VIDEO: Japanese Nostalgia by Landin Williams

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Ben Hsu

Japanese Nostalgica by Landin Williams

Our friend Ralph Constantino has a terrific collection of classic Japanese cars: a TE27 Sprinter, a couple of AE86s, and MR2 and some pre-Evo Mitsubishi Lancers. Basically, all the cars that many Filipinos grew up with back in the home country. He prides himself on keeping his car true to their original spec or with only period-correct mods. We actually photographed his fleet, but before we could share them with you the camera and laptop, along with the photos, were stolen. Luckily, Ralph’s story can still be heard thanks to filmmaker Landin Williams. Watch the video, appropriately titled “Japanese Nostalgia,” below Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels X JNC Mitsubishi Starion/Chrysler Conquest

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Justin Principe

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StarQuest fans rejoice, as we at JNC are proud to announce the newest Hot Wheels to don our trademark inkan — the Chrysler Conquest! Our lips have been sealed shut for months, however with its imminent release to the pegs, we felt that it is time to break our silence. Continue reading →

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QotW: What’s the most insane luxury feature on a JNC?

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Kevin San

Toyota Century Pass-Through Seat

Japan’s culture had always put a high priority on service, but along with new technologies came novel ways for automakers to provide some truly crazy luxury experiences for their customers. Therefore we ask:

What’s the most insane luxury feature?

Heaps of things come to mind, like the flip-down portal in the front passenger seatback of a Toyota Century (so you can extend your legs and rest your feet up there), the Mitsubishi Debonair’s height adjustable suspension, or Honda’s 1981 navigation system. DR30 Skylines had some sort of lane guidance thing, the Mark II/Cressida had an entire auxiliary stereo control module located about 8 inches closer to the driver than the actual stereo, and the Nissan President had anti-lock brakes in 1971. And that’s not even counting the cars with build-in fridges.

What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a toy. Click through to see the winner of the last QotW, “Which JNC has the greatest grille?”  Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2014 Nostalgic2Days, Part 03

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Brandon Kelley

260-BK4902_Nissan Skyline C10 hakosuka

Part 03 of our 2014 Nos2Days coverage comes from a new contributor, Brandon Kelley, a resident of Tokyo. He met up with David, who supplied Parts 01 and 02, after a 45-minute train ride to Yokohama. The two of them toured the event to bring you these photos and report.  — Ben

Walking into the main hall, there is a blast of metallic lead paint and a strong smell of yesteryear. Yes, once again, the Yokohama’s Pacifico Convention Center has been stuffed with classic J-tin, many of which see the day of light once, and only once, a year. There’s a mix of cars ranging from garage queens restored with nothing but the best new old stock to humble badges long forgotten by their makers.  Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2014 Nostalgic2Days, Part 02

Posted on March 27, 2014 by David Lovett

232-DL0603_Nissan Fairlady Roadster

Welcome to Part 02 of our Nostalgic2Days coverage, as we make our way across the Pacifico Convention Center on Yokohama’s historic waterfront. In this installment we’ll see the displays kyuusha tuning houses, some of the famous cars that have graced Nostalgic Hero magazine, and classic Nissans from the automaker’s own collection. Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2014 Nostalgic2Days, Part 01

Posted on March 26, 2014 by David Lovett

110-BK4755_Toyota Celica A20 Liftback

Every year Nostalgic Hero magazine holds one of the very best classic car shows in all the lands, Nostalgic2Days. This is the sixth time they’ve held the event and for the past 4 years I’ve made the pilgrimage to Yokohama what classics Japan has to offer.  Continue reading →

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KEI HERO: Remembering the Suzuki Fronte Coupe

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Dave Yuan

Suzuki Fronte Coupe 01

Can you name a rear-engined Japanese sports GT with Italian styling and specific output of over 100PS/L? Such a car was real, and it came from Suzuki.

Suzuki is a marque with rather divergent reputations in the US versus Japan. Ask an average American their perception of a Suzuki car, you’d likely get a blank or even negative response (motorcycles are a different story). In Japan, Suzuki is a prolific automaker, purveyor of clever and high-quality vehicles like the Swift, Wagon R, and Jimny. All of these are marked by compact or diminutive size, making Suzuki an expert at producing mini cars. Fittingly, Suzuki is one of the originators of the kei sports car, its storied Cappuccino and Cara/AZ-1 among the most distinctive examples ever made. The subject of this post is an ancestor to these sportsters: the Fronte Coupe.  Continue reading →

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QotW: Which JNC has the greatest grille?

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Ben Hsu

nos2days30-5970_PrinceClipper

Grilles. They provide airflow, set one model apart from another, and can even form become the corporate identity of a brand. Japan has produced some truly outrageous grilles in its time, so therefore we ask:

QotW: Which JNC has the greatest grille?

Instead of a large rectangle like most trucks, the Prince Clipper’s designers bestowed it with two ovals, the same size and shape as the headlight bezels, and fitted asymmetrical crosshairs in each one. The result is a bizarre Iron Giant visage that’s instantly recognizable.

What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a toy. Click through to see the winner of the last QotW, “What’s the best shade of JNC green?”  Continue reading →

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BOOK CLUB: Datsun 280ZX, by Nissan Motor Corp

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Dave Yuan

Datsun 280ZX book cover

I purchase books fairly infrequently thanks to libraries. Automotive books are the exception. Information in high-quality books on cars tend to be less immortal than, say, the words of Shakespeare. Sales and circulation tend to be limited, and photos and schematics make digitizing more difficult. Thus, automotive enthusiasts who are so inclined may feel the need to collect such books. In these occasional book reviews, my hope is to share interesting and valuable books that you might enjoy reading and perhaps owning.

A category of automotive literature that I particularly love is the development story. Many car books have sections on or at least elements of this, but there are certain Japanese models that have had entire titles dedicated to chronicling their behind-the-scene creation stories to painstaking detail. The subject of this post, Datsun 280ZX, focuses on the iconic S130.  Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Custom 1:18 Models by Yordy Kolner

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Guest Writer

Yordy Kolner 1-18 Nissan Fairlady 240ZG 02

Today’s guest writer is Yordy Kolner, who hails from the Netherlands and, like Luis Aguilar, builds custom scale models of his favorite Japanese cars. However, Yordy starts with 1:18 scale cars made of diecast metal. Here’s his story in his own words. —Ricky

I got into Japanese cars because I always had a thing for Japan, and when I saw a video of AE86s drifting with mismatched wheels I fell in love with these cars, and I thought the drivers also looked so cool.  Continue reading →

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AUTO SHOWS: JNCs at the Chicago Auto Show, 1959-1989

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Matt De Mangos

1986 Chicago Auto Show Nissan

The Chicago Auto Show first began in 1901 and calls itself the largest auto show in North America. They have an incredible photo archive spanning the decades, many of which include JNCs. Until someone invents a time machine, this is the closest many of us will get to experiencing what it was like to encounter these cars when they were still new.  Continue reading →

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ART CORNER: Sunny Vol. 1 & 2 by Taiyo Matsumoto

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Ben Hsu

Taiyo Matsumoto Datsun Sunny 01

The 2013 Cartoonist Studio Prize has been awarded to Taiyo Matsumoto for his works Sunny Vol. 1 and Sunny Vol. 2, about a group of kids living at a Japanese orphanage. At first we thought Sunny was the name of one of the characters, but to our pleasant surprise, it is indeed referring to an old Nissan Sunny 1200.  Continue reading →

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

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Ben Hsu

Datsun 280ZX Midori Green
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we celebrate the color green, aka midori in Japanese. It was prevalent in the golden age of JNCs, from drab military olives to citrusy limes.

What’s the best shade of JNC green?

In 1983 Suntory Brewery’s Midori Melon liqueur sponsored a contest in which the grand prize was a brand new Datsun 280ZX, slathered in a bespoke shade of green. As far as we know there was only one like it, making it quite possibly the rarest S130 color there is.

What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a toy. Click through to see the winner of the last QotW, “Which JNC are you never sellin’?”  Continue reading →

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BACK ROADS: Remebering the Honda City

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Dave Yuan

Honda City 02

As long-time Honda enthusiasts, it is hard nowadays not to marvel at the many creative and awesome machines that bore the iconic “H” during the 1980s. One of our favorites from those days is the Honda City. An unassuming econobox it may seem, but the little Honda is actually chock full of charisma and historical significance. Over the last few years, there’s been increasing recognition and appreciation for this car in the US, so perhaps the time is ripe for another article about this bona fide JNC.  Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels X JNC Datsun 620, now in red

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Ricky Silverio

Hot Wheels Datsun 620 red JNC 02

We at JNC are proud to present the latest Hot Wheels car to bear our inkan logo. The red Datsun 620 is the third recolor of a casting so popular some has built a life-size replica of it. This was actually leaked a while ago, so it’s safe to show you our samples fresh off the assembly line. Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Circumnavigating North America in a Datsun Roadster

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Justin Principe

How should one traverse the continent of North America, spanning 37,850 miles, and have the most unadulterated and visceral driving experience? Do it in a Datsun. Or better yet, do it like Scott Fisher in his 1967 Datsun Sports 1600, in this latest video by Petrolicious.  Continue reading →

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ART CORNER: The custom 1:24 models of Luis Aguilar, Part 02

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Guest Writer

Luis Aguilar_Revell Datsun 510 04

We met Luis Aguilar at a local AE86 owner gathering and immediately had our brains melted by his astounding 1:24 scale plastic models. It wasn’t just his tremendous attention to detail that caught our eye, but his highly accurate adherence to Japanese customizing styles. We’ll let Luis tell you about his cars in his own words. This is Part 02 of his story. — Ben

In scale form I have many kits of all makes and models: American hot rods, muscle cars, some Euros as well, but with Japanese cars being the majority of my collection. Most of my kits are 1:24 or 1:25 scale, but I have a few 1:12 and the more rare 1:16 and 1:20 scale kits too. I cannot say that I am influenced by just one style for my builds. It’s a mixture of a lot styles — kyuusha-kai, shakotan, bosozoku, drift and a bit of the performance side as well. I tend to throw in a bit of all that I like.  Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the Nissan IDx NISMO

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Justin Principe

JaylenogarageIDXNismo1

Nissan has been parading their IDx concept cars all over SoCal recently, and this weekend they ended up in the garage of car enthusiast and comedian Jay Leno.

Tonight Show prop master Greg Elliot joins the show once again with his restomod Voodoo Blue 510. Accompanying him is Nissan Creative Design Manager Giovanny Arroba and the head-turning, charismatic Nissan IDx NISMO Concept.  Continue reading →

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QotW: Which JNC are you never sellin’?

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Ben Hsu

14 Alfred Morris 1991 Mazda 626

Maybe it’s your first. Maybe it’s got some uber-rare option combo. Maybe you put your blood, sweat and tears into building it exactly way you want it. It might note even be that special to anyone else but you, but you’re keeping it forever anyway.

Which JNC are you never sellin’?

Look at the story of Alfred Morris. He kept and restored his beloved Mazda 626 5-speed, even though he earned $2.2 million with his NFL contract last year. How many JNC readers would do the same in his situation?

What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a toy. Click through to see the winner of the last QotW, “What’s the best JNC for a new driver?”  Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Red Line Club Carroll Shelby Toyota 2000GT

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Ricky Silverio

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Um, you might want to join the Hot Wheels Red Line Club this year. It was announced today that one of the club exclusives this year will be none other than the SCCA Toyota 2000GT campaigned by Carroll Shelby. Last year Mattel introduced a BRE Datsun 510, which sold out in two hours, leaving many collectors out in the cold. Continue reading →

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