QotW: What are your JNC plans this 4th of July?

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Brandon Kelley

If you couldn’t tell, this is possibly the most extreme photo of a Datsun Z overfender that also incorporates the United States flag. Why you may ask? Because July 4th is just around the corner. Even though the United States’ Independence Day lands on a Tuesday, more than likely many Americans are kicking off the festivities by taking Monday off as well. For myself in Japan, I will go to the office as usual but later I will find time to grab a burger and a beverage. Heck, I can even grab some fireworks at the local convenience store. Sadly, I will need to wait for the coming weekend to get my JNC fix. Baby steps to Saturday…

Since I must wait a bit for my plans, I want to ask about your plans. Do you have any JNC plans for the 4th of July? I can even open the question up to encompass this week for those outside the 50 states.

What are your JNC plans this 4th of July (week)?

Plans to take the JNC camping? A car show? weekly detailing? Parts install? The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “JNC Challenge, Part 07”  Continue reading →

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JCCS 2017 registration now open

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Ben Hsu


Registration for the 13th annual Japanese Classic Car Show is now open.

North America’s largest gathering of historic Japanese vehicles will be taking place at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California on September 23, 2017.

You can register at the JCCS website. starting today.

Posted in Reminder | 2 Comments

EVENTS: 2017 Nissan Jam, Part 01 — Starting with Z

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Now in its fifth year, Nissan Jam has grown beyond its humble origins as a dealership show. While there’s still a ways to go before it catches up with events like Toyotafest in both caliber and scope, the Nissan, Datsun and Infiniti show looks to be on its way there. Of course, when one thinks Nissan, the Z is the image that is conjured first and foremost, and the Jam attracted a diverse gathering of Nissan’s most famous marque.  Continue reading →

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The Datsun 620 looks pretty good as a wagon, it turns out

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Your eyes do not deceive you. This is a wagon with a 620 front, and it’s not a one-off custom. It’s an actual car produced in an actual factory, and any Google searches conducted for it seem to only return this particular yellow example. Suffice it to say, it’s pretty darn rare. Continue reading →

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MOTORBIKES: This 50th Anniversary Special will be last Honda Monkey ever made

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Ben Hsu

As we reported back in April, the Honda Monkey will be discontinued at the end of August after 50 years of production. To mark the occasion, Honda has created one final special edition of the famed mini-bike. The Honda Monkey 50th Special will be limited to just 500 units.  Continue reading →

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? You’ll never guess how much this TE27 SR5 sold for

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Ben Hsu

The rise of JNC prices continues, with this 1974 Toyota Corolla SR5 having recently sold for a truly impressive sum. While we have seen Datsuns and rotaries sell for around $20,000, it’s not that common to see Toyotas in the sporty RWD coupe class pull similar amounts. Why is this car special?  Continue reading →

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PIXELATED: Kat’s Run Zen-Nippon K Car Senshuken

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Ryan Senensky

Have you ever played Mario Kart and thought, “I wish these were all kei cars.”? If so, we have a game for you. Kat’s Run: Zen-Nippon K Car Senshuken produced by Atlus Games in 1995 was available exclusively for the Super Famicom (Japanese for Super Nintendo) and featured a greatest hits of the best kei sports cars around. Unfortunately this game fell into obscurity during a flood of racing games that all came out around the same time. It’s worth understanding why this game got lost in the fray since it’s not a bad game by any means.  Continue reading →

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QotW: Take the JNC Challenge, Part 07

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Brandon Kelley

Congrats goes out to Ant and Jayrdee for helping us make a purchase! We are the proud owner of a 1986 (Kouki)MR2 (AW11) after nabbing it from a police auction. I guess we felt we wanted to go in an even more sportier direction than the Shuttle 😉  This “Mr. 2” is not the cleanest, nor the prettiest like the brochure pic above, but is in the US-only metallic blue (we have a thing for blue…); It is a heck of a looker (when wet and hiding all the faults). The fenders have some dents, a little rust near the fuel door but it has the “redtop” 4AGE which coming out of the factory topped out at 115 hp. Not much was done to it other than some seat covers and APC glow kit in purple under the glovebox.

We blew $2300 (a steal!) on this little 2-seater after taxes and titling. We have $1500. Now, the easy question is, what do we do with it? Take it to get detailed, maintenance? some high octane boost to shake down the engine that reads 166,000 miles?

What do we do to our MR2 with $1500 to spend?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC memory do you have with your Dad?”

Continue reading →

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MOTORSPORT: A history of Toyota’s heartbreaks at Le Mans, Part 02

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Ben Hsu

In Part 01, Toyota ended 1992’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with a second place finish, their best to date, in the TS010. Surprisingly, a 3.6-liter Toyota 92C-V fielded by Trust (GReddy) based on the older generation of Group C racers took fifth overall and won the C2 class. A second TS010 took 8th and another 92C-V took 9th. They had finally developed competitive machines, and would mount such a siege with dedicated track weapons built specifically for the race that by the end of the decade Toyota would be a major force at Circuit de la Sarthe.  Continue reading →

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MOTORSPORT: A history of Toyota’s heartbreaks at Le Mans, Part 01

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Ben Hsu

This week we learned that Toyota’s Le Mans curse remains firmly in tact, having robbed the team of what seemed like a sure-fire victory. The loss, due to a comically unfortunate mistake perpetrated by another team, prompted President Akio Toyoda to issue a heart-felt apology to fans, his crew, and even his drivers for not building a car that let them “drive all out.”

Even race fans that wouldn’t be caught dead in a Camry couldn’t help but root for them, but alas, it was not in the cards for Toyota this year. They’re the Chicago Cubs of Le Mans, except worse, because the Cubs have actually won. Here’s a brief history of Toyota’s tragic attempts at conquering the world’s most grueling race.  Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Ode to an AW11 Toyota MR2

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Ben Hsu

If you haven’t watched Mr Regular yet, you’ve been missing out on some truly entertaining car reviews. Punctuated with literary references and dick jokes of the highest caliber, they are the exact opposite of the typical driving impression videos. There’s no powersliding of exotics across abandoned airstrips, just countless test drives of cars anyone can afford. So, what does a guy who has driven everything under the sun buy for himself? An AW11, of course.  Continue reading →

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MOTORSPORT: Drifting is now an FIA-sanctioned motorsport

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Dave Yuan

If you are a fan of both professional motorsports and drifting, your day has come. FIA, the federation that sanctions the likes of Formula One, World Rally Championship, and World Endurance Championship — of which 24 Hours of Le Mans is a part — announced on June 21 its first Intercontinental Drifting Cup to take place this fall in Tokyo, Japan. Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels Skyline Japan and City Turbo prototypes

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Ricky Silverio

At the rate its going, Hot Wheels will soon have a model of every Nissan Skyline generation. The latest to come is the Skyline Japan, or C210 if you’re fluent in chassis codes. Unveiled at the Tokyo Toy Show, it appears ripe for customization, on widened fenders and small-scale wheels. Also revealing is the chassis, which does not exactly seem to be petroleum-based. A premium model, perhaps?  Continue reading →

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Happy 620 Day from JNC

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Do you need a little pick-up on this Tuesday? Just think of the Datsun 620 and you’ll feel better. Happy 620 Day from JNC.

Posted in Reminder | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

MOTORSPORT: Toyota 86 sets world record for the most drifting

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Dave Yuan

Lest you forget what Toyota’s neo-hachiroku is about, the 86 just set a new alleged world record for longest non-stop drift. This is not the first time this has happened; the previous Guinness-certified world record was set in 2014, also by a Toyota 86. The record now stands at 168.502 kilometers (over 104 miles), besting the previous by 24.376 kilometers. Continue reading →

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QotW: What JNC memory do you have with your dad?

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Brandon Kelley

Happy Father’s Day everyone (well, yesterday, but you get what I mean). This week I want to ask you all about a fond memory with your father (or father figure) and how it relates to JNC. Maybe you were given a hand replacing the points on a 1968 Toyopet, or learned how to take an oil filter off without breaking out the kitty litter. Tell us,

What JNC memory do you have with your dad?

Briefly, mine involves an RX-4 wagon (in silver), a snowy day and floor mats. My family received an RX-4 hand-me-down from my grandfather when I was just old enough to really remember. We lived outside the city and would have to make a trek up a steep hill with plenty of twists and turns until it plateaued towards downtown. I never thought much of that hill. In fact, in my later years I drove an AE82, in 3rd gear, up it without a second thought. Most sane people drove the hill in second, and barely at that.

During the winter months, we found a large land yacht parked on the side, extremely close to a drop off. The driver had lost traction on a sharp corner and slid to the edge from the icy slush on the road. My dad stopped to give a hand. He was a volunteer firefighter so he had been to the same hill for emergency calls and knew how serious the situation was. Those days guard rails were sparingly used.

We tried to gather some nearby tree branches and rocks to cram under the tires but it didn’t help much. Then, we pulled the rubber floor mats out of the RX-4 and tried to give traction to the big car, with some success. Finally, I ended up sitting in the trunk with my dad pushing from behind for the big American beast to get enough traction to pull itself out of the slushy rut and back onto the road.

My dad may not have rocked a sweet Mazda jacket without a shirt like in the lead pic, but he was just as cool by saving the day in a raspy rotary wagon with grippy floor mats.

Let us know your memory. The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Take the JNC Challenge, Part 06” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | 11 Comments

Happy Father’s Day from JNC

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Ben Hsu

To all the dads who helped get us hooked on cars, happy Father’s Day from JNC!

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REMINDER: Nissan Jam is this Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Ben Hsu


Assuming you haven’t been up all night watching Toyota try break their Le Mans curse, or even if you have, come down to Nissan Jam at La Palma Park in Anaheim, California from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

This year celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Datsun 510, but all Nissan, Datsun and Infiniti models are welcome.

Vendors like Powertrix and others have offered special deals on parts that will only be available at the show.

Nissan North America will have an official representatives there as well, and will be giving a special award to the car they feel best captures the spirit of Nissan Jam.

Depending how that race in France goes (we’ll know by 6:00 am Sunday) either you will be celebrating with your fellow J-tin enthusiasts or commiserating with them. See you there!

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MOTORSPORT: Why Toyota needs to win Le Mans this weekend

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Ben Hsu

One of the world’s great motoring contests, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, takes place this weekend. Toyota was already a strong favorite to win, but now even more so after Kamui Kobayashi pulverized the track record during his qualifying lap. If he wins, it could send massive reverberations through Japan’s car culture.  Continue reading →

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VIDEO: The best car show is this Mazda Cosmo Sport restoration from Germany [UPDATE: 3rd episode released]

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Are you tired of purported car shows that promise wrenching but end up being a collection of character tropes manufacturing drama while standing next to muscle cars? The answer is yes, we all are. That’s why this web series from Mazda Deutschland could be the most interesting car show on air right now. The format is instantly recognizable to anyone with a cable subscription — hosts pull a rusty heap out of a barn and restore it — except the car is a Mazda Cosmo Sport and everyone’s speaking German.  Continue reading →

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