Category Archives: toyota

Made in the 80s now available online!

At Toyotafest, our Made in the 80s shirts and decals sold out faster than dime bags of Colombian snow on Sunset Boulevard circa 1983. If you missed them and are itchin’ for a fix of 80s love, they are now … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2013 All-Toyotafest, Part 04 — The Angular Eighties

Though just the size of California, by the 1980s Japan had become the world’s premier industrial giant. With unprecedented growth and technology advancements, Nihon’s cars of this Bubble Economy, especially Toyotas, established a unique design philosophy that was on full … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels 1970 Toyota Celica, now in yellow

We take a break from all the Toyotafest coverage to bring you… more Toyota news. Earlier this year Toyotakus had their wildest dreams fulfilled when the 1970 Toyota Celica finally appeared, after years of begging, in the Hot Wheels line. Here’s … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2013 All-Toyotafest, Part 03 — Late 70s Luxe

The Oil Shock of 1973 killed off Japan’s racing programs, and by the later half of that decade emissions regulations were sapping the performance out of factory offerings. With their dreams of buying a Suzuka-ready sports coupe dashed, consumers turned … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2013 All-Toyotafest, Part 02 — The Seventies

As we mentioned, there was more urethane than chrome at this year’s Toyotafest. Still, it’s  the strong presence of Aichi classics that anchor this must-see event and separate it from other shows. 

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EVENTS: 2013 All-Toyotafest, Part 01 — The Very Old & Very New

The year is 2013, and that means the official JNC 25-year-or-older rule puts the nostalgic cutoff squarely in 1988. Yes, it’s hard to believe that MkIII Supras are elegible for historic tags in most states now but it’s true. The … Continue reading

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JNC GEAR: Made in the 80s

JNC‘s 25-years-or-older rule has put the nostalgic cutoff at 1988. It’s time we embraced the 80s. This year, our annual Toyotafest shirt debut will be a tribute to the boxy designs of the techno-funk decade, the Turbo Era, the Bubble … Continue reading

Posted in nostalgic gear, nostalgic wear, toyota | Tagged , , | 28 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? Million Dollar Baby: 1967 Toyota 2000GT

A couple of weeks ago John wrote about a 1967 Toyota 2000GT that had come up for auction with an expected fetch of $650,000 to $850,000. We rarely do a followup on Kidney Cars but this one bears mentioning. This … Continue reading

Posted in for sale, toyota | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

ART CORNER: Toyota 4A-GE made of Legos

In retrospect it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to build an 80s Toyota out of Legos; they’re all pretty darn boxy. But an iconic 80s Toyota engine? Well, a Lego artiste by the name of Solde has created a plastic … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Formula D Round One / AE86 Nights, Part 02

In Part 01 of our coverage from last weekend’s SoCal car scene we watched the opening round of the 2013 Formula D season. After the smoke settled in Long Beach everyone booked it across the southland to El Monte for some grassroots … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Formula D Round One / AE86 Nights, Part 01

Toyotaku in southern California had plenty to keep them occupied this past weekend, with not one but two events showcasing the venerable AE86 and its successor, the Scion FR-S. 

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GRAND TOURING: Shio no Michi, the Salt Road — Part 01

Having not been away in a few weeks, we decided to take a Monday off and spend three days exploring Nagano Prefecture and some of the less traveled valleys near the Northern Alps. Using our usual form of taking the main … Continue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Belatrix Yellow 1967 Toyota 2000GT

This 1967 Toyota 2000GT is expected to fetch $650,000 to $850,000 when it crosses the auction block on April 27. If it does, it would be a new high for Japan’s first supercar. 

Posted in for sale, toyota | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

VIDEO: JNCs make the cut in Ron Howard’s Rush

The hottest video circulating automotive sites today is the trailer for Rush. Last year we reported that some classic Nihon cars were spotted on set, specifically, two daruma Celicas and a kujira Crown Hardtop. Moreover, the screen shot above, which … Continue reading

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VIDEO: MotorFix’s V8-powered Corolla by XCar

If you’ve ever seen a ratty E70 Corolla mid-drift, chances are MotorFix was involved. The Gifu Prefecture shop is well known for its thoroughly modified but completely rat rodded fourth-gen Corollas. Remember, these are supsensionally identical to the AE86, and the … Continue reading

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GRAND TOURING: Mobara Twin Circuit

As some of you might know, I own a dark gray Honda S800M Coupe, and it has landed me right in the middle of Tokyo’s S-car scene. When some friends went out for a day of circuit racing, I decided to … Continue reading

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, motorsport, nissan, suzuki, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Kanto

Since the opening of the Yamate Tunnel, provided traffic is light of course, traversing Tokyo to join the out-going expressways has become a lot easier. In ten or fifteen minutes, you can join the Joban for a quick run out … Continue reading

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, isuzu, nissan, Prince, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? 55,000-mile AE86 Toyota Corolla

Like the beautiful brown Datsun 510 last week, this is not that AE86, but a lesser loved 1984 Toyota Corolla SR5. Still, it’s a 55,000-mile, RWD hachiroku, probably the best preserved example in the entire country and it’s on eBay right … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2013 Nostalgic2Days, Part 03

We begin Part 03 of our Nostalgic2Days coverage with four generations of beautiful ‘Ladies. There’s the Wangan wedge Z31, disco club S130, world beating S30, and the pre-Z roadster spanning two decades of sporting Nissans.

Posted in events, mazda, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

EVENTS: 2013 Nostalgic2Days, Part 02

Welcome back to JNC‘s Nostalgic2Days coverage, from the Pacifico Yokohama convention center. The building itself might be located in the city’s Minato Mirai 21, or “Future Port of the 21st Century” district, but the cars are all from back in … Continue reading

Posted in events, nissan, suzuki, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments