VIDEO: Watch these Bubble Era coupes duke it out at Ebisu

Posted on December 26, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Holidays are typically a time for feasting. In your post-Christmas food coma, gorge yourself on this video reminder that in Japan, excess is not always best. There, engine displacement has a not insignificant effect on how much tax you pay for your car. That’s why there are insanely engineered cars that max out at 2.0 liters.

At the introduction of the R32 Skyline the 2.6-liter, twin-turbo GT-R may have been the one we all drooled about, but the GTS-t Type M was a more affordable, less complex option. But that didn’t mean Nissan skimped on the suspension, brakes, or overall competitiveness of the car. Continue reading →

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Happy Holidays from all of us at JNC

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Ben Hsu

A few years ago the Toyota Automobile Museum put on a spectacular holiday display with a 2000GT outlined in lights. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Alban Arthan, or Festivus we at JNC hope you have a warm and wonderful holiday season with your loved ones (and that includes those made of steel).

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QotW: What did you give your JNC this holiday season?

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

Happy holidays to all! No matter what you celebrate this season, don’t forget to include your JNC in the festivities. What’s under the glowing lights or garage Christmas tree for your JNC?

What did you give your JNC this holdiay season?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Will there ever be another sports car renaissance?” Continue reading →

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A bunch of Japanese Santas gave kids rides in Mazda Roadsters

Posted on December 21, 2018 by Ben Hsu

What’s better than getting a gift from Santa Claus? Getting a ride in Santa’s personal gift-hauler, of course. And if you’re a kid in Yokohama, Japan, Santa’s ride is a 150-horse (generation dependent) open Mazda. With the help of a crew of Roadster owners, Mazda Japan organized a drive through the city in a fleet of MX-5s, giving the kids an unforgettable experience of Jinba Ittai motoring. Continue reading →

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JNC RADIO: Let the smooth sounds of a Mazda Cosmo AP carry you into the evening

Posted on December 21, 2018 by Matt De Mangos

It was no mere coincidence that Hatsumi Shibata’s 1978 album cover for Night Dramatic featured a then-new Mazda Cosmo AP. Though the car set the proper mood for the Japanese bossa nova record, Shibata did plenty of commercial work, including the jingle on the ad for the Cosmo AP. Continue reading →

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NEWS: Only 200 of these Daihatsu Copen Coupes will be sold

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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Forget tofu, Arby’s gets the drift

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Takumi has gotten a new job, delivering roast beef sandwiches for Arby’s. Continue reading →

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NEWS: Honda reveals Neo Classic Racer, Trip Van ahead of Tokyo Auto Salon

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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BIKES: Japan establishes Motorcycle Hall of Fame

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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NEWS: Honda thinks the sound of revving cars will soothe your baby

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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QotW: Will there ever be another sports car renaissance?

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

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 →

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VIDEO: This Mazda R100 made it halfway around the world

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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Toyota Corona spotted on latest Tarantino movie set

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Matt De Mangos

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.

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MOTORSPORT: Eight hours of Honda motorsports festivities

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Someone just traded in their entire Toyota MR2 collection

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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NEWS: Mazda trademarks MX-6 name in Japan

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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NEWS: The million-dollar Nissan GT-R50 is a go; order it in Bayside Blue

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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NEWS: Revived Toyota MR2 to be built with Subaru?

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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SHOWA SNAP: Have a refreshing Corona Mark II

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Ben Hsu

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

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QotW: What was your most memorable parts hunt?

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

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 | 12 Comments