Category Archives: motorsports
Prince Skyline S54 GT-B at the Gates
In honor of Shinichro Sakurai, we’ve been poring over images of Skylines both Prince and Nissan. Here’s a quasi-replica of the Prince Skyline S54 GT-B that went up against a purpose-built Porsche 904 race car at the 1964 Japan Grand … Continue reading
Posted in motorsports, nissan
Tagged black wats, gt-b, nissan, prince, rally, s54, skyline, watanabe
9 Comments
Shinichiro Sakurai, Father of the Skyline, 1929-2011
On January 17, 2011 in the quiet Tokyo suburb of Setagaya, Shinichiro Sakurai, the father of the Nissan Skyline, passed away due to heart failure at the age of 81. Every major newspaper and reporting agency in Japan ran a … Continue reading
Isuzu Gemini Castor Cup One-Make Race
Poor Isuzu, known mostly for diesel trucks, perhaps the Bellett, and a weasely 80s spokesman. But from the late 70s to the early 90s, it was master of its own one-make race series. Like in Gran Turismo, this often made … Continue reading
Posted in isuzu, motorsports
Tagged buick, castor cup, gemini, i-mark, isuzu, one-make race, opel
2 Comments
New JD Classics Race Series for 1977-1985 Cars
If the idea of a MkII Toyota Supra lining up on the starting grid opposite a Mitsubishi Starion gets your motor going, then this is the race series for you. The new Motor Racing Legends JD Classics series will pit … Continue reading
What a Datsun 240Z Looks Like Going 173 MPH
Remember the Datsun 240Z that recently broke the F/GT Class record at the Bonneville Salt Flats? Here’s a video on Rebello Racing of what that looks like from the cockpit. Or is that footage from a Space Shuttle launch? No, … Continue reading
Posted in motorsports, nissan
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, bonneville, burton brown, datsun, fairlady z, nissan, s30, speed record
6 Comments
BRE Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X?
So we were browsing the diecast aisle at Target the other day when the unmistakeable red/white/blue livery of Brock Racing Enterprises caught our eye. It was slathered over a big honkin’ semi rig with a matching smaller car on the … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, minicars, mitsubishi, motorsports, nissan
Tagged 240z, 510, bluebird, bre, brock racing enterprises, datsun, evo, fairlady z, john morton, lancer, maisto, mitsubishi, nissan, peter brock, s30
6 Comments
Datsun 240Z Breaks Bonneville Record with 172.9 MPH Run
This salt-caked 1972 Datsun 240Z hit 172.9 miles per hour on September 17. In doing so, it broke the the F/GT class (GT = Grand Touring gas-only class, F = the engine size, which has been upgraded to 3.0L) record previously held … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, motorsports, nissan
Tagged 240z, bonneville, datsun, fairlady z, nissan, s30, salt flats, speed record
8 Comments
Kidney, Anyone? TRD SCCA GT5 Toyota Starlet 1 of 8
According to the seller, In 1983 Toyota Racing Development in Torrance, California built eight Toyota Starlets to compete in the SCCA GT5 National Championship races. This one is apparently the only one with a plaque bearing the names of the … Continue reading
Posted in motorsports, toyota
Tagged gt5, kp61, motoi kodaira, scca, starlet, technocraft, tom yoshida, toyota, trd, weds
3 Comments
Drag Racer Hakosuka Skyline
We’ve seen all sorts of C10 Skylines, from stock to shakotan, but this is the first hakosuka dragster we’ve ever come across. This doorslammer comes from a 1995 issue of Auto Works magazine, and despite its fiberglass funny car looks, … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, motorsports, nissan
Tagged auto works, c10, datsun, drag racer, dragster, funny car, gc10, Hakosuka, kgc10, kpgc10, nissan, pgc10, skyline
5 Comments
1988 JTCC Ralliart Mitsubishi Starion
Here are some videos of a the Ralliart Mitsubishi Starion competing against Ford Sierra Cosworths, MA71 Toyota Supras and Nissan Skyline RS Turbos in the 1988 Japan Touring Car Championship. You may recognize some of the drivers, such as Takahashi Kunimitsu … Continue reading
Posted in mitsubishi, motorsports
Tagged datsun, jtcc, ma71, mitsubishi, nissan, skyline, starion, supra, toyota
2 Comments
Bulldogs Flipping Over: Honda City Turbo IIs at Suzuka
Thankfully, Kev did not see quite this much action at his recent outing to the JCCA Classic Car Festival at Tsukuba Circuit. But in 1984, Honda, a long-time sponsor of one-make races, chose its Honda City Turbo II for its latest … Continue reading
BRE Nissan 370Z Revealed at the Mitty
Don’t you hate it when you get all dressed up for a party and then someone else shows up wearing the exact same livery? A couple of weeks ago Mazda revealed a tribute to the famous Datsun 240Zs of Peter Brock and John … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, mazda, motorsports, nissan
Tagged 240z, 370z, bre, datsun, fairlady z, john morton, mazda, miata, mx-5, NISMO, nissan, peter brock, road atlanta, s30, the mitty, z34
10 Comments
Nissan Skyline R30 at the Bathurst 1000
After watching the video above on Retro-Classics, Ben asked me about the connection between this DR30 Nissan Skyline and its role in Australian racing history.
Posted in motorsports, nissan
Tagged all-japan, bathurst 1000, dr30, glen seton, group a, nissan, r30, skyline
4 Comments
Nissan Says Hey, We're Doing BRE Livery Too!
Well, well, well. It seems that Nissan is not about to let Mazda usurp the iconic BRE livery after all. Just days after the announcement of a factory-backed BRE Mazda MX-5, Nissan says they will revive the graphics on a … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, mazda, motorsports, nissan
Tagged 240z, bre, datsun, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, john morton, mazda, miata, mitty, mx-5, nissan, peter brock, road atlanta, roadster, s30
9 Comments
Kidney, Anyone? 1976 IMSA GTU Champion Datsun 240Z
Not just a kidney, but you’ll probably need to part with a retina and a lung or two. For $285,000 you get a slice of motorsports history — the Datsun 240Z that straight up won the IMSA GT/U 2.5-liter championship in 1976. Along … Continue reading
Posted in datsun, for sale, motorsports, nissan
Tagged 240z, brad frisselle, bre, datsun, dave kent, daytona, fairlady z, gtu, imsa, john knepp, john morton, mac tilton, mazda, nissan, rx-7, s30
10 Comments
Mazdas at Fuji Speedway, October 10, 1972
This video comes courtesy of oldschool.co.nz via Retro-Classics. It’s from the heyday of the Fuji touring car championships and is unique in that the narration is in English! No more picking handfuls of syllables out of rapid-fire Japanese commentary that … Continue reading
The First Japanese Racers in the US: H. Sakamoto and W.T. Watanabe, known only by their first initials, were the first recorded Japanese race car drivers in the US. They piloted a Mercer and a Case and Stutz respectively. Writer … Continue reading
