Toyota has released a short film about the Land Cruiser, and it is pretty epic. The two-minute movie features clips of 70-Series Land Cruisers around the world, simply going about their daily duties of ferrying people and cargo. But as a result, they connect even the remotest corners of Earth to civilization. We challenge you to watch the video below and prevent yourself from searching for Land Cruisers for sale. Continue reading
QotW: What car would Japanese Knight Rider drive?
The arrival last week of the Seibu Keisatsu cars at Nissan’s Zama warehouse got us thinking about cheesy 80s TV shows and their vehicular stars. Perhaps the most famous of these was Knight Rider, a “shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man… who does not exist.”
Long-time JNC readers may know that instead of a Pontiac Firebird, the original Knight Industries Two Thousand was supposed to be a Datsun 280ZX. According to the book Hollywood and TV Movie Cars by G. William Krause, “[Producer Harker Wade] said he was working with Glen Larson (The Fall Guy) on a new action- adventure show that starred a computerized talking car. A Datsun Z was written into the original script…” That’s right, folks, KITT was a JNC.
Alas, it was not meant to be. But at least now we get to have the fun of decided what car from 1982, which is when Knight Rider debuted, that KITT could’ve been.
What car would Japanese Knight Rider drive?
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 most important info on the instrument cluster?” Continue reading
We went off-roading with a cadre of Japanese nostalgic trucks
The mountains to the north of Los Angeles are home to some of the best driving roads in America. I had covered Angeles Crest, Glendora Mountain Road, and Mulholland Drive many times. But it was always in a light, rear-wheel-drive car of some sort, an AE86, Miata, or my 5-speed swapped Cressida wagon. Last weekend, some friends convinced me to go up there and test the limits of a completely different type of vehicle, and I came away with a deep, newfound appreciation for Japanese nostalgic trucks. Continue reading
Posted in Back Roads
Tagged 4runner, acura, ae86, chevrolet, corolla, d21, fj cruiser, fj60, Forester, hardbody, hilux, jeep, land cruiser, Land Cruiser 100, Land Cruiser 80, Lexus LX, mdx, Mighty Max, mitsubishi, montero, N220, N60, nissan, pathfinder, R50, subaru, suzuki, tacoma, toyota, trucks
6 Comments
VIDEO: Listen to the revs of this unmolested EG Civic SiR
We periodically like to check in with the Honda Collection Hall to see what the company’s museum is up to. If you’ve visited the facility at Twin Ring Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture, you’ll know that they take great pride in making sure every single car, bike and generator in the collection runs, and they have the videos to prove it. In the latest batch of clips, they take out their 1993 Honda Civic SiR and have a go around the museum grounds. Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged CB750K, civic, Civic EG, honda, monkey, motorcycles, nsx, super cub
2 Comments
JNC THEATER: The Nissans of Seibu Keisatsu visit the Zama garage
Long-time readers of JNC need no introduction to the cars of Seibu Keisatsu. Japan’s most popular cop show, which aired form 1979-1984, was sponsored by Nissan and starred several customized law enforcement vehicles that are as instantly recognizable to Japanese people as the Knight Rider Firebird or the A-Team GMC van is to Americans. Recently, several well-preserved examples of these cars returned temporarily to Nissan’s care for a photo shoot at the Zama warehouse. Continue reading
Posted in JNC Theater
Tagged 280zx, 510, c210, dr30, fairlady z, gazelle, nissan, s110, s130, Safari, safari rally, seibu keisatsu, silvia, skyline, zama warehouse
6 Comments
VIDEO: Five generations of Supra together for the first time
Recently, a small gathering of Toyota Supra owners in the UK got to see the new Supra up close and personal. It was the first time all five generations of the Supra had been together under one roof. Continue reading
MINICARS: A beginner’s guide to JNC Legos, Part 02
With the popularity of Legos showing no signs of slowing, it’s a good time to get into building custom JNCs out of these little Danish bricks. In Part 01 of our beginner’s guide, we took a look at some highly detailed, large-scale cars, some using hundreds of individual pieces. However, there’s an entire subculture that intentionally restricts the size of the cars, giving themselves an altogether different challenge. Continue reading
Posted in minicars
Tagged 2000gt, 240z, 240zg, 280z, 280zx, a20, a60, A90, ae86, bre, c10, c110, celica, corolla, corolla levin, datsun, dekotora, delica, fairlady z, fj cruiser, fj40, fj60, Gazoo Racing, group 5, GT-One, gt-r, Hakosuka, hiace, hilux, honda, IDx, imsa, jimny, kenmeri, land cruiser, le mans, lego, mitsubishi, montero, N50, nissan, pajero, prelude, Prelude 3g, r35, s130, s30 z, samurai, skyline, sprinter trueno, supra, suzuki, toyota, Toyota Van, TS020
4 Comments
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 7k-mile FD3S Mazda RX-7
An amazing specimen of a third-gen Mazda RX-7 is currently being offered for sale on Craigslist. According to the ad, its interior still emanates that new car leather smell, because it has just 6,593 original miles on the clock. Continue reading
VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the Autozam AZ-1
In the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, the car collector gets behind the wheel of another Japanese great, the Autozam AZ-1. The gull-winged, mid-engined, kei-classed sports car seems to charm the host, who actually says he might consider buying one to add to his Mazda collection that already includes an RX-8 and 12A-swapped Cosmo Sport. Continue reading
Happy 86 Day from JNC
Today is the day we honor the last of the rear-wheel-drive Corollas. Many perished in the touge battles of the 1990s, but those sacrifices early on gave us the freedom to not drive in a straight line, countless works of art made in tribute to their cause, and also cartoons. Happy 8/6 Day from JNC!
QotW: What’s the most important info on the instrument cluster?
In a perfect world, the instrument cluster (or multi-information display for some) would consist of a tachometer and a constantly illuminated thumbs up. But, for older vehicles and JNCs in particular, we need all the information we can get to make sure we continue to hum down the road.
What cluster needle, lamp or digital display do you keep one eye on whenever you take your pride and joy out on the street? Why?
What’s the most important info on the instrument cluster?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Dive, Sell, or Garage: Unobtainium Edition” Continue reading
NEWS: Nissan to exhibit racing legends, R390 GT1 road car at Monterey
Nissan has announced some details about its plans for the upcoming Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. The event will be a significant milestone, since it is the first time a Japanese marque has headlined the RMMR since its inception in 1974. As such, Nissan is bringing out several cars of historic significance, including the first ever appearance on US soil of the R390 GT1 road car. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 240z, 510, adam carolla, bob sharp, bre, datsun, GTP-ZX, john morton, le mans, nissan, paul newman, peter brock, r382, R390 GT1, s30 z, z31, z32
10 Comments
MINICARS: A beginner’s guide to JNC Legos, Part 01
The popularity of Legos had exploded in recent years, leading to many fans going beyond off-the-shelf kits and building their own custom creations. We’ve posted about Legos before, starting from back in 2013, and while the Lego renaissance was already underway then, it’s gone positively supernova in the half-decade since. Many of our favorite custom builds are JNCs, naturally, so let’s take a look at some of our recent favorites. Continue reading
Posted in minicars
Tagged 2000gt, 240z, 280z, 787b, a20, a60, acura, ae86, Autozam AZ-1, aw11, back to the future, c10, camry, Cara, celica, cherry, civic, Civic EF, corolla, crx, daruma, e70, Eagle Talon, eclipse, f10, fairlady z, fj cruiser, fj40, fj60, formula 1, gt-r, GT-R LM NISMO, GT-R NISMO, GTP-ZX, Hakosuka, hilux, honda, impreza, Initial D, isuzu, land cruiser, le mans, lego, mazda, miata, Miata NA, mitsubishi, mr2, mx-5, nissan, nsx, pajero, prelude, r35, R89C, R92CP, RA300, rx-3, s2000, s30 z, skyline, sprinter trueno, subaru, supra, suzuki, sw20, toyota, toyota 86, Toyota Van, wangan midnight, wrc, WRX STI
10 Comments
EVENTS: Petersen Museum Cruise-in, Part 02
The Petersen Museum in Los Angeles puts on many events throughout the year, each with a theme ranging from hot rods to Porsches. Recently, they hosted their annual cruise-in for Japanese cars, inviting Nihon Steel both old and new to fill out their parking garage. Here are our favorite photos of the day. Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 240sx, 240z, 350z, 4runner, 510, 626, a60, a70, acty, acura, ae86, bluebird, bosozoku, celica, civic, Civic EF, Civic EG, corolla, cressida, crx, datsun, datsun 521, datsun 720, F30, f31, fairlady roadster, gloria, gt-r, hilux, honda, infiniti, integra, Integra Type R, kaido racer, kei, leopard, Lexus GS, m30, M45, mark II, mazda, Mazda B-Series, minitrucks, nissan, nsx, Petersen Museum, r32, r35, s14, S160, s30 z, skyline, supra, te27, toyota, vip, wagons, x30, x70, Y34, z32, z33
6 Comments
MINICARS: Rio Red will be the first color of Hot Wheels’ EF Honda CRX
We’ve been pretty excited at the prospect of a second-generation Honda CRX ever since Hot Wheels released a teaser pic. That photo was in black and white, though, but now we can reveal the first color that will adorn the CRX — Rio Red. Continue reading
VIDEO: Even when skies are gray in 1970s Tokyo, the cars shine
Most of us probably try to avoid driving our 1970s JNCs in the rain. But decades ago, in 1970s Tokyo, streets teemed with yet-to-be-nostalgic cars, even during a downpour. Bluebirds, Celicas, Savannas, Crowns, Sambars, Skylines, and even a few examples of Detroit Iron packed the city. It’s a glorious sight to behold. Continue reading
VIDEO: Tokyo life in 1992 was filled with boxy cars
The short film Goodnight, Tokyo is a love letter to Japan’s capital city. The 1992 video captured perfectly a slice of daily life in the metropolis — people going to work, children going to school, and trains, cars and boats going wherever it is they go. What’s unusual about this video is that it was filmed in high-definition, a rarity at the time. You can tell it’s 1992 by the skyline, the women’s hairstyles, and, of course, the cars. Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged cedric, corolla, crown, fj40, land cruiser, nissan, TownAce, toyota
7 Comments
SHOWA SNAP: Yurakucho Crossing, 1971
For this edition of Showa Snap, we take a look at the same area as the one Dave posted, kicking off the series. That area is Yurakucho Crossing, just south of Tokyo Station. where an elevated Shinkanesen embarks from the capital to points south and west. In this photo, taken in 1971, there’s no bullet train on the bridge, but a few cool cars are on the streets. A Nissan Cedric taxi and van in the foreground dart across the intersection, while making a left is a Hakosuka Skyline van. You can almost smell the hydrocarbons in the air!
Image: eBay.
QotW: Drive, Sell, or Garage? JNC Unobtainium Edition
Welcome to our version of Bang, Marry, Kill — Drive, Sell, Garage. You have three cars, and you must assign one action to each of the three cars. Which do you daily drive, knowing that it will require some mods and experience the most wear and tear; which do you sell, because you like it the least; and which do you garage and pass down to your grandchildren or donate to a museum? For the first installment, we give you three examples of JNC unobtainium, you decide their fates, and be sure to tell us why.
Drive, Sell, or Garage: Toyota 2000GT, Hakosuka Skyline GT-R, and Mazda Cosmo Sport.
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 most fitting match of car and place?” Continue reading
PROJECT DUSTBUS: 800 miles in an untested $50 Toyota van
Imagine that you’ve just purchased a 30-year-old barn find for $50. What’s your next move? You could do a slow, methodical refresh of all the important mechanical and safety bits, taking only short drives while you make certain that everything is in perfect nick before attempting any long-distance treks. Or, you could do what I did: immediately take it on an 800-mile road trip, because really, what could go wrong? Continue reading
