If you need another excuse to visit Japan, Honda announced today that the Honda Collection Hall will reopen March 1, 2024. One of the great car museums of Japan, the three-story building has been closed for renovations since the beginning of December. The extensive, three-month renewal has arranged exhibits to tell the story from Honda’s founding days to present so visitors can experience the monumental challenges the company faced and see how it overcame them. Continue reading
Mazda’s chocolate classics are the perfect Valentine’s Day gift
It’s Valentine’s Day, and this year a set of chocolates by Mazda has suddenly jumped into the top spot for our most wanted present list. The company has created a set of eight delicious looking chocolate bars, each with a differently historic car drawn on it in great detail. Continue reading
Posted in Holidays
Tagged 3-wheeler, 787b, cosmo sport, familia, mazda, Mazda Type DA, r360
3 Comments
Enkei Dish II brings back old school style for newer vehicles
The original Enkei Dish was an old school slot mag-style wheel sized for Japanese cars. They were released way back in 1968, and has been revived in several permutations since. On February 8 Enkei announced that they’re back again under the name Enkei Dish II. Continue reading
QotW: For which post-1980 JNC is zenki better than kouki?
Conventional wisdom states that newer is better but we all know that’s not true, especially when it comes to cars. There are some in which the pre-facelift (zenki) is preferred over the post-facelift (kouki). We’re limiting this question to 1980 and newer Japanese automobiles, because it would be all too easy to pick the thin-bumpered versions of earlier cars. Also, 1980 was the year when carmakers began to establish a rhythm of 4-year redesign cycles with a mid-model change at year two.
For which post-1980 JNC is zenki better than kouki?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC should be made into a Lego set?“. Continue reading
Happy Year of the Dragon from JNC
Today, February 10, is the Lunar New Year, and that means it’s officially the Year of the Dragon. The A20 Toyota Celica is the car that represents this mythical beast. For a creature that is so prominent in Asian culture, it’s surprising there aren’t more dragon references in the automotive realm, but the Celica might just be the perfect car for this logo. Continue reading
The Mazda MX-5 Miata turns 35 today
On February 9, 1989 one of the most influential cars of the 20th Century was unveiled: The Mazda MX-5 Miata. It was shown to the world at the Chicago Auto Show and kicked off a roadster renaissance, inspiring BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Honda, and Nissan to create 2-seater convertibles of their own. Even after 35 years, the Miata is still the most affordable and accessible gateway to get into driving as pleasure. Continue reading
Kawasaki Ninja’s 40th anniversary colors are awesomely retro
Real ninja, the silent assassins of feudal Japan, date back to the 15th century. The iconic Kawasaki Ninja, however, turns 40 years old this year. The moniker debuted in 1984 as a rebranding of the GPZ900R, a groundbreaking sportbike that held the record for the fastest production motorcycle for four years (until 1988). To celebrate four decades of the Ninja, Kawasaki is releasing its newest Ninjas in super rad retro livery. Continue reading
Toyotafest 2024 date and location announced
Public Service Announcement: Toyotafest 2024 will be held at the Marina Green in Long Beach, Calif. on Saturday, June 8, 2024. This will mark the 28th annual All-Toyotafest, which welcomes Toyota, Lexus, Scion, and Toyopet vehicles. Vendor registration is already open, and registration for show cars will open in the spring. It’s a good a time as any to mark your calendars.
Posted in events
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Happy TE27 Day from JNC
The great-grandfather to the AE86, the Toyota TE27 still isn’t that well known among car collector circles. We spotted this one in with glorious glass-smooth paint in the parking lot outside the Tokyo Nostalgic Car Show in 2010. A VW Bus towers over the lowered Corolla Levin. However, this year Hot Wheels is coming out with a diecast version of it, something we’ve been advocating since the Jun Imai days. But nowadays Hot Wheels is an incredibly influential brand, with collectors that aren’t even traditional real car enthusiasts. It’s likely that after this year, TE27s will be much more on collectors’ radar. Happy TE27 Day from JNC.
Posted in Holidays
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Volk Racing TE37V celebrates 10th anniversary with exclusive finishes
It’s hard to believe, but the Volk Racing TE37V is at least a decade old. The wheel was developed by Rays to merge the iconic TE37 6-spoke with fitments for old school cars with smaller diameters and low offsets. To honor 10 years of the TE37V, Rays is offering the appropriately named Volk Racing TE37V 10th Anniversary Edition, featuring new finishes and colors. Continue reading
QotW: What JNC should be made into a Lego set?
Lego are insanely popular right now, but there isn’t much in the way of JNCs. They have licenses from Nissan, Toyota, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and maybe Honda, but they barely do anything with them. There’s a lot of potential in those catalogs. We’re pretty certain a nice Datsun 240Z or Toyota FJ40 made of plastic bricks would sell quite well, and be a welcome alternative to yet another supercar. We’ve explored what creative fans can make, and Lego does sometimes adopt individual-built works into actual kits.
What JNC should be made into a Lego set?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “If you could magically merge the body of one car with the hardware of another, what would you choose?“. Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
12 Comments
Lego McLaren-Honda MP4/4 Formula One race car debuts this spring
Lego has announced a new large-scale kit paying homage to the legendary McLaren-Honda MP4/4. One of the winningest race cars in Formula One history, the car kicked off the McLaren-Honda team’s storied 4-year F1 Constructor’s Championship winning streak, which lasted from 1988 to 1991. Soon, it will be possible to recreate this historic machine out of 693 tiny plastic bricks. Continue reading
Mazda CX-70: When less should be more, but isn’t
We have a wad of money, ready to fork over to Mazda, yet they seem dead set on refusing it. The Mazda CX-70 was supposed to be our next family car, but after seeing it in person we aren’t so sure. It left us bewildered at the the decisions being made in Hiroshima. Everyone expected the CX-70 to be a smaller, lighter, CX-90. It’s not. Instead, it’s essentially a CX-90 with the third row taken out. That’s it. Continue reading
O.G. Nissan Skyline GT-Rs go for a relaxing afternoon drive
There isn’t much to this video, just a couple of O.G. Skyline GT-Rs at the track. Nissan calls the video a relaxing afternoon drive and the pace certainly appears leisurely. But pristine specimens of S20s on steelies snaking through bends in golden hour sun is a feast for the eyes. Continue reading
Watch a Toyota 85C Le Mans racer take on a touge road
The Toyota 85C was built for flying down the Mulsanne straight at 180 mph, not for slinging around winding roads in the Japanese mountains. The wild, 500-horsepower prototype is a rolling aero wedge. But there’s something exhilarating in watching a professional drifter pilot Toyota’s first Le Mans finisher up a tree-lined touge in Japan. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 24 Hours of Le Mans, 85C, advan, JSPC, Maniwa Speed Festival, Nob Taniguchi, porsche, Porsche 962, toyota
3 Comments
QotW: If you could magically merge the body of one car with the hardware of another, what would you choose?
One of the coolest things about the FJ40/J70 Franken-Cruiser from the Tokyo Auto Salon was how it looked. It was indistinguishable from a classic FJ40 to all but the most dedicated Land Cruiser enthusiasts. Yet it rode on a modern (well, as modern as a J70 can be) chassis and drivetrain. What other cars can you combine to create your ultimate dream machine? In the real world you’d have wheelbase and packaging issues, but let’s pretend those can be solved by magic. Your Nissan Figaro will look exactly the same as its factory counterpart but will drive like a GT-R.
If you could magically merge the body of one car with the hardware of another, what would you choose?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC is perfect for any occasion?“. Continue reading
Mazda Familia Van with rotary engine swap shines at Tokyo Auto Salon
The RE Amemiya booth at the Tokyo Auto Salon always gathers a special display of rotary-powered cars. The legendary Mazda tuner typically has a fleet of heavily modified RX-7s and RX-8s to display with one old school Hiroshima sled thrown in. This year that came in the form of a 1979 Mazda Familia Van, known in the US as a GLC Wagon, with a rotary engine swap. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged familia, mazda, re amemiya, rotary engine, tokyo auto salon, wagons
3 Comments
Why Toyota had a used Suzuki Jimny at its Tokyo Auto Salon booth
The main stage at Toyota’s 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon booth is a strange place to find a Suzuki. Or a Yamaha. But this year Toyota surprised attendees with a showcase of seemingly unrelated cars. In lieu of a formal press conference, Toyota instead chose to offer New Year Greetings from “Morizo” the racing alter ego of retired president Akio Toyoda, who used the opportunity to display some of his favorite cars. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged akio toyoda, Century SUV, GR Corolla, iQ, jimny, suzuki, toyota, yamaha
1 Comment
Restored S13 Silvia, Nissan Bluebird Cube, Toyota S-FR roadster: Incredible creations by Japan’s tech school students
NATS always has a big presence at the Tokyo Auto Salon but it’s not the only school with cars to display. There are many technical colleges across Japan that all get to display their projects at the country’s biggest custom car show. The projects range from serious to seriously wacky, but here are some of our other favorites from 2024. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged bluebird, Bluebird 410/411, cube, datsun roadster, mazda, Miata NC, nissan, S-FR, silvia, tokyo auto salon, toyota, Z12
5 Comments
An FJ40 on a J70 chassis kicks off Toyota’s Land Cruiser customization business
If you have an old Land Cruiser there is probably no better place to get it customized than Toyota itself. At the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon what appeared to be a yellow FJ40 was displayed, but it was no ordinary Land Cruiser. The FJ40 body was mated to a J70 chassis, and it was there to promote a semi-official customization shop run by Toyota. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged J40, J70, land cruiser, tokyo auto salon, toyota, Toyota Auto Body
1 Comment
