Author Archives: Matt De Mangos
Japanese cars of the golden era courtesy of the Shizuoka Prefecture archives
The Shizuoka Prefectural government has an amazing video archive, as it turns out. Footage from the 1950s to the 1970s include a number of short films about public works projects, including the construction of roads. These clips are chock-full of … Continue reading
Posted in Showa Snap
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The Mitsubishi Lancer conquers the Safari Rally to hilariously incongruous music
We’re suckers for good vintage rally footage, especially when the car is an OG Mitsubishi Lancer 1600GSR conquering the Safari Rally. This video has it all — big air jumps, wheels sending plumes of river water skyward, a herd of … Continue reading
Traffic was already a problem in early 1960s Tokyo
Based on the cars, we’d peg this photo as no later than 1963. According to The Guardian the crowded street is located somewhere in Tokyo, and if we’re right about the year only about 5km of the Shuto Expressway would … Continue reading
Posted in Showa Snap
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SHOWA SNAP: Unicorn Datsun U221 pickup zooms through post-war Tokyo
Showa era images always manage to unearth something of interest. For example, in a photo taken in the late 1950s or early 1960s, we stumbled upon an ultra-rare Datsun U221 pickup. It looks like a coupe at first glance, but … Continue reading
Honda Prelude SiR now at bottom of ocean, thanks to Felicity Ace disaster
Earlier this year the Felicity Ace, an auto transport ship with thousands of cars on board was lost after a fire broke out. The majority were brand new models from the Volkswagen Group and its brands, but a new report … Continue reading
A Datsun 510 having 44 years of dirt washed off is extremely satisfying
What does nearly half a century of grime look like? In New York, detailers unearthed a 1970 Datsun 510 that had been sitting for 44 years. It was purchased new in Long Island, driven for just seven years, then parked … Continue reading
QotW: Can Mitsubishi Motors be saved?
We were dismayed last week to learn of the recent fate of Mitsubishi’s Pajero factory. In a turn that was almost near-perfect in its poetic tragedy, the once hallowed birthplace of the mighty Paris-Dakar champions was sold off to a … Continue reading
Sorry, Mercedes, Nissan had road surface sensing 30 years before you on a Maxima
We typically don’t review cars like the Mercedes S65 AMG, so it only recently came to our attention that when it debuted in 2014, the Benz flagship boasted about having the world’s first surface-sensing suspension. The only problem with that … Continue reading
Mitsubishi Ralliart gives Hiroshi Masuoka gets another shot at rallying glory
Mitsubishi has announced a new rally machine, the first to fly the Ralliart banner in over a decade. The not-available-in-the-US pickup will participate in the 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally later this year. The FIA-sanctioned contest isn’t well known outside … Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: Traffic in eastern Tokyo circa 1964
We haven’t done a Showa Snap in a while, but this shot of Tokyo from 1964 seemed like a good photo to bring it back with. This shot of eastern Tokyo is another bustling street scene, with buses, streetcars, and … Continue reading
VIDEO: Feast your eyes on 20 years of high-def Tokyo streets
As we approach the long Thanksgiving weekend, here’s a feast of a different sort. Let your eyes consume this incredible, high-definition video of Tokyo during the Showa Era. Spanning a period of almost two decades, the videos show how dramatically … Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged bellett, cedric, debonair, isuzu, markII, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota
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50 years ago today, the first Mitsubishi cars set sail for North America
Here is a photo of Mitsubishi cars being loaded onto the Tagaharu Maru, a vessel operated by Yamashita Shin Nippon Kisen capable of holding 400 cars. The Galant wagons are being loaded at Kinjo Pier, Nagoya Port and bound for … Continue reading
VIDEO: The Infiniti G20 was trapped by its luxury badge
Long before there were bros revving their G37s, there was the Infiniti G20, the first of Nissan’s entry-level cars for their luxury marque. Though it was largely forgotten as a rebadged P10 Nissan Primera, mostly because of its un-luxury-like front-wheel-drive … Continue reading
QotW: What kind of JNC stuff can you find for a baby?
As we mentioned before, two members of the JNC team had little ones this year. Brandon Kelley and his wife had their son, Maximus, and Ben Hsu and his wife had their son, Cedric. However, it can be incredibly hard … Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: Amago Bridge, Iwaki Prefecture, 1977
For our first Showa Snap of the Reiwa Era, let’s go back to Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture in August of 1977. The Amago bridge traces its origins back to the times of the samurai. It was part of the Hama … Continue reading
Posted in Showa Snap
Tagged 610, 710, b110, bluebird, c10, c110, c30, cedric, cedric 230, cedric 330, corolla, crown, datsun, e20, fairlady z, Hakosuka, isuzu, isuzu 117, kei, kenmeri, kujira, laurel, Minica Skipper, mitsubishi, nissan, s30 z, s60, Skylines, sunny, toyota, violet
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MINICARS: Someone 3D-printed a working Toyota 22R-E
If there was one engine that did not need to be preserved digitally, it would be the Toyota 22R-E. They are pretty much indestructible and will likely last beyond human civilization. Still, one clever engineer 3D-modeled a surprisingly faithful replica … Continue reading
JNC RADIO: Let the smooth sounds of a Mazda Cosmo AP carry you into the evening
It was no mere coincidence that Hatsumi Shibata’s 1978 album cover for Night Dramatic featured a then-new Mazda Cosmo AP. Though the car set the proper mood for the Japanese bossa nova record, Shibata did plenty of commercial work, including … Continue reading
