Great news everyone! Toyota has confirmed all of your hot hatch dreams. Officially named the Yaris GRMN, which is a cumbersome name chosen personally by Chewbacca, it is now under development. The car takes aim at other hot hatches such as the Fiesta ST, Volkswagen Polo GTI, Fiat 500 Abarth and the Nissan Micra Nismo, two of which are available in the United States. Continue reading
My fiancée is buying her first car. Having lived in New York City for 17 years, where cars are nothing more than two-ton magnets for parking tickets and dents, she’s had no reason to own one. Now in LA, without wheels, she can’t even grab a bagel. Here are the requirements:
What car should my fiancée get?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What sacred model name should never be revived for a crossover?” Continue reading
In Part 01 of our 2017 New Year Meeting we spent the morning wandering around the swap meet, browsing everything from old car parts to old posters to model cars. After filling up with an early lunch, it was time to look at the cars themselves. Continue reading
For sixteen years Carlos Ghosn was Nissan’s CEO, bringing the company back from the brink of bankruptcy with his brand of extreme budget-slashing. Today, Ghosn announced that he will resign his post effective April 1. Continue reading
Do you remember a time when the MX83 Toyota Cressida wasn’t known for being a cheap four door Supra, when it was a means of transportation for whiny yuppies who pretended to like opera instead of always listening to Huey Lewis and the News? This campy Toyota promotional video about the Cressida is a time capsule to when Toyota was trying their hardest to break into the luxury car market. Continue reading
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
… if you’re going to use the name on a minivan or something.
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
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
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
