JCCS has become an international show. For years, the event has been growing, with ever better builds and spectators coming from farther reaches of the globe. This year, however, many top companies from Japan attended, while US-based ones upped the ante with their displays. These were the best booths of the 2017 JCCS. Continue reading
The competition has never been harder for a Best in Show award at JCCS. We did the perhaps obvious thing by giving the JNC award to a Datsun 510, but the JCCS judges collectively gave the coveted Best in Show award to Jay Ataka’s fully restored 1969 Subaru 360. It was with good reason, too. Continue reading
One of our favorite categories of JCCS is classic trucks. The compact pickup is a lost art, and no one did them quite like Japan. As it turns out, the truck category turned out to be the single most diverse this year in terms of marque, and earned the selection a prime waterside spot. Continue reading
After the recent JCCS show, our friends the Wild Cards swung by the Hoonigan offices for a little video shoot. You’ll see cars like Roy De Guzman’s Hako, Jay Kho’s R30, Patrick Soliman’s Kenmeri, and even JNC award winner Gilbert Susana’s 510. After a hood popping sesh the boys let loose with some burnouts and general hoonage. If seeing tires go up in smoke is your bag, check out the video below. Continue reading
Last weekend, our mighty editor-in-chief Ben swung by the Tokyo offices as we gear up for Tokyo Motor Show. While on the hunt for some new Tomica minicars, we came across the above. Seeing as the latest trailer to the next Star Wars installment dropped, this week’s QotW is fitting. What does the First Order Jedi roll around in when not fighting on self-destructive planets, or losing his cool on a Destroyer?
Simple question, make it fun, gang. Bonus points if you Photoshop something. (Previous Star Wars-branded JNC excluded!!!)
What JNC needs to be Kylo Ren’s ride in the next Star Wars?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How far will you go for your next JNC?” Continue reading
This year’s Tokyo Motor Show might see the revival of some legendary models — Supra, Z, S2000, Evo — but it might be Daihatsu that takes the cake for the most charming heritage concepts this year. The compact car specialist has revealed a pair of throwback models ahead of the show to mark the company’s 110th anniversary. Continue reading
Every year, the kind folks at JCCS allow us to give one JNC award. This year, we were incredibly happy to give it to a Datsun 510, as 2017 happened to be the 50th anniversary of the Nissan 510 chassis. But which 510? There was a grip of them at the show, so let’s take a look at some of them before we reveal which five and dime went home with the award. Continue reading
Mazda has revealed some teasers for two concepts that will headline its Tokyo Motor Show display later this month. One is almost certainly the next-generation Mazda Axela (known stateside as the 3). The more far-out one is a sedan concept the Hiroshima carmaker says will establish the next generation of Mazda design. What’s more interesting though is that the car appears to have rear-wheel-drive proportions. Continue reading
Fifty years ago, the Honda RA300 won the Italian Grand Prix. Earlier this year, Honda took its famed racing machine back to Autodromo Nazionale Monza, and cranked its 48-valve, 12,000-rpm V12 for the fans to hear. Continue reading
This year the JCCS Street Neo Classics show was put on hiatus because its venue, an area of the Toyota USA campus, is no longer available. If you’ve been following the news the company’s move to Texas is underway, so soon the long-standing Torrance headquarters will be a ghost office park. As such, JCCS organizers allowed a one time more 80s and 90s cars than would typically qualify — so enjoy this rare occasion! Continue reading
“Why no moar horsepower?” is probably the most oft repeated and annoying gripe leveled at Japanese cars. If you’d like to see a video that answers why, here it is. Japan’s roads are mountainous, tight and a ton of fun in small, lightweight cars. Watch Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya and Takyua Kurosawa drive a KP61 Toyota Starlet and a B110 Nissan Sunny — cars that had less than 100 horsepower when new but weighed about 1,600 pounds — drive them on the roads they were meant to be driven on. Continue reading
A recent trip took me to Dubai and back to Tokyo. A few take aways: Toyota is killing it in the taxi and fleet market, and there are plenty of JNCs out there. With internet auction sites, private listing sites and forums; are you willing to go beyond your local area for your next JNC? Where do you draw the line?
How far will you go for 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 is the worst modern design trend?” Continue reading
We’ve shown you the JDM rarities, competition machines and museum pieces of JCCS, but we know what you really came here for — Nihon sleds slammed on some vintage barrels. It’s the quintessential Japanese modified car look, and there was plenty of it on hand at the Queen Mary. Continue reading
Toyota has released images of the third generation Toyota Century ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show. This is notable, because in the Toyota flagship sedan’s entire 50 year history, there has been only one complete redesign, until now. While minor updates have been made over the decades, the 2018 Century will be only the third completely new generation in, well, half a century. Continue reading
Mitsubishi has revealed two new images of its next Evolution model. Called the e-Evolution, it is said to combine the automaker’s greatest strengths — all wheel drive, electrification, and off-roading prowess. Continue reading
Before we get started on this installment of the 2017 JCCS coverage, let us just say that it has become impossible to capture every click-worthy car on camera. That’s a good thing, a testament to the ever-increasing quality of cars that show up to North America’s premiere J-tin event, and a statement on how Japanese cars are both appreciating and becoming more appreciated as each year rolls by. Continue reading
One of the most mind-blowing cars at this year’s Japanese Classic Car Show was Joseph DeMeo’s 1988 Toyota Celica All-Trac. With just 15,200 miles on the odometer, the rally-inspired AWD coupe was basically showroom and the finest example we had ever seen, but Joseph still wasn’t satisfied with it just yet. Continue reading
The V20 Toyota Camry is the ultimate hand-me-down car every new driver got because their parent’s frugality was outweighed only by their aversion to shepherding their kids to and fro. Just about everyone has an experience with a run-of-the-mill 3S-FE-equipped DX complete with a A140E 4-speed automatic transmission. For me, it was the donor car in shop class on which I changed my first spark plugs. However, there was much more to the V20 Camry than meets the eye, and no, we’re not even talking about how Bubble Economy Toyota overbuilt it and cemented a legendary reputation for quality. We’re talking about how Camrys can actually be rare and fun. Continue reading
Honda has released a teaser image of an upcoming concept to be shown at the Tokyo Motor Show. Called the Honda Sport EV, it appears to be a sports coupe with rear-wheel-drive proportions, with a flowing hood similar to that of the dearly departed S2000. Continue reading
There have been questionable design choices throughout the ages — the giant safety bumpers that disgraced everything from Corolla to the 280Z immediately come to mind. Today it seems that these questionable designs are becoming more prevalent. There are no shortage of design choices that need to be lost to time, but which is the worst? These designs aren’t because automotive designers today are less talented; they’re just dealing with a set of regulations that stifle design options. To satisfy these regulations, belt lines are sky high and all that metal is being contorted into bizarre shapes to break up the space as if it’s no longer acceptable to have flat surfaces or rectangular shapes.
What is the worst modern design trend that needs to be gone immediately?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What will happen to JNCs once autonomous cars take over?” Continue reading
