Category Archives: Holidays
Happy Sevens Day from JNC
Today is the day when Mazdafarians celebrate the RX-7, and by extension the rotary engine at large. While there may be a new rotary engine on its way after a long absence, it’s not quite what sports car enthusiasts were … Continue reading
Happy 610 Day from JNC
Rob McFarlin of FAR Performance raced a number of different popular Datsun models. While he took his 240Z, 510, and Fairlady roadsters all to the SCCA Runoffs, it wwas perhaps his 610 that was the most unexpected finalist. Happy 610 … Continue reading
Happy 510 Day from JNC
On May 31, 1971, it was the dawn of the SCCA Trans-Am 2.5 Challenge, a series which would turn the Datsun 510 into the Goliath-slaying David of the motorsports world. At the race held at Bryar Motorsports Park in New … Continue reading
Isuzu once made a J-body with a ceramic diesel hybrid engine for the Tokyo Motor Show
Every Earth Day we highlight a hybrid or alternative fuel concept car from Japan’s past. Back in 1985, long before the Prius was a twinkle in Toyota’s eye, Isuzu revealed a hybrid compact sedan at the Tokyo Motor Show. The … Continue reading
The first NFT batch to include a Japanese classic has sold for $1.9 million
A batch of classic car NFTs has sold for $1.9 million. The fleet, which includes such icons as a 1967 Toyota 2000GT, Series 1 Jaguar E-Type, Shelby Cobra 427, and Lamborghini Miura P400S, was the first-ever sale of classic cars … Continue reading
Happy 323 Day from JNC
Picking up on this week’s near-extinct normal cars theme, when was the last time you saw a Mazda 323 in the wild? These were practical but loveable cars in their day, equivalent to a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. And … Continue reading
Happy 310 Day from JNC
All we can say is, square fenders are awesome. Happy B310 Day from JNC!
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Happy Z31 Day from JNC
Nissan cruelly left out the Z31 from the lineup when they talked about the Z Proto’s design inspirations last year. Don’t worry, Z31 stans. There’s a whole day devoted to celebrating the third-generation Nissan Z, and that’s today, 3/1. We’ll … Continue reading
Happy Presidents Day from JNC
Announced at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show, the Nissan President was the pinnacle of luxury. It offered more cabin room than the flagship car named after a US president whom we are actually honoring today, the Lincoln Continental (by 1.6 … Continue reading
Happy Year of the Ox from JNC
Today is the first day of the Year of the Ox according to the lunar calendar. If this were Italian Nostalgic Car we’d be on easy street, but Japan doesn’t really have any cars named after cow-esque animals. The closest … Continue reading
Happy Datsun B210 Day from JNC
Everyone’s obsessed with Zs and 510s, but the Datsun B210 is the true hero of the post-oil crisis 70s. This 1977 ad brags about its 50 mpg highway rating, but that didn’t mean the economy car skimped on features. It … Continue reading
Happy Daruma Celica Day from JNC
Today is February 2, or 2/2, as in TA22. As it happens, it’s a pretty good year to Celica-brate the Daruma. We just marked the 50th anniversary of the Celica a couple of months ago, and learned last week that … Continue reading
Happy New Year from JNC, and our top stories of 2020
It has been a year like no other, but 2020 is finally coming to an end. Hopefully 2021 will bring us more cheer, and allow us to get back together with friends, family, and our car community comrades. Until then, … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Soichiro Honda
Today is the birthday of Soichiro Honda, found of Honda Motor and known badass. A picture is worth a thousand words, and this photo says so much about who he was — a man who was adamant that his nascent … Continue reading
It’s Election Day and you should be voting instead of reading JNC
If you’ve spent an extended amount of time in Japan you’ve probably come across a gaisensha. Translated as “sound car” or “propaganda car,” they’re basically cars and vans mounted with gigantic loudspeakers. They drive at walking speeds and loudly blast … Continue reading
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Happy Halloween from JNC
Is there anything scarier than a long-neglected project car lurking in its cramped parking spot? It’s as if this Isuzu Hillman Minx found in Kanto is beckoning, “Fix me… Fix me.” Happy Halloween from JNC!
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
Happy Japan Railway Day from JNC
On October 14, 1872, Japan’s first railway opened, connecting Shimbashi, Tokyo and Yokohama. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism designated the day an official holiday in in 1994. Today, Japan is home to one of the most advanced … Continue reading
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Happy 929 Day from JNC
The HC-generation Mazda 929 is oft forgotten, but Mazda’s ads at the time positioned it as a luxury sedan that could deliver better performance than the European brands for two-thirds the price. Come to think of it, that’s also their … Continue reading
Happy 910 Day from JNC
The Nissan Bluebird 910, also known as a shorter, four-cylinder version of the original Nissan Maxima, saw no shortage of racing action. Nissan even entered it in the 1981 Safari Rally, equipped with a turbocharged Z18ET said to output 230 … Continue reading
