The Daihatsu Copen has been a gem among kei cars since it debuted in 2002. Its cheery face and folding hardtop convertible roof (still novel in those days) livened up any street it occupied, and created yet another branch on the kei car evolutionary tree. Sure, it was oriented more towards style and fun than hard core roadster-ing like the Suzuki Cappuccino or Mazda Miata, but now Daihatsu is making something very cool, something that Honda S2000 fans will be insanely jealous of — a very limited fixed-head coupe. Continue reading
Forget tofu, Arby’s gets the drift
Takumi has gotten a new job, delivering roast beef sandwiches for Arby’s. Continue reading
NEWS: Honda reveals Neo Classic Racer, Trip Van ahead of Tokyo Auto Salon
The Tokyo Auto Salon isn’t until next January, but Honda has already revealed a few of the cars it plans to display at the aftermarket extravaganza. Both capitalize on nostalgia, and are both are based on kei cars exclusive to the Japanese market. Continue reading
BIKES: Japan establishes Motorcycle Hall of Fame
The Motorcycle Federation of Japan has established a national Motorcycle Hall of Fame. For its inaugural year, it has inducted two important figures in two-wheel racing into its ranks. The inductees were announced Saturday, December 15, at an award ceremony in Tokyo. Continue reading
Posted in Motorcycles
Tagged honda, Isle of Man TT, kunimitsu takahashi, motorcycles, suzuki
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NEWS: Honda thinks the sound of revving cars will soothe your baby
Honda has created a plush car that emits the sounds of engines revving in order to soothe crying babies. The Honda Sound Sitter is a stuffed car, but inside is a speaker that plays engine sounds of cars like the 1969 Honda 1300 sedan, Integra (RSX), S2000, and NSX. Continue reading
QotW: Will there ever be another sports car renaissance?
Last week rumors surfaced of a possible MR2 and MX-6 in the pipeline. These would add more options to the slowly expanding lineup of affordable sports cars and, with any luck, once again spark an era of performance cars. From the 1960s golden age to the Bubble Era to the glory days of the 90s, Japan has seen the coming and going of many epochs that gave birth to the classic JNCs we know and love today, but in recent years that has slowed.
Will there ever be another sports car renaissance?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What was your most memorable parts hunt” Continue reading
VIDEO: This Mazda R100 made it halfway around the world
The Mazda R100 is already a rare car in the US. Thanks to an Australian rotary enthusiast, it’s now even rarer. A one-owner, numbers-matching example has been shipped halfway around the globe to Alex, a new owner in Australia, who christened it with the license plate USA 10A. Continue reading
Toyota Corona spotted on latest Tarantino movie set
Spotted on the set of the latest Quentin Tarantino film were a Toyota Corona RT40 and a Volvo Amazon sedan. The film, called Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is set in 1969 and centers around the Sharon Tate murder at the hands of Charles Manson’s cult. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie. The cars were snapped in front of the Arclight Theater in Hollywood, decorated to look like it did in period. We don’t know any more about the movie, but hopefully the Corona gets a decent amount of screen time.
MOTORSPORT: Eight hours of Honda motorsports festivities
Like Nissan, Honda has its own day-long motorsports festival in December. The Honda Thanks Day, held to show appreciation for its fans, was held last weekend. For those that couldn’t attend, Honda has provided eight hours of livestream footage from the event. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged acura, formula 1, honda, Honda Thanks Day, Jenson Button, MotoGP, n-one, nsx, RA300, super cub, SuperGT, Takuma Sato, twin ring motegi
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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Someone just traded in their entire Toyota MR2 collection
The best thing about working at a car dealership is that there’s always a chance some eccentric old owner will waltz in with a mint-ass car for trade. A few days ago at a showroom in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, that happened in quintuplicate when an owner traded in his entire five-car collection of Toyota MR2s at once. Continue reading
NEWS: Mazda trademarks MX-6 name in Japan
Mazda has trademarked the name MX-6 with the Japan Patent Office. In Mazda parlance, the “MX” nomenclature has always referred to sporty two-door cars such as the MX-3 and MX-5 Miata. A true sports car like the RX-7 probably isn’t on the horizon, but could the Hiroshima-based company be reviving a new mid-size sports coupe? Continue reading
NEWS: The million-dollar Nissan GT-R50 is a go; order it in Bayside Blue
Nissan has confirmed that it will indeed produce the GT-R50 to commemorate the GT-R’s 50th anniversary. When it was announced back in June, the GT-R50 was a one-off car used to gauge customer interest. Nissan said it would give the green-light for production if it could find 50 people willing to fork over $1 million for a GT-R. Apparently, it’s found them. Continue reading
NEWS: Revived Toyota MR2 to be built with Subaru?
Rumors of a Toyota MR2 revival have been swirling around for a while, but that’s nothing new. Separately and more recently, the grapevine’s been buzzing about a mid-engine Subaru. The latest reports from Japan say what’s so obvious and perfect that it jut might be true — Toyota and Subaru are working on a mid-engined sports car together. Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: Have a refreshing Corona Mark II
In 1973, several Coronas lined what could have been a Tokyo dealership. With limited real-estate, urban Japanese dealers often have just a few cars on hand to test drive, but not a massive lot full of inventory. Here, a row of four-banger sedans and coupes capped off by a grand Mark II hardtop shows off the entire Corona line. Perhaps the passer-by in the Cedric sedan was convinced to make a U-turn.
Image: eBay
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 230, cedric, corona, corona mark II, nissan, t60, T70, t80, toyota
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QotW: What was your most memorable parts hunt?
Every once in a while, we like to hear from our readers about their success stories on finding those much-needed. seemingly impossible-to-find parts. They could be the fruits of a junkyard scour, your reward from a secret eBay snipe, or a gift from an uncle’s neighbor who happened to own an old rally team with some unused Group B custom body panels. Whatever the tale, we want to know:
What was your most memorable parts hunt?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What car should Nissan make next?” Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
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Celebrate 30 years of Subaru performance with this teddy bear and curry combo
Sometimes it’s really hard to figure out what to get your beloved for an anniversary, especially a milestone one like the 30th. Thankfully, Subaru’s in-house motorsports division has come to the rescue with a suggestion — a teddy bear and curry combo. Continue reading
VIDEO: Eight hours of NISMO Festival footage
The 2018 NISMO Festival took place at Fuji Speedway last weekend, and in case you missed it, don’t despair. Nissan has helpfully provided nearly eight hours of footage from the event. There’s everything from a Touring Sedan races involving Nissan Sunnys to laps with historic cars, including a banged up 240Z rally car in all its original battle scars. Continue reading
PIXELATED: Gran Turismo Sport gets Fugu Z, new track
Polyphony Digital has announced the December update to Gran Turismo Sport. It includes a bunch of classics, like the Bandit Trans-Am and split-window 1963 Corvette, but JNCers are probably most concerned with Sung Kang’s Fugu Z. Actually, though, there’s an even greater addition, and it’s not even a car. Continue reading
Posted in Video Games
Tagged 240z, datsun, Fugu Z, gran turismo, Gran Turismo Sport, nissan, s30 z
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SHOWA SNAP: Fastbacks abound in 1975
Every time you see a new crossover ambling down the street, clogging your view, remember what life could have been. In this 1975 Japanese street scene, fastbacks are everywhere. In the car park to the right there’s a Corona Mark II, B110 Sunny, and a Cherry X1 in the distance. Meanwhile, the street to the left has an E30 Corolla coupe and two A20 Celicas. Those who need extra cargo capacity drive Familia and Corolla wagons. It was a different world, and one we will likely never see again.
Image: eBay
JNC THEATER: Discovery Channel Japan to air new car restoration show
Discovery Channel Japan has announced a new car restoration show, Chihara Junior’s Car Revival Project! Hosted by comedian and TV host Chihara Junior, it will follow restorers and shops as they rebuild classic cars. Each car will have three episodes devoted to it, with a first-season run of 13 episodes. Cars in the roster are a 1970 Isuzu Bellett 1600GTR, 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 Spider Veloce, Hakosuka Nissan Skyline GT-R, and a Mercedes-Benz 190SL. The show debuts December 14, but unfortunately there is no word of it airing in the US.
Posted in Uncategorized
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