QotW: Drive, Sell, or Garage? JNC Unobtainium Edition

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

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 →

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PROJECT DUSTBUS: 800 miles in an untested $50 Toyota van

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Patrick Strong

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 →

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EVENTS: Petersen Museum Cruise-in, Part 01

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Last weekend the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles hosted their annual cruise-in for Japanese cars. J-tin of all eras and styles flocked to the museum’s parking structure at the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire Boulevards on a sweltering LA summer day. Here’s a gallery of the highlights.  Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Subaru SVX and Sambar, Honda S2000, Nissan trucks join Matchbox lineup in 2019

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Ben Hsu

The annual Matchbox convention took place last weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is where the diecast brand has traditionally revealed the new cars to appear in next year’s lineup. As it turns out, in 2019 there will be several Japanese cars added.  Continue reading →

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VINTAGE RACING JOURNAL: Five forgotten heroes of Datsun racing

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Glenn Chiou

As we prepare for Datsun race cars to flood Raceway Laguna Seca for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in August, let’s take a moment to remember the forgotten heroes of Datsun racing. You’re probably already familiar with names like Brock Racing Enterprises and Bob Sharp Racing, officially sponsored by Datsun.

However, thanks to their sheer affordability and incredible performance, by the 1970s Datsuns campaigned by privateer teams — those who did not receive any backing from Nissan — were swarming America’s race tracks. Here’s five underdog Datsun racers that we should all remember and praise for their contributions to the brand.  Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Akio Toyoda travels through time to talk to his grandfather Kiichiro

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Apparently, in addition to making cars, Toyota has taken its substantial profits to invent and build a time machine so that its current president, Akio Toyoda, could go back to the 1950s an interview his grandfather, Toyota Motor Corporation. founder Kiichiro Toyoda in a cringeworthy video that basically gets the one car in it completely wrong.  Continue reading →

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Japan Post celebrates 40th anniversary of Mazda RX-7 with exclusive rotary goods

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Japan’s post offices have unleashed a slew of Mazda RX-7 themed merch to mark the 40th anniversary of the iconic Hiroshima sports car. The goods celebrate all three generations of the RX-7, as well as the rotary engine. The only problem, other than the fact that they are available only in Japan, is that they’re shockingly expensive.  Continue reading →

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NEWS: Toyota brings back vintage tricolor livery on 86 TRD Special Edition

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Toyota has announced a new version of its 86 sport coupe and bringing back some retro colors to go with it. The 2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition is the most performance-oriented 86 (née Scion FR-S) offered in the US yet, and Toyota is really trying to go retro with it. Not only does its name harken back to the legendary AE86, but it also wears Toyota’s old racing tricolor.  Continue reading →

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QotW: What’s the most fitting match of car and place?

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Ben Hsu

We all have our favorite cars. We all have our favorite places. But do your favorite car and place match? For example, I love my AE86, but I live in Los Angeles. But to be honest, the Hachiroku’s sharp handling and notoriously crackable interior is simply not suited to LA’s long, vast freeways and blazing heat. It would absolutely brilliant in Monterey or Napa, with its cool climates and endless ribbons of two-lane winding roads. What would be ideal for LA is something like an MA71 Supra or Z31 300ZX, a with a torquier motor that longs to stretch its legs but a cabin that’s comfortable if you find yourself stuck in a two-hour traffic jam — which is coincidentally where I came up with this QotW.

What’s the most fitting match of car and place?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC would you import from Japan?”

Continue reading →

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EVENTS: Radwood NorCal 2018, the Greatest Hits

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Among the many examples of 80s and 90s Japanese cars that populated Radwood NorCal this year, there were a few that really stood out to us. We hesitate to call them the best; except for the actual “Best Of” voted upon by the Radwood staff, these are merely our personal preferences. But much like 80s songs, there are ones that just bring a whole lot of joy, even if they aren’t technically The Best.  Continue reading →

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NEWS: Kiichiro Toyoda inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Toyota Motor Corporation founder Kiichiro Toyoda has been inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. When he was born in 1894, his father Sakichi was already on his way to becoming one of Japan’s most famous inventors, by devising an automatic loom that would revolutionize the textile industry. However, it was Kiichiro that convinced his father to enter the automobile business.  Continue reading →

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JNC THEATER: JNCspotting in the Stranger Things Season 3 trailer

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Ryan Senensky

Halloween is arguably my favorite holiday, and not because I give out candy until all of the children of my neighborhood are in a diabetic coma, but because my favorite Netflix series debuts its new season. Netflix UK & Ireland just released their teaser video for the third season of Stranger Things, and, well, actually it looks like a commercial for Hawkins Indiana’s newest shopping center, Starcourt Mall.  Continue reading →

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EVENTS: Radwood NorCal 2018

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Ben Hsu

The Radwood phenomenon is spreading faster than hairspray-induced polyester fire. The celebration of 80s and 90s autodom is now on its fourth show in just two years, and the organizers tell us it was the biggest one yet. We attended the Radwood SoCal last year and had a totally gnarly time, so we decided to head north and get into the groove.  Continue reading →

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One of the few Toyota Sports 800s sold new on US soil

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Ben Hsu

These days, it’s easy, but also not terribly difficult to see a Toyota Sports 800 in the US. Though Toyota never offered them in the US, they’ve been part of numerous car shows and museum exhibits. And with their build dates of 1965-69 landing squarely before even California’s strict emissions testing schedule, they are free to cross our borders as they please. This, however, is one of the few new Sports 800s sold officially on US soil (two others were sold in Hawaii).  Continue reading →

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NEWS: Toyota is making a Celica, but they’re not calling it that

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Ben Hsu

The more news about the Supra that comes to light, the more head scratching it elicits. First there was the revelation that it wouldn’t come in a manual, then that it would race in NASCAR, and lest we forget, the entire thing is actually a thinly disguised BMW. Now, it has been discovered that it will have a four-cylinder option. A four-cylinder Supra is not a Supra. That, my friends, is a Celica.  Continue reading →

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SHOWA SNAP: Kyoto Station in 1967 was full of Bluebird taxis

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Ben Hsu

In a previous Showa Snap we posted a photo of Kyoto Station full of Toyota taxis. A couple of decades earlier, in 1967, if you wanted to hail a cab from the station your choices were apparently limited to a 411 Bluebird, 411 Bluebird, or let’s see, 411 Bluebird. There was probably a barikan Toyota Corona or two sitting in the queue, but at least in this snapshot Nissans ruled the day.

Image: 昭和スポット巡り

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VIDEO: Honda RA301 at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Fifty years ago, Honda introduced the RA301 race car at the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix. It hailed from the first generation of Honda’s Formula One efforts, and was powered by a 3.0-liter V12 in an aluminum body. The original car was piloted by John Surtees, but to mark the half century of the RA301 former Honda F1 driver Jensen Button had the honor of running it up the hill. Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels second-gen Honda CRX teased

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Ricky Silverio

The designers at Hot Wheels recently revealed a teaser image of the next JNC to make it to their minicar lineup. It is the unmistakable silhouette of the second-generation Honda CRX. Unlike the first-gen CRX, this one appears to mostly stock. The proportions look great, and we can’t wait to see it in the diecast metal.

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QotW: What JNC would you import from Japan?

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

Nowadays, there are plenty of JNC offerings from importers. It also helps that you can stuff a few JNCs into a shipping container. But, most importers are focusing on a few models that bring in the biggest money. If you had a direct line to Japan, what JNC would you scoop up in a heartbeat?

What JNC would you import from Japan?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your favorite JNC body type?” Continue reading →

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KEI HERO: The Suzuki Cappuccino is to the Miata what the Miata is to all other cars

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Ryan Senensky

Kei cars are an important and inescapable aspect of life in the Land of the Rising Sun. Some are important because they were a landmark of technology, and others because they were the first of their kind, and still others because they were integral to the growth of Japan’s economy. There is one, though, that’s important merely for being the purest: the Suzuki Cappuccino.  Continue reading →

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