Category Archives: News
Sorry, Mercedes, Nissan had road surface sensing 30 years before you on a Maxima
We typically don’t review cars like the Mercedes S65 AMG, so it only recently came to our attention that when it debuted in 2014, the Benz flagship boasted about having the world’s first surface-sensing suspension. The only problem with that … Continue reading
Mazda RWD sedan’s future less certain, but there’s no dead body yet
A statement by a Mazda exec has left many hopefuls in doubt about their rear-wheel-drive, inline-six sedan. In fact, it has caused many outlets to proclaimed that the car is definitively dead, or just a rumor that never had any … Continue reading
Nissan’s Heritage Parts Program adds body panels for R33 and R34 Skyline GT-R
Nissan’s Heritage Parts Program has announced some pretty significant parts for the R33 and R34 Skyline GT-Rs. The latest batch of revival parts includes large body panels for 1995-2002 Godzillas. This includes fenders and rear quarter panels for the R33, … Continue reading
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Tagged NISMO, nissan, Nissan Heritage Program, r33, r34, skyline, Skyline GT-R
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Two Nissan concepts have been crushed at a scrapyard
Once proudly displayed on auto show turntables with the eyes and cameras of global media trained on them, two Nissan concept cars have met their unceremonious ends in a Tennessee junkyard. Both were stars at Nissan’s booth at the North … Continue reading
1994 Infiniti Q45: Now with more grille!
Fair or not, the Infiniti launch in 1989 will forever be remembered in the annals of automotive business history as a series of blunders. The name was weird and misspelled (this was decades before words like Google or Lyft could … Continue reading
Toyota Crown making a return to the US?
The Toyota Crown might be returning to the US market, if a leaked dealer schedule sheet is to be believed. Though it’s been Toyota’s most popular and evergreen sedan in Japan for nearly 70 years, it was sold stateside for … Continue reading
Alive Hoon, the first movie about pro drifting, has a trailer and behind-the-scenes video
It’s been over 20 years since the D1GP, the first professional drifting league, was born. So it’s a bit surprising that, in all this time, there hasn’t been a feature film about the sport (no, Tokyo Drift doesn’t count). But, … Continue reading
VIDEO: Drifting in America has come a long way since 1998
Drifting was still a little-known underground activity in the United States back in 1998. However, that didn’t stop some of Japan’s most famous drift racers and judges from visiting southern California to see what the nascent scene was all about. … Continue reading
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Tagged acura, ae86, Civic EG, crx, drifting, eclipse, honda, integra, keiichi tsuchiya, Ken Nomura, mitsubishi, mr2, s13, s14, sw20
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Nissan Hardbody and Datsun 720-inspired Frontiers debut at Chicago Auto Show
Nissan is going HAM on the throwback stuff these days, and we’re not talking about the new Z. For the Chicago Auto Show they’re bringing not one, but two concept trucks with a decidedly flavor based on new Frontier pickup. … Continue reading
The iconic Kawasaki Z1 celebrates 50 years with anniversary models
Everyone’s awaiting the heritage-infused Nissan Z, but there’s another iconic Z that is celebrating its history this year. The Kawasaki Z1 was the most powerful bike in its class when it debuted 50 years ago, in 1972. It was technologically … Continue reading
QotW: What’s the next Japanese car to cross the six-figure mark?
The classic car market is going bananas right now, leading to some sky-high prices for Japanese cars. The $112,000 Integra Type R is just the latest example of it, but we’ve already seen plenty of others cross the six-figure threshold. … Continue reading
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Toyota rolls out FJ40 Land Cruiser heritage parts, expands Supra, AE86, and 2000GT selection in major update
Toyota has just announced a significant expansion of new items for its Gazoo Racing Heritage Parts program. Most cover the FJ40 Land Cruiser and, surprisingly, the A70 Supra. However, the AE86, A80 Supra, and 2000GT also get some love. The … Continue reading
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Tagged 2000gt, a70, A80, ae86, corolla levin, fj40, Land Crusier, sprinter trueno, supra, toyota
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Nissan Silvia CSP311 concept gains momentum as EV
Back in September, Nissan released some illustrations of an electric Silvia revival. Penned by Matthew Weaver, a vice president at Nissan’s European design studio, it pays homage to the original Silvia, the 1965 CSP311. At the time, it was just … Continue reading
Mazda 3-rotor, rear-wheel-drive flagship, and how to make it happen
Mazda has filed a patent application for a 3-rotor hybrid drivetrain configured for a rear-wheel-drive layout. Obviously, if built, it would be the first rotary-engined car since the 2012 death of the RX-8, and the first triple-rotor production car since … Continue reading
Toyota Corolla celebrates 50 millionth sold with manga series
This year marked a milestone for the unassuming Toyota Corolla. The bestselling nameplate in history sold over 50 million units. In Japan, Toyota celebrated by releasing a trio of special edition cars and a series of Corolla-oriented comic strips that … Continue reading
Toyota’s MegaWeb showroom in Tokyo is closing so here’s a video tour of the History Garage
This will be the last week you’ll ever get to visit Toyota’s sprawling MegaWeb gallery in Tokyo. It will close for good on December 31, 2021, after 22 years. That includes not only the main showroom of new cars, but … Continue reading
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Nissan T12 Bluebird becomes 80s retro-electric “Newbird”
Eighties culture and fashion is, like, so rad these days. Nissan has gotten in on the fun by 80s-fying a T12 Nissan Bluebird — what we would have called a Stanza 5-door in the US — with a modern powertrain. … Continue reading
The Lexus Electrified Sports concept sure looks like the stunning Mazda RX-Vision
Akio Toyoda surprised the world with a mega press conference yesterday, announcing Toyota’s plans for electrification. He showed no less than 16 concept cars in dramatic fashion, talking about a packed lineup of five before dropping the false wall behind … Continue reading
VIDEO: The Impreza 2.5 RS proved Americans could accept a sporty Subaru
It’s kind of hard to imagine, but even back in 1998 the idea of a sporty Subaru was still pretty foreign to most Americans. Its most well-known US model was the Brat, and the marque was known mostly for utilitarian … Continue reading
