Category Archives: News
NISMO’s $430,000 restored R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R: what it’s like to drive one
The R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R is already a car that few people outside of Japan get to drive. Even fewer will ever ever sit behind the wheel of one of NISMO’s $430,000 factory-restored R32 Nissan Skyline GT-Rs. The program takes … Continue reading
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Tagged Michael Krumm, NISMO, nissan, Nissan Heritage Program, r32, skyline
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Suzuki-Toyota-Daihatsu mid-engine sports car rumored to be under development
There’s a rumor coming out of Japan that a new mid-engine sports car is being jointly developed by Suzuki, Toyota, and Daihatsu. If true — and that’s skyscraper-sized if — it could kill two birds with one stone for Toyota. … Continue reading
The Nissan Cima of actress Kazue Itoh has been factory restored
Just over a year ago, Japanese actress Kazue Itoh made headlines when she revealed that she was still driving a decades-old Nissan Cima that she’d owned since new. After she noted some of its imperfections on social media, her fans … Continue reading
New Nissan Z GT500 race car launch brings out the legends
Nissan has announced its newest car for the 2022 SuperGT season, and it’s no surprise that it will be based on the new Nissan Z. For the last 15 years the GT-R has been Nissan’s fighter in the ring, but … Continue reading
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Tagged 300zx, fairlady z, haruhito yanagida, john morton, Kazuyoshi Hoshino, nissan, peter brock, Steve Millen, Tsugio Matsuda, z32, Z34B
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Toyota South Africa celebrates 60th anniversary
Toyota South Africa is celebrating its 60th anniversary today. The subsidiary was established in 1961, just four years after Toyota got a small foothold in California with the S30 Toyopet Crown. It shows just how rapidly — and perhaps optimistically … Continue reading
Integra was almost the original name for the Ford Taurus
Companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to pick names for their products. They have to sound good, be memorable, and not accidentally mean something offensive in other languages. Despite the number of words, the pool of usable names is … Continue reading
EVENTS: Radwood NorCal 2021
Outside of genre-specific gatherings like JCCS or All Toyotafest, the automotive event that’s most embraced classic Japanese cars is Radwood. While cars from all countries of origin are welcome at the series of 80s and 90s-themed shows, rather than being … Continue reading
Japan’s Automotive Hall of Fame inductees for 2021 include Toyota Celsior and Nissan Be-1
The Japan Automotive Hall of Fame has announced its 2021 inductees. Each year three vehicles representing milestones in the country’s auto industry are selected for the honor. This year, they include two cars from the Bubble Era and a classic … Continue reading
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Tagged be-1, f10, japan automotive hall of fame, kawasaki, lexus, Lexus LS, ls400, nissan
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Toyota will begin making new parts for the AE86 again as the Hachiroku joins the Heritage Parts Program
Toyota announced on November 1 that it will begin remaking parts for the AE86 Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno. The beloved Hachiroku is the latest car to be added to the Toyota Gazoo Racing Heritage Parts Program. What’s more, Toyota … Continue reading
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Tagged ae86, corolla, corolla levin, GR Heritage Parts Project, Heritage Parts Program, sprinter trueno, toyota
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Reborn Acura Integra’s manual transmission confirmed
Stick shifters, rejoice! The 2022 Acura Integra will have a manual gearbox. Acura revealed the teaser in a clever video titled “Generational Shift” that depicted the standard transmissions (remember when they were called that?) of all past Integra models, including … Continue reading
Megaweb has reopened before closing permanently at the end of the year
As we reported back in July, Toyota’s Megaweb showroom in Tokyo will be closing for good at the end of the year. If you wanted to see it, though, there was a slight hitch: the showroom had already closed, as … Continue reading
Happy 929 Day from JNC
The pre-facelift second-generation Mazda Luce is probably one of the most underappreciated 1970s Japanese designs. Called the 929 when equipped with a piston engine and the RX-4 under rotary power, it struck just the right balance of elegance and menace. … Continue reading
The 2023 Nissan Z’s designers talk about their inspiration and challenges
Redefining an icon with over 50 years of history behind it was always going to be a difficult task. However, in an interview published by Nissan, the two designers responsible for the new Nissan Z talk about what it was … Continue reading
There will be no 2022 Nissan GT-R in America as history repeats with Millennium Jade
When Nissan revealed the special edition GT-R T-spec yesterday, we noticed a strange discrepancy between the US and Japan versions. The US T-specs are officially labeled as 2021 models, while in Japan it’s called a 2022 model. We reached out … Continue reading
Nissan re-imagines the original Silvia as an electric coupe
Nissan has released an illustration re-interpreting the original Silvia as an electric coupe. The rendering comes from the imagination of Matthew Weaver, vice president of Nissan Design Europe. Weaver was asked to come up with an electric car based on … Continue reading
The Acura Integra will return in 2022
Last time we checked, today isn’t April Fool’s, but apparently Acura is going to revive the Integra in 2022. That’s right, the 90s Tuner Era darling, perhaps even the platonic ideal of a sport compact, will be making a comeback … Continue reading
Toyota Land Cruiser design sketches show evolution from FJ60
Releasing a car with impossibly high expectations on it can be a daunting task. With so much heritage to go on, the J300’s development team did not have an enviable task when they set out to develop the latest Land … Continue reading
Mazda is working on an RX-Vision-esque flagship sports coupe, according to patent images
According to recently discovered Japanese patent filings, it appears Mazda is working on a flagship sports coupe. The unearthed illustrations show a rear corner view that looks like the stunning RX-Vision concept but with a slightly more production-friendly shape.
One-owner 1987 Toyota AE86 breaks record with $64,000 sale
A one-owner Toyota AE86 has just sold for $64,000 at auction in the UK. It sets the record for the highest price an AE86 has ever fetched outside of Japan, besting the rusty red hatchback that sold for $40,000 last … Continue reading
