Four years after the conclusion of Initial D, author Shuichi Shigeno has embarked on the development of a new racing manga. The first chapter of the series, MF Ghost, has kicked off in Japan’s Weekly Young Magazine, where Initial D began its 18-year run in 1995. While it has a new cast of characters and is set many years after Takumi Fujiwara’s famed panda AE86 raced its last race, there seems to be at least one character carried over from Initial D. Continue reading
ART CORNER: Initial D author’s new racing manga has begun
QotW: Would you EV your JNC?
It’s National Drive Electric Week, and Nissan has just unveiled their new Leaf sporting new styling and a longer battery range. The Leaf has a ways to go before it can be considered as a JNC, but with the trend obviously moving towards EV vehicles — and emission regulations getting tighter globally; what will you do with your JNC? What if there is a time when you can no longer run a dino juice-powered motor? The only option may be to own your own secret island or EV it. What say you:
Would you EV your JNC?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC emblem/logo needs to come back?” Continue reading
EVENTS: Automobile Council 2017, Part 02 – Mazda, with heritage guns blazing
Now in its second year, Automobile Council gives car companies a chance to flex their heritage a bit. Some seized the opportunity better than others, but none came out with more guns blazing than Mazda. Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE?: 76k-mile Toyota Hilux Diesel
Okay, I know what you’re thinking, $10,000 is a lot of scratch for a third-generation Hilux. However, I think we can all agree that this 1981 Toyota Hilux Diesel might be the one of the best examples ever posted on JNC. It’s a time capsule that’s spent the last few years with it’s current owner as a daily driver with a complete service history of its maintenance by the professional hands at his local Toyota dealership. Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Why Calsonic Blue is a legendary livery in Japanese racing
Outside of Japan, most enthusiasts’ first encounter with the legendary Calsonic Blue livery of Nissan’s touring cars was likely in Gran Turismo. Specifically, it graced the R32 Skyline GT-R of the Japan Touring Car Championships, and while Godzilla notably won every single JTCC race it competed in from 1990-93, the Calsonic liveried cars were the winningest, taking the championship in both the first and the final seasons. The JTCC R32s were what made the livery famous, but this wasn’t the first use of Calsonic Blue. Continue reading
QotW: What JNC emblem/logo needs to come back?
Recently, we saw a great example of an AE82 with 10k on the odometer. It reminded me of the car in which I learned how to drive: our family’s 1985 AE82 in the same color, same interior, but with a manual and I believe it was a DX grade. The grille was different but the emblem was the same. “TOYOTA”. Simple, clean and undeniable.
Now, I’m a fan of emblems. I have a box of emblems that I’ve gathered over the years from junk yards and late-night eBay purchases. There are some excellent badges that I won’t say to keep the discussion free-flowing. The TOYOTA badge is not the best one out there, it’s just something from my early driving years. I do wish we got back to some of the “classic” badging… I’ll allow models that may not be in production now (but maybe could be coming back!) What do you think?
What JNC emblem/logo needs to come back?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC would make a great mobile office?” Continue reading
Have a relaxing Labor Day from JNC
It’s Labor Day in the United States so the JNC staff is taking a break from our regularly scheduled program until tomorrow. Fifty years ago, though, the Mazda factory was hard at work churning out three-wheeled trucks. The K360 kei car was built alongside the T1500 and T2000 with not a robot in sight. Industry!
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 10,000-mile 1984 Toyota Corolla LE
Do you want a supremely mint example of a hugely influential mid-80s Corolla that helped spread the Toyota gospel far and wide around the world? Behold, a 10,500-mile Toyota Corolla LE sedan. What, you were expecting an AE86? The argument could be made that the front-drive AE82, the first to be co-built in the United States with General Motors, became the foundation on which the modern Toyota empire was built. Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 34k-mile 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo
At this year’s Toyotafest we were saw an increase in stock (or stock appearing) and period correct examples of the second-generation MR2. Gone were the Invader body kits and intake snorkels from the Tuner Era heyday. Clearly, the unmolested SW20 is something collectable, especially when it has only 34,270 miles on the clock. Continue reading
VIDEO: Restored Mazda Cosmo Sport runs the Hamburg-Berlin Rally
After a truly heroic restoration of a rusted out Cosmo Sport, Mazda Germany did what anyone would do with a newly restored classic rotary — take it on a three-day road rally. Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Team Highball IMSA RX-7, the most successful endurance racer of all time
It is often said that rotary engines are unreliable. And yet, some of the greatest long-distance racers have been pistonless Mazdas, including what has been called the most successful endurance racer of all time: the Team Highball 1985 IMSA GTU RX-7. Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: IMSA Mazda RX-3 at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
Mazda continued to flex its racing heritage muscle at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. In addition to its usual usual cadre of booming (and zooming) rotary racers, four new participants ripped around the renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the 2017 run of North America’s premier vintage racing event. The first is a car that caught our attention weeks ahead of the race: a 1978 Mazda RX-3 IMSA racer. Continue reading
QotW: What JNC would make a great mobile office?
[Author’s note: Sorry Ben, the above JNC company van is excluded from this QotW. I, too, think it is wonderful, but not in the summer with the exhaust heat coming through the floor ;)]
The way we conduct business is changing each and every day. Sitting at a desk with a comfy chair and bathrooms around the corner are being replaced with adequate A/C blowing while stopped in traffic or sitting at a parking area trying to send emails and munch on the latest drive-thru value set.
Sometimes work involves hauling gear, or having the ability to go the long distance worry-free. With so many jobs that take us out of the office, I want to ask:
What JNC would make a great mobile office?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC would represent the music of today?” Continue reading
VIDEO: Ichikawa Parking Area in the Bubble Era
At the height of the Bubble Era, meets stretched deep into the pre-dawn hours. Even at 4 am, parking areas like Ichikawa PA were filled with Savannas, Soarers, and Skylines. Tuning legend Isami Amemiya even shows up with an FC3S and his original rotary Chantez. Continue reading
CLASSIC CM: Behold, a solid half hour of Suzuki commercials
Do you have some time to kill? Well, then perhaps you can watch a solid half hour of Japanese Suzuki TV spots, ranging from 1978 to 2000, ranging from sincere to zany and selling everything from scooters to off-roaders. Michael Jackson even makes an appearance in some of them. These commercials make me regret losing Suzuki in our market even more. Continue reading
VIDEO: Mazda Germany’s Cosmo Sport restoration is done
Mazda Germany’s Cosmo Sport saga is finally complete. In the last batch of episodes, the car has gone from rust-holed barn occupant to show-worthy classic. If you’re new to the series, see parts 01 and 02, then watch the rest below. Continue reading
VIDEO: Jay Leno gifts Magnus Walker a Toyota Corolla Liftback
In a recent episode of Jay Leno’s Garage on CNBC, the Denim Prince gives a car to clothing designer Magnus Walker. Magnus melted the internet a few years ago when he began quietly posting his huge Porsche collection on an internet forum. Since then, he’s become on of the stars in the new school Porsche modding movement. He started his carefully curated collection with the early 911, specifically limiting it to one from every year between its introduction in 1964 to 1973. But as his renown grew, so did his tastes. He then expanded to other Porsches like the 930 Turbo, 964, 914, and 924, helping reignite the fervor in the collector’s world each time. Now, he’s into Toyota Corollas. Continue reading
Happy Eclipse Day from JNC
Today is the first time a total solar eclipse will be visible in America in nearly a century, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most. So of course we’re going to make an Eclipse joke, but Mitsubishi actually beat us to it — they referenced this day back in 1990 when the Mitsubishi Eclipse debuted. Continue reading