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
EVENTS: Nostalgic2Days 2017, Part 01 — Starting with Z
KIDNEY, ANYONE?: 1988 Nissan Desert Runner
“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
NEWS: Honda Monkey celebrates 50th anniversary, to be discontinued in August
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
MINICARS: 2017 Hot Wheels X GReddy X JNC Datsun 620
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
QotW: Will the coming influx of JDM imports make US-spec cars less desirable?
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
NEWS: Nissan to bring back Stanza Wagon
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
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Nissan President Sovereign VIP going up for auction
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
MINICARS: Lego JNCs that need to be made into sets
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
Koenigsegg founder built his own supercar as a tribute to his Miata
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
VIDEO: Retro Review of the harmonious CA Accord Coupe
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
Mazda restoring its first production passenger car, the R360 Coupé
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
QotW: What repair/mod/upgrade do you do on all your JNCs?
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
Consider the Following: G910 Nissan Maxima
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
Why don’t we hop in the Hako and go skiing?
Turn that surf line into a ski line. Hakosuka! Continue reading
MINICARS: Amazing miniature kaido racer models at the Tokyo Auto Salon
One of the coolest and most popular displays at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon wasn’t from an automaker, tuning house, or aftermarket parts company. In fact, it didn’t feature real cars at all. Instead, it was a lineup of miniature kaido racers, customized from 1:64 scale diecast cars from the likes of Tomica, Tomica Limited Vintage and Aoshima. Continue reading
NEWS: Mazda reviving rotary engine, but it may not be what you’re expecting
For decades the abbreviation “RE” in Mazda parlance stood for “Rotary Engine.” However, if the Mazda patents for a new rotary that appeared last week have anything to say about it, “RE” might take on a whole new meaning. Continue reading
CLASSIC CM: Nissan’s “Major Motion” commercials overflowed with 80s imagery
For your viewing pleasure, we at Japanese Nostalgic Car have uncovered quite possibly the most 1980s ad campaign ever implemented by an automaker. We give you, the Nissan “Major Motion” commercials from 1984. These aired in certain markets around the United States as Datsun/Nissan dealership promos, and they were doing everything they could to make Nissan look like the brand of the future. Continue reading
VIDEO: Toyota recreates Tamiya RC Hilux ad
Back in 1981 Japanese radio control vehicle company Tamiya released its RA1028 Toyota Hilux kit. With low gear and 4WD, they were able to string 14 of them together and pull a real Toyota Hilux pickup. To promote the newest Toyota Hilux in the UK, Toyota has recreated that ad, along with a few others, with the RC trucks. Continue reading
QotW: What JNC do you recommend for a car enthusiast?
We have danced around these types of questions before, but always with a stipulation that a JNC recommended to others needs to be dependable and safe. This week, the gloves are off! This time, we’re suggesting a JNC to someone who’s handy with a socket set (metric and standard). Since it may be hard to answer this question, please think of someone you personally know and go from there. Include him or her in your response. Maybe it’s someone who has dealt with JNCs in the past; maybe someone who has a domestic only mantra or diehard German engineering fan.
What JNC do you recommend for a car enthusiast?
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 4“.
EVENTS: 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon, Part 03 — The Classics
The Tokyo Auto Salon has a reputation for churning out some truly bizarre automotive works, but these day some seriously classy classics can be found amidst the VIP vans and drift missiles. You’ve seen the examples modified for speed and show; here are the cars built for nostalgia. Continue reading