Japanese Nostalgic Car

QotW: What’s the best shade of JNC orange?

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Ben Hsu

With fall among us (well, not all of us, as it is a balmy 100 degrees in Los Angeles in October), the leaves are changing. Therefore, it’s time we ask:

What’s the best shade of JNC orange?

Japanese cars have always made great use of autumn hues, especially orange. For sports models ranging from the TE27 to the Z432, it was the hero color. Anecdotally, we’ve encountered more bone stock Datsun 240Zs finished in New Sight Orange than any other shade. Tragically, its a tone not seen on new cars any more.

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 model name should be revived?” Continue reading →

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

JNC “25 Year Club” Decal now available

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Ben Hsu

UPDATE: These are now available in the JNC Shop. We at JNC like to come up with something new each year for JCCS, and this year we’re proud to introduce a new, interactive decal. The JNC “25 Year Club” decal honors cars that have passed that magical quarter-century mark to become official Japanese nostalgic cars. Continue reading →

Posted in JNC Apparel | Tagged 25 Year Club, daruma, JNC Decals | 33 Comments

VIDEO: This is what a Toyota car show looked like 30 years ago

Posted on October 3, 2014 by Matt De Mangos

30 years ago in Japan, a Toyota Sports Car Meeting was held. As you can see from the Zapruder-quality footage, it was a pretty significant affair: 1600GTs, 2000GTs, and Sports 800s of every color imaginable. According to yumejizo, who apparently filmed the event in 8mm, cars from all over the country attended. Think about this: when this event was held, the AE86 had just come out. What a difference 30 years makes. Watch the video below. Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged 1600gt, 2000gt, corona, sports 800, toyota | 14 Comments

EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — Debut Builds

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Ben Hsu

With the Japanese Classic Car Show now officially 10 years old, it has become an event where people will wait to debut a build they’ve been working on in secrecy for years. Here are some of the best examples of cars that have either never before been seen or have been significantly reworked for a JCCS debut. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 510, accord, bre, c10, c110, CA1, corona mark II, fairlady z, gto, Hakosuka, honda, japanese classic car show, jccs, john morton, kenmeri, mitsubishi, n-series, nissan, peter brock, s30, skyline, wagons, x20 | 26 Comments

50 YEAR CLUB: Half a century of the Shinkansen bullet train

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Dave Yuan

Don’t worry, you’re at the right place. As JNC fans, sometimes we find ourselves fascinated by various vintage Japanese machines and the Shinkansen, or bullet train, is perhaps the most historically and culturally significant. The image of sleek white arrow piercing the landscape with a snow-capped Mt. Fuji in the background is a veritable Japanese icon, and on this very day 50 years ago — October 1, 1964 — the famous train took its maiden voyage. Today, we take a look at the Shinkansen, especially the original “0 Series” model. It has more than four wheels and doesn’t fit in your garage, but it’s a true Japanese classic. Continue reading →

Posted in 50 Year Club, Japanese Nostalgic Train | Tagged 50 Year Club, Bullet Train, shinkansen | 16 Comments

Mazda’s founder escaped Hiroshima nuke by a hair

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Ben Hsu

If it weren’t for the way a split second unfolded on the morning of August 6, 1945, some of the world’s greatest cars, like the Cosmo Sport, RX-7 and Miata, may have never existed. That was the day Mazda Motor Corporation’s founder, Jujiro Matsuda, narrowly escaped being vaporized by an atomic bomb. Continue reading →

Posted in History Lesson | Tagged hiroshima, Jujiro Matsuda, mazda | 5 Comments

2014 JCCS, a hint of what’s to come

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Ben Hsu

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.

Posted in events | Tagged japanese classic car show, jccs | 9 Comments

QotW: Which JNC model name should be revived?

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW, Question of the Week | 35 Comments

MINICARS: 2015 Hot Wheels X JNC Datsun 240Z

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Ricky Silverio

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 →

Posted in minicars | Tagged 240z, datsun, hot wheels, nissan, Philippines, s30 | 10 Comments

REMINDER: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Dan Hsu

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.

Continue reading →

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

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in events | Tagged 510, acura, bre, c10, Crafted Line, datsun, ft-1, gt-r, honda, infinit, jay leno, lexus, Lexus LS, Lexus LX, lexus sc, monterey historics, nissan, nsx, Q50 Eau Rouge, QX80, Riken, sienna, skyline, soarer, toyota, Z360/Z600 | 14 Comments

QotW: What’s the rarest common car?

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged prince, Prince Royal, QotW, Question of the Week | 34 Comments

MOTORSPORT: Happy 30th Anniversary, NISMO

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Ben Hsu

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

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Guest Writer

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 →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged 240z, datsun, imsa, monterey historics, nissan, s30 | 6 Comments

MUSEUMS: The Petersen has a 130 Datsun Cedric in its Vault

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in museums | Tagged cedric, cedric 130, datsun, nissan | 21 Comments

Someone tell MOPAR fanboys what the BRE stripes are

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bre, datsun, nissan | 18 Comments

The most well preserved Datsun 720 pickup, ever

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Ben Hsu

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?

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged jccs, QotW, Question of the Week | 28 Comments

MUSEUMS: Motoring Mysteries of the Far East

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in museums | Tagged 240z, accord, cedric, civic, crown, datsun, honda, jimny, lj20, museums, nissan, pre-war, s30, sambar, sports 800, subaru, suzuki, toyota | 6 Comments

EVENTS: MX-5 Turns 25 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Dave Yuan

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 →

Posted in events | Tagged Laguna Seca, mazda, miata, mx-5 | 13 Comments