It was an astounding show. This shot — taken from the safari rack on the roof of Isuzugeek Bart‘s Trooper, which he drove all the way down from Reno, Nevada — is just a small sampling. We’ll have more this week.
QotW: Which JNC model name should be revived?
History is littered with legendary nameplates that have ended in the scrapyard. We saw many of them at JCCS this weekend (coverage coming shortly), and it made us nostalgic for times when names like Silvia, Cressida and Prelude still existed.
Which JNC model name should be revived?
US automakers love recycling old names. Sometimes a re-born name is a hit (2008 Dodge Challenger). Sometimes it’s not (1978 Dodge Challenger). Toyota has a habit of using old chassis codes as new model names (FJ Cruiser, 86), Honda waited 30 years to bring back the S-Series, and Nissan revived the entire Datsun brand. However, we think the name Celica is a shoe-in for revival. It sounds good, has substantial recognition amongst the public, and would be perfect for a small, compact coupe.
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 rarest common car?“ Continue reading
MINICARS: 2015 Hot Wheels X JNC Datsun 240Z
For our last JCCS preview before the big show, here’s a new-for-2015 Hot Wheels Datsun 240Z. Once again we are proud to have the JNC inkan featured on the livery, right under the script “Datsun” logo on the fenders. Continue reading
REMINDER: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show
The 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show is just around the corner. this Saturday, September 27. It will be a very special occasion as the JCCS celebrates its 10th anniversary. As promised, there are some surprises in store, and here are a few.
Posted in events
Tagged japanese classic car show, jccs, JCCS 2014, john morton, jun imai, Len Higa, peter brock, Tom Matano
17 Comments
EVENTS: Monterey Historics, Part 05 — Sights & Sounds
The Monterey Historics car week is one of the world’s great automotive events, and 2014 was a milestone year for Japanese classics. After all, seminal Nihon steel made strong showings at auctions, iconic Japanese cars raced at Laguna Seca, and Japanese automakers even held news-making unveilings there. All of that, however was merely a blink-and-you-missed-it blip on the larger radar of the traditional classic world.
Though there’s a lot of non-Japanese content in this article, we think it’s important to show some of our younger readers the larger scope of what goes on at an event like the Monterey Historics and how the J-tin figures into the big picture. Continue reading
QotW: What’s the rarest common car?
There are some JNCs that you just don’t see, and it’s a mystery as to why. We’re not talking about kenmeri GT-Rs or Black Limited AE86s and the like. Those were never produced in large numbers or were special editions to begin with, so it’s no surprise you don’t see them that often. In fact, you’re more likely to see a Toyota 2000GT because it was rare to begin with. Some cars, no one ever thought to preserve.
What’s the rarest common car?
We remember a time when Datsun B210s were everywhere. The alphanumeric jumble of a name is so ingrained in American culture many non-JNCers default to, “Is that a B210?” when they see any Datsun that’s not a 240Z. Trucks, built to be workhorses or tackle harsh terrain, were often used up and discarded when they’d outlived their usefulness. Then there’s cars like Toyota’s post-barikan Corona, which ToMoCo positioned to be the Camry of its day. Now you rarely ever see them, even at shows like Toyotafest or JCCS.
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 commands the most respect?” Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Happy 30th Anniversary, NISMO
In September 1984 Nissan Motorsports was established in Omori, Tokyo. It’s been 30 years of top-level racing on an international stage under the NISMO banner and the company is celebrating. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged datsun, datsun 210, gt-r, le mans, NISMO, nissan, r32, skyline
9 Comments
EVENTS: Monterey Historics, Part 04 — Running a Datsun 240Z at the Rolex Motorsports Reunion
Today’s guest writer is Alvin Gogineni, a member of the Z Car Garage team that restored and worked as pit crew for Joel Anderson’s No. 49 IMSA Datsun 240Z at the Rolex Motorsports Reunion. —Ben
If it’s the smell of 110 octane, straight-piped exhausts and vintage wheel-to-wheel action you desire than look no further than the Rolex Motorsports Reunion, one of the keystone events of the week-long Monterey Historics. This is what it’s like to bring vintage Datsun 240Z to this the world-renowned event and run it.
Continue reading
MUSEUMS: The Petersen has a 130 Datsun Cedric in its Vault
So the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles apparently has a Nissan Cedric 130 Custom Six. What’s more, it’s is a LHD example badged as a Datsun, with black California license plates. Was this staple of Japanese streets circa 1965 actually meant for US import? Continue reading
Someone tell MOPAR fanboys what the BRE stripes are
We’ve begun to notice a weird trend recently. Mopar fanboys are up in arms about Nissan copying some racing stripes that belong to Dodge. Sure, Peter Brock may have designed the livery on his Datsun Sports 2000 roadsters in 1968, but the rich heritage of Dodge’s slanted parallel stripes can be traced all the way back to 2010. Continue reading
The most well preserved Datsun 720 pickup, ever
A couple of months ago Nissan threw a key party at an old ivy-covered mansion in the woods crammed full of taxidermied animals. But even better than some Eyes Wide Shut-type masquerade, they let attendees grab the keys to anything in their product lineup, including several items from the Heritage Collection. Continue reading
Posted in museums
Tagged 240z, 720, datsun, fairlady roadster, nissan, nissan heritage collection, s30
23 Comments
QotW: Which JNC commands the most respect?
Today is Respect for the Aged Day in Japan, so…
Which JNC commands the most respect?
With its racing provenance, menacing grille and the fact that its modern day successor eats supercars for breakfast, the Nissan KPGC10 GT-R seems like the obvious choice. Then again, few outside JNC enthusiast circles see it as more than an old Datsun.
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 winning comment regarding the news that JCCS is now screening entrants. Continue reading
MUSEUMS: Motoring Mysteries of the Far East
If you’re on the East Coast and looking for a place to get your JNC fix this weekend, may we recommend the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The museum has gathered a fantastic and diverse cross section of Japanese vehicles in an exhibit titled Motoring Mysteries of the Far East. If you can’t make it, our friend Brad DeSantis managed to snap some shots during his visit there. Continue reading
EVENTS: MX-5 Turns 25 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
If you just woke up from a coma, we have two things to tell you. First, welcome back. Second, Mazda made a new Miata. Everyone else in the world was bombarded with that knowledge a week ago with an inescapable global unveiling. That, however, was just the pre-game show to the main event: almost 2,000 Miatas descending like locusts on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Continue reading
VIDEO: Australia’s Nissan’s Motorsports History
Nissan’s racing exploits in Japan, the US and even Africa should be at least somewhat familiar to long-time JNC readers by now. However, the automaker was hugely influential in the motorsports history of Australia as well. R30 and R31 Skylines were manufactured locally, Nissan racing legend Masahiro Hasemi raced there, and it was the only country outside of Japan where the R32 GT-R was officially sold. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport, Video
Tagged australia, Bathurst, bluebird, george fury, masahiro hasemi, nissan, skyline
4 Comments
EVENTS: Monterey Historics, Part 03 — Motorsports Reunion
Perhaps the only thing more heavenly than hearing a cacophony of uncorked engines at full tear is actually witnessing a fleet of irreplaceable metal come screaming over the hills. The Rolex Motorsports Reunion is one of the highlights — possibly the highlight — of the Monterey Historics. Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 240sx, 240z, adam carolla, Bob Sharp Racing, c10, celica, datsun, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, fc3s, honda, imsa, mazda, Mazda 787, monterey historics, nissan, paul newman, porsche, Rolex Motorsports Reunion, rx-7, s13, s30, silvia, skyline, sports 800, Steve Millen, Tetsu Ikuzawa, toyota, z31, z32
23 Comments
EDITORIAL: JCCS now screening entrants. This is a good thing.
The 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show is less than three weeks away. It’ll be a milestone event as the JCCS reaches its 10th year in existence. We hope you can join us at the Queen Mary Park in Long Beach, California on September 27th. Doors open at 9am.
This landmark moment in the Japanese classic scene, however, does not come without controversy. This year, JCCS organizers have begun screening entrants, enforcing a long-standing rule that cars have to be up to a certain level of quality in order to be admitted into the show. Owners with cars that don’t meet that requirement are politely refunded the entrance fee and registration turned down. This has spawned some debate, but we at JNC say it’s a good thing. Continue reading
Hachimaru Hero ranks the top 80s Japanese cars
Hachimaru Hero (80s Hero) is the Bubble Decade’s counterpart to Nostalgic Hero. Both come from the same publisher but nowadays interest in 80s Japanese cars is picking up speed. Recently the magazine put out a reader survey asking for the top twenty domestic cars from the 80s. Here’s what they found. Continue reading
Posted in media
Tagged 430, 80s, a60, a70, ae86, aw11, cedric, city, f31, fairlady z, fc3s, gloria, Hachimaru Hero, honda, Infiniti M30, isuzu, leopard, mark II, mazda, miata, mitsubishi starion, mr2, mx-5, nissan, nsx, Piazza/Impulse, r30, r31, r32, rx-7, s130, skyline, soarer, supra, toyota, x70, z10, z20, z31
17 Comments
NEWS: This is the ND Mazda MX-5 Miata
At 6:00pm Pacific Time, Mazda unveiled the fourth-gen Mazda MX-5 Miata globally and simultaneously in Tokyo, Monterey, and Barcelona. After arriving at Cannery Row in Monterey, we were shuffled into a black, tinted-windows bus headed to an undisclosed location. We thought the unveil may take place at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, but the bus blew right past that. It was all rather ominous. Also, sadly, the bus was not a Mazda Parkway 26. Continue reading
INTERVIEW: Bob Hall talks Japanese nostalgics, the Miata, and how the Lotus Elan fits in
In light of the 25th anniversary of the Mazda Miata and the fact that the fourth-gen is just hours away from unveiling, here is an interview with Bob Hall.
It was probably appropriate that we met with Bob Hall at the Fair Oaks Pharmacy in Pasadena, California. A sign in the window of the 1950s soda fountain-turned-cafe advertises “Nostalgic Toys,” and we were sitting down with a man who conceived the most nostalgic toy in the automotive kingdom, the Mazda Miata. Not only that, he may have very well been the first American to do the whole JDM thing. Here’s what he had to say about the Miata, why the Lotus Elan is not as influential as everyone thinks, and his favorite JNCs. Continue reading
