The end of January celebrated yet another fantastic gathering known as the JCCA New Year Meeting. Many guests made the trek to Odaiba, a literal island made of trash; to see the wondrous classic J-tin that come out but once a year from their heated garages (or blue-tarped trappings as the case may be). Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE?: Nissan Fairlady Z432 at Amelia Island
2017 auction season is upon us and that means we have the chance to watch the prices of blue chip JNCs soar ever further from the value of your parent’s house. Crossing the RM Sotheby’s auction at Amelia Island the same weekend as the Mazda 767B is a 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432. Continue reading
VIDEO: Nissan R381 “Monster Bird” at Fuji Speedway
Nissan built the R381 race car, affectionately known as the Monster Bird, specifically to prevent the equally monstrous Toyota 7 from winning the Japan Grand Prix. At last year’s NISMO Festival Nissan took the car out for a spin around Fuji Speedway, mixing it up with modern SuperGT R35s and even a tour bus filled with lucky fans. It was all captured with on-board cameras in a video Nissan released today. Continue reading
Happy President’s Day from JNC
Here’s a screen shot from 80s Japanese cop show Abunai Deka, in an episode in which a Nissan President is involved in a chase and ends up on its roof. Video of the chase may be long gone, but fortunately our screenshot is here to stay. Happy President’s Day from JNC!
QotW: What sacred model name should never be revived for a crossover?
JNC readers were pretty much in universal that the Mitsubishi Eclipse name would have been better laid to rest than revived for a crossover, even though the once great sport coupe had morphed into a bloated cruiser with little semblance of performance by the end of its run. But it’s not the only venerated name that has befallen that fate. For example, did you know that the Infiniti EX was called the Skyline Crossover in Japan? Clearly, the blasphemy must stop.
What sacred model name should never be revived for a crossover?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Tell us your tip for battling the winter weather with a JNC.” Continue reading
MINICARS: The Wild Cards Hakosuka Skyline is now a Hot Wheels
The next Japanese nostalgic Hot Wheels for 2017 is going to be a very special one, as it is the first classic J-sled to be modeled after someone’s personal car. That person would be our friend Roy De Guzman of the Wild Cards, and his white Skyline with a kaido racer-inspired graphic of his own design. Continue reading
PIXELATED: Toyota C-HR ad stars cast of Street Fighter game
The car may not be nostalgic, but the game certainly is. Toyota has enlisted the help of the Street Fighter II cast to promote the new C-HR. In the new ad, Ryu drives the car around the world through some familiar settings, but it sure does look like he just cold ran over M. Bison in cold blood. Continue reading
NEWS: Nissan ends run of the Tsuru in Mexico
Nissan has announced that it will be discontinuing the B13 Sentra. Wait, Didn’t that happen 22 years ago? Yes, but the car was so popular they had to do it again. Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 1970s Toyota campus for sale
It’s finally happening. Nearly three years after Toyota announced it was relocating its US headquarters from California to Texas, the automaker’s campus has been listed for sale. Like an annoying Craiglist ad, no asking price was mentioned but according to the Daily Breeze, Toyota has invested $5 billion since it established the site in the 1970s, so… make an offer? Continue reading
MINICARS: How to get your exclusive mail-in Hot Wheels Datsun 510 this weekend
If you like Hot Wheels and JNCs, you’ll want to get yourself to a Kmart this Saturday. On February 18 there is a K-Day event happening, and for every 20 regular Hot Wheels you buy, you’ll be able to send in your proofs of purchase for this exclusive Datsun 510 that won’t be sold in stores. Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Someone is selling a Mazda 767B
You. Yes you, mere mortal. You can now own perhaps the most organ-worthy car we’ve ever come across, a Mazda 767B. While the original auction description (they have since edited it) described it as “the most iconic race car to ever come out of Japan,” let’s be clear: This is not the 1991 Le Mans-winning 787B. That is locked away in Mazda’s Hiroshima collection hall and they will never, ever let it go. This predecessor, which is still a 630-horse 4-rotor, is as close as you’ll likely ever get to the orange and green demon. Continue reading
Posted in for sale
Tagged 767b, le mans, mazda, Takashi Yorino, yojiro terada, Yoshimi Katayama
3 Comments
Please, Mitsubishi, don’t bring back the Starion…
… if you’re going to use the name on a minivan or something.
NEWS: Suzuki, the Real MVP, issues recall for a single Cappuccino
Suzuki has launched a nationwide recall campaign in Japan that affects only one car. That’s not a typo. There is apparently only a single 1996 Suzuki Cappuccino with the problem, and rather than reach out to the owner directly, the company issued a standard recall as if it impacted thousands of cars. Even more amazing, the problem was a minor oversight at the factory that didn’t change the car’s operability one iota, and it took them 21 years to realize it. Continue reading
NEWS: The Mitsubishi Eclipse Crossover is actually happening. Whyyyyyyyyyy?
Danger to Manifold! The rumors we feared were true. Scarcely believable, but true. Mitsubishi announced today that it is reviving the name of a beloved sport coupe to use on a new crossover model called the — are you ready? — Eclipse Cross. This leads to the obvious question of, “Why, for the love of Amaterasu, why!?!?!?” Continue reading
Happy Valentine’s Day from JNC
As is tradition on Valentine’s Day, Japanese chocolatier Kobe Frantz has released a set of highly realistic, 1:1 scale chocolate tools (1:64 Toyota 2000GT for scale). Continue reading
MINICARS: Have some chocolate cars for Valentine’s Day
Tomica is back with a line of chocolate minicars for this Valentine’s Day. The Japanese diecast carmaker is giving us six cars to drool over, with modern version of two sports car icons — the Nissan GT-R and Fairlady Z — headlining the set. Continue reading
Posted in minicars
Tagged 370z, fairlady z, gt-r, honda, Hustler, mitsubishi, n-one, nissan, r35, suzuki, tomica, Valentine's Day, z34
3 Comments
QotW: Tell us your tip for battling the winter weather with a JNC
Morning JNCers! In Tokyo, we are hitting single digits, in the US there are huge snow flurries and downright tough weather all around. In high school I used to scrape my windows each day before heading to school in my AE82 Corolla DX. That all changed when i learned to drape a towel over the windows and saved myself scrape time and increased visibility. We ask you all:
Tell us your tip for battling the winter weather with a JNC!
Your answer can be based on a new school or old school tip and hopefully helps everyone reading this to keep their JNCs on the road.
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s What JNC would best represent the New England Patriots?
VIDEO: A Datsun 240Z is the hero car in this 1979 chase movie
1970s Los Angeles was an automotive paradise. Not only did you have a diverse mix of Detroit land yachts, European compacts and heaps of Japanese runabouts, but its freeways ran long and wide. Back then, before the 405 was one giant parking lot, it was a more innocent time, too. A serial killer with a windowless van merely ran his victims off the road, instead of abducting them and doing some weird sex stuff. This was the premise for the 1979 movie Death Car on the Freeway, which took place in LA and featured a whole bunch of J-tin — including a first-gen Honda Civic and, as the hero car, a Datsun 240Z. Continue reading
VIDEO: Could the fifth-gen Civic VX be the best beginner car ever made?
It is 2017, so 25 years ago it was 1992. That year, one of the most important cars to the sport compact movement came to American shores, the EG Honda Civic. In this case, however, we’re talking about the EH2 Civic VX because Honda enthusiasts get too in depth with chassis codes for their own good. Continue reading
VIDEO: Just a reminder that Toyota is cooler everywhere that is not the US
So at this point we’ve seen official ads featuring classic Toyotas in Japan, Colombia, the UK, and Australia. Now, three new videos have emerged Down Under featuring a trio of dedicated enthusiasts and their classic Toyotas. These include the original owner of a 1976 Celica and a girl who found a rare JDM RA35 GT Liftback in Adelaide and has owned more than 60 Toyotas. Continue reading
