Japanese Nostalgic Car

A Brief History of Mitsubishi’s Colt Galant GTO

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Ben Hsu

In the third of a series, JNC is teaming up with our friends at Petrolicious to launch simultaneously a video and an article about historically significant Japanese cars. Today’s is special because the featured car belongs to JNC contributor and admin Matt De Mangos. Be sure to check out the excellent Petrolicious and their beautiful short films about vintage cars.

Marques like Nissan and Toyota get most of the attention thrown at Japanese classics these days, but let’s not forget about Mitsubishi. The automaker, known for turbocharged, rally-bred performance machines, has been building enthusiast-oriented sport coupes just as long as any of them, starting with the Colt Galant GTO. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged colt, galant gto, mitsubishi, Petrolicious | 59 Comments

QotW: How can Nissan save the Z?

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Ben Hsu

The news late last week that Nissan is releasing a crossover inspired by — not necessarily replacing, but inspired by — the Z caused “grab the pitchforks” style unrest among the enthusiasts. We know the automotive landscape does not favor sports cars now, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for automakers to justify them. Nissan already has the supercar killing GT-R, so making an even more expensive and powerful Z does not seem to be the solution.

How can Nissan save the Z?

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 next blue chip JNC?” Continue reading →

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

NEWS: Will the next Z really be a crossover?

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Next Tuesday Nissan will unveil a new concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Many are calling it the next Z. Nissan is calling it the Gripz, and a video released today shows that it was inspired by the Datsun 240Z rally cars. Here’s the kicker, though. The Gripz is, um — well, there’s no kind way to put it so I’ll just say it — a crossover. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged 240z, datsun, Gripz, nissan, rally, s30 | 19 Comments

EVENTS: Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2015

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Ben Hsu

The Rolex Motorsports Reunion is typically a high point of Monterey Historic Car Week, but this year a black cloud hung over the festivities. The volunteers that have run Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca since it opened in 1957 is being forced out by the county’s board of supervisors, who are facilitating a takeover by a NASCAR-owned company. Naturally, fans of the track are worried that political pressure and a profit mandate will ruin one of the world’s best road courses. So here, as a reminder to why vintage road racing is so great, is a gallery of the competition J-tin that was there. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 240Z/260Z/280Z, 280zx, 787, acura, Benly 125, c10, celica, ct70, datsun, EZ90 Cub, fairlady roadster, fc3s, Hakosuka, honda, imsa, john morton, mazda, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, monterey historics, nissan, nsx, Porsche 935, Porsche 956, Porsche 962, rx-7, s130, s30, skyline, srl311, Tetsu Ikuzawa, toyota, Trust | 16 Comments

ART CORNER: Khyzyl Saleem’s bosozoku future

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Ben Hsu

The cars Khyzyl Saleem draws seem to ask the question, “What if Mad Max took place in the dystopian future of Blade Runner?” Neon-lit cityscapes, heavily modified cars, and a substantial dose of Japan-influenced tuning styles combine to form an incredible imagined world. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 2000gt, 240Z/260Z/280Z, a20, ae86, celica, corolla levin, daruma, datsun, Khyzyl Saleem, nissan, r34, S15, s30, silvia, skyline, toyota | 9 Comments

MOTORSPORT: Dome recreates Honda S-based Macransa and Karasu to celebrate 50th anniversary

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Ricky Silverio

You might know Dome from its wild 1978 Zero concept car, but the firm dates back to 1965. Recently, Dome celebrated its 50th anniversary by recreating two of its very first cars. Based off of 1960s Honda S-Series roadsters, the Karasu and Macransa laid the groundwork for what would become one of Japan’s premier race car constructors. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged dome, honda, Karasu, macransa, Minoru Hayashi, S500/S600/S800, tojiro ukiya, Zero | 3 Comments

The nine generations of Honda Accord

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Dan Hsu

A photo posted by Honda (@honda) on Sep 8, 2015 at 10:29am PDT

Honda has devised a clever new Instagram campaign highlighting nine generations of the Honda Accord. Simply click on the image and detailed shots of each part will appear. If these cars look familiar, you may be remembering them from our tour of the American Honda Collection. Not shown: how freakin’ enormous the Accord has gotten over the years. What used to be an econobox is now a luxobarge. How times have changed.

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

MINICARS: 2016 Hot Wheels Nissan Fairlady Z, Datsun 620 in white

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Ricky Silverio

Turns out that maroon and pink Hot Wheels Fairlady Z was a “factory custom” (a car purposefully painted incorrectly at the plant) after all. Here’s the actual 2016 Hot Wheels Nissan Fairlady Z in the correct blue that we approved on the e-sheet and patterned after designer Jun Imai’s real-life 260Z. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged 240Z/260Z/280Z, datsun, datsun 620, fairlady z, hot wheels, nissan, s30 | 11 Comments

QotW: What’s the next blue chip JNC?

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Cars like the hakosuka and kenmeri Skyline GT-Rs, the Fairlady Z432, Cosmo Sport and Toyota 2000GT have already hit prices that we bitter, long-time JNCers can no longer afford. What’s the next ship we should jump on before it leaves port?

What’s the next blue chip JNC?

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 greatest nostalgic Nissan?”
Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW, Question of the Week | 12 Comments

GRAND TOURING: The Onsens of Yamagata Prefecture

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Skorj

Having toured Aomori and Iwate Prefectures previously and discovered many interesting sights along the way, we decided to again return to the northern coasts, this time to explore the Prefecture of Yamagata and the Sea of Japan Coast Road. Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged ae86, b120, bluebird, corolla levin, datsun, gt-r, honda, honda z, isuzu, isuzu 117, life, mark II, mitsubishi, nissan, r32, sanitora, skyline, toyota, U11, x30 | 42 Comments

MINICARS: New Hot Wheels Fairlady Z, recolored Kenmeri and RX-7 coming

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Ben Hsu

An image of a new Hot Wheels S30 Z have surfaced, but there is a bit of mystery surrounding it. Since the JNC inkan appears on the door, we are privy to some extra information that was was leaked. First, it will show up as a 2016 basic model, and it is patterned after Hot Wheels designer Jun Imai‘s own 260Z, complete with massive flares and G-nose done up in true kaido racer fashion. However, like Jun’s real car, the model was supposed to be blue. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged 260z, c110, datsun, fairlady z, honda, hot wheels, kenmeri, mazda, minicars, nissan, rx-7, s2000, s30, SA22/FB, skyline | 1 Comment

Kidney, Anyone? 1980 Toyota Celica Sunchaser

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Ryan Senensky

Go grab your Gerry Rafferty cassette and your turtle neck because this week’s Kidney Car is the closest thing to a yacht rock poster car Toyota ever made: the 1980 Toyota Celica Sunchaser. From 1979 to 1981 Toyota commissioned the Griffith Company to create 500 convertible Celicas for the American market. Griffith took it one step further creating a car that was both a full convertible and a targa top. Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | Tagged a40, celica, kidney anyone, sunchaser, toyota | 4 Comments

PRODUCT GUIDE: RS Watanabe Toyota Works replicas

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Ricky Silverio

RS Watanabe has revealed their latest wheel design, and it’s a gorgeous revival of the famed Toyota Works racing wheels of the 1960s and 1970s. The classic four-spoke crosshairs pattern is back, and is now available in a 15-inch size. Continue reading →

Posted in Product Guide, wheels | Tagged a20, celica, daruma, rs watanabe, TOM's Igeta, toyota, Toyota Works | 18 Comments

NIHON LIFE: Bidding Sayonara to the Hotel Okura

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Ben Hsu

It has no engine, no wheels, and never won any races, but the Hotel Okura is an icon of the Showa Era. Since opening its doors in May 1962, it has hosted every US president since Richard Nixon. In 1976, JVC unveiled the world’s first VHS videocassette there. Royalty, rock stars, and even a particular fictional spy arriving in a Toyota 2000GT convertible can be counted among its guests. And as of yesterday, its lights were turned off for the last time. Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged honda, Hotel Okura, Kishichiro Okura, Nihon Life, prince, s54, s800, skyline | 36 Comments

QotW: What’s the greatest nostalgic Nissan?

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Last week we learned that an R35 GT-R is not the only Nissan that knows how to steal a supercar’s thunder. It’s hard to believe, but we haven’t yet asked what the greatest nostalgic Nissan is. We’ve inquired about the greatest Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, and even Suzuki (your winning answers here, here, here, here and here), so let’s rectify that right now.

What’s the greatest nostalgic Nissan?

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 car of the Nineties will be the next sought-after classic?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged datsun, nissan, QotW, Question of the Week | 20 Comments

NIHON LIFE: Summer Evening on the Wangan

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Skorj

The O-Bon is an annual festival that honors the souls of one’s ancestors. Many Tokyoites head to their hometowns to visit the graves of their forebearers, leaving the city strangely free of its dreaded logjam traffic. In other words, it’s the perfect time to go for a drive. With the start of O-bon, I took a recent Thursday off with the intention of squeezing in a few errands and a little bit of kyuusha time. Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged Caterham, century, chaser, DeTomaso Pantera, gt-r, honda, integra, Integra Type R, isuzu, isuzu 117, JXZ100, lamborghini, mini, Nihon Life, nissan, nsx, r32, r34, s800, skyline, toyota, vw, wangan | 13 Comments

MINICARS: Scale-Master’s “Zero Celica” Hot Wheels custom

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Mark Jones

One of the great things about customizing Hot Wheels or building model kits is that you are free to create cars that you can’t build in real life. In the modern automotive universe, drifting is probably as close to the epic World War II dogfights that took place in the skies. That why I wanted to imagine a Zero Celica drift car. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged a20, celica, daruma, hot wheels, Hot Wheels customs, Mitsubishi Zero, ScaleMaster, toyota | 3 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Driving Monterey in a couple of old Datsuns

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Ben Hsu

You might have heard that Monterey Historic Car Week is great, and it’s true. You can’t swing a monocle without hitting a million-dollar supercar or legendary racer. Then there was us, tooling around behind the wheel of a Datsun that cost less than $2,000 when new. Continue reading →

Posted in nissan | Tagged 411, 510, bluebird, datsun, nissan | 27 Comments

A Brief History of the Toyota AE86 Corolla

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Ben Hsu

In the second of a series, JNC is teaming up with our friends at Petrolicious to launch simultaneously a video and an article about historically significant Japanese cars. Be sure to check out the excellent Petrolicious and their beautiful short films about vintage cars.

For the uninitiated it’s a “just a Corolla,” but the AE86 goes by many names. Anime star. O.G. drifter. Hachiroku. Overhyped. AE86 itself is perhaps the nerdiest of them all, named after Toyota’s internal chassis code for the model. Even as recently as a couple of tears ago, one could still make the claim that the 1985-97 Toyota Corolla GT-S was unappreciated or underground for most of its life. Now, as it turns 30 years old, that’s no longer true. As if you needed another reminder that you’re getting old, the AE86 has spent more than half its existence hoarded, hooned and fanboy’ed as one of the most important cars Toyota’s ever built. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged ae86, Antonio Alvendia, corolla gt-s, corolla levin, Petrolicious, sprinter trueno, toyota | 10 Comments

VIDEO: Jay Leno goes bananas for a Savanna

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Ricky Silverio

Jay Leno was is probably the most famous Mazda Cosmo Sport owner out there, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still get his socks knocked off by a bridgeported 13B turbo RX-3. In the latest Jay Leno’s Garage video, the host meets Savant Young and his LA street racer-style restomod. Watch the video below. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | 5 Comments