Category Archives: Next Version
The award-winning 1980s Honda Civic Si kicked off modern age of sporting Hondas
On October 24, 1984 Honda launched the original Civic Si in Japan. Based on the third-generation Civic that had debuted a year prior, the car packed an almost inconceivable amount of performance into a small and easily affordable package. It … Continue reading →
Toyota is building a 1970s Chinook-inspired Tacoma camper
If you were around in the 70s and 80s, you probably have vivid memories of neat little campers built from Toyota HiLux pickups. The compact motorhomes were an official Toyota product, sold at dealerships and borne of a partnership between … Continue reading →
Why the 100-mile MX-30 seems like a rare misstep for Mazda
Mazda is one of the few car companies operating today that we feel really “gets” cars as something more than simple transportation. Every move they’ve made recently has piqued our car enthusiasm interest, so much so that we can hardly … Continue reading →
Nissan brings back 80s off-road racing livery on a Frontier rally truck
Nissan has created a rally truck out of a 2022 Frontier that hearkens back to its various race trucks of the 1980s. The red-and-blue-over-white livery adorned many of Nissan’s off-road competition machines throughout the decade. They racked up racing accolades … Continue reading →
Acura’s second Integra teaser confirms 5-door body style
Acura has dropped a second teaser for the upcoming Integra revival. This time, it’s the rear corner in a shadowy preview. In it, you can see the shut lines for a set of rear doors and a wide-opening fifth door … Continue reading →
Nissan adds Millennium Jade and Midnight Purple to limited-run GT-R T-spec
Nissan is bringing back a pair of seminal GT-R paint colors to adorn a new limited-production variant of the R35. The 2022 Nissan GT-R T-spec reincarnates Millennium Jade and Midnight Purple, two signature colors of previous generation Godzillas. Both are … Continue reading →
What we learned from seeing the production Nissan Z in person
We recently got the chance to see the new production Nissan Z in person. Nissan let us pop the hood, sit in the car, talk to its chief engineer — everything short of drive it. But despite the lack of … Continue reading →
Acura files for Integra Type S trademark
Acura has filed for a trademark for the name “Integra Type S”. It’s been just two weeks since they melted the internet by surprise-announcing the return of the Integra nameplate in 2022, and now they’ve taken the additional step of … Continue reading →
Why the 2023 Nissan Z is still a Z34, not a Z35
Before we knew what the newly launched 2023 Nissan Z would be named, we’d been calling it the Z35. That seemed like a natural progression, as Nissan chassis codes have maintained a consistent and logical progression since the big revamp … Continue reading →
The 2023 Nissan Z might just be the last pure sports car from Japan
Front engined, rear-wheel-drive. Twin turbos. Manual transmission. It’s everything fans of Japanese sports cars have been demanding for years. The Miata and 86 are too underpowered? The Z has 400 horses. Subaru BRZ needs a turbo? The Z has two … Continue reading →
Watch the Nissan Z35’s big reveal live right here
The production seventh-generation Nissan Z debuts tonight. They’re also streaming it on YouTube, and we’ve embedded link below. The big unveiling starts at 8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific.
The Nissan Z Proto looks very promising in person
After what seems like an eternity Nissan is finally giving us a new Z. The Z Proto concept that will was revealed last year has gotten many of us here at JNC excited about the seventh-gen Z, and many fans … Continue reading →
The Suzuki Jimny Lite has the formula every carmaker should be copying
The Suzuki Jimny is already one of the most affordable yet purest 4x4s on the planet. However, Suzuki has decided to offer an even purer version of its capable compact off-roader called the Jimny Lite, one that gives enthusiasts a … Continue reading →
Toyota is reportedly working on a new Celica powered by hydrogen or electrons
A report out of Japan indicates that Toyota is working on a sporty car that is powered by alternative fuel. More sporty cars are always a good thing, but what’s perhaps more interesting is that the report states Toyota could … Continue reading →
Toyota benchmarked the 80-series for the new Land Cruiser 300
Toyota went all-out in launching the J300 Land Cruiser, digging deep into its history to inform development of the latest iteration. One of the many revealing tidbits to come out of the LC300’s launch is the fact that the engineering … Continue reading →
Production Nissan Z to debut in New York August 17
We finally have an official date for the Z35’s debut. Nissan tweeted that it will unveil the seventh-generation Z-car in New York on August 17, 2021. This means it will likely debut as a 2022 model, matching the GT-R Proto’s … Continue reading →
The Land Cruiser still carries the enthusiast flag for Toyota
In an age when Toyota’s sports cars are built by other carmakers, Aichi still has one historic world-dominating model that the company will pull out all the stops for: the Land Cruiser. A new generation of the venerated truck debuted … Continue reading →
Daihatsu might bring back the Rocky as a Jimny rival
There’s a rumor swirling around Japanese automotive media right now that Daihatsu might be bringing back the mighty Rocky. Well, technically it’s not the Rocky, but the vehicle that the original Rocky was based on, the Daihatsu Rugger. It’s said … Continue reading →
The 2022 Honda Civic has a cool throwback Easter Egg
The 11th-generation Honda Civic makes a departure from the spaceship-like previous generation and leans toward the upscale, its angular lines replaced with a more sophisticated dynamic shape reminiscent of Acura. The new interior is said to “reimagine the clean and … Continue reading →
The Toyota Crown Vellfire minivan is slightly less insulting than the Crown SUV
We’ve been very concerned with the Toyota Crown recently. It has been rough times for the nearly 70-year history of Japan’s staple sedan. We recently learned that, at the Shanghai Auto Show, Toyota debuted the Crown Kluger SUV, a lightly … Continue reading →