QotW: Tell us a tale of a JNC you helped rescue

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

Summer is just around the corner here in Japan. As we get ready to take our prized machines out on a hot sunny day with the wind in our hair, we ask you to think back on a time when you rescued a JNC destined to return to the earth or live a life under heaps of junk and clutter. Maybe it was a vehicle you rescued, or maybe one you helped find a new owner that would give it the care it deserved.

Tell us a tale of a JNC you helped rescue

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

Posted in Question of the Week, Uncategorized | 22 Comments

Toyotafest is this Saturday

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Ben Hsu


Just a reminder: The 2018 Toyotafest is tomorrow, June 2 at Marina Green Park in Long Beach, California. It promises to be the largest one yet. There are over 550 slabs of Aichi steel registered for this event, plus vendors, special displays, as well as official presences from Toyota and Lexus.

Note that Toyotafest moved to a new location last year, the aforementioned Marina Green Park. It’s no longer at the Queen Mary. The new location has allowed the organizers to accommodate many more cars than before.

JNC will be there as well, so be sure to stop by our booth and say hello.

Admission is free, and the show goes from 9 am to 3 pm.

Posted in Reminder | Tagged | 2 Comments

NEWS: Retro fourth-gen Suzuki Jimny leaked ahead of July debut

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Though it has been on the market for nearly 50 years, the stalwart Suzuki Jimny has had only three complete generational changes. The fourth generation of the kei SUV debuts this July, but renderings based on leaked information in Japan’s Best Car magazine have revealed that it will be a throwback design reminiscent of the beloved second-gen.  Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

The heartwarming tale of strangers rescuing a Datsun wagon from the desert

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Matt De Mangos

There is a B310 Datsun Wagon that has been baking in a remote corner of the Mojave desert for over 20 years. The car was abandoned there when the owner died in a freak accident, but now, in a heartwarming tale of gearhead camaraderie, complete strangers are driving hours into the desert to try to recover the car and deliver it cross-country to the owner’s children.  Continue reading →

Posted in media | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

NEWS: Mazda celebrates production of 50 millionth car

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Ben Hsu

On May 15, Mazda reached a production milestone. The Hiroshima-based company has built 50 million cars since it began making its first road vehicles in October 1931. A small ceremony was held at the Hofu plant in Yamaguchi Prefecture.  Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged | 2 Comments

VIDEO: Suzuki Jimny ads sure beat the crap out of these kei SUVs

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Ben Hsu

We continued to be tickled by the fact that Suzuki is releasing a lot of archival footage showing the evolution of their products. From animated history lessons to old ads, the company seems to be digging deep into the vault for this stuff and putting it online. The latest is a series of clips of the original Jimny, a kei-class SUV that, despite its size, was billed as a go-anywhere off-roader. And man, they sure beat these things like a rented mule.  Continue reading →

Posted in cm | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Happy S30 Day from JNC

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Well, there really isn’t an S30 Day on the calendar, but the seminal Japanese sports car certainly deserves a day of its own. So, we might as well make May 30 that day, because an “S” looks kind of like a “5” if you squint. Here’s a pair of G-noses from when we attended the rainy 2009 Time Machine Festival at Fuji Speedway. Happy S30 Day from JNC!

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

VINTAGE RACING JOURNAL: The Mitty, Part 04 — The Final Race

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Glenn Chiou

It was only in 2010 that I attended my first vintage race as a spectator. Eight years later, I was reliving racing history at the famed Road Atlanta circuit in an authentic C-Production 240Z I had spent a year restoring. We can only hope to catch a glimpse of what it was like to be a driver during the good ol’ days at this hallowed track where Datsun dominated other marques in SCCA racing for over a decade, but this was as close as we were going to get without a time machine.  Continue reading →

Posted in Vintage Racing Journal | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

QotW: What JNC belongs in a museum?

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

Looking over the new Petersen Automotive Museum exhibition: Monozukuri, the Creative Spirit in Japanese Automaking and Fine Tuning from last Friday’s post has me excited to see all the rare J-tin on display for all (go see it in person!). There are models I’ve never even seen in Japan! Seeing the JNC heavyweights like the 2000GT, Skylines and Cosmo are a no-brainer, but I want to know what you think should get the museum treatment for styling, performance or cultural significance.

What JNC belongs in a museum?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What made you start collecting Hot Wheels?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged , | 24 Comments

GALLERIES: The Petersen Automotive Museum opens an unprecedented exhibit honoring Japanese cars

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Perhaps it is only fitting that the Petersen Automotive Museum is now located in what was once the only Seibu department store in the US. Where rows of Japanese home goods resided in 1962, today in 2018 stands this hemisphere’s most comprehensive museum exhibit celebrating the cars and car culture of Japan.  Continue reading →

Posted in museums | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

MINICARS: Can you help us identify these Japanese race car toys?

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Ben Hsu

I recently rediscovered these toys of two historic Japanese endurance racing prototypes. They are completely plastic, have no branding underneath, but are extremely well-made examples. Can you help us identify where they came from?  Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? S40 Toyota Crown BOGO

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Ryan Senensky

There’s a incredibly rare S40 Toyota Crown being auctioned on Bring A Trailer right now. It’s located in New Hampshire and has no reserve. Specifically, it’s a 1966 Toyota Crown Deluxe with a 3R engine and a three-on-the-tree manual transmission. And, if you act now, they’ll throw in another one for free.  Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

JNC THEATER: A Datsun 510 episode of Wheeler Dealers

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Ricky Silverio

It’s been a while since we mentioned Wheeler Dealers (is the show any good since Edd China left?) but tonight’s feature car is something that piqued our interest. It’s a Datsun 510, that seemingly had hopes of being a BRE tribute car at one point.  Continue reading →

Posted in JNC Theater | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

NEWS: New license plates reflect 41 regions of Japan

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Ben Hsu

For nearly 70 years, the simple green-on-white number plate has been the default vehicle registration identifier for passenger cars throughout Japan. That’s all about to change, because on May 22 the Japanese government unveiled 41 new license plate designs, each one reflecting a different region of the country.  Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged | 12 Comments

VIDEO: How to pronounce Japanese carmaker names properly

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Ben Hsu

A couple of years ago we were at a dinner with several journalists and a Mazda executive. At the other end of the table, a debate broke out about whether the proper pronunciation of the Hiroshima carmaker was the standard issue “MAHZ-dah” or the Australian-accented “MAAZZ-dah.” Finally, the exec schooled everyone with the real pronunciation, “MA-tsu-da.” You can often make friends in Japan by speaking the universal language of cars, but in order to get more than a blanks stare back it’s helpful to say the words correctly. Luckily, YouTuber CZero has helpfully put together a video for this exact purpose. Continue reading →

Posted in Learning Japanese | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

EVENTS: Get a discount code to The Petersen Automotive Museum’s unprecedented Japanese car exhibit

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Dan Hsu

This week the Petersen Automotive Museum is opening three unprecedented exhibits featuring classic Japanese cars. Although the Petersen has exhibited classic J-tin in the past, this is the first time nostalgics have taken such a prominent position in the museum’s exhibit space. The exhibits will showcase many cars never displayed in the States before, many shipped from the automakers’ collections in Japan. The Petersen is offering JNC readers a special discount code to the grand opening on May 24, so see descriptions and get the code below. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Happy 521 Day from JNC

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Ben Hsu

You can’t not love an honest truck. They basically tie dogs for status of man’s best friend. The Datsun 520 and 521 were the first of the modern compact pickups by Nissan, and kicked off decades of the breed. Obligatory: Wish they still made trucks like these. Today, on May 21, we honor these workhorses. Happy 521 Day from JNC!

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

QotW: What made you start collecting Hot Wheels?

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Brandon Kelley

After hearing of Hot Wheels’ 50th anniversary and Jun Imai’s departure from Mattel, I began thinking back to when I started collecting Hot Wheels. It was the “Toyota AE-86 Corolla” that set my heart afire. To see the beloved Hachiroku next to the Camaros and Mustangs was indeed a treat, especially since I had searched seven stores to find it. But at least I was able to. Today, Japanese Hot Wheels are the hottest things on the pegs and impossible to find. I have many Hot Wheels now, many JNCs mixed in with the fun fantasy models.

Jun’s designs not only kickstarted a new hobby of minicar collecting, but also helped create a stress-free oasis in the form of my office desk collection. I may not be able to go for a daily touge drive, but looking at all the JNC Hot Wheels on my desk transports me to winding roads with my arm perched out the window.

What made you start collecting Hot Wheels?

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 your mom actually enjoy driving in?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged , , , | 39 Comments

MINICARS: the Jun Imai Era comes to a close at Hot Wheels

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Ben Hsu

There is just one more bit of Hot Wheels news left for today, and it’s a sad one. Our friend and star designer Jun Imai has left Mattel for new opportunities. We had known it was happening for a couple weeks, but didn’t want to say anything before he had announced it publicly. Needless to say, with this knowledge in the backs of our minds writing the article about Hot Wheels’ 50th anniversary, especially the part about the Jun Imai Era and how much it had impacted the brand was bittersweet.  Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Happy 50th Birthday to Hot Wheels from JNC

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Ricky Silverio

Today we mark 50 years of Hot Wheels, the brand that changed toy cars forever and stoked the flames of automotive passion in millions. Since 1968 was the debut year for Hot Wheels and the US-market Datsun 510, we wanted to commemorate one of Jun Imai’s best castings.

A “what-if” rendering shows what could have been had the Datsun 510 emerged from the Redline Era. The spectraflame green paint and stripes pay homage to the first Japanese casting of the Hot Wheels line, Larry Wood’s Z-Whiz. With five decades memories made, it’s a nod to Hot Wheels’ heritage and the exciting direction of future car culture.

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment