Japanese Nostalgic Car

QotW: How do you “baby” your JNC?

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Brandon Kelley

I once knew a guy who would wash his car every Sunday, rain or shine, whether the car actually crawled out of the garage or not. Another refused to bring “outside” shoes into his car and would swap shoes ala Mister Rogers when getting in his car. These may be on the extreme side.. or may be not? I want to know:

How do you “baby” your JNC?

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

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW | 14 Comments

EVENTS: The 2017 NISMO Festival was a moving tribute to the Skyline

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Ben Hsu

This year’s NISMO Festival was a special one, as it marked the event’s 20th anniversary. The inaugural NISMO Festival in 1997 was a small gathering put together by NISMO employees as a customer appreciation day. Nissan factory drivers showed up to interact with fans, and the big draw was Nissan’s then-new R390 GT1 Le Mans racer. Two decades later, the event has grown to a massive proportions. Despite wintry temperatures, 28,000 fans made the journey to Fuji Speedway this year. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged b110, b310, bluebird, Bluebird 910, c10, c110, dr30, fairlady z, gt-r, Hakosuka, JGTC, kenmeri, le mans, NISMO, NISMO Festival, nissan, NV350, r30, r31, r32, r33, r34, r35, s12, s30 z, silvia, skyline, sunny, Super GT, super silhouette, ts cup, z33 | 10 Comments

VIDEO: This is how Honda has made 100 million Super Cubs

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Ben Hsu

We at JNC love the Honda Super Cub. Honda recently passed the incredibly impressive milestone of having sold 100 million units since the Super Cub’s debut in 1958. That’s the same sales figures as the Volkswagen Beetle, Toyota Corolla, and Ford F-series pickup, combined. To celebrate the occasion, as well as the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Super Cub next year, Honda has released two videos that are basically love letters to the iconic bike. Continue reading →

Posted in Motorcycles | Tagged honda, motorcycles, super cub | 4 Comments

NEWS: Mazda starts Miata Roadster restoration program

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Ben Hsu

On December 13 Mazda began accepting applications for its Roadster Restore program. Announced back in August, the program will revive first-generation NA Eunos Roadsters at classic centers throughout Japan, and reproduce about 150 select parts for sale. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged eunos roadster, mazda, miata, Miata NA, mx-5 | 9 Comments

NEWS: Hayashi Racing is making A-Series valve covers

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Kevin San

Hayashi Racing is now making some lovely cast aluminum rocker covers for the Nissan A-series. Available in black or red (the blue one above is a custom job for a Hayashi Formula J race car). We expect most of these to be sold in Japan, where modifying Sunnys and Sunny Trucks — not to mention the TS Cup vintage racers —are a big deal. Continue reading →

Posted in Product Guide | 9 Comments

VIDEO: Dance through the decades with the Honda Accord

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Hey, what better way to declare the pedigree of your products than to show decades’ worth of history? Honda’s latest spot, called “With Every Era,” takes you through Accord generations along with era appropriate song and dance. We’re always happy to see automakers be proud of their heritage, but hmm, where have we seen this concept before? Continue reading →

Posted in cm | Tagged accord, cm, honda | 3 Comments

QotW: How will you purchase your next JNC?

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Brandon Kelley

We’ve been seeing a massive amount of minty JNCs lately. Many of these perfect specimens come attached with “out-the-barn, no low-ball, I-know-what-I-have” prices. On the other hand, there are still times when you can find a JNC in condition ranging from quasi-decent to “help meeeee” for a much lower price. I’m interested in your take with the current market for JNC.

For your next purchase, do you buy the complete model with a higher price tag; or go low-ball and perform your own servicing to get it back in tip-top shape?

How will you purchase your next JNC?

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 color on a JNC?” Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

EVENTS: Classic Japan 2017

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Kevin San

As the JNC crew in SoCal was getting their 80s and 90s car show fill at Radwood, we here in Australia were going further back in time. Classic Japan in Melbourne is probably one of the best gatherings of Nihon steel in the world, thanks to Australia’s long history with Japanese cars. We had officially sold ADM Princes, locally built Skyline R31s, and a long history of sleeper rotaries. Americans, however, may find it odd to see me geek out over a Corolla FX-16. In any case, here’s the result of our 2,000-km road trip in the JNC Project Hakosuka. Enjoy! Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged australia, c10, Classic Japan, datsun, Hakosuka, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, skyline, subaru, toyota | 4 Comments

EVENTS: The Best of Radwood 2

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Among the, like, totally awesome cars of Radwood were a few that hit us in the face like a blast of Drakkar Noir. This isn’t a scientific polling, because who wouldn’t want to take home the Wolf’s NSX, but just a few cars that we and the Radwood judges felt best captured the spirit of the 80s and 90s. Continue reading →

Posted in events, Spotlight | Tagged 280zx, a60, acura, aw11, black gold, celica, crx, datsun, dc2, ea, honda, Integra Type R, leone, mr2, nissan, prelude, subaru, toyota | 15 Comments

EVENTS: Radwood 2 – Electric Boogaloo

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Ben Hsu

From the moment co-organizer Art Cervantes told us the name of the event, we knew it would be incredible. Radwood. It was a car show exclusively for 80s and 90s machines. Like Goodwood but, you know, rad. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 240sx, 300zx, 4runner, 80-series, 929, a60, a70, A80, acura, ae86, aw11, brat, CBR900RR, celica, charade, chaser, civic, Civic EF, Civic EG, corolla, corona, cr-v, cressida, crx, daihatsu, delica, Dodge Raider, e70, eclipse, fc3s, fd3s, fj60, fj62, galant, Galant VR-4, honda, infiniti, integra, KA4, KA7, land cruiser, legend, lexus, Lexus LS, mazda, miata, Miata NA, Mighty Max, mitsubishi, montero, motocompo, mr2, MX-3, mx-5, N60, nissan, nsx, pajero, prelude, Q45, r33, r34, Radwood, rx-7, s13, sa22, skyline, subaru, supra, sw20, x70, x80, z31, z32 | 11 Comments

Consider the Following: RT40 Toyota Corona

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Ryan Senensky

With the prices of the most popular models entering unattainable status for a lot of younger JNCers, we felt it necessary to highlight some painfully overlooked yet still affordable (for now) nostalgics. Welcome to another Consider the Following installment, in which we consider the RT40 Toyota Corona. Continue reading →

Posted in Consider the Following | Tagged barikan, corona, t40, toyota | 26 Comments

VIDEO: What it’s like to drive an Autozam AZ-1

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Ben Hsu

“Ridge Racer-feeling” are the words used to describe the Autozam AZ-1, the Mazda-Suzuki collab that was quite possibly the pinnacle of the kei car breed. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, just death and taxes, or something like that. So in exchange for the gift of reduced vehicle registration fees and the ability to park anywhere, the otherwise unforgiving Japanese government imposed severe constraints on physical size and engine displacement kei cars. Mid-engined, twin-cammed, turbo-charged, and gull-winged, the Autozam took those constraints and made the most bonkers, futuristic sports car it could. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged autozam, az-1, kei, mazda | 3 Comments

QotW: What’s your favorite color on a JNC?

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Brandon Kelley

One of my favorite bands of all time is Living Colour. As a kid growing up in the dying ages of cassette tapes and the new age of digital platters, my first journey beyond the radio man’s reach was listening to my brother’s Living Colour CDs. Therefore, we must ask:

What’s your favorite color, baby, on a JNC?

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

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW | 14 Comments

A 600-mile road trip in the JNC Project Hakosuka

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Ben Hsu

JNC is attending two car shows this weekend, one on each side of the globe. For the SoCal team it will be an easy journey. Basically, I’ll take a leisurely 30 minute drive down to Anaheim for Radwood, the 80s and 90s car show, in my Don Johnson white pants, shoes and blazer with a blue T-shirt. Team Australia has it slightly harder. Kev is taking the JNC Project Hakosuka from Sydney to Melbourne for Classic Japan, the largest gathering of vintage Nihon steel in the country.

That’s a distance of 1,000 km, or 600 miles in Yank speak, and to top it all off it’s summer in the southern hemisphere. That means nine hours with no aircon and no music but the sweet sounds of an L-series at sustained rpm. Follow our road trip, in which we convoy with the Nissan Cedric from Barrel Bros., in the videos below. Continue reading →

Posted in jnc | Tagged 330, c10, cedric, Classic Japan, Hakosuka, JNC Project Hako, nissan, Project Hakosuka, skyline | 2 Comments

LA Auto Show: Mazda’s “north-star” offers a beacon of hope

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Ben Hsu

If the Tokyo Motor Show was bleak, LA was a Blade Runner dystopia of crushing inhumanity. The cars unveiled weren’t autonomous pods so you didn’t get the sense that Skynet was taking over, but nearly every new model was a crossover. It’s as if we have lost our automotive imagination. Among the Japanese automakers, only Mazda offered a beacon of hope, in what Mazda North America CEO Masahiro Moro called the company’s “north star.” Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged LA Auto Show, LAAS 2017, mazda, mazda 6, Vision Coupe | 4 Comments

GALLERIES: Nissan says the Stanza Wagon is as iconic as the Datsun 510

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Vindication. It’s a good feeling. Earlier this year when Ryan published a Consider the Following article about the many charms of the Nissan Stanza Wagon, the comments section got rather heated. Some couldn’t believe a Pulitzer-esque publication like JNC would sing the praises of the Prairie, which — shocker — is apparently not a cool car to some eyes. Well guess what, nonbelievers. Nissan has taken our side. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 510, bluebird, c10, c130, cube, datsun, gt-r, laurel, leaf, m10, nissan, nissan gallery yokohama, prairie, pulsar, r35, skyline, Stanza Wagon, U11, violet, Z12 | 21 Comments

Consider the Following: Subaru XT

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Ryan Senensky

Posted in Consider the Following | Tagged alcyone, subaru, xt | 17 Comments

NEWS: Nissan’s NISMO Heritage parts program launches

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Nissan has begun its NISMO Heritage program, which manufactures parts for its iconic cars. The program kicks off with 74 parts for the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R, but there could be more in the future. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged gt-r, nissan, r32, skyline | 12 Comments