Author Archives: Steve Chang
The Infiniti J30 was hard to look at but surprisingly well-appointed
If you were alive during the launch of Lexus, you’ll remember the army of naysayers decrying the LS400 as a cheaper version of established European luxury sedans. Infiniti, on the other hand, tried really hard to introduce a Japanese idea … Continue reading
Tomica celebrates 55th anniversary by partnering with five actual carmakers
This year marks the 55th anniversary of Tomica, Japan’s favorite diecast car brand. To honor this milestone, Tomica worked with actual car designers from five automakers to come up with special anniversary graphics packages for models of their respective marques. … Continue reading
QotW: Why do you like driving?
It’s hard to believe that in all the years we’ve done QotW we’ve never asked the most basic question about why we’re all here in the first place. If we like cars it should stand to reason that we like … Continue reading
QotW: What movie or TV wreck makes you cringe?
Carspotting in movies and TV shows is a great pastime, especially when watching older forms of visual arts. Unfortunately, we all know that whenever a car appears on screen there’s always the chance that it’ll meet a grisly end. Even … Continue reading
QotW: When a marque dies, do its classics lose their luster or become more legendary?
What happens when a marque dies? Not that we have anything particular on the mind; it’s just a random topic that came up around the JNC water cooler the other day. Some of us believe that the lack of connection … Continue reading
To introduce the Celica and Carina, Toyota France mailed out self-contained record players
To herald the launch of the second-gen Celica and Carina, Toyota France came up with an ingenious way to pique the interest of potential buyers. They mailed out tiny vinyl records with messages asking customers to come down to the … Continue reading
‘Leno’s Law’ to grant relief for California classic car smog testing
Even if you don’t live in California you probably know it has the most stringent emissions testing rules in the country. Any car made in 1976 or newer must be smogged every two years, no exceptions. However, the newly proposed … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your favorite automotive manga or comic?
Today, March 17, is the anniversary of Japan’s first weekly manga, Shukan Shonen Magazine. Launched in 1959 and published each Wednesday, the book kicked off the trend of serialized comics for boys, and spawned stories such as Shuichi Shigeno’s Bari … Continue reading
QotW: How did you learn about cars?
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article 80 percent of Americans prefer to let professionals handle their automotive maintenance. Fewer DIYers was also the reason cited by Advance Auto as to why it’s closing over 700 stores in the … Continue reading
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QotW: What’s a car-related thing that you should really get rid of?
Today, March 3, is National “Simplify Your Life” Day. As fans of old cars we tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. It starts with the actual car(s). Then comes the spare parts, aftermarket parts, tools, entire donor cars, diecast … Continue reading
Japan’s 1980s tire ads touted the glamor of driving, not safety
Roberta Flack, singer, pianist, and all around class act, passed away Monday. She was well-loved in Japan and gained popularity there after a nationwide tour there in 1975. She performed in Japan many times in the decades since, with her … Continue reading
The Mazda-built Ford Festiva was technically the first Kia sold in the US
Korean cars are common sights on the road today, but in 1987 the name Kia was a complete unknown in pre-internet America. Long before our streets teemed with Sephias and Souls, the first Kia to achieve widespread sales in the … Continue reading
‘JDM: Japanese Drift Master’ game coming next month
There’s a new game packed with Japanese cars coming soon. It’s been compared to the upcoming Tokyo Xtreme Racer reboot, but with a focus on drifting instead of expressway racing. Despite the somewhat cheesy title of JDM: Japanese Drift Master, … Continue reading
Off-roading game from ‘Art of Rally’ creator announced
In 2020 the indie game Art of Rally dazzled us with its gorgeous lo-fi graphics and incredible selection of cars. Its creator has now announced Over the Hill, a new game with the same graphical style but with classic off-roaders … Continue reading
The meaning behind MF Ghost’s “MF” initials finally revealed
Since MF Ghost’s inception there has been speculation about what the “MF” initials actually stand for. Author Shuichi Shigeno didn’t reveal it from the jump, and fans have been speculating about the meaning since the manga debuted in 2017. Some … Continue reading
Tokyo Auto Salon sonohoka (odds and ends)
The Tokyo Auto Salon can be sensory overload. There’s just so much to see, you probably can’t finish it all in one day. In Japan the term sonohoka means “the rest” or “the others”, sort of like “etc.” in English. … Continue reading
