Japanese Nostalgic Car

Come to the Toyota USA Museum for the Touge 80s finish

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Ben Hsu

This Saturday will be the inaugural running of Touge 80s, our first Touge California event with a focus on cars of the pop-up headlight era.

After six hours of driving, our finish will be the Toyota USA Museum. And while all openings on the driving portion of Touge 80s have been filled, our sponsor Toyota has generously opened the doors to the museum to the public!

The museum is normally open by appointment only for special events, so this is a rare opportunity to see Toyota’s many classic, racing and concept cars.

In addition, this year is the 50th Anniversary of the Toyota Corolla, and Toyota invites you to come celebrate.

See below for details: Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ae86, corolla, te27, Touge 80s, Touge California, toyota | Leave a comment

QotW: What defines the era known as JNC?

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Brandon Kelley

American Muscle. European Design. German engineering. Italian flair. This is what gets thrown around the wash bay when describing classic cars from various areas. How about JNCs? Excluding the mid 90s of the “rice burner” era, what say you when thinking of the cars of the JNC line-up. How are they remembered now or will be remembered in the coming ages.

What defines the era known as JNC?

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 needs the Hot Wheels treatment?”

Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW | 24 Comments

TUNE UP: Rich Chigga – Dat $tick Remix feat Ghostface Killah and Pouya

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Ben Hsu

An Indonesian rapper going by the name of Rich Chigga went viral when he uploaded his song “Dat $tick” to YouTube in March. Rockin’ a preppy pink polo, an 80s Reebok fanny pack and plenty of guns, it seemed like satire. Or was it? The 16-year-old spat dopely enough to catch the ears and respect of established artists like Cam’ron and Desiigner. Ghostface Killah liked it so much that he said, “I’ll get on that track.” Well, now he — along with some Skylines and dekotora — has indeed gotten on that track in the “Dat $tick Remix.” WARNING: the video is straight up NSFW. Continue reading →

Posted in Tune Up | Tagged c110, dekotora, kenmeri, nissan, Rich Chigga, skyline | 14 Comments

NEWS: Toyota-Suzuki partnership could result in a Japanese Big Three

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Ben Hsu

At a surprise press conference October 12 in Japan, Toyota and Suzuki announced that they are in talks about a potential partnership. The announcement was puzzling to industry watchers, but if such a tie-up comes to fruition, we will essentially have three factions of automakers in Japan. Are we on the way to a Japanese Big Three? Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged akio toyoda, Osamu Suzuki, suzuki, toyota | 29 Comments

MOTORSPORT: Nissan pays tribute to the R32 GT-R at Bathurst

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Nissan Australia does some pretty cool stuff Down Undah, things we can only dream of in the States. For example, they take the Altima racing, but instead of cheesy stunts punking normal schlubs, the Aussies turn them into actual race cars by converting them to RWD and shoving 668-horsepower 5.6-liter V8s under the bonnet. Then they put vintage Skyline liveries on them. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged Altima, australia, bathurst 1000, Jim Richards, mark skaife, nissan, r31, r32, skyline, V8 Supercars | 10 Comments

VIDEO: Zokusha Skyline Japan gives F1 drivers an image upgrade

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Brandon Kelley

In the Venn diagram of automotive cultures, there are some that simply have no overlaps. Even a few short years ago, the idea that the moneyed, Euro-centric world of Formula One would collide with the underground, largely disdained world of bosozoku would be unthinkable. Yet here, in 2016, we have two F1 drivers who have just gotten an image upgrade by driving a Skyline Japan zokusha. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged bosozoku, c210, formula 1, kaido racer, nissan, skyline | 4 Comments

RIP Tony Adamowicz, 1941—2016

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Ben Hsu

American racing driver Tony Adamowicz (above, third from left) has passed away at the age of 75. Over an accomplished career, he drove just about every type of car imaginable in every type of race imaginable. From Dodge Challengers in Trans-Am to Greenwood Corvettes at Daytona to Ferraris at Le Mans, Adamowicz truly lived up to his nickname, Tony A2Z. As this Autoweek (which Adamowicz wrote for) article recounts, he even came in second in the 1971 Cannonball Run driving a Chevy van crammed with 55-gallon fuel drums, finishing just 20 minutes behind Dan Gurney in a Ferrari.

Beginning in the late 70s, though, and through the twilight years of his career, Adamowicz delivered several historic wins for Nissan’s US efforts. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged 280zx, datsun, imsa, nissan, s130, Tony Adamowicz | 2 Comments

MINICARS: Hot Wheels x JNC Datsun Fairlady 2000 in green

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

Hot Wheels designer Jun Imai has revealed the next recolor of the Datsun Fairlady 2000 on Instagram. We love the industrial green color chosen for this release (with black JNC inkan on the front fender) but what will get collectors and customizers excited is the new wheel design. It may be hard to see from the photo, but it’s a widened, deep-dish steelie with a little bit of a stretch on the tires. We’ll have more detailed photos when we receive our samples.

Posted in minicars | Tagged datsun, fairlady roadster, hot wheels | 5 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06 — The Indestructibles

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Ben Hsu

You would think that some of the most indestructable machines built by humankind would be plentiful. Well, yes, but not in show-like condition. Ironically, because Toyota trucks work so damn well they’re used, abused, and then used some more, and vehicles like that don’t tend to stay very shiny for car shows. Nevertheless, some gems managed to survive lo these many years — like Cabe Toyota’s 30-Series 4WD and FJ Cruiser — and JCCS brought out some of the best. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 70-series, fj60, hilux, land cruiser, N30, toyota | 10 Comments

NEWS: You guys, this is the real Ken Bone

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Ben Hsu

During last night’s presidential debate, the internet was lit afire when an audience member named Kenneth Bone from Labadie, Missouri stood up to ask Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump a question. Perhaps it was his trenchant query about energy policy and jobs that captured America’s attention.

Haha, who are we kidding? It was some combination of his bright red sweater, generally genial affect, and incredible rock/porn star name. Immediately speculation began on exactly who this ray of sunshine was in the most forehead-slapping election season in American history. Well, we have the scoop on the real Ken Bone. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged Ken Bone, mazda, rx-4 | 9 Comments

QotW: Which JNC needs the Hot Wheels treatment?

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Brandon Kelley

With the designers at Hot Wheels going all out with the J-tin, we have been pondering what will come next. Our minds wander all over the board, from racing pedigree to everyday workhorses like a Daihatsu Midget or the Suzuki Cervo like we saw at the Paris Motor Show.

What JNC needs the Hot Wheels treatment?

What say you, dear reader? 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 brochure had the most exciting lifestyle promise?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged hot wheels, QotW | 41 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 05 — FiveTens

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Perhaps drawn by the 510 gods that brought John Morton’s BRE racer all the way from Nashville, this year’s JCCS had a surprisingly plentiful turnout of Nissan’s OG sports sedan. While Nissan’s racer was one of the biggest hits of the show, parked there alongside its modern counterparts in a pair of R35 GT-R GT3 cars, many privately owned examples shined for their own reasons. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 510, bluebird, datsun, nissan | 5 Comments

REMINDER: Touge 80s registration ends tomorrow

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Just a friendly JNC reminder. Touge 80s registration ends tomorrow, October 7, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. All you need to know about the event can be found at this link.

Posted in Reminder | Tagged Touge 80s | 3 Comments

VIDEO: Watch a bunch of Skylines ripping along Japan’s expressways

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Ben Hsu

There’s nothing like watching vintage Skylines in action on Japan’s expressways, especially when one of them is a replica of the 1972 Tokyo Motor Show kenmeri race car. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged c10, c110, Hakosuka, kenmeri, nissan, skyline | 8 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Chubu and Kinki, Part 03

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Skorj

In Part 02 of our grand tour through central Japan, we experienced some of the best touge roads the country has to offer. After making it as far west as Matsue City, we decided to head back home to Chiba via a southerly route. Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 180sx, beat, cappuccino, carol, celica, cr-v, dr30, Grand Touring, honda, honda z, Lapin, mazda, nissan, r30, r32, s13, skyline, subaru, subaru r-2, suzuki, toyota | 27 Comments

Paris Motor Show: 2017 Honda Civic Type R

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Dave Yuan

So the very-close-to-production prototype of the Honda Civic Type R was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last week. And, from what Honda has told us, it’s actually coming to the US this time. There’s absolutely no doubt that the the car is going to be supernaturally competent at defying the laws of physics, but is it worthy of the Type R name? Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged civic, Civic Type R, honda, Paris Motor Show | 21 Comments

EVENTS: Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — Fair Ladies

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Ben Hsu

One of the most revered nameplates in the automotive world today is Skyline, but nearly fifty years ago, it was unknown on this side of the Pacific as Nissan was building up their brand in the US. Instead, the Z and 510 were the ones leading the charge and revolutionizing the definition of what a performance car could be. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 240z, 280z, 510, bluebird, datsun, fairlady roadster, nissan, s130, S30Z, z31, z32 | 4 Comments

QotW: What JNC brochure had the most exciting lifestyle promise?

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Brandon Kelley

Imagine, heading out to the local dealership to find your new chariot. Sure, you can take a look around the lot, but you’ve got a lot to think about, and many makes to check out. You grab a brochure to thumb through later to help your decision. Are you swayed by the beauty in the swimsuit enticing you to join the party by buying a Mitsubishi Minicab? Or the promise of a neon nightlife with the Daihatsu Mira TR? Maybe unleashing the inner wild monster with an Isuzu Amigo?

What JNC brochure had the most exciting lifestyle promise?

What say you, dear reader? 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’s your most creative automotive storage solution?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW | 16 Comments

Paris Motor Show: One of the coolest retro cars on the market is now made by Suzuki

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Ben Hsu

To most of the media at the Paris Motor Show going on right now, the Suzuki Ignis is probably just a small but practical compact crossover. What few probably realize is that its one of the best incarnations of Japanese retro design on the market right now. Continue reading →

Posted in Next Version | Tagged cervo, fronte, Ignis, suzuki | 16 Comments

PIXELATED: Hooning a Brumby through the Outback in Forza Horizon 3

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Ryan Senensky

Eleven years ago when the Forza franchise originally launched there was an AE86, an R32 GT-R and that was about it for JNCs. Over the last decade, however, more and more have been added to the game. Over the weekend, the franchise’s latest entry in their open world spin off, Forza Horizon 3, was released to early access players and I can happily report that hooning a Subaru Brumby (Australian for BRAT) through the Outback is just as fun as it sounds. Continue reading →

Posted in Video Games | Tagged 240z, a20, brat, brumby, celica, csp311, datsun, fairlady roadster, forza, Forza Horizon, Forza Horizon 3, legacy, nissan, Pixelated, s30 z, silvia, subaru, toyota | 1 Comment