It’s subtle, but if you look carefully the ND in the accompanying photos is missing the metallics, blues and purples in Soul Red, the signature color slathered on all modern Mazdas. No, it’s the appropriately named Classic Red, one of the three original colors available on the NA Miata at launch. Mazda is bringing it, along with some other sharp-looking cars, to the Tokyo Auto Salon. Continue reading
QotW: What are you asking Japanese Santa Claus for this year?
Pulled on a flying zokusha by eight flying Nara sika deer, Japanese Santa Claus travels the world bringing sweet diecast cars, rare JDM parts and, if you’re really good, possibly entire cars to good little JNC boys and girls everywhere.
What are you asking Japanese Santa Claus for this year?
As always, the most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What was your most eventful winter holiday trip?” Continue reading
EVENTS: Kiryu Classic Car Festival, Part 02 — The Parade
By any standard the Kiryu Classic Car Festival is a memorable and diverse gathering of kyusha with no shortage of charm. Even better, however, is that after the car show part of the event concluded, the cars go for a parade through the streets of the quaint town of Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture that gives the event its namesake. Suddenly, the car show becomes a moving tapestry of automotive history. Continue reading
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Tagged a20, b120, b310, barikan, bluebird, Bluebird 410/411, butaketsu, c10, c130, c230, Caren, celica, cervo, civic, Civic EG, contessa, corolla, corolla levin, corona, corona mark II, daruma, datsun 320, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, fronte, gloria, Hakosuka, hino, honda, honda z, kgc10, Kiryu Classic Car Festival, laurel, mark II, minica, Minica 70, mitsubishi, nissan, prince, s30 z, S500/S600/S800, sanitora, skyline, subaru, subaru 360, sunny, sunny truck, suzuki, te27, Vespa, wagons
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Birth of a Legend: Acura turns 30
Acura, purveyor of “Precision Crafted Performance,” turns thirty this year. While the days of GS-R and Type R Integras are no more, there’s no denying the impact Acura had on JNC history and car culture. For many of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s — especially in southern California — Acura occupies that special place in our hearts much the same way V8 Chevys do for many a baby boomer. In commemoration, let’s take a look at the beginning of it all. Continue reading
BIKES: Honda reveals retro-styled 2017 CB1100 EX
Honda has announced the 2017 CB1100 EX, a motorcycle styled after the renowned 1969 Honda CB750. That model was the world’s first production superbike and transformed the world of motorcycling when it debuted. Continue reading
Updates to the JNC Shop
We have made a major update to the JNC shop, stocking inventory of items that we introduced at car shows throughout the year. Some are in very limited quantities, and if you order before 11:59pm on Sunday, December 18, your will arrive before Christmas (within the US, but likely Canada as well!)
- 2016 Touge California poster (featuring a Mazda RX-4 and Mr K’s Datsun 240Z)
- 2016 Touge 80s poster (featuring an AE86 Corolla) — VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES
- JNC “39 shirt” (featuring the 1963 Japan GP Datsun Fairlady Roadster)
- JNC “Giant Killer” shirt (featuring a Datsun 510)
- JNC “Le Mans” shirt (featuring the Mazda 787B) LIMITED EDITION — only 55 made — VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES
Thank you for your support!
Sorry, we have no control over the various rates of delivery on international orders.
VIDEO: Nissan restores 1987 Paris-Dakar Patrol
In 1987, Nissan won the diesel class of the Paris-Dakar Rally with a turbodiesel Patrol. It was promptly retired and languished in a museum for almost three decades. Then, a group of Nissan engineers saw some photos of it in a forum, brought it back to their headquarters, and restored it. Continue reading
MINICARS: Hot Wheels designer Ryu Asada talks about his cars, career, and his love for Hondas
“Honda for Life” is the motto of Ryu Asada, star designer at Hot Wheels. Born in Osaka, Japan and a lover of cars since infancy, he’s the man responsible for the Hot Wheels CRX, S2000, EF Civic, 1990 NSX, Integra and Monkey, but also a Non-Honda castings ranging from the 1972 Chevy LUV (aka Isuzu Faster) to the Tesla Model S. How did a car-loving kid from Osaka become an influential designer for the most popular toy car brand in the world? Continue reading
QotW: What was your most eventful winter holiday trip?
The temps are dropping, we are nearly halfway into December and it’s time to start making treks or planning them. Do you take a plane, train, or automobile? Well, depending on your luck with venturing out into the cold and slippery, you might just call it a year!
My own experience years ago had me driving my 1988 Mazda 323 GTX over Snoqualmie Pass as I moved from my home in Redmond to my University in Ellensburg, Washington. The 323 was loaded to the hatch with everything I needed for college life. The weather was a white wall of snow at 10:00 PM and the 4 lanes of traffic kinda sauntered into two as all cars danced with every manner of bad drivers, deserted cars on the sides of the road and 18-wheelers plowing through with taillights as the only guide. It was unnerving even with 4WD. The car made it, barely, but even at slow speeds I was exhausted as I pulled into my new city limits. How about you? Tell us:
What was your most eventful winter holiday trip?
As always, the most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Which JNC can you live without hearing about again? Continue reading
EVENTS: 2016 Classic Japan show in Australia
One of our favourite nostalgic car shows in any country is Classic Japan, which is held in Melbourne, Australia in December every year. Melbourne is 1000 km away from JNC‘s Australian HQ in Sydney, so it’s also an opportunity to gather some friends for a weekend away of good food and great cars. Continue reading
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Tagged 160J, 3000GT, 710, a20, a60, ae86, all-trac, australia, aw11, az-1, c10, c110, cedric, celica, Classic Japan, corolla, cosmo sports, cressida, crown, daruma, datsun, dr30, fj40, galant gto, gto, Hakosuka, Holden, honda, honda N, impulse, isuzu, kenmeri, land cruiser, luce, mark II, mazda, miata, mitsubishi, mr2, mx-5, n360, nissan, patrol, piazza, prince, Project Hakosuka, r130, r30, s54, skyline, sports 800, supra, violet, wagons, x70
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EVENTS: 2016 Kiryu Classic Car Festival, Part 01
The Kiryu Classic Car Festival holds a special place in the history of JNC. Back in 2006, long before any other English-language sites were interested in kyusha, it was the first show we covered in Japan. That also happened to be the first time the show was ever held, and it’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since. Continue reading
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Tagged 117, 1600gt, 2000gt, 410/411, 510, bluebird, c10, c110, c210, cedric, Citroen, contessa, corolla, corolla levin, cosmo sport, crown pickup, csp311, daihatsu, datsun, Dino, e30, Fairlady Z432, fto, gloria, Hakosuka, hijet, hino, honda, honda z, isuzu, kei, kenmeri, Kiryu Classic Car Festival, lancer celeste, Lancia, life, mazda, midget, nissan, prince, publica, repu, s30 z, s40, s50, S500/S600/S800, silvia, skyline, Snow Crawler, sports 800, subaru, subaru 1000, subaru 360, te27, tn360, toyota, wagons
18 Comments
TUNE UP: The Weeknd drives an FC3S RX-7
We thought 1980s Toyotas had a lock on the music video game. Apparently not, as alternative R&B singer The Weeknd has posted to his Instagram feed photos of a flared FC3S Mazda RX-7 with “⚡️” (lightning bolt emoji) as the only comment. The car itself is a built owned by SoCal’s Buddha Concept Designs and will likely appear in The Weeknd’s next video. And if you look closely you can see that it’s even RHD. Perhaps he’ll collab with Rich Chigga next.
Honda marks 30th anniversary of Canada manufacturing with its own Monopoly game
In 1986, Honda became the first Japanese automaker to build cars in Canada. The Alliston, Ontario plant churned out Accords first, then Civics, and in 1998 a second plant was constructed to make Odysseys and CR-Vs. To mark the 30th anniversary of Honda Manufacturing Canada’s opening, a Honda-themed Monopoly game has been created. Continue reading
EVENTS: 2016 Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, Part 02
In Part 01 of our coverage of Tokyo’s Classic Car Festival at Meiji Jingu Gaien Park, I had just finished rolling up my tongue back into my mouth from which it had dropped, Tex Avery style, due to the cars brought out by the Toyota Automobile Museum. After their short parade tour of the city ended, the pack filed back to the grounds of the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery, and we were there to watch their triumphant return. Continue reading
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Tagged 2000gt, 310, 411, a20, b110, bellett, bluebird, celica, chaser, compagno, contessa, corolla levin, cosmo sport, crown, csp311, daihatsu, datsun, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, familia coupe, Griffon, hino, honda, isuzu, mark II, mazda, Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, mitsubishi, MX41, nissan, prince, r2, s30, s30 z, s50, s54, s600, silvia, skyline, sports 800, subaru, sunny, te27, toyota, Toyota Automobile Museum, x30
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VIDEO: Nissan Stanza Wagon Retro Review
The job of an automobile review is often an arduous and thankless task. Sometimes you’re thrown a curve ball like the Nissan Stanza Wagon. While fitting perfectly into the category of minivan, a category which is credited to the 1984 Dodge Caravan, it would be known during it’s tenure as an awkward little people mover. Continue reading
MINICARS: A proper Japanese vintage barrel for Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels designer Jun Imai posted a photo of two newer Z castings recently, and hidden in the image was a surprise that bodes well for fans of proper Japanese barrels. If you look closely, you’ll notice that it’s a small size 4-spoke real rider. It’s a premium wheel perfectly proportioned for shakotan rides, which can only mean there’s some good J-tin on the way.
EVENTS: 2016 Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, Part 01
During the end of November, Tokyo was gray, hammered by a never-ending barrage of snow. Two weeks earlier there had a bone-shaking earthquake. Luckily, last Saturday welcomed us with a clear blue sky and a crisp, dry late-November day. The 26th marked the 10th anniversary of the Classic Car Festival hosted by the Toyota Automobile Museum (TAM) in Meiji Jingu Gaien Park, Tokyo. Continue reading
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Tagged 2000gt, a20, a70, ae86, cedric, Cedric 31, celica, city, corolla, corolla levin, crown, daruma, datsun, e70, fairlady roadster, fj40, gloria, Hakosuka, honda, Honda N-Series, kpgc10, land cruiser, Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, ms75, n360, nissan, RS21, s20, s60, skyline, sports 800, subaru, subaru 1000, supra, te27, toyota, Toyota Automobile Museum
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TUNE UP: Two sexy classics in Justice’s “Fire” video
French band Justice’s latest video stars a pair of classics that are beautiful and seemingly ageless: an A60 Celica convertible and actor Susan Sarandon, who is according to Wikipedia apparently 70 years old (!). It’s no secret that 80s Toyotas have become the darlings of electronic musicians (and as a result, I will never stop talking about my love for my own ’86 Cressida Wagon), and this one is even shown being lovingly washed. Continue reading
QotW: Which JNC can you live without hearing about again?
When you get a new car, you tend to notice the same model more and more. It’s natural and can be a cool feeling as you pass another owner and have the half-second “yea” connection. We could do that all day and is a cherry on top for your day (or that one and only bright moment if you’re having a crummy day — 笑).
On the flip side, sometimes you cannot get away from hearing about this or that car (Some would say we are guilty of always going on and on about the, ahem… our editor-in-chief’s Toyota Cressida Wagon) It could be the news or culture that is ablaze on a particular nameplate. We want to know (though like Ben and his wagon it’s not going to stop us from talking about them):
What’s JNC can you live without hearing about again?
As always, the most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC has stuck with you through thick and thin?” Continue reading
Behold, the new JNC wagon
Behold, the new JNC Wagon. You’re looking at a 1987 Toyota Van in all its two-tone glory, complete with dual sunroof, ice maker, and a big ol’ pock mark smack dab in the middle of its prodigious face. Now for the drive back to LA. More photos to follow soon!
