Japanese Nostalgic Car

QotW: What do you want to know about living in Japan?

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

We’re doing our first AMA (Ask Me Anything). As one of the JNC staff living in Japan, I can say that one of the best things about it is the daily exposure to all things JNC. Want to know more about a car? Head over to a bookstore and grab a copy of the numerous magazines or mooks available. Want to start a crazy JNC garage? Go for it, as long as you have a parking space approved by the local police force. Living in Japan is not just about geeking out on JNCs, though. This is a whole different world and culture. We’ll do our best to answer, so:

What do you want to know about living in Japan?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Do you rock JNC gear on the regular?” Continue reading →

Posted in Ask Me Anything, Question of the Week | Tagged QotW | 44 Comments

WILDLIFE: A Land Cruiser and Skyline GT-R become buds

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Ben Hsu

You know those animal videos where a dog and a tortoise become friends? That is what this in-the-wild spotting of an R34 Skyline GT-R and a Toyota Land Cruiser in Yokohama reminded us of. Each one has come to represent the pinnacle of enthusiast vehicles for their respective brands. Nissan’s fans today are pretty much all about the GT-R, and Toyota’s are all about off-roaders. Who would’ve thunk?

Posted in Wildlife | Tagged J60, land cruiser, nissan, r34, skyline, toyota | 8 Comments

EVENTS: 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — Toyotas

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Ben Hsu

For the first time since the show’s beginning, Toyota didn’t have a booth or any of its museum cars at the Japanese Classic Car Show. Mazda, Nissan, and Honda all had an official presence, but not the Big T. That’s because the company’s US headquarters has moved to Texas, far away from the epicenter of car culture in southern California. Luckily, individual owners represented with their own cars. Continue reading →

Posted in jccs | Tagged 2000gt, a20, a60, A80, ae86, celica, corolla, cressida, daruma, e30, e70, jccs, kp47, kp61, sprinter trueno, starlet, supra, te27, te37, te51, Tercel 4WD, toyota, x30 | 23 Comments

EVENTS: 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — JDM

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Japan-only cars have been making their way into JCCS for a while now, but this year the trickle seemed to turn into a tsunami. You couldn’t swing a fender mirror without coming into contact with a RHD ride from the land of the rising sun. And it wasn’t just your typical Skylines and Sprinter Truenos, either. The selection was approaching a diversity of Nihon steel you might see at late night rest area meet back in Japan. Continue reading →

Posted in jccs | Tagged 510, 620, A170, Autozam AZ-1, b120, beat, bluebird, bosozoku, c10, C33, datsun, F30, fairlady z, figaro, Hakosuka, honda, jccs, jdm legends, kaido racer, kei, lancer, Lancer Evolution II, laurel, leopard, Life StepVan, mark II, n360, nissan, pao, r30, r32, r33, s30 z, skyline, sports 800, sunny truck, Tommykaira, Tommykaira ZZ, toyota, U620, vamos, wagons, Wild Cards, x70, x80 | 14 Comments

VIDEO: Listen to the wail of the Prince R380

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Ben Hsu

At the second Japan Grand Prix in 1964, Prince Motor Company pit a family sedan against a race car. And even though Shinichiro Sakurai stuffed a two extra cylinders down the nose of the Prince, the purpose-built Porsche 904 won — but not before creating the legend of the Skyline. For the third Japan Grand Prix, Sakurai didn’t mess around. Prince returned with a purpose-built race car of its own, the R380. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged best motoring, fuji speedway, nissan, prince, r380, shinichiro sakurai, skyline | 1 Comment

NEWS: Akio Toyoda actually built a Century GRMN

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Ben Hsu

It seemed like a throwaway joke. Shortly after the Tokyo Motor Show last year, where Toyota unveiled only the third new Century design in 50 years, the company’s car-nut CEO Akio Toyoda was interviewed on a Japanese talk show called “We Love Cars.” In it, the host asked Toyoda-san what kind of car he would like to drive. “A Century GRMN,” he replied. Would Toyoda really combine his company’s plushest luxury sedan with the top modification level from his in-house tuners? Apparently, the answer is yes. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged century, Gazoo Racing, GRMN, toyota | 15 Comments

JCCS Spotlight: The Wild Cards always turn up

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Ben Hsu

It’s become something of a tradition. The Wild Cards team rolls in like a storm with a gang of the show’s most stunning cars. There’s always debut builds of the highest quality, but even many of their existing MVPs return with new looks to update the lineup. A stroll through their ranks never fails to excite, and this year was no exception. Continue reading →

Posted in jccs | Tagged 510, a20, b110, c10, celica, datsun, Hakosuka, japanese classic car show, jccs, nissan, r31, skyline, sunny, toyota, Wild Cards | 4 Comments

VIDEO: How the Mazda Familia evolved into the Mazda 3

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Here’s an interesting little video about the evolution of the Mazda Familia, now known as the Mazda 3. In it Mazda chassis engineer and former editor-in-chief of Sport Compact Car Dave Coleman describes the link between the Mazda GLC and the 2018 Mazda 3 hatchback. It started with the 1977 GLC, originally named the Familia in Japan and built on the first-gen RX-7 chassis. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged 323 GTX, familia, glc, mazda, mazda 3, protege | 6 Comments

QotW: Do you rock JNC gear on the regular?

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

We’ve discussed previously about having JNC-related trinkets around the house; or interesting bits in your vehicles, but now I want to know if you have a favorite vintage shirt that just never goes out of your wardrobe rotation despite a loved-one’s repeated request. Maybe a rad JNC shirt you got from a car show, possibly even from the official JNC booth last weekend?

For me, I had an old Formula Drift shirt that I wore twice a week minimum (washed, of course). That is, until the shirt’s fate was sealed when I tried to drop a transmission with 10% fluid still left in it. Tell us:

Do you rock JNC gear on the regular?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What would you like to know about getting started with JNCs?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week, Uncategorized | 15 Comments

VINTAGE RACING JOURNAL: Why Monterey was so important for Nissan

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Glenn Chiou

For one week this summer, Monterey became the playground of Nissan and Datsun fans from all over the globe. For us Datsun racers, it was our opportunity to tell a story, a story of a manufacturer long overlooked in automotive racing history, a story of true grassroots racers who competed for the love of the sport, and who proudly wore the Datsun and Nissan badge as one of honor. Continue reading →

Posted in Vintage Racing Journal | Tagged 240z, 280zx, 510, datsun, GT-R50, imsa, Monterey Car Week, nissan, Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, s130, s30 z, z31, z32 | 5 Comments

JCCS Preview: See you all at the Japanese Classic Car Show this Saturday

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Ben Hsu

The 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show is just two days away, and we are excited for what promises to be a new era for the country’s premier gathering of Nihon steel.

After 13 years at the Queen Mary, the JCCS moves to a new location this year, Marina Green Park in Long Beach, California, in order to better accommodate show cars and spectators alike.

We at JNC have some exciting things happening at our booth. We will have some never-before seen Hot Wheels castings on display, and there will be some special surprises for a few lucky fans. Author and legend of automotive journalism Sam Mitani will be autographing copies of his debut novel, The Prototype. And, we will debut our latest shirt, Vintage Barrels Zero, a revisiting of our original design from 2010.

Please stop by the JNC booth this Saturday, September 15. The show goes from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. For reference, this is the same location as Toyotafest the last couple of years. Hopefully, the new location will solve many of the problems with spectators finding parking. See you there!

Posted in JCCS Preview | Tagged jccs | 8 Comments

JCCS Preview: Come see new Hot Wheels castings of Japanese cars at the JNC booth this Saturday

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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#Japaneseclassiccarshow in Long Beach is only 2 days away. Who's going?? Don't forget to stop by and check out our small display with some *new models* at @japanesenostalgiccar booth! ??

A post shared by HOT WHEELS™ Dream Team (@hotwheelsdreamteam) on Sep 13, 2018 at 9:12am PDT

Our friends at Hot Wheels will be bringing a bunch of never-before seen diecast cars to the JNC booth at the Japanese Classic Car Show this Saturday. Some are recolors, like the ones shown above, but some will be completely new castings. We would love to tell you what they are, but we can’t. You’ll just have to come see them for yourselves. But wait, there’s more. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged hot wheels, nissan, r34, skyline | 4 Comments

MARKETWATCH: 2018 Monterey auction round-up

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Patrick Strong

The collector car auctions that occur each year as part of Monterey Car Week are a widely accepted barometer of the state of the marketplace, perhaps even more so than the January auctions of Scottsdale. The clientele in Monterey represents the absolute cream of the car collector community crop, and sale prices there can establish worldwide valuations. This year, several high-profile Japanese classics and exotics were offered alongside the usual parade of Ferraris, Jaguars, and Packards, so we felt it was time once again to dive into the glamour of the Monterey auction scene to evaluate JNCs’ place in the collector car firmament. Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged 2000gt, 240zg, acura, c10, century, Civic 1G, elf, fairlady z, fire engine, fj40, fj55, fj60, Hakosuka, hiace, honda, isuzu, jimny, land cruiser, lexus, lfa, Monterey Car Week, nissan, nsx, pao, president, S-Cargo, s30 z, skyline, toyota | 13 Comments

JCCS Preview: JNC Vintage Barrels Zero

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Dan Hsu

At JCCS this year we at JNC are proud to debut our latest shirt design, Vintage Barrels Zero. Printed with silver ink on navy blue and a red JNC logo on the sleeve, it showcases the Top 15 old school wheels for Japanese cars.

The design might look familiar to long time JNCers (the original debuted in 2010), but the wheels on VB Zero are different from our original Vintage Barrels and Vintage Barrels II shirts. Even if some of these wheels have appeared on older designs, most have been re-drawn for accuracy and detail. We believe this shirt will set a new standard for the definitive list of classic racing wheels for the golden age of Japan’s tuning scene.

Sizes range from S to XXL. Printed on 100 percent cotton. Stop by the 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show at Marina Green and look for the red JNC booth. The show takes place Saturday, September 15, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Quantities are limited.

Posted in JNC Apparel | Tagged jnc apparel, Vintage Barrels Zero | 8 Comments

Sam Mitani put Tuner Era dream machines into the mainstream

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Ben Hsu

If you grew up in the pre-internet age, “buff books” like Road & Track were your bible. Magazines of its ilk were the only reliable sources of automotive news, but they were mostly concerned about cars that came fresh off a showroom floor, not from the grungy garage of some mad scientist with a socket wrench. If you did find a story about modified cars, the names Saleen or Hennessey inevitably crowded the title. That all changed in March 1995, when Sam Mitani penned the seminal piece “Distant Thunder,” about top-end tuners from Japan. We spoke to Mitani about his years as International Editor for R&T and his experiences in Japan. Continue reading →

Posted in media | Tagged accord, fc3s, fd3s, greddy, Hakone Turnpike, hks, honda, integra, M2, M2 1028, mazda, miata, mitsuoka, mugen, mx-5, nissan, r32, re amemiya, rx-7, Sam Mitani, skyline, supra, The Prototype, tokyo auto salon, toyota, Veilside | 4 Comments

EVENTS: 2018 Japanese Automotive Invitational

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Ben Hsu

It has been a banner year for Nihon steel at Monterey Car Week. The annual series of ultra-prestigious automotive events have traditionally excluded Japanese cars, but 2018 saw, for example, Nissan become the first carmaker from Japan to be honored as a featured marque at the Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca. On the southern end of the peninsula, upscale sibling Infiniti held an event of a different sort, bringing the first-ever Japanese car show to Pebble Beach. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 117, 2000gt, 240z, 510, acura, az-1, bellett, brat, bre, c10, cherry, Civic 1G, Civic Lady, cosmo sport, datsun, dome, dome zero, f10, f31, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, fj40, galant gto, Hakosuka, honda, honda N, Honda Serial One, infiniti, integra, Integra DA, isuzu, J30, jimny, kei, land cruiser, legend, lj20, m30, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, nsx, patrol, Prototype 9, publica, Q45, r32, r34, r360, s30 z, safari rally, sambar, skyline, sports 800, subaru, subaru 360, suzuki, toyota, z432 | 14 Comments

Happy 910 Day from JNC

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Crack open a can of Coca-Cola Light and have a great September 10 with a photo of Nissan’s Super Silhouette Bluebird 910 race car. The 570PS monster won the championship in 1982 with Haruhito Yanagida behind the wheel. Memories of this badass Bluebird have outlasted its main sponsor, Coca-Cola Light, which ended sales in Japan in 1999. Happy 910 Day from JNC.

Posted in Holidays | Tagged 910, bluebird, nissan | 2 Comments

QotW: What would you like to know about getting started with JNCs?

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

For those that may be new to JNCs, we want to encourage any and all to post questions related to the history, buying or repair of JNCs. We all have to start somewhere, so why not here with a wealth of knowledge (and proven mistakes!) to learn from? Feel free to ask questions in our first beginner’s corner post, along any other tips you’re looking for in general. On the flip side, we also encourage our readers to comment on those questions and requests.

What would you like to know about getting started with JNCs?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What part did you install that is completely unnecessary?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW | 7 Comments

NEWS: Nissan chief designer “excited” to be working on new Z

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Nissan is working a new Z, or at least a concept. The revelation comes from none other than the company’s most senior designer, who said he was under “huge pressure” but at the same time “completely excited” at the prospect of working on the legendary Z. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged fairlady z, nissan, s30 z | 8 Comments

MOTORSPORT: The most epic gathering of historic racing Datsuns we’ll see in our lifetimes

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Glenn Chiou

We cannot overstate the importance of this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. It the first time a Japanese carmaker was celebrated as the featured marque since the event’s inception in 1974, and Nissan’s brought a tremendous display of racing heritage, but an even more impressive showing came from the legions of privateers, drivers, and crew who raced Datsuns in period. It was the largest gathering of historic Nissan race cars in North America, and a feat that almost certainly will never be repeated in our lifetimes. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged 240sx, 240z, 280zx, 411, 510, 610, 710, bluebird, Bob Sharp Racing, bre, c10, ct70, datsun, fairlady roadster, Frank Leary, Hakosuka, honda, imsa, john morton, Laguna Seca, nissan, paul newman, S13 S14, s130, s30 z, skyline, trans-am, Troy Ermish, z31, z32 | 14 Comments