A quarter century ago today, the Subaru Legacy went on sale in Japan. In Part 01, we studied its origins, but despite its humble family sedan appearance, Fuji Heavy Industries intended for the Legacy to go racing right from inception. This is a fitting place to discuss the origins of Subaru Technica International (STi) and how it relates to the Legacy. Continue reading
In Part 01, we headed up to Gifu to visit a shop called Standards, which had a mind-blowing amount of Showa goodies hidden in every nook and cranny. After going into Showa overload, Yokoyama-san, the owner, asked if we wanted to see his backup lot. Yes, please! So we hopped in his car and set off. Continue reading
1976’s Boso Panic: The Big Crash was your typical action movie from the era. All the gritty ingredients were there: bank robber anti-heroes, a femme fatale, gunfights, and loads upon loads of car chases. What sets it apart is the fact that it was filmed in Japan, and thus the car-nage consisted of the exact cars JNCers know and love today.
200 cars were used in the filming. Of those, 20 were incinerated and an additional 30 were crashed. Likely filmed with sponsorship from Toyota (many Japanese films of the period got cooperation from a major automaker if cars were involved in any way), meaning the rides that met their bitter ends included a Hilux, Stout, a parade of S40 Crown police cruisers, and the hero car, a gold MS51 Crown Hardtop. Continue reading
In the 27 years Chris Hoffman has owned his 1987 Honda CRX Si he’s seen his model of choice transform from econobox to tuner king to Japanese classic. Now his well-preserved car is also the subject of Petrolicious‘ latest video, titled “Original Fanboy.” As it happens, Chris is a friend of JNC and Honda owner in triplicate, who goes by “The Black CRX” around these parts. Watch his inspiring video below. Continue reading
So you have the most badass — and expensive — Japanese classic ever built. Why not take it to the track and mash on the pedals like they’ve got spiders pouring out of them? It’s exactly what one Japanese driver did with his then-not-quite-million-dollar Thunder Silver super-nostalgic, executing a couple of really nice slides in the process. This should slake the rabid cries from the “It’s meant to be driven!!!11!” crowd for about six minutes. Continue reading
Throughout 70s and 80s decal packages were a fact of life. Some were awesome, some were awesomely bad, but they were emblematic of the era.
What’s the coolest factory decal package?
We don’t know if it’s the greatest, but Mazda‘s 1977 RX-3 SP stripe kit was added to give the aging sport coupe a bit of zing before it was to be replaced by the game-changing RX-7. The decals and concomitant spoilers added nothing to the bottom line performance of the rotary housed within, but it is a sought after edition today and something unique to the North American market.
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 would you do with a Nissan IDx?” Continue reading
Standards is a little known shop hiding up in Gifu Prefecture. We would have never been aware of had it not been for some internet digging by a friend in a desperate bid to find some rare Mazda Carol 360 parts. Not only did the shop have the elusive bits in stock, but physically going there to pick them up was an experience we wouldn’t soon forget. Continue reading
The Gran Turismo series transformed the way an entire generation was introduced to cars. Among its game-changing achievements — ultra realism, actual manufacturer unveilings, developing world-class race drivers — is one very special triumph for JNCers. It was not only the first mainstream game to give Westerners a taste of the Japanese classics, it was the best. Continue reading
Twenty-five years ago today, Subaru announced a new model, the Legacy. It was a late entry in the mid-size sedan field, a class often marked by mundaneness in purpose and form. Nevertheless, Japanese carmakers occasionally injected into these cars doses of performance and techno-gadgetry. Examples include the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4, Mazda 626 GT, Nissan Bluebird SSS-R, and Honda Accord SiR.
However, such variants tended to be sporadic fits of passion, homologation specials, or technological showcases. By contrast, the subject of this article was plunged into a serious racing campaign at birth, got worked over by one of the most revered factory racing development organizations, and saw continuous high-performance development throughout its lifespan rarely enjoyed by its competitors. That car is the original Subaru Legacy. Continue reading
Mazda Cosmo Sports are rare already, but this particular specimen has the added provenance of being a show car. According to the seller, it was displayed at the Mazda booth at the 1968 Paris Auto Salon. Additionally, this is an export model and is badged a Mazda 110S rather than a Cosmo Sport. Continue reading
It’s auction season in Arizona, which means another round of stratospheric values for old cars. Last year FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser prices reached new heights, going as high as $88,000 for a blueprinted 1981 at Barrett-Jackson. Now a 1977 model as pushed that price past the six-figure mark with a sell price of $101,750. Continue reading
Now that a highly anticipated lightweight FR Nissan has been confirmed for production, the only question is:
What would you do with a Nissan IDx?
How about a replica of the Safari Rally winning 1970 Datsun 510 SSS? Extend the roof and make a neo-510 wagon? Keep it bone stock for posterity? Build a VQ drift machine? The possibilities are endless, especially when you have Adobe Photoshop. Show Nissan what dreams you’d like to follow in the production IDx.
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 ‘Class of 1989’ car would you import?” Continue reading
There are countless manga devoted to the subject of cars, but rarely do they leap off their comic book pages into the world of anime. Any self-respecting JNCer knows a few, but before Initial D or Wangan Midnight, before even Shakotan Boogie, there was Yoroshiku Mechadoc. Continue reading
A top Nissan exec has confirmed that the Nissan IDx will see production. As of yet it’s unknown which one of the two concepts, the IDx Freeflow or IDx NISMO, will get the green light. Continue reading
For the Honda purist, online searches are a form of self-flagellation. You’ll want to go all Oedipus on your eyeballs after witnessing what crimes the average shocker-rockin’ Civic owner perpetrates on Soichiro’s creations. But wade through enough garish paint jobs and pointless faux vents and you just might find a pristine, unmolested EF Si hatch. Continue reading
Remember how Nissan said the Sports Sedan Concept was going to redefine the marque’s future design language? They wasted no time and have already given the Nissan IDx, unveiled in Tokyo less than two months ago, a facelift for its North American debut. Continue reading
When the J30 Maxima debuted in 1989 Nissan employed a clever little bit of marketing by calling it the “4DSC,” or “four door sports car.” Now the automaker is invoking the spirit of Nissans past in it’s new Sport Sedan Concept, unveiled today at Detroit. Continue reading
Since the Supra’s departure from US shores in 1998, Toyotaku have been eagerly waiting for its return. Every year or so there’d be rumors about a new halo sports car for the Toyota brand, including the weeks leading up to this year’s Detroit Auto Show. The only difference was, this time the rumors were true. Behold, the Toyota FT-1 concept. Continue reading
It may seem like we just asked this question, but just because a car is the greatest graduate from the Class of 1989 doesn’t mean you want to own it. The doors have opened onto a whole new era of once-forbidden Japanese machinery now that 1989 is no longer under America’s ban on foreign cars younger than 25 years.
What “Class of 1989” car would you import?
Before the PT Cruiser, the New Beetle, or the neo-Mustang/Camaro/Challenger, there was the Nissan Pao. Along with its siblings the Figaro, Be-1 and S-Cargo, it was retro before retro was a thing. Built off a K10 March platform, the Pao embodied the cars one would’ve seen on post-war Japanese roads. Nothing fancy, just the basics — exposed hinges, sliding rear windows, and painted interior surfaces. Yeah, sure, it’s front-wheel-drive and has only a 1.0-liter four-cylinder for power, but it’s so darn cute. Besides, not all of us want our own Godzillas.
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 your 2014 automotive resolution?” Continue reading
When Toyota holds a car show in the middle of Tokyo’s equivalent of Central Park, people notice. In Part 01 of our Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival coverage we had the rare opportunity to see the best of Japan’s historic icons in their natural environment, wending their way through the bustling capital city. Once the route was completed, each car pulled into the heart of Meiji Jingu Park, attracting massive crowds of car fiends and weekend strollers alike. Continue reading
