Category Archives: events

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Mazda Roadster in Japan

While we were celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Mazda Miata in the US at Laguna Seca, Roadster owners in Japan had their own shindig. Held at Mazda’s Miyoshi Proving Grounds, the event drew 2,200 cars and 3,500 fans of … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mazda’s iconic roadster at the Miata Reunion

There aren’t many cars like the Mazda Miata, and we don’t mean light, two-seat sports cars, even if their scarcity is indeed glaring these days. We’re talking about something even rarer — a machine that transcends the realm of car … Continue reading

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Japanese Classic Car Show 2019: Upping the Game and Best in Show

We are 60 percent of the way to the point where the JCCS itself, if it were a car, would be eligible for classic status. In its 15 years in existence, the Japanese Classic Car Show has grown from a … Continue reading

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Japanese Classic Car Show 2019, Part 09: Trucks, Vans, and Wagons

We have arrived at what could be our favorite part of JCCS, the vans, trucks, SUVs, and wagons. And now, in addition to seeing amazing US-market builds of such cars, their Japan-market counterparts are flooding in. No longer are the … Continue reading

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SEMA 2019: Honda had the best booth of the show, and there was even a Chevy in it

There used to be tons of Japanese manufacturers at SEMA. One by one, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Mazda, and Lexus have all pulled out. And in a year that marked the 50th anniversary of Nissan’s two most beloved models and the second … Continue reading

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SEMA SPOTLIGHT: Daniel Wu’s show-stopping Honda S800

Even with countless companies spending big bucks, it’s hard to find anything truly stunning at SEMA anymore. The race to outdo each other and grab eyeballs, has resulted in some high-dollar builds, but when everything is extreme, nothing is. It’s … Continue reading

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2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 08 — 90s Kids

With 90s cars now eligible for JCCS it is suddenly quite obvious that the cars of the Tuner Era are have arrived at JCCS. This coincides with the Youngtimer movement in the collector car community as a whole catching steam. … Continue reading

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SEMA 2019: Finally, you can get an inexpensive ultra-wide bosozoku tire in the US

One of the most unexpected treats of the SEMA Show was the surprise appearance of Banzai Sports’ Bluebird SSS Sanitora. We first spotted this eye-catching ute at the Tokyo Auto Salon in 2018 and were extremely taken by it. Half … Continue reading

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SEMA 2019, Part 04: More Nihon Steel

It’s really hard to capture everything at a show as big as SEMA, but here are a few more slabs of Nihon Steel we found lurking around. There was everything from slammed sleds to off-road heroes, sometimes both in the … Continue reading

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SEMA 2019, Part 03: Year of the Supra

There were, like, so many Supras at SEMA, you guys. It felt like everywhere you went, you were bumping into an A90. Either that, or a mobility scooter with a swag-filled reusable Spyder bag. But yeah, Supras. At the end … Continue reading

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SEMA 2019, Part 02 – The coolest cars at the Toyo Treadpass

Toyo Tires consistently has one of the best displays at SEMA. It offers the most diverse lineup of cars of any company, from classics to supercars to scratch-your-head stuff like a slammed Mercedes G-Wagen. It also offers a convenient pass-through … Continue reading

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SEMA 2019, Part 01 — Japanese Hot Rods

When there are 2,400 companies and 2.2 million square feet of exhibits, limits are constantly pushed in order to garner attention. It can result in show cars that are insanely expensive but absent of taste. Still, there can be gems … Continue reading

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2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 07 — Kaido Racers

The classic Japanese street racer look has really taken off in recent years. It’s gotten to the point where even non-Japanese cars are adopting the look of deep-barreled small-diameter wheels, over-fenders with flush fitment, and a tough shakotan stance. It’s … Continue reading

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2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06 — Awesome 80s

The 80s were a pivotal time in Japan’s automotive history, and the JCCS did not disappoint with a of turbocharged, retractable-headlight, angular-bodied machines.

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2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 05 — Toyota fans save the day

Before Toyota moved to Texas, their displays were always a centerpiece of JCCS. A massive enclosed trailer would bring a truck-full of the Toyota USA Museum’s rolling treasures to the show. Now, with the company’s headquarters several states away and, … Continue reading

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2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — For Nissan, it’s the fans that make the marque

For Nissan, it was supposed to be a huge year. 2019 marked the 50th birthday of not only two nameplates iconic for Nissan, but for the automotive kingdom as a whole, the GT-R and the Z. However, Nissan is also … Continue reading

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2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 03 — Zoom Zoom

The Mazda booth is always a classy affair at JCCS, and this year they brought a who’s who of classics and late model cars from their North American collection. Right off the bat was one of the first Mazda RX-7s … Continue reading

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2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — JDM, yo

This year marked the 15th anniversary for America’s premier gathering of Nihon steel. To put that in perspective, at the first JCCS in 2005, the newest Japanese cars allowed for import under America’s 25-year import ban were built in 1980. … Continue reading

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2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — USDM Rare

Even in the 15th year of the wonderful and ever-growing Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, California, after so many iterations, there are still new things for the casual Japanese car enthusiast to discover. The phyla of Japanese cars … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Infiniti celebrates 30 years

As host of the  Japanese Automotive Invitational, Infiniti took the opportunity to showcase, well, itself. 2019 happens to mark 30 years of Nissan’s luxury brand, and it threw a big birthday party complete with classics, concepts, and some special edition … Continue reading

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