Tokyo Motor Show: The State of Cars in Japan

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Kevin San

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 →

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Kei Hero: Subaru 360 Young SS

Posted on November 21, 2017 by Ryan Senensky

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 →

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NEWS: Four cars inducted into Japan Automotive Hall of Fame

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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QotW: What’s the best stock JNC steering wheel?

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Brandon Kelley

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 →

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Happy birthday, Soichiro Honda

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Ben Hsu


We’ve had a lot of bike stories this week, and it could not have been more appropriate. Soichiro Honda would be 111 years old if he were alive today. Though infamously tough as a boss, he left a legacy that persisted long after his passing in 1991 and was, above all else, a man who loved cars, bikes, and racing. Honda didn’t start out making something else first, whether it be planes, looms, or corks. He devoted his life to making engines.

This is a quote often attributed to Soichiro Honda, and it’s apt: “I think best when I have a wrench in my hands.” November 17 should be a national holiday devoted to working on your car or bike, even if it’s not a Honda.

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Tokyo Motor Show: Incredible Iwate lacquer steering wheels

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Ben Hsu

One of the most beautiful things we saw at the Tokyo Motor Show was located at a small, carless booth in a remote corner of the convention center. Japan is of course known for its traditional crafts, many that have been honed for centuries, yet there are few opportunities for those to come to the forefront in a relatively new technology like the automobile. That’s why we fell in love with these Iwate lacquer steering wheels.  Continue reading →

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Tokyo Motor Show: The Kawasaki Z900RS is the Kenmeri Skyline of bikes reborn

Posted on November 16, 2017 by San Mamiya

There’s just one more bike story to cover from our visit to the Tokyo Motor Show, but it’s an important one. The Kawasaki Z900RS is a glorious throwback to the heyday of Japanese motorcycling, going all the way back to 1972 and the debut of the Kawasaki Z1. If the Honda CB750 is the Hakosuka Skyline of Japanese motorcycles, the Z1 is the Kenmeri.  Continue reading →

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Radwood, the 80s and 90s car show, is coming to SoCal

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Ben Hsu


Radwood is coming to southern California. What is Radwood? It’s a car show focused on the 80s and 90s lifestyle. Think Goodwood, but, you know, rad.

The first Radwood took place in June in Brisbane, California. Though we couldn’t attend that one, it was successful enough that the organizers have decided to host a second one, Radwood 2, and this time it will be in Anaheim. All cars built between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1999 (plus continuation models) are welcome. It’s not limited to Japanese cars, but as JNCers know this era spawned some of the best Nihon steel ever built.

Radwood is more than just a car show. “Period dress is compulsory,” say the organizers, “So get your Michael Jackson jacket, acid wash jeans, BIG DOG t-shirt, mirrored sunglasses, or Hypercolors out of storage.”

The event will take place December 2, 11am to 5pm at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim. Come by the JNC booth and say s’up.

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Tokyo Motor Show: Mikuni will make these throttle bodies if there’s enough interest

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Ben Hsu

One of the interesting things about the Tokyo Motor Show that you don’t see in other major shows in LA or New York is that many major suppliers have booths too. The Mikuni Corporation is still alive and well, and makes a variety of parts for OEMs, like intake manifolds, variable valve timing systems, and many of the pumps electronic pumps and valves that are found on new cars today. However, the thing at their booth that caught our eye was the L-series setup with a small placard that said “prototype” on it.  Continue reading →

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Tokyo Motor Show: No one will ever catch the Honda Super Cub in sales

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Some of you wanted more bike stories, so here’s one about the most popular bike in human history. A week before the Tokyo Motor Show the Honda Super Cub surpassed 100 million in sales, stretching its uncatchable lead as the most popular motorized vehicle on the planet, so Honda took the opportunity to celebrate. Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Smoking Tire takes an old school 510 Wagon on a touge run

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Ben Hsu

This video is about a month old, but it’s still worth sharing. Matt Farah’s Smoking Tire channel drives a lot of enthusiast cars, from Mustangs to Porsches, but this Datsun 510 Wagon is our kind of build. It was put together in the owner’s garage, has a Troy Ermish built 2.1-liter stroker, 280ZX 5-speed, Koyorad radiator, a roll cage, a SSR MkIIs, and a heavily modified suspension. Most of all, it looks like loads of fun.  Continue reading →

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QotW: What tools do you keep in your JNC?

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Ben Hsu

As clockwork-reliable as Japanese cars can be, when we’re talking about cars 30, 40 or 50 years old there’s always the chance of something breaking down. Most of us probably keep a few items in our JNCs at all times, whether we’re going out for an afternoon touge run or a days-long road trip, and especially when we travel to some far flung location to bring home a new project.

What tools do you keep in your JNC?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Tell us your most challenging ‘reach.'”

Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 09 — Bikes

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Hey guys, we’ve been totally slacking on a hugely important segment of Japanese Nostalgic Cars because, well, they’re not actually cars. But, even with two fewer wheels, motorcycles and scooters have been an integral part of Japan’s motoring history. Here are some of the examples that graced the Queen Mary lawn at JCCS.  Continue reading →

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Toyota Celica All-Trac Pace Car

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Ben Hsu

To publicize the release of the turbocharged, AWD Celica All-Trac, Toyota and TRD USA built a pace car to lead the Long Beach Grand Prix. With race goodies like a roll cage, fuel cell and adjustable coilovers, was converted to circuit duty back when new. And now, after 30 years, it’s up for sale.  Continue reading →

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Tokyo Motor Show: Nissan brought a Fairlady after all

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Ben Hsu

After all our bellyaching about how there was no Supra or Fairlady at the Tokyo Motor Show this year as many had expected, it appears that we spoke to soon! Upon examining our TMS materials more carefully, it turns out that Nissan did in fact bring a Fairlady, and we can’t believe no other media outlets have noticed.  Continue reading →

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SEMA 2017: Toyota will always have trucks

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Nissan may have the “it” cars, says our editor at large Ricky Silverio, but Toyota will always have trucks. Toyota may have misstepped when it brought a fleet of Camrys to SEMA, eliciting even a roast from Honda, but when it comes to classic off-roaders, rock crawlers, overlanders, or just plain well-restored vintage SUVs, Aichi has the market cornered.  Continue reading →

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(not so) MINICARS: Life-size Tamiya Bruiser Toyota Hilux pickup

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Dave Yuan

As Marty McFly said, “All the best stuff is made in Japan.” Cars aside, this also holds true for hobby products. And in the land of remote controlled model cars, one kit persistently remains the best of the best in terms of realism, ingenuity, and sheer awesomeness: Tamiya’s metal ladder frame chassis Toyota pickup truck. As a tribute to its status among otakus, somebody has made a life-size, 1:1 scale version of it. Continue reading →

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SEMA 2017: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Ben Hsu

As the largest trade event for custom cars in the US, possibly the world, SEMA can serve as a showcase for innovation and creativity, sometimes giving a spotlight for bloody knuckled backyard builds to shine. The flip side, though, is that SEMA’s high profile pressures talented craftsmen into pouring cash into cars whose sole purpose is to clothesline your eyeballs into submission and collect clicks for some up and coming brand. Is there anything more depressing than a “SEMA build”?

Luckily, most of the JNCs at SEMA were built first, then discovered for display because they represented a passion for the car, not a passion for the show itself. Here are some highlights (and lowlights) of the big shindig in Vegas. Continue reading →

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SEMA 2017: An unmolested Toyota MR2 gave us the strength to carry on

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Dearest Martha,

As I took respite to pen this letter, I wondered if I would return from war the same man I was when I left home. SEMA is hell, my love. It has been just two days, but it feels like fortnights have passed. A fellow soldier nearly lost his leg from a surprise attack by a cursed foe and his mobility scooter mount. Supplies are scarce and dwindle by the hour, leaving us victim to highway bandits who would dare charge eight Union dollars for a frankfurter.

We have endured wastelands of misshapen composites, towering pickups taller than they are wide, and wheels so grotesquely oversized it’s a wonder the wagons they are affixed to can move at all. I trembled on the brink of abandoning all hope until we saw it, and it bestowed upon us the strength to carry onward: a virgin AW11 MR2.  Continue reading →

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QotW: Tell us your most challenging “reach”

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Brandon Kelley

SEMA has some magical vehicles on display. Even more magical are the clean, eat-off-the-floorpan quality restorations. I’d say most of us are not privy to that level of pristine. For most of us, we spend countless nights wrenching to get a JNC back up on its feet. But, sometimes, we have that one bolt, that one clip that is so easy to see, but impossible to reach. I want to know about your experience:

Tell us your story of a difficult reach while trying to repair or diagnose your JNC.

My own tale involves the same engine pictured above (but not my ride). It was my first engine swap. I just got the head back from the machine shop, put it back on and torqued all the head studs, just installed the headers and intake and finally the valve covers. But I had an extra water jacket in the corner of the shed. Oops. I spent three hours trying to tighten two 10 mm bolts on the back of the head. The gap between the head and the firewall was about half as thick as my flat hand. I had to make the “scissor” motion with my fingers while holding a wrench and only getting 1/32 of a turn at a time. To add more stress to the mix was a plastic vacuum sensor with 2 brittle nipples on the end. As I got one bolt secure enough to hopefully not leak, one of those vac nipples snapped when it got clocked by my thumb… Words were exchanged between me and that water jacket. Many words. On my fourth rebuild, I still have that same head minus all the vac lines and that water passage where the jacket would have bolted up to is now welded shut.

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “JNC Battle! NSX vs Supra” Continue reading →

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