We’ve seen how JNCs, especially Hondas, can be loyal companions. In Japan, they have a whole campaign involving man’s best friend called Honda Dog. So in honor of National Pet Day, here’s a doberman pinscher that’s almost as tall as an S600 Coupe. Go hug your doggo (or catto or goldfisho) today.
Image courtesy of Honda.
That little girl from the saddest Honda commercial in the universe may have missed out on her chance to drive her beloved EF Civic, but you don’t have to. The actual car used in the spot is now for sale on Craigslist San Francisco. Continue reading
Greetings, JNCers. Today marks the first week in Japan that the weather is actually turning for the better. The sakura are in bloom and a gentle breeze beckons us to get on the road for a casual jaunt down the nearest winding road. Back in the states, this would signal the time to take my US/J-spec mishmash zenki AE86 out of the garage. But as many know, owning a JNC is not always as easy as turning the key and driving off. They all have their own quirks and temperaments, some small and some large.
I have a 5AG stroker kit and AE101 ITBs installed. This gives the engine a roaring song at WOT not unlike the trumpets of victory as Perseus returned from defeating the Kraken. The tradeoff was the fuel mileage was awful, just above double digits on nice days. This meant I needed to several trips to the gas station a week and allocate a small fortune for fuel. Oh, but that sound. It was a temptation I could not fight.
This leads us (finally) to the QotW. We want to know about the things you look past when owning a JNC. Parts availability? Bolts not in metric? Tell us:
What do you put up with on your JNC?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Will the coming influx of JDM imports make US-spec cars less desirable?“.
Any baseball fans out there? It’s not uncommon for Japanese automakers to sponsor their home city teams. For years, Nissan sponsored the Yokohama Baystars and donated parade cars for the teams to use. As is the custom, Nissan would chop to the tops off of the cars so fans could see their favorite players arriving, making for some interesting one-offs. Continue reading
Honda is apparently on a quest to make grown car-loving men and women weep like little babies. In its latest ad, titled “You Are the One,” a girl is cruelly separated from a beloved family member, an EF Honda Civic. Get an onion ready though, so you can explain why you’re tearing up while watching a car commercial. Continue reading
Honda is about to revive a beloved nameplate from the tuner world. Both the 2017 Civic Si coupe and sedan will debut online today, April 6, at 8:00 am Pacific Time on YouTube. For seven generations, the Si has been the top-dog performance variant available stateside, but with this latest generation Honda has announced that it will bring the Civic Type R here as well. Will anyone still care about the Si? Continue reading
Nissan has revealed a special edition 370Z ahead of its debut the New York International Auto Show. The 2018 model seeks to honor the many Zs that have come before it with a special appearance package that recalls 1977’s ZZZap 280Z. Continue reading
The annual Nostalgic 2 Days show in Yokohama is a fantastic weekend of cars organized by Nostalgic Hero magazine. It’s as if the pages spring to life, with many of its featured cars gathered in one spot. Though it does tend to be a little Nissan-heavy, it does give attendees the opportunity to see a wide variety of models, from Cherrys to Skyline GT-Rs. We start, however, with perhaps the most iconic name of them all, the Z. Continue reading
“You’re looking at what may be the meanest nastiest 4×4 truck ever to escape from an assembly line,” were Nissan’s actual words when the limited edition Desert Runner hit the streets. When the truck was produced in 1988, only 1,000 were made and it wasn’t just a badge on a tarted up stock truck, it was an actual baja off-road truck available to the public straight from the factory. Incredibly rare, they are one of the most sought-after variants of the Nissan D21 chassis, and now there’s one for sale in Georgia. Continue reading
It is with great sadness that we report the Honda Monkey will cease production by the end of this summer. Honda has announced that at the end of August 2017, the 50cc minibike will finish its 50-year run. Before it goes, though, Honda is releasing a 50th anniversary special edition. Continue reading
For 2017, the estimable Hot Wheels Datsun 620 returns to the main line with a new livery. It’s that of a fantasy shop truck for GReddy, the performance parts brand of legendary Japanese tuning house Trust. Continue reading
Take a car like the Honda Civic. For decades, the ultimate version to own has been the 125-horsepower 1993-95 Civic Si hatchback, or maybe the 1999-2000 Si coupe, preferably in an exclusive and rare color like Electron Blue Pearl. Finding a clean and unmolested one is like discovering Bill Gates is a distant uncle and has written you into his will. However, now that it’s 2017, the Japanese-spec 1992 Civic SiR is legal for import to the US, along with its way better 168-horsepower engine. And if you can wait a few more years, we’ll have access to the incredible Civic Type R.
Will the coming influx of JDM imports make US-spec cars less desirable?
This same question can be asked for a number of cars. Will an FD RX-7 R1 be as coveted when a Type R II Bathurst or Spirit R becomes importable? Will the Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS be kicked to the curb when you can legally bring in an GC WRX type R STi or 22B?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What repair/mod/upgrade do you do on all your JNCs?” Continue reading
To the surprise of many the automotive media, a leaked Nissan press release has revealed that the automaker is reviving the Stanza Wagon nameplate as a retro car aimed at millennials. The concept image accompanying the release shows a wagon-like car with sliding rear doors, just like the 1982 original. Continue reading
In recent years we’ve seen 2000GTs, Skyline GT-Rs, Z432s, Cosmo Sports, FJ40s and Centurys cross the auction block at some of the most high-profile auctions in the US. This weekend, a new contender will try to make a play for becoming the next blue chip JNC. A 1987 Nissan President will be up for bidding at Auctions America in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Continue reading
Did you know that Lego has an Ideas website where you can submit models for a vote, and if you receive enough, the company will consider making the set? It takes 10,000 votes to get a model reviewed, and combing through it we’ve seen some incredible JNCs that deserve to get made. Continue reading
There are few cars so transcendent that they permeate the souls of people at every station in life. I think we can all agree that the Mazda Miata is one of them. We love the Miata, so do many of our readers, and today we learned that that puts us in the same Venn diagram circle as Christian von Koenigsegg, creator of some of the world’s quickest and most expensive supercars. Continue reading
As we’ve been proselytizing here on Japanese Nostalgic Car, the CA generation Accord is seriously underrated. When it was released reviewers absolutely loved it. Case in point: this Motorweek review from 1989. Continue reading
Back in early 2015, Mazda embarked on a restoration project of a 1967 Cosmo Sport. As we reported, it began with the company desiring to instill the Mazda spirit in the carmaker’s next generation of employees through close study of heritage, legacy, and craftsmanship. It concluded with the involvement of departments across the company, suppliers, a group of Hiroshima-area high school students, and perhaps the most definitive and exquisitely restored L10A in the world. Now, the program has been applied to an R360 Coupé, Mazda’s first production passenger car. Continue reading
Some of us have been in the JNC game for years, decades even — *cough, cough. Ben. cough, Cressida obsession, cough* — and some are just now coming around on these thin-pillar’d, money draining, yet charming rides. Whether you are in the former or latter; I am curious:
What repair/mod/upgrade do you do on all your JNCs?
Now, it may depend on the level of reliability, aesthetic challenges, or safety. Conditions may apply. Personally, I’ve always tackled the brakes of any newly acquired vehicle. Sure, it may cost a few hundred dollars on top of the buying price, but to install a new BMC, brakes lines and pads is well worth it, especially if the car sprinkles rust where ever it goes. How about you?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC do you recommend for a car enthusiast?“. Continue reading
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 — often for no good reason at all — yet still affordable (for now) nostalgics. Welcome to another Consider the Following installment, in which we consider the G910 Nissan Maxima.
Nissan markets the modern front-wheel-drive CVT-laden Maxima as a 4DSC (4-Door Sports Car) and while it is a very nice sedan that has a relatively sporty feel, it’s just not a sports car. However, there was a time when it was, in fact, a 4-door variant of a sports car. For its first generation, the Maxima was a front engine, rear wheel drive sedan with all the underpinnings of a 280ZX. It was basically Nissan’s Z-car competitor to the Toyota Cressida, which shares a platform with the revered Supra. The question is, why aren’t these as popular as the Cressy? Consider the following: the G910 1980-1984 Nissan Maxima/Datsun Maxima/Datsun 810. Continue reading
