Category Archives: Uncategorized
QotW: What JNC needs to be Kylo Ren’s ride in the next Star Wars?
Last weekend, our mighty editor-in-chief Ben swung by the Tokyo offices as we gear up for Tokyo Motor Show. While on the hunt for some new Tomica minicars, we came across the above. Seeing as the latest trailer to the … Continue reading
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12 Comments
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Mint chocolate 30k-mile Colt Vista Wagon
The first-gen Mitsubishi Chariot is one of those cars that people forgot ever existed. In the US, it was extra hard for it to gain any recognition, because it was sold under the Dodge brand and called the Colt, a model name … Continue reading
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Tagged chariot, dodge colt, kidney anyone, mitsubishi, Space Wagon
14 Comments
QotW: What will happen to JNCs once autonomous cars take over?
It might take twenty years, it might take a hundred, but the the autonomous car revolution is coming. The question is, where will it leave those of us, presumably everyone who reads JNC, who prefer to manually hurtle ourselves across great distances in little metal … Continue reading
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26 Comments
MOTORSPORT: Calsonic and and BRE livery race again, in Australia
When we published our retrospective of Nissan’s famed Calsonic Blue livery last week we had no idea that it would soon be making its way to Australia. As it turns out, Nissan is about to revive not only this, but the famed BRE … Continue reading
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Tagged 510, Altima, australia, bre, calsonic, datsun, nissan, r32, skyline, V8 Supercars
9 Comments
QotW: Would you EV your JNC?
It’s National Drive Electric Week, and Nissan has just unveiled their new Leaf sporting new styling and a longer battery range. The Leaf has a ways to go before it can be considered as a JNC, but with the trend … Continue reading
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25 Comments
Have a relaxing Labor Day from JNC
It’s Labor Day in the United States so the JNC staff is taking a break from our regularly scheduled program until tomorrow. Fifty years ago, though, the Mazda factory was hard at work churning out three-wheeled trucks. The K360 kei car … Continue reading
QotW: What JNC would make a great mobile office?
[Author’s note: Sorry Ben, the above JNC company van is excluded from this QotW. I, too, think it is wonderful, but not in the summer with the exhaust heat coming through the floor ;)] The way we conduct business is … Continue reading
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16 Comments
VIDEO: Ichikawa Parking Area in the Bubble Era
At the height of the Bubble Era, meets stretched deep into the pre-dawn hours. Even at 4 am, parking areas like Ichikawa PA were filled with Savannas, Soarers, and Skylines. Tuning legend Isami Amemiya even shows up with an FC3S and his … Continue reading
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Tagged Bubble Era, eunos, fairlady z, fc3s, Ichikawa PA, mazda, miata, nissan, r32, skyline, soarer, toyota, z20, z31, z32
10 Comments
QotW: What JNC would represent the music of today?
Ben recently dropped some knowledge on us with the news about Biz Markie and his love of the Mazda MPV. I remember watching his videos and later as a guest on Yo! MTV Raps in the day. I think I … Continue reading
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9 Comments
QotW: What JNC needs a line of reproduction parts support?
Nothing beats a trunk full of fresh parts to help with that resto job on your latest J-tin project. Sometimes a mountain of parts is needed just to get the engine to breathe new life to an old but still … Continue reading
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27 Comments
VIDEO: You could tune pretty much anything in Japan
In the 90s, Japan was so high on octane that you could find aftermarket parts for just about any car imaginable. In this Best Motoring video, the hosts step out of NSXes and GT-Rs for a second and test drive tuned … Continue reading
VIDEO: Do any of these Toyotas remind you of the new Camry?
Toyota is launching the 2018 Camry in Japan, and pulling out their greatest hits to do so. The newest Camry commercial begins with images of the MR2, Soarer, Altezza, Celica and Supra, a stick-shift X70, and many more — all set … Continue reading
RIP John Knepp, 1942 – 2017
It is with sadness that we report the passing of John Knepp, a pivotal figure in Nissan’s growth into a motorsports powerhouse in the United States. A founding partner in legendary engineering firm Electramotive, Knepp was an unsung hero of … Continue reading
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Tagged 280zx, 510, datsun, Electramotive, imsa, john knepp, nissan
8 Comments
EVENTS: 2017 Nissan Jam, Part 02 — Celebrating 50 years of the Datsun 510
This year’s Nissan Jam celebrated the 50th anniversary of a very special model, the Datsun 510. Released in 1967 in Japan and arriving in the US for the 1968 model year, it is the car that did the most to change people’s minds about … Continue reading
Happy 4th of July from JNC
Here’s some red, white and blue on the most American 240SX ever — an IMSA race car, not a drift missile — in honor Independence Day. Happy 4th of July from JNC.
VIDEO: The best car show is this Mazda Cosmo Sport restoration from Germany [UPDATE: 3rd episode released]
Are you tired of purported car shows that promise wrenching but end up being a collection of character tropes manufacturing drama while standing next to muscle cars? The answer is yes, we all are. That’s why this web series from Mazda Deutschland could … Continue reading
Happy National Doughnut Day from JNC
In Japan, the police don’t like doughnuts. Especially not the kind made by a Toyota Soarer on the pedestrian-dense and high-traffic streets of Shibuya, one of the busiest districts of Tokyo. Don’t try this at home and happy National Doughnut Day, … Continue reading
Happy KP61 Day from JNC too
As many of you have reminded us here on JNC and on Instagram, today is KP61 Day too. So, happy day to all the owners and fans of one of the very few RWD hot hatches around!
Happy MA61 Day from JNC
“One is reluctant to speak of ‘a man’s car’ in these liberated times, but the Supra is exactly that,” wrote Car and Driver in 1983 when they put the MA61 Celica Supra on their 10 Best list. “The pedal effort, … Continue reading
