekked all the way to Japan, have found your way to the Super Autobacs in Tokyo Bay, and after spending a good few hours in their wondrously well stocked book and video shop, you stumble to the … Continue reading
Posted in Businesses, Japan Stuff, Websites
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Old School JDM Clothing (Part 2)
It was only a few short weeks ago that we featured Samurai Motor Club, a new Japanese clothing label with old school hot rod influences, but with a JDM twist. So it’s a surprise that there is yet another new … Continue reading
Posted in Businesses, Japan Stuff, Websites
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Not Something You See Everyday
From 1972 to 1977, Mazda’s entry into the Japanese Kei Car market was the Chantez. Unlike the kei-cars of the 80s onwards, the 70s Keis were nothing special technologically, and the Chantez was no different. Whereas 80s Keis had 4 … Continue reading
Posted in mazda
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Racing the Rotary (Part 2)
From 1969 to 1970, Mazda had a successful foray into European touring car racing, where their Euro counterparts had been caught off guard. The screaming little Familia Coupes were not short of power and if it weren’t for a lack … Continue reading
Racing the Rotary (Part 1)
Mazda was one of the many car companies that paid Dr Felix Wankel and the NSU car company to buy a license to produce the rotary engine. And while many other licensees (including Citroen and GM…and eventually NSU itself) struggled … Continue reading
Long Beach USA JDM Classic Car Slideshow
The japanese hold some awesome classic car meets (gotta go to one one-day) but the JDM events in the USA run them pretty close in terms of quality, if not quite quantity. Here’s a sublime slideshow of an event in … Continue reading
Posted in events, Video, Websites
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