Toyota still makes large sedans, economical cars with transversely mounted engines, and powerful sports cars (at least in V8 form), but the once plentiful species of lightweight, rear-wheel-drive compact has dwindled to just one model. Toyotafest might be the last place in the country where you can see a decent gathering of RWD Aichi steel that isn’t wearing a Lexus badge. Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: Toyota taxis queue at the old Kyoto Station
Kyoto is one of Japan’s most historic cities, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at its travel hub. Bullet trains pull into Kyoto Station on an hourly basis, sending hundreds of passengers into a vast structure of glass and steel resembling a spaceport. That wasn’t always the case, as this photo of the old Kyoto Station, taken in 1991, shows. Continue reading
Happy 626 Day from JNC!
Many forget that the original Mazda 626 came in rear-wheel-drive and pillarless hardtop coupe form. If you can find them, they are typically pretty well preserved and fairly affordable. Perhaps you can adopt one today, this happy 626 Day!
VIDEO: Walk through Toyota history with this new Crown ad
Not content to update a mainstay of Japanese culture with the debut of the new Century last week, Toyota has now unveiled a redesigned version of Japan’s second-most time-honored model, the Crown. The fifteenth generation goes on sale today, marking an unbroken lineage of Toyota sedans that dates back to 1955. To market the all-new Crown, Toyota has released a commercial that follows the company’s entire history. Continue reading
Posted in cm
Tagged 2000gt, a20, ae86, celica, cm, corolla, crown, e10, fj40, Gazoo Racing Super Sport Concept, land cruiser, Mirai, prius, S220, s30, sprinter trueno, toyota
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NEWS: Daihatsu debuts retro-styled Mira Tocot kei car
Daihatsu says that its Mira Tocot is designed for women, but we kind of want one. The styling is appealingly somewhat retro, and reminds of the Nissan Pao. It has the same utilitarian look and comes in cool throwback colors, and as most kei cars now are tall boxes the Tocot still retains a charming hatchback profile. Continue reading
QotW: JNC Roulette — Red or Black exterior?
A beautiful paint job really sparkles under the sun. Nowadays there are amazing mint rides on just about any car show lawn, and two colors that seem to dominate show-and-shine events are red and black. It’s easy to be blinded by gleaming crimson with matching door guard trim, or get lost in the thrice-buffed deepness of a black abyss. Which color just works on a JNC? Which color do you prefer?
Red or Black exterior?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “If you had a chance to buy your JNC again, what would you do differently?”
NEWS: Get ready to VIP because the third-generation Toyota Century goes on sale today
For decades, it has been the preferred chariot of high-ranking government officials, captains of industry, and bosses in some of the shadier corners of Japanese society. The essence of the Toyota Century is tradition, and as evidence the latest redesign is only the third in the model’s 50-year history. Only 50 will be sold each month, and it goes on sale today. Continue reading
VIDEO: Mazda UK celebrates 40 years of the RX-7
2018 marks 40 years since the debut of the original Mazda RX-7. According to Mazda UK, Mazda has sold 2 million rotary-engined cars, with 850,000 of them being RX-7s. To honor the occasion, they’ve produced a video bringing together three generations of the beloved sports car (in the shape of a rotor). Continue reading
Proposed import tariffs could make your next JNC or their parts a lot more expensive
If you’ve been following the news, you may have heard about President Trump proposing a 25 percent tariff on imported cars and their parts. So far, much of the discussion has focused on new cars but in reality, the proposed rules would affect us JNCers just as much. Currently, the import duty is 2.5 percent, so imagine that increased by a factor of 10 for car or part imported from Japan. Here’s what you can do about it. Continue reading
EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2018, Part 04 — RWD Celicas
With a new Supra on the way and Toyota’s increased focus on more powerful and likely very expensive sports cars, let us not forget the humble Celica. For seven generations it was Aichi’s entry level sports car, and long before the zippy front-drivers and AWD rally monsters, the Celica was a proper, lightweight, rear-wheel-drive sports coupe.
Continue reading
NEWS: Power to the people — Mazda confirms 181-horsepower Miata for US
Last week Japanese media confirmed that Mazda was giving the 2019 Miata a significant power bump from 155 to 181 horsepower, and raising the redline from 6,850 to 7,500 rpm. Now Mazda North America has confirmed that the more powerful version of the world’s most affordable sports car will indeed be coming to America and Europe. Continue reading
Happy 620 Day from JNC
Hey guys, let’s all take our Datsun 620 pickups to the beach and not worry about splashing salt water into every crevice. Happy Datsun 620 Day from JNC!
Why Toyota is building an insane 986-horsepower supercar
Toyota’s had a big week. They finally achieved their decades-long push to win Le Mans, overcoming a series of agonizing near-misses. It also announced the production of an insane 986-horsepower road car based on a 2021 Le Mans race car. While the given reason for the supercar was to homologate the racer, the real reason was buried deep in the Gazoo Racing president’s announcement. Continue reading
Posted in toyota
Tagged 2000gt, 24 Hours of Le Mans, akio toyoda, Gazoo Racing Super Sport Concept, toyota
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KIDNEY, ANYONE? 1984 “Imported for Dodge” Conquest
Early flat-sided Mitsubishi Starions are far less common than their later, wide-body counterparts. Early, flat-sided Mitsubishi Starions badged as Dodges are even rarer. And finding an early, flat-sided Mitsubishi Starions badged as a Dodge Conquest with a factory black-on-gold two-tone and color-keyed wheels? Well, that’s like stumbling upon Bigfoot and Ogopogo having a party in the woods. Yet, there’s an impossibly clean example for sale in Abbeville, Louisiana for sale right now. Continue reading
NEWS: First official images of 4th-gen Suzuki Jimny released
Suzuki has finally released official images of the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny, the first update to the mini-SUV in 20 years. They confirm much of what we’ve already seen from spy shots, that the trucklet sports charmingly retro design and real off-roader bones. Now we know a bit more about the specs, so our North American readers can gaze longingly at it with the knowledge we won’t get it on our shores. Continue reading
QotW: If you had a chance to buy your JNC again, what would you do differently?
Depending on the circumstances, you may have found yourself behind the wheel of your current JNC via pure luck. Maybe it was a good deal, a family member gifted it to you, or better. Perhaps it was such a rare car to find or such a sweet price that it clouded your buying. Or, it could have been a sale with hidden gremlins the seller “forgot” to disclose. Maybe you learned a few things to avoid, or keep clear in your head for next time.
If you had to buy your JNC again, what would you do differently?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Which JNC Nissan should be in your garage?” Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Toyota wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Toyota has finally won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Aichi automaker broke their long-running curse at one of the world’s most prestigious races this morning, when their two TS050 race cars crossed the finish line in 1-2 position. Though it must have been satisfying to at last attain this elusive goal, in some ways the victory seems bittersweet. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Gazoo Racing Super Sport Concept, Kazuki Nakajima, le mans, toyota, TS010, TS020, TS050
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NEWS: Toyota confirms production of 986-horsepower supercar
Toyota has confirmed that the 986-horsepower (1,000 DIN hp) Gazoo Racing Super Sport Concept will enter production. At a press conference ahead of the 86th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Gazoo Racing president Shigeki Tomoyama revealed that development has already begun, hinting at a return to the glory days of GT1 road cars. Continue reading
NEWS: It’s probably not a good idea to speed in Japan anymore
A Nissan GT-R patrol car is now on duty in Japan. At a ceremony today, the country’s fastest pursuit vehicle was donated by Nissan to the Tochigi Prefectural police department. The gift marked 50 years of operations of Nissan’s Kaminokawa, Tochigi factory, where GT-R is built.
“The members of the patrol unit were excited to hear that the GT-R is joining the fleet,” said Masaki Tanaka, commander of the expressway patrol unit. Ya think? Continue reading
JNC THEATER: Bleed blue after watching Between the Lines, the documentary about global Subaru culture
Two independent filmmakers have created an amazingly crafted and moving documentary about their most cherished marque. Between the Lines by Jan Lim and Jose Valdez delves deep into the world of Subaru fandom, and goes beyond the technical aspects of the cars themselves. It explores the many facets of Subaru culture, from rally racers to campers to show-goers. Continue reading
