Japanese Nostalgic Car

QotW: What’s the best Japanese car name?

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Yes, we all know about the Suzuki Every Joy Pop and the Hino Dolphin Dump, but we’re not talking about “oh look how weird and crazy those Japanese are” type car names today. We’re talking cool names that instantly evokes a tree-lined mountain road or sea breezes wafting through open windows. Something you’d be proud to have on your trunklid.

What’s the best Japanese car name?

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, “Which JNC was the one that got away?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW | 42 Comments

VIDEO: Honda Serial One’s engine is alive!

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Dan Hsu

When it’s done, this might just be the best restored Honda N600 on planet Earth. But then again, it’s a special car, the first Honda ever built for US import. Our friend Tim Mings — who we believe is planning a full transition into the character that gave him his nickname Merciless Mings, fu manchu and all — is in charge of the restoration, and in the latest installment the humble Honda undergoes a down-to-bare-metal stripping usually reserved for Pebble Beach show cars. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged honda, Honda Serial One, n600 | 5 Comments

TUNE UP: Mazda Cosmo Sport on Unicorn album cover

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Ken Lee

Last week the Japanese rock band Unicorn released their thirteenth album, and lo and behold, there’s a Mazda Cosmo Sport on the cover. It’s not clear why the band has taken a liking to the classic rotary sports car, but it features very prominently on their artwork and marketing. Continue reading →

Posted in Tune Up | Tagged cosmo sport, mazda, Unicorn | 1 Comment

NEWS: Mazda announces 1,000 Launch Edition MX-5 RF Miatas

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Ben Hsu

There have been many limited edition Miatas. Here’s one more. Mazda has announced that the first 1,000 examples of the 2017 MX-5 RF will be exclusive Launch Edition models. As with the soft-top ND Miata Launch Edition, the RF will feature a few bits that you can only get on the Launch Edition too. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged mazda, miata, mx-5, MX-5 RF | 6 Comments

NEWS: Subaru 360 recognized as part of Japan’s cultural legacy

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Ben Hsu

The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers has certified the Subaru 360 as part of the the nation’s “Mechanical Engineering Heritage.” It is only the second car in the organization’s 119-year history that an automobile has received this honor. So what does it mean, exactly? Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged subaru, subaru 360 | 3 Comments

MOTORSPORT: The hakosuka Skyline GT-R at its absolute peak

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Ben Hsu

By the end of 1971 racing season, the Skyline GT-R was barreling towards its highly anticipated 50th victory in Japan’s hotly contested touring car races. The GT-R had enjoyed three years of domination but, as history knows, the planning for that much publicized 50th win would all come tumbling down in Nissan’s face at the hands of a Mazda Savanna RX-3. Before that happened. though, on October 10, 1971, at a race that would be Nissan’s 49th checkered flag, the Hakosuka was at its absolute motorsports peak. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport, Video | Tagged c10, capella, fuji gc, fuji speedway, gt-r, Hakosuka, kpgc10, kunimitsu takahashi, mazda, Motoharu Kurosawa, nissan, rx-2, skyline, Yoshimi Katayama | 4 Comments

QotW: Which JNC was the one that got away?

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Life with cars is cruel as it is in dating. Sometimes, you just don’t know you how good you have it until it’s gone. Or, maybe those are the lucky ones, because they actually had some time with their soul mate, no matter how brief. Others never met them to begin with, or were a minute to late to make that call asking them to prom before they were picked up by someone else.

Which JNC was the one that got away?

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 best Japanese taxi story?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged mazda, mitisubishi, QotW, Taxi | 26 Comments

VIDEO: Behind the scenes at Toyota’s Calty design studio

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Ben Hsu

We all know that cars are designed, but what is “design,” exactly? A new video released by Toyota aims to answer that question via a history and tour of their Calty design studio. Toyota was the first Japanese automaker to open a US design studio back in 1973. From there sprang everything from the 1978 Celica to the first Lexus SC to what could be the next Supra. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged a40, calty, celica, fj cruiser, FT-1 Concept, lexus sc, supra, toyota | 3 Comments

COLLECTIONS: Mazda restores historic 767B Le Mans racer

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Dave Yuan

Mazda has something good in store at this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. In what’s becoming a bit of a tradition for Mazda North American Operations, it’s adding a restored race car to its Heritage Collection: the #202 767B that raced at the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsports | Tagged 13J, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 4-rotor, 767b, le mans, mazda, Mazda Race Laguna Seca, Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, rotary engine | 5 Comments

Happy Mountain Day from JNC

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Happy Mountain Day from JNC! If you’ve never heard of Mountain Day, a national holiday in Japan, don’t feel bad. Over a third of actual Japanese people have no idea it exists either. To be fair, it’s a new holiday — so new, in fact, that this year is its first passing. As many JNCers know, Japan is 70 percent mountainous, which creates an abundance of incredible touge roads. We’ve visited a few, and these are some of our favorites. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Mountain Day, touge | 13 Comments

Happy 810 Day from JNC!

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Dave Yuan

Happy 810 Day from JNC! Here’s Jorge Ramirez’s old goon for your viewing pleasure.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 810, 810 Day, datsun, jccs, nissan | 1 Comment

PIXELATED: A Datsun Cherry stars in the most realistic car simulator ever created

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Forget Sega GT. Forget Forza. Forget Gran Turismo. Though we haven’t even played it yet, we’re beyond certain that the most realistic car simulator ever created is My Summer Car, a Finnish game where you restore an E10 Datsun Cherry one frustrating part at a time. Continue reading →

Posted in Video Games | Tagged cherry, datsun, e10, My Summer Car, nissan | 9 Comments

VIDEO: Corolla Matsuri 2016 goes all-out 80s on VHS tape

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Ben Hsu

By now you’re all familiar with the typical drift video — dramatic hi-def footage of heat waves coming off of the tarmac, wheels being mounted, zipties being zipped, and cars sliding in slow-mo to the beat of electronica. This is not that. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ae86, corolla, corolla levin, Corolla Matsuri, hachiroku, sprinter trueno, toyota | 9 Comments

NIHON LIFE: Get free tea when you climb into a Suntory taxi

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Today is National Taxi Day in Japan, a date chosen to commemorate the start of the country’s first cab service in 1912. As it happens, this month Suntory is making Japan’s notoriously hospitable taxis even more so, by giving passengers a complementary bottle of iced tea. Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged suntory, Taxi | 4 Comments

QotW: What’s your best Japanese taxi story?

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Ben Hsu

August 5 is National Taxi Day in Japan. It marks the start of operations for Japan’s very first taxi, which occurred on August 5, 1912. As those who have visited the motherland may know, Japan’s taxis are some of the best — and more importantly, cleanest — in the world. With lace doily seat covers, white-gloved drivers that can somehow navigate an entire city without street names, and doors that you don’t even have to open yourself, the experience is unmatched by any other in the world.

What’s your best Japanese taxi story?

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 best JNC camper conversion?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW, Taxi, Taxi Day | 9 Comments

Happy 86 Day from JNC

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

Today is 86 Day, and in honor of the momentous occasion, we at JNC are sharing some of the favorite examples of Toyota’s game-changing drift machine that we’ve seen over the last decade, starting with the most recent one spotted at Mooneyes Area 1 in Yokohama in June. Continue reading →

Posted in jnc | Tagged ae86, corolla, corolla levin, hachiroku, sprinter trueno, toyota | 3 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 Nissan Jam, Part 03 — Editors’ Choice

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Ben Hsu

We’ve saved the best for last in our 2016 Nissan Jam coverage. It wasn’t easy choosing our favorites, but the cars in this post, for one reason or another, caught the eyes of the JNC staff that attended the show. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 180sx, 240sx, 240z, 300zx, 510, 620, 710, advan, bluebird, c10, datsun, gc10, Hakosuka, mr k, nissan, Nissan Jam, panasport, patrol, r33, s13, Sileighty, silvia, skyline, Titan XD, violet, Wild Cards, yutaka katayama, z32 | 10 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 Nissan Jam, Part 02 — All Odds

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Ben Hsu

In the first installment of our 2016 Nissan Jam coverage, we focused on the most popular of the Nissan family tree. The “cool kids” club included Skylines, Zs, 510s, 620s, and Fairlady roadsters, but Nissan has a deep history of other models that don’t get quite as much love. Now it’s their turn to shine. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 200sx, 240z, 260z, 280z, 280zx, 300zx, 310, 312, 521, 610, 810, b14, b210, b310, d21, datsun, datsun 210, f31, hardbody, infiniti, leopard, m30, maxima, N12, nissan, Nissan Jam, NX2000, pulsar, r31, s110, s12, s130, s30 z, skyline, sunny, wagons, z31 | 12 Comments

COLLECTIONS: Autech restores classic Nissan Caravan built for disabled passengers

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Every August since 1978, Japan’s NTV network has put on a 24-hour telethon called 24HTV Love Saves the Earth to raise money for charity. It will soon be held again, and to mark the occasion Autech has restored a 1978 Nissan Caravan used in the very first airing of the show. Continue reading →

Posted in Collections | Tagged caravan, nissan, nissan heritage collection, vans | 9 Comments

MINICARS: Sung Kang’s Fugu Z is now a Hot Wheels

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

We’ve known it was coming for quite some time, but now it’s official. Over Instagram, Fast & Furious actor Sung Kang revealed that his Fugu Z is now immortalized in Hot Wheels form. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 240z, datsun, Fugu Z, s30 z, Sung Kang | 5 Comments