Category Archives: mazda
Benvenuto l’Alfa Miata! Mazda X Fiat collab announced
And so it comes full circle. In 1989 Mazda launched the template for the modern roadster, the MX-5 Miata. It was so pure in formula that the Japanese model name was simply “Roadster,” a tribute to British and Italian droptops of … Continue reading
Posted in mazda
Tagged alfa romeo, eunos, mazda, miata, mx-5, na, nb, nc, racing mate, roadster
20 Comments
Akio Toyoda’s favorite cars built by Toyota’s rivals
In case you needed more proof that Akio Toyoda is a car nut of the highest order, yesterday the ToMoCo head honcho rattled off his favorite cars that are not Toyotas. The occasion was Toyoda’s inauguration as chair of JAMA, the Japan … Continue reading
Posted in isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota
Tagged 110s, acura, akio toyoda, bellett, cosmo sport, dakar, honda, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, montero, nissan, nsx, pajero, skyline, toyota
5 Comments
Question of the Week: What is the ugliest Japanese car?
Without even reading the title, you can probably guess what this week’s QotW is just by photo alone. What is the ugliest Japanese car? Sorry Kev, but I’m going to have to make an executive decision on this one. The … Continue reading
Posted in mazda, nissan, Question of the Week, toyota
Tagged 1500 sports, 1600 sports, 2000 sports, autech, choro-q, crown, datsun, enfini, fairlady, fairlady roadster, fd3s, mazda, minicars, ms75, nissan, Question of the Week, rx-7, s60, stelvio, toyota, zagato
38 Comments
Question of the Week: What is the most beautiful Japanese car?
This week’s QotW is one that anyone can answer, as it requires no knowledge of history, obscure Japanese trivia, or even an ability to differentiate between a sparkplug and a lug nut. All it takes is a pair of eyes. … Continue reading
Posted in honda, mazda, nissan, Question of the Week
Tagged honda, mazda, nissan, prince, Question of the Week, soichiro honda
59 Comments
EVENTS: Eagle Rock Datsun-Nippon Swap Meet
Laugh all you want at our super-strict smog tests, but at the end of the day SoCal has at least one redeeming trait — enough nostalgics to hold a regular swap meet. Here’s what you missed from the recent Eagle … Continue reading
Posted in events, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota, wagons
Tagged 510, 720, a20, b310, bluebird, c22, celica, colt, corolla, datsun, dodge, galant, king cab, levin, libre, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, nl320, phantom, rx-3, sprinter, ssr, SSR MkII, te27, te28, techno, toyota, trueno, vanette, wagon
21 Comments
Kidney, Anyone? Tuned 1974 Mazda RX-4
It’s not a limited edition, nor does it have a slew of rare options, but we at JNC have a soft spot for the 2nd-gen Luce. They’re just rare in general and although much maligned when new, 38 years later … Continue reading
Ring in the first day of spring with nostalgics and sakura
Not only is today the first day of spring, but it’s also the opening of the 100th National Cherry Blossom Festival. A century ago the mayor of Tokyo gifted 3,000 sakura trees to our nation’s capital as a sign of … Continue reading
Posted in mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, crown, datsun, fairlady z, galant, gto, mazda, mitsubishi, ms90, nissan, s30, s90, sakura, t2000, toyota, wangan midnight
7 Comments
2012 Hot Wheels X JNC Mazda RX-7, now in blue
If you’re a die-hard diecast collector and know where to look, these beans have already been spilled. Otherwise, here’s your first look at the brand new 2012 Hot Wheels Mazda RX-7! We just got these samples fresh off the assembly line and, … Continue reading
Rotaries and racing go together like wine and cheese
At the beginning of each motorsports season Mazdaspeed gathers the press together to talk about their plans for the upcoming season and introduce some of the luckiest young men in the world, their new sponsored drivers. This year the event … Continue reading
Posted in mazda
6 Comments
Automobile realizes old Japanese cars are pretty cool after all
Well lookee here. Automobile, long the bastion of if-it-ain’t-Euro-it’s-crap has suddenly discovered the awesomeness of classic Japanese sports cars. Are we in the bizarro world? Their March 2012 issue even manages to review four cars — Honda S800, Mazda Cosmo Sport, … Continue reading
Behold, the Mazda Cosmo AP RX-5
The Mazda RX-5 is easily the most unloved “RX” car ever sold. When Mazda decided to revive the Cosmo name on a 2+2 GT at the height of the mid-70s luxo-barge craze, it dropped the “Sport” altogether and gave it … Continue reading
Grand Touring: Forgotten steel tempts rust in Aichi Prefecture
A few weekends ago, we were again exploring some outlaying areas outside of Nagoya, and in the middle of the rice fields was a small mechanic who had amazed a sizable collection of varied old Japanese cars. As distressing as … Continue reading
Kidney, Anyone? 1972 Mazda Luce 1800
A number of alert readers informed us of this ultra-rare 1972 Mazda 1800 sedan over the weekend. For those well versed in JDM Hiroshima steel will recognize this as the pre-rotary Mazda Luce, one generation before the 13B made it the … Continue reading
Bonus Video: Mazda Skyactiv gets retro
Not to be outdone by the boys at Fuji Heavy, Mazda has produced yet another look-at-our-awesome-history-of-fun-to-drive-cars montage commercial, but this time without the zoom-zoom. Instead, it’s to get the word out about its new family of Skyactiv motors. The spot … Continue reading
The Vintage Japanese “OK” Hand Logo Explained
Few things in life are cooler than vintage racing liveries. The colors, the typefaces, and the long-extinct corporate logos (of often just-as-extinct corporations) capture a moment in time that can never be replicated again. Add to that the rawness of … Continue reading
2012 Hot Wheels X JNC Mazda RX-7
2011 was a banner year for Japanese nostalgics in the Hot Wheels lineup with the release of both the hakosuka and kenmeri Nissan Skylines, as well as the BRE Datsun 510 in the Vintage Racing line. We at JNC were proud to have … Continue reading
