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
EVENTS: The Best of Radwood 2
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
MOTORSPORT: On board with the Drift King in a Group A R32 Skyline GT-R
The R32 Skyline GT-R is a legend among legends, due in no small part to its utter domination of Group A touring car racing in the early 1990s. During the four years it competed in Japan it won every single race it ran. It also finished first at both Bathurst 1000 races in 1991-92 on the way to consecutive Australian touring car championships as well, and then captured the checkered flag at the 1991 24 Hours of Spa for good measure. So what’s it like to drive one of these Godzilla race cars? Continue reading
EVENTS: Radwood 2 – Electric Boogaloo
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
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Consider the Following: RT40 Toyota Corona
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
VIDEO: What it’s like to drive an Autozam AZ-1
“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
QotW: What’s your favorite color on a JNC?
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
A 600-mile road trip in the JNC Project Hakosuka
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
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LA Auto Show: Mazda’s “north-star” offers a beacon of hope
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
VIDEO: Behold the glory of the Nissan Pulsar N12
Australian classic car insurance company Shannons has been featured on JNC a few times for their excellent videos about Nihon steel through Aussie eyes. It’s intriguing how the same car can be viewed completely differently by enthusiasts on opposite ends of the Earth, and the N12 Pulsar is a perfect example. Continue reading
GALLERIES: Nissan says the Stanza Wagon is as iconic as the Datsun 510
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
Consider the Following: Subaru XT
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 Subaru XT. Continue reading
NEWS: Nissan’s NISMO Heritage parts program launches
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
QotW: What modern day feature does your JNC need?
Last weekend I found myself behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Pajero Mini Turbo. It was fun to toss the plucky 4WD on stock 5.5-inch wide tires around corners like it was ice skating, but the thinness of the doors and lack of sound deadening made conversations hard to have over road noise and turbo howls. What would the Pajero Mini needed for it to be a perfect little 4-wheeler — a body with higher torsional rigidity, or high-tech terrain system with crawl control, or would updated safety systems in case of a T-bone collision.
What modern day feature does your JNC need?
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 best stock JNC steering wheel?” Continue reading
NEWS: Mitsubishi unveils a hideous tribute to its first car
Mitsubishi began work on its first car, simply named the Model A, in 1917. That was 100 years ago, and so to celebrate this momentous occasion Mitsubishi Motors North America commissioned a recreation of it. Sadly, the Re-Model A, as it is called, it just plain ridiculous. Continue reading
Happy Thanksgiving from JNC
Have a happy Thanksgiving, from all of us at JNC. A big domo arigato gozaimasu for reading, weighing in with your comments, and purchasing items from the shop, as well as for being enthusiasts, caretakers, and drivers of the cars we love. We are truly thankful for your patronage. Be safe this holiday.
Posted in Holidays
6 Comments
Tokyo Motor Show: The State of Cars in Japan
By now you have seen plenty of car magazine and social media channels declare the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show as being a disappointment. Leading up to the show, there were whispers of some tasty production cars being revealed: a Fairlady Z concept from Nissan, the next-gen Supra and a turbocharged F version of the Lexus LC coupe from Toyota. After a rousing speech from Akio Toyoda the JDM sports car renaissance would burst onto the stage amid cheers, hugs, and confetti.
What actually happened was the opposite of that. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Motor Show
Tagged brz, calsonic, Concept-Ai, CrossHub, crown, Dakar Rally, Fine Comfort Ride, gt-r, hino, honda, Kai, kei, LCV D-Cargo, le mans, mazda, Motobot, MWC4, nissan, r35, s660, Sora Fuel Cell Bus, subaru, SuperGT, tokyo motor show, tomica, toyota, toyota 86, TS040, Viziv Performance Concept, Wonder Capsule, WRX STI, yamaha
10 Comments
Kei Hero: Subaru 360 Young SS
The Subaru 360 gets a lot of praise as being the first massively successful car in the Japanese market, as important as the VW Beetle was for Germany and the Model T was for the US. That is great and well deserved recognition, but mention of it being the first high performance Subaru is rare, and I think its high time we shed some light on the Subaru 360 Young SS. Continue reading
NEWS: Four cars inducted into Japan Automotive Hall of Fame
The Japan Automotive Hall of Fame has announced the inductees into their Historic & Heritage Vehicles class for 2017. The selected automobiles are regarded to have contributed to the development of Japan’s automobile industry and car culture, and are deemed worthy of preservation. There were four inductees this year. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 3-wheeler, daihatsu, fj40, japan automotive hall of fame, land cruiser, prince, s54, skyline, subaru, subaru 1000, toyota, Tsubasa
2 Comments
QotW: What’s the best stock JNC steering wheel?
Ben just posted about some beautiful Iwate steering wheels found at the Tokyo Motor Show. This got me to think about stock JNC steering wheels and how strange they can be. The bubble era triggered a rush of asymmetrical, neon-future works of art. Some make the car, fitting the era and your hand in a way that needs no aftermarket replacements.
What’s the best stock JNC steering wheel?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What tools do you keep in your JNC?” Continue reading
