Category Archives: Culture
ART CORNER: San Mamiya’s “Bad Face” Mazda RX-3
Our friend and contributor San Mamiya has revealed his latest illustration, titled Bad Face. It depicts the angry visage of an S124 Mazda Savanna RX-3, headlights glaring, pulled up next to a Suzuki GT380 motorcycle.
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged be-1, figaro, GT380, mazda, Motorcycle, nissan, pao, rx-3, San Mamiya, suzuki
2 Comments
ART CORNER: Make your own Mazda Cosmo Sport
Corporate reports are the best! Said pretty much no one. Imagine our delight then when we found some cool and fun stuff as part of the latest Sustainability Report from Mazda: a make-your-own paper craft lineup.
VIDEO: Two F1 drivers in a Honda S800
In a series of new ads by Mobil 1, McLaren-Honda Formula One drivers Jensen Button and Fernando Alonso take a road trip across the world. Though the banter is groan-inducing, the good thing is that the pair takes the trip in a … Continue reading
THE SPOT: Acura 30 Years Strong
Thirty years ago, Atari was a relevant name in video games. No one had yet heard the beauty that is the song “Another Day In Paradise” by Phil Collins. And Acura was just bringing their first cars to America. Honda’s … Continue reading
Behold the bonkers trippiness of these Yellow Hat commercials
Yellow Hat is a nationwide Japanese chain of auto service stores whose ad agency has clearly huffed one exhaust molecule too many. The completely Mr Sparkle-ized ads exist ostensibly to notify you of Yellow Hat’s tire and battery services, but the execution … Continue reading
JNC PROJECT HAKO: look, Ma… I’m on TV!
There are lots of TV commercials which try to appeal to true enthusiasts, but if you were given the keys to a TV production company, what sort of commercial would you make? If you answered that you’d gather a whole … Continue reading
Posted in cm, project hako, project hakosuka
Tagged c10, Hakosuka, nissan, Project Hakosuka, skyline
1 Comment
ART CORNER: Reality-bending JNCs for your viewing pleasure
Chris Labrooy is a British artist who creates brightly colored 3D models that look so real you can almost touch them — except that they exist only in pixels. One of his favorite subjects is cars, but stretched out into bizarre, logic-defying shapes. … Continue reading
ART CORNER: The superdeformed model kits of Ryu Asada
Most of you know the name Ryu Asada from his work at Mattel designing hit diecast cars. The talented and creative veteran of both the Matchbox and Hot Wheels brands as penned some truly memorable castings, including JNC favorites like the Honda CRX, EF Civic, ’90 Acura NSX, and ’72 … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged 323, city, familia, Gunze, hilux, honda, hot wheels, mazda, model kits, motocompo, nissan, r30, Ryu Asada, skyline, superdeformed, toyota
6 Comments
VIDEO: Hankook Tires shows why FJ40s are awesome
With the popularity of the FJ40 at auction, it makes you wonder if people who buy them will actually use them how they were intended. Sometimes it’s not cool when companies try to spice up their brand with an old Land Cruiser. This … Continue reading
SAN MAMIYA’S CORNER: My Fairlady Z
My Fairlady Z is the second San Mamiya X JNC illustration, following Fuji Speedway, which was released at JCCS. The latest illustration takes a journey through the history of Japanese tuning via the life of one model that was loved by all, the S30 … Continue reading
Posted in San Mamiya's Corner
Tagged 240z, datsun, fairlady z, Gripz, nissan, s30 z, San Mamiya
9 Comments
ART CORNER: Oh look, someone already digitally modified a Toyota S-FR
Here’s a Toyota S-FR photoshopped with a Zero theme, some better airflow, and gunmetal Wats. It was sent to us by a fan that shall remain nameless because he works for a car company that is not Toyota. Let’s hope the S-FR sees production … Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner, Tokyo Motor Show
Tagged S-FR Concept, tokyo motor show, toyota, Zero
7 Comments
SAN MAMIYA’S CORNER: San Mamiya X JNC debut
We are proud to welcome Japan-based artist San Mamiya as a regular contributor to JNC. After we featured his brilliant artwork in March, some of the JNC staff commissioned him to draw their own cars. That project snowballed into a deeper collaboration, and we hope readers … Continue reading
Posted in San Mamiya's Corner
Tagged 240z, 510 Wagon, bluebird, bongo, c10, celica, cressida, daruma, datsun, datsun 620, fuji speedway, Hakosuka, hot wheels, jun imai, mad manga, mazda, Mazinger Z, miata, mx-5, nissan, rx-3, rx-7, s30 fairlady z, San Mamiya, savanna, skyline, toyota, Tsukuba Circuit
33 Comments
VIDEO: Happy Father’s Day!
Toyota of Japan is cold killing it right now with complex, perspective-shifting videos that would make even Christopher Nolan throw his hands up in surrender. First there was the girlfriend-less AE86 driver story that perfectly synced productions from three different countries. Now comes this heart-rending … Continue reading
VIDEO: Honda animated ad reminds us of all the great cars they no longer make
A clever new Honda ad hit the airwaves recently, opening with an animated CRX chugging merrily along. Soon pixels morph it into a host of Hondas from the company’s past. “Look at all the great cars we used to make!” it … Continue reading
VIDEO: Mazda launches “Driving Matters” campaign
Many automakers claim to sell cars that are fun-to-drive, but is there anyone walks that walk more than Mazda right now? Communicating that message to the unwashed masses, on the other hand, hasn’t always been easy. Thus, the Hiroshima company’s long-standing … Continue reading
VIDEO: Honda “I Like Sports” commercial
With the return of the S-Series in the S660, a reborn NSX launching later this year, and new one-make race series based on the funky retro N-One, Honda is looking once again like a automaker with some soul. Their latest Japanese ad … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Lego Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux
Sorry to disappoint right off the bat, but this is not an official Lego set. It’s the creation of Russian brick enthusiast who goes by RM8, but it’s something Lego should seriously consider offering. In addition to realistic proportions, the Lego Cruiser features doors that lock … Continue reading
CLASSIC CM: Celebrate Earth Day with Ansel Adams and Datsun
Nissan is currently enjoying bragging rights as the biggest seller of electric vehicles in history, but the automaker’s environmental bona fides didn’t begin with the Leaf. Back in 1972 Datsun USA launched what would be, at the time, its widest reaching advertising campaign … Continue reading
