Category Archives: Culture

There’s a Honda Civic on the cover of Stephen King’s new book

We don’t know anything about horror master Stephen King’s new book, Later, except that there’s an early first-generation Honda Civic on the cover. We can’t seem to find out if the car is even in the story, but King has … Continue reading

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Subaru’s Online Museum offers odd concept cars, coloring sheets, and papercraft

Car companies have helped keep us occupied while at home during the pandemic by releasing a number of online activities. The latest is Subaru, which opened the Subaru Online Museum. It’s filled with photos and specs of rare and classic … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: These pixel art JNCs are the bee’s knees

There’s probably a pretty big overlap in the Venn diagram of people who are really into Japanese classic cars and people who are really into old video games before the graphics got too realistic. That’s why these pixel art cars … Continue reading

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Nissan’s new spokesperson is Japan’s Brad Pitt, and he’s driving a Hakosuka Skyline

Nissan has a new flagship commercial in Japan, and it’s kind of a big deal. Not only does it star several greatest-hit classics from Nissan’s past, but the leading man is actor Takuya Kimura. The significance of this team-up can’t … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Look at these amazing cars made out of cardboard

Are you having trouble figuring out what to do with all your used Amazon boxes? Perhaps these incredible cardboard cars can spark an idea or two. YouTuber Papa Ken has several videos showing off his amazing skills in building corrugated … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Yamaha is here to help you crochet a bike out of actual yarn

Of all the coronavirus activities that companies have encouraged us to partake in over the last few months, Yamaha’s might just be the most bizarre. The motorcycle maker has an entire series of downloadable templates that allow you to crochet … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Learn how to color like concept car artists, courtesy of Nissan

Have you ever wanted to draw cars like professional designers? Specifically, using color to light the car so it jumps off two-dimensional paper like a proper three-dimensional object? To help kids (and adults) deal with more coronavirus quarantine time, Nissan … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Here’s your classic Toyota papercraft

If you’ve ever visited the Toyota Automobile Museum, you may be familiar with the exclusive papercraft they give away at the info desk. It changes every so often, so you’ll never get the same one twice. Well, the museum has … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Ease your quarantine blues with an official Mazda coloring book

Automakers continue to find new ways to help us deal with being stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak. Mazda’s latest scheme to help us kill some time is a downloadable coloring book that features seven of their landmark cars.

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ART CORNER: Here’s some classic Mazdas you can build out of paper

Carmakers have been coming up with creative ways to keep us occupied during the time of corona. The latest is Mazda’s recent release of papercraft cars marking its 100th anniversary. Specifically, they are the white and red Mazda R360 CoupĂ© … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Build these retro race liveried Toyotas during coronavirus lockdown

A few years ago Toyota UK created some very cool GT86es to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary in the United Kingdom. While slapping a wrap and putting some wheels on an otherwise stock car can be a half-assed way for … Continue reading

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Bake some quarantine treats with these car-shaped cookie cutters

We know being trapped at home can be boring, and not all of us can use this time in the garage. Luckily, here’s another JNC-themed way to liven up the quarantine and possibly occupy any kids that are climbing the … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Stuck at home because of the corona virus? Download a papercraft diorama for your Toyota Corona race car

The Japanese website of Brother, the printer company, has an astounding array of things you can do with paper. There are coloring books, greeting cards, forms, business card templates, and a whole lot more. Naturally, there is also an insane … Continue reading

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JNC LIBRARY: A must-have book for the Isuzu aficionado

If you’re a hard-core enthusiast, or even just a casual fan, of Isuzus, the the new book A History of Isuzu Passenger Cars by Setsuo Toma should be in your library. As the title implies, it spans the entire run … Continue reading

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Akio Toyoda celebrates Lexus’ 30th anniversary with a champagne glass throwback to the original LS

How does one celebrate a milestone anniversary? If you’re Lexus, it’s with champagne… glasses in the form of a tower on the hood of an LS. One of the most famous car commercials of the 1990s was Balance, the spot … Continue reading

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New cell phone carrier commercial features Datsun 240Z

A new commercial for cellphone carrier Boost Mobile features a nice, lightly modified Datsun sports car. The rest of the spot features music, a lot of sweet moves, and someone maybe named Pitbull? We don’t know, we’re old, like that … Continue reading

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Watch some classic Acura sports cars get abused for a mediocre ad

For its last several generation cycles, Acura has been trying to find a brand identity. The cancellation of the Integra/RSX, the long hiatus of the NSX, and the adoption of various corporate grilles haven’t done it any favors. More recently, … Continue reading

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VIDEO: That time Gucci used a dekotora to sell overpriced clothes

We somehow missed this, but in 2016 fashion brand Gucci used a dekotora to hawk its ridiculously priced clothing. In a video for their fall/winter line that year some Ziggy Stardust-looking “Gucci kids” (yes, that is a term the company … Continue reading

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The 2019 Toyota Corolla is not the best car in this 2019 Toyota Corolla commercial

A new European commercial for the 2019 Toyota Corolla shows the hatchback speeding through the desert, leaving in its dust old milestones of automotive history. Pre-war racers, hot rods, and even Toyota’s own historic models are passed, implying that the … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Treat your car right, or you might get Freaky Friday’d with it

A new commercial for JMS, a Japanese automotive parts store similar to Pep Boys or Autobacs, asks what happens when a car and its owner switch bodies. As the advert begins an owner displays less than kind behavior towards his … Continue reading

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