Japanese Nostalgic Car

KIDNEY, ANYONE? The mystery of the “first” Toyota 2000GT

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Ben Hsu

A mysterious ad for what is claimed to be the first Toyota 2000GT has been making the rounds in Japan (and beyond) recently. The serial number on the car is claimed to be MF10-10001, and if that is the case it would certainly seem to indicate that it’s the earliest one built. Multiple JNC readers have sent us this auction tip, but I’ve resisted publishing something about it until now because the story doesn’t quite add up. It took a team of six JNC writers to figure it all out, but we think we finally have the mystery sorted. Sort of. Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | 16 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? Mint 1990 Eagle Talon TSi AWD

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Ryan Senensky

Often a Kidney Car is something that’s rare because it’s unloved, bizarre, some berserk homologation model, or a 1 of 15 limited edition. The Diamond Star Motor triplets, however, are rare because the chassis was too beloved. Today’s 1990 Eagle Talon TSi AWD hails from both the sunny shores of Jacksonville Beach, Florida and, in case you thought we were talking about a bird’s claw, a long dead arm of ChryCo. What it is, though, is a rebadged mechanical twin to the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive It Car of 1990. Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | Tagged DSM, eagle, eclipse, kidney anyone, mitsubishi, talon | 22 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 Nostalgic2Days, Part 03

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Closing out our coverage of the 2015 Nos2Days show, we begin with some cars being honored on the red carpet. Just like at a movie premiere, the event reserves a special crimson rug for those that have graced the cover of a magazine. In this case that magazine is Nostalgic Hero, and the carpet is a permanent fixture encircling the show floor. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 2000gt, aw11, butaketsu, c130, cosmo sport, csp311, datsun, datsun 220, Fairlady Z432, honda, japan, laurel, mazda, mr2, nissan, Nostalgic2Days, prince, s600, silvia, skyway, toyota | 5 Comments

QotW: When is it okay to stance?

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Stance. It’s what all the youngin’s are into these days. Sometimes it looks cool; sometimes it’s downright painful to witness.

When is it okay to stance?

Yes, we know it’s popular. We also know it’s even more popular to hate on it. It’s been a style in Japan for ages, but it’s different there where roads are glass smooth. Here it’s a slow death sentence for your oil pan/fenders/spine/the entire car. Perhaps it’s time to issue the Three Laws of Stance, which decrees that if you must stance, stance something that is 1.) not rare, 2.) was not mint to begin with, and 3.) has no performance value whatsoever. Got a second-gen Mazda 6? Go nuts! Any Toyota/Honda/Infiniti made in the last 10 years? Here, I’ll grab a bat and help you roll. An RX-3, little-old-lady-owned Cressida, or Honda S2000? Sorry, get off my lawn.

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 under-appreciated JNC?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | 48 Comments

MARKETWATCH: Nissan Fairlady Z432 sold for $253,000

Posted on March 14, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Moments ago, a 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432 that crossed the block at the Amelia Island auctions sold for $253,000, making it the most expensive publicly exchanged S30 Z in the world. Continue reading →

Posted in marketwatch | Tagged Amelia Island, auctions, datsun, Fairlady Z432, nissan, s30 | 4 Comments

NEWS: FR Nissan 2-door sedan rendered by Best Car

Posted on March 14, 2015 by Ben Hsu

With the disclaimer that this is pure speculation, we present an image a new rear-wheel-drive Nissan 2-door sedan expected to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show this fall. The cars you see here will appear on the cover of the April 10 issue of Japan’s Best Car magazine and are claimed, audaciously, to be renderings of a production model. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Hakosuka, IDx, Motoharu Kurosawa, nissan, skyline | 12 Comments

MINICARS: Complete 3D-printed Toyota 22RE engine and W56 transmission

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Ricky Silverio

A crazily talented engineer by the name of Eric Harrell of Santa Cruz, California has gone and cold printed out a 22RE engine and W56 transmission. Yes, it’s just like the one you’d find in a Toyota Hilux or 4Runner, and yes, this working scale model of one of the most famous Toyota drivetrain combinations of all time was spit out from a 3D printer and assembled. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged 22RE, 4runner, pickup, toyota | 10 Comments

PROJECT B: Owning a classic car in Japan, Part 03 — The Streets

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Ken Lee

In Part 01 of this series I went in search of my first classic car, a Prince Skyline GT-B. In Part 02 I proved to the city of Tokyo, where I live, that I had space to park it and went through Japan’s infamous Shaken safety inspection to get it street legal. Now comes the fun part — driving it through the streets of Tokyo. But first, I needed a license plate. Continue reading →

Posted in japan | Tagged japan, nissan, prince, s54, skyline | 20 Comments

MINICARS: Mysterious “?” Datsun 240Z appears on Hot Wheels official site

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Ricky Silverio

A mysterious “?” appeared on the official Hot Wheels Collectors site today with no explanation but a countdown timer to March 31, 2015. Below it are the words “HWC Special Edition Datsun 240Z” and “Spring Race Week.”

No images or further details were provided. Could this be the long-postponed Red Line Club BRE 240Z companion to the BRE 510? We have no further information at this time and that’s just speculation. In any case, it’s something to watch out for.

Posted in minicars | Tagged 240z, datsun, hot wheels, nissan, s30 | 1 Comment

ART CORNER: Bosozoku Cats and Kyuusha by San Mamiya

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Ben Hsu

San Mamiya is a brilliant artist from Japan that operates mainly on Instagram. With an apparent fondness for old cars, bosozoku cats and the superdeformed style that populates manga, his illustrations exhibit a unique Nihon style that can probably be loosely described as Japanese Ed Roth. Continue reading →

Posted in Art Corner | Tagged 2000gt, 240z, 510, a20, alto, Art Corner, aw11, b210, bosozoku, bre, carry, celica, chaser, corolla, cressida, crown, datsun, datsun 620, e70, fairlady z, fc3s, Galant Lambda, honda, hot wheels, jimny, juke, kujira, mad manga, manga, mazda, mitsubishi, mr2, nissan, prius, rx-3, rx-7, s30, s60, samurai, san_mamiya, savanna, sports 800, suzuki, toyota, x30, x40, x60, x70 | 10 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 Nostalgic2Days, Part 02

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Ben Hsu

One of the featured marques at this year’s Nostalgic2Days was Isuzu. It’s a brand that usually doesn’t get much love, here or in Japan, so it was a rare opportunity to see some machines from the company’s own collection. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 117, 510, a20, Asso di Fiori, bluebird, c10, c110, Cablight, celica, cherry, cosmo, cosmo sport, crown, datsun, elf, fairlady z, Fairlady Z432, Hakosuka, impulse, isuzu, kenmeri, mazda, MID4, nissan, piazza, rx-5, s20, s30, s40, skyline, sports 800, Tea Valley, toyota, z31, z32 | 16 Comments

VIDEO: Let’s Make a Deal on some Datsuns

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Dan Hsu

Here are a bunch of costumed contestants going apeshit over some Datsuns on Let’s Make a Deal. Everything from Li’l Hustler 620 pickups to 260Z sports cars to 710 wagons are dazzlingly revealed as prizes in one of the most popular game shows of the 1970s. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged 260z, 620, 710, b210, datsun, nissan | 1 Comment

KIDNEY, ANYONE? Mint unicorn Datsun F10 Wagon

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Perhaps you’ve always wanted a Datsun, but find that 240Zs and 510s are annoyingly rear-wheel-drive. Or maybe you find even Skylines and B210s too common. Speaking of under-appreciated JNCs, here’s a 1978 Datsun F10 Wagon on craigslist. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

QotW: What’s the most under-appreciated JNC?

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Ben Hsu

One could argue that all JNCs are under-appreciated, but even among the outcasts there’s a hierarchy. Not all of us can drive 2000GTs and Hakosukas, or even 510s.

What’s the most under-appreciated JNC?

Allow us to proffer the 1984 Toyota Camry. Sure, it was the bland brown box that launched an army of spaced out drivers that would rather be doing anything else, including performing a self root canal. It was the patient zero that spawned generations of mindless zombies shuffling from A-to-B. It was Beige Genesis.

But it was also the first car for a nation of pre-Facebook teens hopped up on hormones. It provided countless souls with depressingly thin wallets their first taste of worry-free mobility and freedom. And it was indestructable, an amazing feat of engineering durability that forced everyone else to stop foisting shitboxes on an unsuspecting populace. Not to mention it filled ToMoCo’s coffers with the money to spend on Lexuses, Supras and MR2s.

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 biggest JNC regret?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW, Question of the Week | 13 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 Nostalgic2Days, Part 01

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Nostalgic 2 Days, the annual two-day event held by Nostalgic Hero, is as much a car show as it is a trade show. It’s as if the magazine springs to life, particularly the pages in which Japan’s classic car businesses — shops, dealers and restorers — advertise their services. Because many of these outfits’ livelihoods depend on attracting as much business in an already niche market, there’s sometimes the need to outdo one another with the most extreme resto-mods or the finest restorations. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 510, c10, fairlady z, fj20, Hakosuka, MID4, nissan, nos2days, Nostalgic 2 Days, prince, s30, skyline, star road, Yoshikazu Sunako | 8 Comments

PROJECT B: Owning a classic car in Japan, Part 02 — The Shaken

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Ken Lee

In Part 01 of this series, I went through the process of searching for the appropriate classic car. Even though I live in Tokyo, it turns out the best way to get the car I wanted, a Prince Skyline GT-B, was to buy an export model from Australia. In this installment, I document what you need to get it past Japan’s dreaded Shaken roadworthiness inspection. Continue reading →

Posted in japan | Tagged japan, nissan, prince, s54, Shaken, skyline, vehicle inspection | 31 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 08 — Parking Area Finds

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Closing out our coverage of the 2015 New Year Meeting, we make a quick run through the show’s parking area. Thanks to the Japanese protocol of backing into their parking spaces, we were able to get full views of spectators’ rides to the show unobstructed by vans and kei cars. As is typical of Japan, even many areas of the parking lot were beautifully paved with a concrete lattice over manicured grass.

Early comers were able to secure adjacent spaces for similar rides, as was the case for these Fairladies. Here, twin G-noses were joined by what appears to be a fuel-injected 1975 example equipped with an SCCN air dam. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 510, 910, ae86, alcyone, bluebird, c10, city, corolla, crown, datsun, fairlady z, familia, gemini, Hakosuka, honda, isuzu, levin, mazda, new year meeting, nissan, prince, r100, r30, r31, s110, s120, s30, s40, silvia, skyline, soarer, sprinter, subaru, svx, toyota, trueno, xt, z10, z432 | 19 Comments

NEWS: Can you spot all the nostalgic styling cues of the Suzuki iM-4 Concept?

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Suzuki may be gone from the US market, but it’s alive and well in the rest of the world. The 85th Geneva Motor Show is going on right now, and its automotive branch unveiled this morning the Suzuki iM-4 Concept, a compact 4WD laden with styling cues from Suzuki’s past models. Can you spot them all? Continue reading →

Posted in Next Version | Tagged cervo, escudo, fronte, Geo Tracker, iM-4 Concept, Sidekick, suzuki, swift | 7 Comments

EVENTS: Sunday morning at Daikoku Futo

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Skorj

Located right off the famed Wangan Bayshore Route in Yokohama, Daikoku Futo PA is a congress for car fiends. As die-hard fans of JDM-land know, representatives of any and every type of Japanese tuning subculture come together to appreciate the many facets of the customized automobile. It’s like Cars & Coffee without the coffee, unless you toss a few yen into the ubiquitous vending machines. On a recent Sunday morning, the lot was full by 9:00 am. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 2000gt, ae86, bosozoku, c10, c110, civic, contessa, corolla, daikoku futo, datsun, Fiat 500, figaro, Hakosuka, hino, honda, kenmeri, levin, luce, mazda, motorcycles, nissan, rx-4, s800, skyline, Spitfire, sports 800, sprinter, toyota, Triumph, trueno | 13 Comments

QotW: What’s your biggest JNC regret?

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Ben Hsu

You hear these stories all the time: “I should’ve never sold that car.” “One day it was gone and the owner said he sold it for scrap.” “I bought a Chrysler Sebring.” Life is full of regrets, and cars are a major source for them.

What’s your biggest JNC regret?

In 1999 I was working my first real job, and by real job I mean one with a desk where I could secretly browse eBay. One day, I came across a Belatrix Yellow Toyota 2000GT. Back then, it was pretty rare to see one for sale at all, so I contacted the seller to ask what reserve was. To my surprise, he actually took the time to write back, even though both he knew and I knew that I could never afford it. “It’s kind of expensive,” he said, “$150,000.” If you factored in the cost of commuting, I was almost making negative wages, but I’m still kicking myself for not taking out a massive loan and living in it. I would’ve been a millionaire today.

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 Mr K story?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged datsun, fairlady roadster, motorsport, mr k, nissan, QotW, Question of the Week, yutaka katayama | 36 Comments