QotW: Which JNC would you name your kid after?

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Ben Hsu

As we’ve mentioned before, there are some new babies joining the JNC family. While there are many great girls’ names in the JNC world, there aren’t many choices for boys. Brandon Kelly and his wife got there first last week, with the birth of their baby boy Maximus. I happen to think Cedric Hsu has a great ring to it but sadly my other half has vetoed it. Surprisingly, she’s totally on board with it being a car name, but believes that Cedrics are too obscure in the US and that everyone will think of Cedric the Entertainer instead (an assumption that has proven correct thus far). I guess I’ll have to insist on my second choice, AE86. Is it even a good idea to borrow a name from the JNC world?

Which JNC would you name your kid after?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What are the rules of the road for your JNC?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 25 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? Some nut “walled in” an Acura Integra Type R inside a barn

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Ben Hsu

The honest but sad truth is that Hondas are thief magnets. Shout the name of any 90s model from Civic to Prelude in a room of car enthusiasts and you will hear back a dozen stories of how someone’s friend, relative, or co-worker had one, got it stolen, and recovered it in a field months later stripped down to its shell. So what do you do if you have one of the most desirable Hondas of the era, the Integra Type R, whose 195-horsepower engine and lightweight body parts are catnip for criminals? Seal it in a barn, of course, behind a false wall. Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Automakers’ April Fool’s cars are cooler than their real offerings

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Ryan Senensky

April Fool’s Day, the day where people actually question everything they see on the internet. Here at Japanese Nostalgic Car we have traditionally made joke posts about some outlandish stories such as the Tetsuya Tada getting arrested, or Nissan new releasing a new Stanza Wagon. or Honda reverting to their 1991 lineup. Automakers themselves try to get in on the fun, too, but sometimes it backfires. While some were totally outlandish and hilarious, these are three “jokes” that hit a little close to home with car enthusiasts. Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

VIDEO: Honda Civic-only Million Card Cup race

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Ben Hsu

The Million Card Cup was a Honda Civic-only race that took place in Japan from 1991-95. It was a fantastic snapshot of a (relatively) inexpensive series when the Civic was at the height of its tuning popularity. A round, held at Suzuki Circuit showed the prodigious number of EG6 hatchbacks intermingling with a few older EFs, all with high-revving naturally aspirated VTEC engines wailing away. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

VIDEO: Jun Auto Mechanic’s assaults on Bonneville

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Ricky Silverio

With last month’s passing of Junichi Tanaka, founder of JUN Auto Mechanic, our minds have been on some of his company’s greatest achievements. The tuning house accomplished so much, in such a wide variety of automotive pursuits, that it’s hard to limit them to just one type of racing. But, one of the most memorable was their assaults on the land speed records a the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NEWS: Supra Chief Engineer arrested by Tokyo prosecutors

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Ryan Senensky

Multiple news outlets in Japan are reporting that Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer of the 2020 Toyota Supra, was arrested by the Tokyo prosecutor’s office at 8:07 pm last night while leaving a Tokyo karaoke bar. The office is the same one that arrested Carlos Ghosn, the former CEO of Nissan, last fall. The office charges Tada with misdeeds that have irreparably harmed Toyota Motor Corporation. Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

QotW: What are the rules of the road for your JNC?

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Ben Hsu

As enthusiasts, we can be pretty particular when it comes to our cars. It can be annoying to passengers, sure, but they just don’t understand the love we have for our JNCs. My personal rule is never, ever, put your stank-ass shoes on the easily crack-able dashboards. Those are probably the single most valuable and irreplaceable parts on our entire cars.

What are the rules of the road for your JNC?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s the one car you’d get from the year you were born?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 18 Comments

NEWS: Nissan expands Skyline GT-R reproduction parts program to RB26 engine, R32 body parts

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Ben Hsu

NISMO has announced a significant expansion to its Skyline GT-R reproduction parts program. While the parts offered since the program’s launch in 2017 largely consisted of rubber and plastic bits that deteriorate with age, the latest batch of items are starting to make true ground-up restorations a real possibility, thanks to new cylinder blocks and heads for the powerful RB26DETT engine, and steel body panels for the R32. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

VIDEO: Who did it better, Toyota USA or Toyota UK?

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Recently, Toyota subsidiaries on both sides of the pond put out a call to enthusiasts and owners, assembled them at a race track, and filmed the experience. In the US, it was to promote the new Supra at Auto Club Speedway in California. In the UK, it was an autocross session at Silverstone Circuit in Northhamptionshire. Both videos were released at the same time, but Toyota is so big that it’s unlikely this was a coordinated effort. Who did it better? Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

VIDEO: Cringe at these old Subaru crash tests

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Do you want to see a bunch of classic Subarus crash into walls? Just a warning, they are doubly horrifying, because it’s always sad to see some now-rare cars get destroyed, but also because of the primitive safety standards of the era. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

NEWS: What could Nissan have planned for the NY Auto Show?

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Nissan has released a teaser for the New York Auto Show next month. Titled “Ultimate Dream Garage,” the image shows several iconic Nissans, including an S30 Z, the Calsonic R32 Group A race car, the Tokyo Motor Show Kenmeri GT-R, an R34, and several shadowy silhouettes of what appear to be a 370Z and a trio of R35s. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

PRODUCT GUIDE: Dixcel has an enormous catalog of brake parts for vintage Japanese cars

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Parts for older Japanese cars are pretty hard to come by, but there’s at least one brake company that has made a point to produce as many parts for vintage cars as they can. At the recent 17th International Auto Aftermarket Expo, the company showcased a fairly comprehensive catalog of parts, for everything from kei cars to Land Cruisers. Continue reading →

Posted in Product Guide | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

BIKES: Suzuki releases retro-styled Katana

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Many Japanese motorcycle makers are coming out with retro-styled bikes these days. Kawasaki and Honda have made modern versions of the Z1 and CBX respectively, and now Suzuki has joined the fray. However, whereas Kawasaki and Honda referenced bikes of the 1970s, Suzuki has taken inspiration from the aggressively styled Katana of the 1980s. Continue reading →

Posted in Motorcycles | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

NEWS: Supra will not replace 86, next-gen in development

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Ben Hsu

We had assumed that the Toyota 86 would continue ever since Subaru shot down the rumors that a second generation BRZ was canceled. At the time, only Subaru had confirmed that a next-gen was in development, but now a spokesperson at Toyota Europe has made it official. The 86 will live on as well. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

QotW: What’s the one car you’d get from the year you were born?

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Ben Hsu

JNC is proud to have readers of all ages, from teenagers just getting into vintage Nihon steel, to retired folks who remember these cars when new. Some of us were fortunate enough to have been born during golden years of carmaking; others came into this world when external forces like the OPEC oil crisis had dramatic effects on the automotive landscape. I was born in 1976, not exactly a year known for peak performance. Since I’d rather have Skylines and Celicas from headier days, I guess I’ll choose from the Malaise Era a Mitsubishi Lancer 1600GSR. It won the Safari Rally that year, and launched a legacy of rally successes for decades to come.

What’s the one car you’d get from the year you were born?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your favorite car from Japan’s tuning era?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 37 Comments

Happy 323 Day from JNC

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Ben Hsu

The first Japanese car to win a Group A WRC race wasn’t a Subaru. It wasn’t a Mitsubishi, either, or a Toyota. It was a Mazda. On Valentine’s Day 1987, the humble Mazda 323 4WD (known as the Mazda 323 GTX in the US), won Rally Sweden, ahead of cars like the Lancia Delta HF and Audi Quattro. The winning car was driven by Timo Salonen with Seppo Harjanne navigating, but a second Mazda 323 4WD also finished in fourth place. Just remember that next time you see a small Mazda hatchback.

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

MOTORSPORT: 1967 Daihatsu P-5 race car restored

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Ben Hsu

These days Daihatsu is doing brisk business manufacturing an endless variety of kei cars as a Toyota subsidiary. It doesn’t have any presence to speak of in the world of motorsports today, but in the wild west of 1960s Japan, the company built and ran a full-on race car. The 1967 Daihatsu P-5 has been making the rounds at shows like the Tokyo Auto Salon and Osaka Auto Messe, having recently emerged from a restoration that spanned over ten years. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

MINICARS: Praise the JNC gods for this Datsun 240Z bath toy

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Because my wife is expecting and we will soon have a little car nut of our own, I have recently spent an inordinate amount of time in the baby section of stores, desperate for cool JNC-related stuff. Not surprisingly, it’s proven difficult. Most vehicle-themed baby items are pretty darn lame, if I’m honest. The majority feature not-real cars, and seem to be 90 percent fire truck. I dreaded having to introduce my son to the world of toy cars with goofy cartoon jalopies. As enthusiast parents we should demand better for our kids, and that’s why I was so excited to discover this awesome Datsun 240Z bath toy. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

PROFILES: Hiep Dang got these other Nissans instead of an R32

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Ryan Senensky

Usually when we dive into the waters of collecting cars, we inherit the gene from a family member or a group of friends, and our interests follow theirs. We usually start off with something simple and move up from there. How often is it that we start our obsession with something completely unheard of and jump right off the deep end? Well there is at least one of collector like this, and his name is Hiep Dang. Continue reading →

Posted in profiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

MINICARS: Enjoy your music through a Subaru 360

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Music is great, but speakers are typically pretty boring. If you’re tired of bathing your eardrums with your favorite bops via a dull old cube or cylinder, perhaps a speaker shaped like a Subaru 360 is more your jam. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged , | 2 Comments