Category Archives: News
‘Pink Subaru’ movie is full of Subarus, but is about life on the Israel-Palestine border
In the 1970s Japanese carmakers were fanning out across the globe, looking for markets that might be interested in their unique takes on the automobile. However, political tensions in the Middle East forced carmakers into a difficult choice. If they … Continue reading
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QotW: What’s your favorite Japanese motorcycle?
Today, August 19, is Motorcycle Day in Japan. The date of the holiday comes from a pun. In Japanese, an alternate pronunciation of eight is ba, one is i, and nine is ku. Put them together and you have baiku, … Continue reading
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Toyota Celica could debut at Tokyo Auto Salon with 400 horsepower
After many months of rumors about a Celica revival, reports now say that the return of the Toyota sports coupe could come as early as five months from now. Not only that, but the Celica will reportedly be powered purely … Continue reading
The 2025 Toyota GR Corolla lets you race in automatic mode
As much as we love to drive manual transmission cars in real life, when we sit down for a round of Gran Turismo we almost always choose automatic mode. Shifting on a PlayStation controller is just another added level of … Continue reading
Nissan Silvia revival is the “dream” of new global product chief
The Nissan Silvia, the once abundant sports coupe and darling of the drift community, was recently name-checked by Ivan Espinosa, the company’s new chief of global product planning. Espinosa has been in product planning since 2017, and starting in 2019 … Continue reading
Is this the new Mazda logo?
Mazda may be updating their logo, according to new trademark filings in Japan. The logo began circulating on Japanese social media on Monday after users unearthed it from the Japan Patent Office. It appears to follow the trend of “flattening” … Continue reading
Mitsubishi car chase compilation from ‘Gorilla: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Investigation Unit 8’
In the late 80s much of Seibu Keisatsu‘s original production team, actors, and directors reunited to create a new TV show. Gorilla: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Investigation Unit 8 sought to recapture the feel, action and popularity of Japan’s most … Continue reading
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Tagged debonair, eclipse, Galant VR-4, Mirage Cyborg, mitsubishi, pajero, starion
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A Toyota Celica takes on 1970s sports coupes plus a Daihatsu Taft in Hong Kong’s ‘No U-Turn’
The 1981 film No U-Turn is a car-centric romp with an 8-minute illegal race as its centerpiece action sequence. In it, an orange A20 Toyota Celica races a “who’s who” lineup of performance cars of the era, including a BMW … Continue reading
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Nissan’s next restoration will be a Z31 Fairlady Z NISMO rally car
With the restoration of its WRC Pulsar GTI-R complete, the next project Nissan will tackle is a third-generation Fairlady Z rally car. The Z31 claimed the All-Japan Rally’s 1985 championship, despite missing the first two races of the season. The … Continue reading
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Toyota Celica GT-Four tribute stuffs GR Corolla drivetrain into GR86
Toyota has commissioned an interesting project for this fall’s SEMA Show. It plans to create a tribute to the famed Celica GT-Four rally cars by Frankenstein-ing two existing performance cars together. A GR86 will provide the coupe body, while a … Continue reading
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Kamen Rider’s Ridoron had mandibles and a top speed of 932 mph — Guess the Tokusatsu Car!
Y’all thought you were so smart figuring out that Inazuman’s Raijingo was an Isuzu Bellett based on the shape of the windshield frame? Good luck guessing what car lies beneath the Ridoron, the vehicle from 1988’s 47-episode Kamen Rider Black … Continue reading
Akio Toyoda is so badass he flipped a GR Yaris rally car
When Chairman Akio Toyoda spoke recently at the opening of Toyota’s new R&D center, he did it standing before a wrecked GR Yaris rally car. It was one he overturned himself while hot-shoeing it at the newly built Shimoyama Technical … Continue reading
Mazda developing dual-rotor engine as partners Subaru and Toyota commit to boxers and inline-fours
This week Toyota, Subaru, and Mazda jointly announced that they were teaming up to develop Japan’s next generation of combustion engines. Each company would specialize in the iconic engines that built their brands while striving toward carbon neutrality. Toyota would … Continue reading
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NSX, multiple Type R Integras, and an original Honda Cub — an engineer’s car collection
Bryan Hourt is a chief engineer who has worked at Honda for 27 years. He’s worked on projects like the Acura TLX, Honda’s safety systems, and others. But one peek in his garage and you’ll see where his passions lie. … Continue reading
Toyotafest 2024 — Get an exclusive coupon code for a discount on admission
The 2024 All-Toyotafest will be here shortly, and we have a lot of announcements to make. First, JNC is partnering with the organizers of Toyotafest, TORC, the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club, to offer a coupon code for all attendees. … Continue reading
Toyota S-FR sportster reportedly under development
What is going on at Toyota? Not so long ago, they were called the most boring car company in the industry. Now they have one of the most exciting lineups around, with one AWD hot hatch and two rear-wheel-drive sports … Continue reading
Nissan Z celebrating 55th anniversary with special edition, report says
There’s a rumor that Nissan is preparing to launch a 55th anniversary edition of the Nissan Z later this year. Prototypes of the car have reportedly been brought stateside already, and dealer allocations will depend on how many Zs that … Continue reading
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Electric FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser restomod runs on batteries, keeps original gearbox and good looks
Resto-modding a Toyota Land Cruiser is nothing new. People have been putting Tacoma V6es, J80 1FZs, or SBC in them for years, but a UK company is now building them to run solely on electric power. The outfit is called … Continue reading
