Fifty years ago, Mazda Canada started when a Familia Rotary Coupe, known on this side of the Pacific as an R100, went on sale. To celebrate half a century of sales, Mazda Canada released a flashback video covering significant milestones and models. Continue reading
QotW: What about your current JNC made you to buy it?
Sometimes, when we see a car, it’s love at first sight. An example of this is the primal reaction to motor show unveils (as in last week’s QotW). A car can have that special “something” that shoots straight to your heart, and puts blinders over your eyes to any mechanical annoyances or glaring faults.
For me, retractable headlamps has been a repeat offense. 80 percent of all vehicles I’ve owned have had pop-ups. They are impractical, can be costly to fix, and can leave you looking foolish if they go haywire — but they are so cool looking! I’ve bought cars hook, line and sinker for this very feature, despite the presence of rust, engine gremlins and transmission issues.
What about your current JNC made you to buy it?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How excited are you about the new Supra?” Continue reading
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from JNC
Do you have the luck o’ the Irish when hunting for Hot Wheels? Maybe some green in the form of a Japan Historics 2 Nissan Laurel will bring you good fortune. Happy St. Patrick’s Day from JNC!
Posted in Holidays
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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Unmolested 1987 Toyota Corolla AE86 Coupe
A bone stock 1987 Toyota Corolla GT-S Coupe has surfaced auction on eBay in southern California. The AE86 chassis, famed for its drifting prowess and starring role in Initial D, has risen to legend status, especially as unmolested examples dwindle. That’s why even with nearly 200,000 miles on the odo, someone is asking nearly $20,000 for a 30-year-old Corolla. Continue reading
PRODUCT GUIDE: The IRC MB52 “footprint” tire has our new favorite tread pattern
Japan has an incredible penchant for making vehicle modification fun, something that is missing from a lot of car cultures. While going through Ricky’s excellent article about the odds and ends of the NYM, I came across the funkiest tire I’ve ever seen on a light green Honda minibike. I had to know more. Continue reading
VIDEO: You can’t not love the Subaru Sambar
Scott Coletti is a lifetime Subaru fanatic, and his 360 Sambar is among the best kept examples stateside. I can only think of a handful that are anywhere near to being on par. He’s honest about the van — it’s slow, hot and loud, but what do you expect from a 2-stroke air-cooled engine? However, Scott maintains that “there’s a lot of driving in driving this car.” because you have to pay attention, and even at 45 mph velocities it “has the feeling of going 100 miles per hour.” Continue reading
EVENTS: 2018 New Year Meeting, Part 05 — Odds and Ends
One of the best parts about the largest classic car show in Tokyo is the random stuff you find for sale. We’ve covered the cars and trucks, so let’s take a look at the miscellany to be discovered in various corners of the event. Whether it’s parts, lit, or collectibles, there is no shortage of stuff to feed the otaku-minded. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Advan HF Type D, bridgestone, c210, crown, fairlady z, honda, Honda T-Series, hoshino, mazda, minicars, motocompo, new year meeting, nissan, panasport, r30, r360, rs watanabe, rx-7, s30 z, s50, sa22, skyline, ssr, subaru, subaru 360, toyota, wagons, work wheels, Yokohama Tire
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ART CORNER: Japanese artist recreates Initial D touge scenes with amazing model cars
It’s an iconic scene from the pages of Initial D — Takumi Fujiwara’s AE86 touge-battling Keisuke Takahashi’s FD RX-7, drifting through a hairpin. A Japanese artist known as Shinga on Twitter has recreated the moment, but as much as the finished product looks like pen and ink, it’s composed amazingly painted of 1:24-scale model kits. Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged ae86, corolla, fd3s, Initial D, mazda, rx-7, sprinter trueno, toyota
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NEWS: Next-gen Nissan Fairlady Z rumored to be co-developed with Mercedes-Benz
Should we be worried? The Axis Powers seem to be getting a bit uncomfortably close with their technology sharing. The latest rumor is that Nissan is preparing a seventh-generation Fairlady Z, one that is being co-developed with Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz. Continue reading
VIDEO: GrassRoots Garage comes to California for Datsun Heaven
The online space for car videos is pretty crowded, but a favorite among the JNC staff right now is Australia’s Grassroots Garage. The editing is straightforward , their videos aren’t crammed with fancy drone tracking shots, and the host has a great accent. But it’s honest and, well, grassroots. They recently came to America and shot a whole lot of footage for a series called Datsun Heaven. Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Australia’s Improved Production Racing is absolutely riveting
Even to car guys, a lot of modern racing is boring because there simply isn’t a lot of differentiation in the actual cars. Sanctioning bodies have made the rules so strict that in many cases the cars are basically identical. That’s why the Improved Production class in Australia is so fascinating. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 510, 808, ae86, australia, b110, datsun, Improved Production Challenge, lancer evolution, Magna, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, r100, rx-3, rx-7, sa22, sunny, toyota
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QotW: How excited are you about the new Supra?
Few model names evoke as much zeal as “Supra.” Last week, Toyota finally made it clear that it will revive the name for a new sports car that it unveiled in racing guise at the Geneva Motor Show. It even wore number 90 on the doors, a nod to the A90 chassis code that would succeed the fourth-generation JZA80. That car, its predecessor, achieved mythical status among enthusiasts, one that is almost impossible to live up to.
How excited are you about the new Supra?
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 favorite JNC commercial as a kid?” Continue reading
Happy 311 Day from JNC
Before the famous BRE Datsun 510s and 240Zs, there was the Datsun Roadster. This is the actual, restored car driven by Frank Monise. As the story goes, when asked why he hired Monise, Peter Brock said, “Because he kept beating me.” Happy 311 Day!
Happy E39A Day from JNC
We thought we’d throw Mitsubishi fans a little love today, March 9. Please excuse the grainy quality of this photo, as it is one of my own personal Galant VR-4, taken in 1992, before I had a digital camera.You might think, “This is a funny-looking BMW 5-Series.” Well, that’s what all the grey-market Hartge E30 drivers said to themselves after they took a sniff of the HKS exhaust blowing past them. Happy E39A Day!
PIXELATED: JNCs of the Grand Theft Auto universe
With rumors of the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto franchise taking place in Vice City, we began to ponder the possibilities for in-game cars. If publisher Rockstar Games does indeed return to their caricature of 1980s Miami, it could make way for tons of JNCs. Will we see a Z31 or MR2? How lucky would we be to get a Toyota Van Wagon or an E70 Corolla? Continue reading
EVENTS: 2018 New Year Meeting, Part 04 — Trucks
The New Year Meeting has plenty of cars and wares, but one needs to get them to the show in style. We’ve covered the classics, now let’s look at some of the commercial vehicles — utes, vans and trucks — that are part of the NYM scenery. Continue reading
Posted in new year meeting
Tagged Acty Street, Autolook, b120, butaketsu, c10, c130, canter, civilian, datsun, datsun 220, datsun 620, dekotora, elf, Every, fuso, Hakosuka, hilux, honda, isuzu, laurel, mitsubishi, N20, new year meeting, nissan, sambar, sanitora, skyline, subaru, sunny truck, super cub, suzuki, Torakku Yaro, toyota, Victory 50
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MOTORSPORT: SuperGT champ buys his dream Supra
Juichi Wakisaka is a three-time JGTC and SuperGT champion and a well-respected driver in Japan. In addition to his GT500 wins, he also has several F3 and Formula Nippon victories under his belt, has won the Suzuka 1000, achieved class wins at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, has appeared on Hot Version, and written for Best Car magazine. Yesterday, Wakisaka finally bought his dream car — a new Supra. No, not the new Supra, a JZA80, on the exact same day the next-generation Supra was revealed. Continue reading
Happy TE37 Day from JNC
If you were a child of the 80s, you might remember a time when E30 Corollas were just about everywhere. Today, they’re mostly gone, and don’t even get as much love amongst collectors as TE27s and other Corollas. That is why we should honor the top-spec models today, March 7. Happy TE37 Day from JNC!
NEWS: This is the new Toyota Supra
The last Toyota Supra is one of those rare cars that became a legend in its own time, but it’s been 16 years since it was discontinued. At the Geneva Motor Show this morning, the next generation of this venerated nameplate was unveiled — in racing form. Continue reading
EVENTS: 2018 New Year Meeting, Part 03 — Seventies and Eighties
Our first two installments of the 2018 New Year Meeting featured cars from 1960s Japan. Those beautifully crafted machines from the early days of country’s motorization served a specific purpose, but the 1970s is when the modification culture became truly widespread. Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 117, 230, 240rs, 300zx, a20, advan, Autolook, b110, b310, bluebird, c10, c110, cedric, celica, civic, corolla levin, e30, fc3s, fronte, gloria, Hakosuka, honda, isuzu, kenmeri, kp47, mazda, minica, Minica Skipper, mitsubishi, mr2, new year meeting, nissan, r30, r32, s110, silvia, skyline, starlet, sunny, suzuki, sw20, te27, TE55, toyota, ts cup, U12, wagons, z32
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