Japanese Nostalgic Car

VIDEO: Japan’s car secrets, revealed!

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Ben Hsu

The internet has no shortage of videos from Japan with the following premise: “Hey you poor, clueless American dreaming of Skylines and girls that look like anime characters, let us reveal to you all the　ＪＤＭ　ｃａｒ　ｓｅｃｒｅｔｓ　because, as a result of our superior engine swapping and/or drifting skillz, we have been accepted into this mysterious, centuries-old clan of car ninjas like Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai. Also, we bought a ticket to Narita on Orbitz. #JDMlyfe #BigInJapan.”

However, there is only one video — just one! — that cuts through all the BS and gives you the true scoop. Check out the Car Bros’ penetrating exposé into the real JDM. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged gtr, Hakosuka, nissan, skyline, Video | 20 Comments

NEWS: Toyota celebrates 10 million domestic Corolla sales

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Ricky Silverio

Over the weekend the humble Toyota Corolla surpassed 10 million in domestic sales, and Toyota Japan released a small video to in honor of the occasion. Of course the Corolla is already entered the record books in late 2013 for racking up 40 million in worldwide sales, but considering the fact that Japan has a population of just 127 million, those are pretty stellar numbers. The second-best selling car, the VW Beetle — which was still being built in Mexico until 2003 — doesn’t even come close at 21.5 million. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cm, corolla, toyota | 3 Comments

QotW: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to fetch a car?

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Most of us car guys can’t even be bothered to assemble a respectable outfit for the social rituals that humans have to endure, such as weddings, dinner with the in-laws, or going to stores that are not Autozone. But then your friend sends you a Craigslist link to a $900 heap of metal and cracking vinyl in some far-flung corner of the country, posted by someone who a.) does not realize digital photos are free and b.) shoots the subject as if it was Bigfoot disappearing into the woods, and suddenly you’re looking up one-way flights on Kayak. Or you remind your best bud about the time you helped him with his engine swap to guilt him into driving across three states with you and a mostly-complete bag of sockets. Hey, it said “ran when parked!”

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to fetch a car?

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 made the NSX so special?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged acura, honda, nsx, QotW, Question of the Week | 19 Comments

EVENTS: Toyota Sports 800 50th Anniversary, Day 01

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Chris Nicholson

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Toyota’s first sports car, the 1965 Toyota Sports 800. Though small in size, the Yotahachi, as it became affectionately known, quickly developed a devoted fan base thanks to its ultra light-weight construction, aircraft-inspired styling, and unique removable “targa” roof panel that debuted two years before Porsche’s. To honor this unique automobile, Toyota sponsored two events on successive days, first at its home in Aichi Prefecture and then in the capital of Tokyo. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged japan, sports 800, toyota, Toyota Automobile Museum | 25 Comments

MINICARS: The ultimate Hakosuka Skyline scale model will take you two years to complete

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Ricky Silverio

Only in Japan could something so obsessed with detail, patience and completism exist. This KPGC10 Nissan Skyline GT-R scale model is, quite simply, astounding, measuring over 21 inches in length at 1:8 scale and comprised of over 400 individual pieces that you assemble yourself — but that’s not even the astounding part. Those individual pieces are mailed to you separately, week by week, over a span of two years. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged c10, Hakosuka, kpgc10, Kyosho, minicars, nissan, skyline | 14 Comments

REMINDER: Nissan Jam this Sunday

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Dan Hsu

Nissan, Datsun and Infiniti cars ranging from the 1960s to modern times will be on hand at the 3rd Annual Nissan Jam this Sunday, June 7.

Doors open at 10am and admission is free. The show is in a new location this year at West Covina Nissan at 205 North Citrus Street in West Covina, California.

There will be music, raffle prizes and, most importantly, cars, cars, cars!

Stop by the JNC booth for some shirts, decals, or scaled-down Nissans by Carriage House Models. See you there!

Posted in Reminder | Tagged datsun, infiniti, nissan, Nissan Jam | Leave a comment

NEXT VERSION: Can you name these classic Toyota racing liveries?

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Ben Hsu

In preparation for the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed, Toyota UK has prepped six GT86 (known here as the Scion FR-S) sport coupes in racing liveries from the company’s past. Can you name them all (answers below, no peeking!)? Continue reading →

Posted in Next Version | Tagged 2000gt, a20, a40, brz, celica, fr-s, Goodwood Festival of Speed, GT86, imsa, JGTC, scion, subaru, supra, toyota, wrc, yatabe 2000gt | 10 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 NISMO Fiesta

Posted on June 2, 2015 by John Roper

In its fifth year, NISMO Fiesta has become the premiere event for Nissan nuts of Texas. With a new venue in the capital of Austin, the Nissan devoted came from all over the Lone Star State, with a few traveling from as far as Louisiana and New Mexico! The three-day event had a host of activities lined up, so we made the trip from Fort Worth. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, 510, 610, 620, Cedric/Gloria 330, datsun, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, Fairlady ZG, gloria, gt-r, infiniti, M45, NISMO Fiesta, nissan, r35, s30, z32 | 23 Comments

QotW: What made the NSX so special?

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Of all the great automobiles to emerge from Japan, Honda’s NSX occupies a singular plane. While Nissan, Toyota and Mazda built GT-Rs, twin-turbo Supras and rotaries with endless potential for power, Honda built a car that did not need to be modified at all. It was simply great. Everyone has a favorite story, trivia fact or sighting for the NSX.

What made the NSX so special?

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 dream touge build?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged Question of the Week. QotW | 21 Comments

EVENTS: Petersen Museum Japanese Car Cruise-In

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Ben Hsu

There are many things to hate about Los Angeles, but its car culture isn’t one of them. As the trendsetting capital of the custom automobile, it holds the motorcar in such high regard that there’s a shrine to it located smack dab in the middle of the city. Located at the corner of the famed avenues of Wilshire and Fairfax, the Petersen Museum is featured just as prominently as galleries of art, natural history, and architecture along what’s known as “Museum Row.” And recently, the Petersen hosted its second-ever event dedicated to Japanese cars. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 1uz, 200sx, 240z, 280zx, 2jz, 300zx, 370z, 510, 610, a20, a60, acura, ae86, AeroCabin, bluebird, boyd coddington, c10, celica, civic, corolla, corona, cressida, crx, daruma, datsun, dc2, e30, ef, fr-s, gt-r, Hakosuka, honda, integra, luce, maxima, mazda, Mazda 1200 Pickup, miata, mx-5, ND, nissan, patrol, Petersen Museum, plymouth, prelude, r100, r130, r32, r33, r34, rx-3, rx-7, s12, s130, s30, sa22, scion, Sienna SE, skyline, soarer, Sportstar, supra, t80, U11, Valiant, wagons, x70, z20, z32 | 18 Comments

MOTORSPORT: Nissan GT-R NISMO LM gets retro livery

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Ben Hsu

One heritage car may be dead, but another lives on, sort of. Since its US debut at the Chicago Auto Show we’ve been immensely curious about the front-wheel-drive Nissan GT-R NISMO LM. And no, that is not a typo. The car with which Nissan intends to challenge the toughest enduro in the world is indeed front-wheel-drive. And now they’ve revealed its new livery, a throwback to Nissan’s 1990 Le Mans prizefighter, the R90C. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged GT-R NISMO LM, le mans, NISMO, nissan, R90C | 8 Comments

VIDEO: Honda origin story in manga form

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Dan Hsu

In 1946 Soichiro Honda began strapping surplus WW2 generators to bicycles to create the first Honda motorcycles. In a new series of videos issued by Honda Japan, excerpts of the Honda origin story come to life in videos narrated in English and Japanese. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged f1, honda, ra272, soichiro honda, Video | 8 Comments

VIDEO: Motorcycle-powered hot rod Honda S600

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Dan Hsu

Talk about a dream touge build. Back in 2007, my brother from the same mother Ben and I were freezing our arses off in a drafty Nagasaki apartment dreaming about insane Japanese hot rods that we wanted to build. None was nuttier than a Honda S-chassis with a liter-bike engine. Why? Because at the time decrepit S600 shells were plentiful and worth nothing on eBay, we believed in only same-marque engine swaps, and we wanted above all to keep the spirit of S600 in tact. Of course, the unholy trinity of funds, space and time (or lack thereof) prevented it from happening. Fortunately Matt Brown made no such lame excuses and did this exact thing. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged honda, jay leno, S500/S600/S800, Video | 12 Comments

NEWS: RWD Nissan IDx will not see production, may be AWD

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Ben Hsu

The news is out: The Nissan IDx is dead. This sad revelation is being reported after The Truth About Cars talked to Pierre Loing, VP of Product Planning at Nissan North America.We at JNC can confirm we’ve been hearing rumors about the IDx being stillborn from Nissan engineers as early as August 2014. TTAC says that the IDx concept’s styling may live on in a small, front-wheel-drive coupe, but we’ve heard that from Nissan that there’s is a chance it will come to market on an AWD platform. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged 510, Blubird, datsun, IDx, nissan | 53 Comments

QotW: What’s your dream touge build?

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Touge. It’s the reason Japanese sport coupes adhere to the doctrine of lightweight, high-revving philosophy. 73 percent of Japan’s landmass is mountainous, and the touge roads are where a uniquely Japanese form of hoonage was born. So, if you live in a country where the best roads snake like ramen noodles over drastic elevation changes, you’re going to want to drive a certain type of car.

What’s your dream touge build?

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 ultimate Toyota-Mazda combo?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW, Question of the Week, touge | 33 Comments

EVENTS: Showa Car Preservation Meeting

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Ken Lee

The Old Car Club of Tokyo recently held it’s 3rd annual Showa no Kurma wo Mamoru Tsudoi or “Preserving cars made in the Showa Era” meeting. This is a gathering for cars made during the Showa Era, which ended in 1989 according to the Japanese calendar and encompassed the Post-War, Golden and most of the Bubble Eras of Nihon automaking. In other words, all the best Japanese nostalgic cars. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 2000gt, a20, ae86, Austin A50, bellett, bosozoku, c10, c30, carina, carol, celica, civic, contessa, corolla, cosmo sport, crown, csp311, daihatsu, datsun, datsun 210, e20, fairlady roadster, fronte, gloria, Hakosuka, hino, honda, Honda N-Series, isuzu, kei, laurel, mazda, Mazda K360, midget, ms51, nissan, prince, s54, s600, Showa Car Preservation Meeting, silvia, skyline, skyline sport, soarer, subaru 360, suzuki, t2000 | 14 Comments

VIDEO: Mazda launches “Driving Matters” campaign

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Many automakers claim to sell cars that are fun-to-drive, but is there anyone walks that walk more than Mazda right now? Communicating that message to the unwashed masses, on the other hand, hasn’t always been easy. Thus, the Hiroshima company’s long-standing “Zoom-Zoom” catchphrase — practically nostalgic itself after 15 years in use — will now take a back seat to a new one: Driving Matters. To the enthusiast who is sick of committee-built cars it’s as much a tagline as it is a plea to the broader public. Continue reading →

Posted in cm | Tagged mazda, miata, Miata NA, Miata ND, mx-5 | 16 Comments

NIHON LIFE: Commuting above-ground

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Skorj

Living in Tokyo’s 23-ku has many benefits, and detractions too I suppose. However, one of my great pleasures is the early morning commute across town. Many years ago I decided to ditch the usual meek-gray-mouse-crammed-onto-the-Ginza Line experience for a motorcycle. Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged ae86, century, corolla levin, CrossCub, Hakosuka, honda, Lancer Evo 9, mitsubishi, nissan, s660, s800, skyline c10, SuperCub, toyota | 21 Comments

EVENTS: 1st Touge California, 2015

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Ben Hsu

This past Saturday a group of select cars and their drivers gathered in Thousand Oaks, California for the inaugural running of JNC‘s Touge California. Named for the hallowed Japanese roads where racing heroes honed their skills and where drifting was born, the event was a 120-mile touring rally through some of the nation’s most scenic and renowned driving roads, through the Santa Monica mountains and along the Pacific Coast. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 2000gt, 240z, 260z, 510, a20, accord, bluebird, c10, celica, century, corolla, corona, cosmo sport, crown, crx, datsun, fb, Hakosuka, honda, Luce Rotary Coupe, Malamut Museum, mazda, nissan, r130, rx-7, s30, skyline, sprinter trueno, t110, te27, Touge California, toyopet, toyota, toyota museum | 54 Comments

QotW: What’s the ultimate Toyota-Mazda combo?

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Last week we learned that Toyota and Mazda have become bedfellows. We don’t yet know what will come of the union, but let’s imagine for a second that anything goes and that a time machine is involved. A V8-powered Luce? A three-rotor 2000GT? An AE86 with a tiny 1.8L V6?

What’s the ultimate Toyota-Mazda combo?

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 dream Datsun 510 build?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW, Question of the Week | 18 Comments