GRAND TOURING: Driving across Japan in a JNC, Day 08

Posted on April 17, 2016 by David Lovett

2724_Isuzu117_SecondBeat

In the previous installment of our cross-Japan trip, we began the northeasterly journey back home, but on a different route that would hug the southern coast of Japan. As such, we’d voyage from Kyushu to Shikoku, two of the four islands that comprise Japan’s main landmass. Distancewise, the goal was modest compared to previous days’ legs, meaning we’d have plenty of time to take it easy and give our 1978 Isuzu 117 Coupé a rest from the breakneck paces we’d be putting it through.  Continue reading →

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EVENTS: Subaru holds first official Fan Meeting in Japan

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Dave Yuan

SubaruFan2016_1

Subaru recently held its inaugural Fan Meeting at the Subaru Kenkyu Center in Tochigi. SKC fort short, the Research & Testing Center is the proving ground where many of Subaru’s signature high performance cars, such as the Alcyone SVX and WRX STi, developed. For Subaru aficionados, there is no better place to celebrate their favorite machines than this hallowed ground that’s usually off limits to civilians. Continue reading →

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JNC PROJECT HAKO: look, Ma… I’m on TV!

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Kevin San

EDGE_Nurlon_ScottLowe_2854

There are lots of TV commercials which try to appeal to true enthusiasts, but if you were given the keys to a TV production company, what sort of commercial would you make? If you answered that you’d gather a whole bunch of cool cars at a racetrack, unlock the pit lane gates and then turn on the cameras, well that is in fact what the Aussie motor oil brand Nulon recently did. And we were invited. Continue reading →

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VIDEO: It’s still fun to drive a stock R32 Skyline GT-R

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

Matt Farah Nissan Skyline GT-R R32

Matt Farah is a guy who drives highly tuned cars on a regular basis, but one of his favorites is a car that is very nearly bone stock and over 25 years old. In fact, he liked it so much he bought one for himself.  Continue reading →

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NEWS: Mazda finishes exquisite restoration of Cosmo Sport

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Dave Yuan

Cosmo1

We recently updated you on the progress of Mazda’s amazing restoration of a 1967 L10A Cosmo Sport with the help of some Hiroshima high school students. Here’s the latest: it’s finished! Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Gems from the Honda Collection Hall in action

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Dan Hsu

Honda Collection Hall 1300 Coupe 9

Do you have several hours to waste? If not, don’t click any further. Since the beginning of the year, Honda has been uploading videos of cars from the Honda Collection Hall at Twin Ring Motegi and taking them for spirited spins in the museum’s backyard. The videos aren’t long, but there’s a lot of them. There’s no voiceovers or music either, just the sweet, sweet sound of Soichiro’s spirit every time the docent turns the key.  Continue reading →

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NEWS: Owner of Toyota 2000GT crushed by tree files lawsuit

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Toyota 2000GT crushed

Remember that story of the Toyota 2000GT that was ruthlessly crushed by a tree and an uncaring universe? Well, it’s back in the Japanese news again, as the owner prepares to file a lawsuit against the province in which the accident occurred.  Continue reading →

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NEWS: Toyota’s new concept was designed to be passed down from one generation to the next

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Toyota Setsuna Concept 11

Toyota has created a car that lasts 100 years so it can be passed down within the family from one generation to the next. “But they already make the Camry!” you might say. That is true, but the Toyota Setsuna concept isn’t just an insanely reliable machine that defies even the most careless teenager’s attempts to kill it with neglect. It’s designed specifically to fade as time goes by, absorbing a household’s memories as it changes.  Continue reading →

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Happy 4/11 Day from JNC

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Nissan Heritage Collection Datsun 411 02

In honor of today, here’s a photo from the time we drove a Datsun 411 through a sea of supercars during Monterey Historic Car Week. Happy 4/11!

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QotW: What nostalgic-new body kit will be next?

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Nissan Skyline C10 Hakotora & Silvia S14 Rocket Bunny Boss 01

The new Rocket Bunny Boss kit that turns unsuspecting FDs into some kind of Mazda centaur with an RX-3 head on an RX-7 body was, um, polarizing. It’s not the first new cars have been faceswapped with older fronts — as you can see from the above pair from last year’s SEMA show — and it probably won’t be the last. What’s next, an AE86 nose for your Toyota 86? A Civic CVCC mask for your NSX? A Debonair clip for your Evo? The possibilities are endless.

What nostalgic-new body kit will be next?

Bonus points if you Photoshop it! 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 the most interesting JNC throwback design cue?”  Continue reading →

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A note about last weekend’s outage

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Ben Hsu

 
The JNC server experienced a disk failure Friday night. It took almost the entire weekend for our webhost to diagnose and rectify the problem. We had to restore to the most recent backup, which was taken at 9:00am Friday. The weekend articles have been subsequently reposted but some comments were lost. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Posted in Uncategorized | 18 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Driving across Japan in a JNC, Day 07

Posted on April 10, 2016 by David Lovett

2586_Sakurajima Eruption

In the last installment of our cross-Japan trip, a life-long personal goal was achieved. I had driven from the northern Hokkaido on one end of Japan to southern Kyushu on the other. However, the journey was far from over. We and our trusty 1978 Isuzu 117 Coupé had to make it back home to Nagoya. Aside from a couple of kilometers on the only bridge onto Kyushu, we had kept to back roads, avoiding Japan’s efficient but expensive expressways. We weren’t about to start now.  Continue reading →

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RIP Yoshimi Katayama, 1940 — 2016

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Dave Yuan

Yoshimi Katayama Mazda 787

It was announced in Japanese media yesterday that Yoshimi Katayama (片山義美) — the legendary race car driver often associated with Mazda — had passed away on March 26. He was 75. His prolific career was marked by some of Japan’s most iconic race cars, including the Mazda Savanna RX-3, RX-7, and many of Mazda’s Le Mans prototype racers such as the 717C, Lola T616, 767B, and 787.  Continue reading →

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Custom Toyota Hilux Dually with fifth wheel and camper

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Ben Hsu

1981 Toyota Hilux Dually camper 02

Okay, time to pack it up. It’s done, people. This is the last car you’ll ever need to buy. Sell your house, quit your job, and leave the grid in the comfort of this custom Toyota Hilux and its matching camper. Continue reading →

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TRA Kyoto’s new Boss kit turns FDs into RX-3s

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

TRA Kyoto Boss Mazda FD3S RX3 kit

One of the most photographed things at last year’s SEMA Show was the TRA Kyoto Boss kit that grafted a Datsun Sunny-esque nose onto an S14 Silvia. Now, its makers have applied the same principle to a Mazda, namely, melding a stylized Savanna RX-3 nose onto the body of an FD3S RX-7. The Mazda Boss kit is just a rendering for now, but given the company’s prolific ability to create outrageous kits, you know the real deal is coming any day now. What do JNC readers think, is it rotary radness or time to hide your FDs?

Posted in Product Guide | 7 Comments

How the Toyota Corolla Changed American Motoring

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Ryan Senensky

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Fifty years is a very long time. If you think about America 50 years ago, the synthesizer had just begun to find its way into mainstream music, a ’32 T-Bucket was as commonly street raced as a EF/EG/EK Civic in the 90s, and Japanese cars were about as popular in America as a Chinese-made car is today. A car enthusiast in 1968 would have to defend their choice of a Japanese car much like how a car enthusiast today has to defend not having a Japanese car. 50 years ago this year the Toyota Corolla was also introduced to the world. Although it would not reach US shores for another two years, we are going to look at how it revolutionized the American motoring experience.  Continue reading →

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MOTORSPORT: When NHRA opened the doors to Japanese funny cars

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Chris Nicholson

Datsun 280ZX NHRA Funny Car Jeff Dykes

When I was a kid in the 70s, a Japanese manufacturer being represented in the pro ranks of NHRA drag racing was a laughable idea. Sure, Datsuns were competitive in road racing with production-based cars, but sanctioning bodies such as the National Hot Rod Association were strictly all-American for their top classes. But now, Toyota Camry bodies are seemingly everywhere. So how did that change?  Continue reading →

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NEWS: Mazda is working on a new, possibly turbo, rotary engine

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Ben Hsu

IMG_4248

Last fall at the Tokyo Motor Show Mazda revealed a stunning vision for the future. Appropriately, it was called the RX-Vision, and as the name implies, it was a rotary-powered sports car in the tradition of the Mazda RX-7 and Cosmo Sport. While it was loved by enthusiasts, most have been burned one too many times by the “Here’s an incredible concept for you to drool over but we won’t build it” switcharoo. Not this time.  Continue reading →

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QotW: What’s the most interesting JNC throwback design cue?

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Ben Hsu
Toyota Corona Coupe T90
Scion tC 2011

Automakers often incorporate classic design cues into the modern cars. Sometimes they’re obvious, like the quad taillights of the Nissan GT-R. Sometimes they’re obscure, like the C-pillar of the second-generation Scion tC. There are probably some that only the most die-hard otaku will notice.

What’s the most interesting JNC throwback design cue?

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 brutal tale of JNC price inflation?”  Continue reading →

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GRAND TOURING: Driving across Japan in a JNC, Day 06

Posted on April 3, 2016 by David Lovett

2567_Isuzu 117 Road Station

As our compatriots in California enjoy themselves on the Touge California this weekend, we do a little driving of our own, in the sixth installment of our cross-Japan tour. On Day 05, we stowed our 1978 Isuzu 117 Coupé to explore Nagasaki on foot. It was both wondrous and moving, but after a full day on our feet through the hilly city, we were happy to be back in the driver’s seat again. Continue reading →

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