We at JNC are proud to share the latest Hot Wheels release to bear our inkan logo. A couple weeks ago the third official color of the popular Hot Wheels 1970 Toyota Celica arrived at the JNC office, but as usual we took a blood oath of secrecy not to reveal it ahead of Mattel’s release schedule. Then the Lamley Group obtained leaked images, so here are our official pics. Continue reading
A couple months ago we had a beer with Nissan’s Shiro Nakamura. He’s a man with a long title, namely, Senior Vice President, Chief Creative Officer, Design and Branding. In other words, he’s the Don Draper of Nissan.
Nakamura-san oversees the visual language that distinguishes Nissans and Infinitis in a crowded marketplace. He defines the concrete answers to nebulous questions such as, “What feeling should one get when thinking of Infiniti?” Horsepower and crash tests are science. Nakamura deals with art. We sat down with him at the Pelican Hill Resort’s poolside bar during Nissan 360, and over a some bottles of Stellas we discussed Japanese auto design, his favorite nostalgic cars, and what’s coming down the road for Nissan. Continue reading
The Mitsubishi world recently lost one of its greats. In 1974 Joginder Singh, behind the wheel of a Lancer GSR 1600, brought the Triple Diamond Syndicate its first major international rally victory by winning the Safari Rally. Then he did it again in 1976.
The murderous, 6000km race over the unpaved wilds of East Africa was unofficially called the “car breaker” and Singh’s wins helped establish the Lancer’s reputation on that continent as the King of Cars. Continue reading
So it’s Friday evening and your local old school Japanese meet is about to begin. But your sweet, chrome-bumpered ride is still on jack stands and has no hope of being finished in time. Gotta hop in the daily.
What modern car would be acceptable at a JNC meet?
They’re few and far between, but there does exist a few modern machines that you can show up in while holding your head up high. A 2002 Monte Carlo? Better park a mile away. Oh wait, you have the Intimidator Edition? Make that two miles. We have a Ford Escape in the fleet that’s so beat up we’d rather walk. Our photographer Dan needed a practical car that wouldn’t make clients and women flee in revulsion and could haul a mess of camera gear, so he chose a Lexus IS 300 SportCross. It’s stylish, has a bulletproof 2JZ, and is at least somewhat rare. Plus, who doesn’t love wagons?
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 worst mod you’ve ever seen on a JNC?” Continue reading
The 2000GT marketwatch continues with car number 101, which is currently being offered for $995,000 in La Jolla, California. Although this example was originally a US-market model, it has the uniqueness of having lived in Japan for many years. Having been tuned, fiddled with and slightly personalized in the Japanese environment, it’s almost a true JDM 2000GT with LHD being the only difference. Continue reading
I don’t think I have ever seen a vintage Isuzu for sale with an asking price that exceeds $5,000 this comfortably. But in my opinion, it doesn’t get much better than this 1984 Isuzu Impulse with just under 34,000 miles. Continue reading
With 14 consecutive generations and counting, the Toyota Crown is the standard of Japanese sedans. In its 58 years of continuous production, it’s inhabited many guises — saloon, wagon, pickup, ambulance, and even police pursuit vehicle — but the most glamorous of them all is undoubtedly the two-door hardtop. Many of these cars would probably be forgotten, too, if it weren’t for our friends at Mooneyes, who nearly single-handedly started a Crown renaissance. Continue reading
One of the sacrifices we have to make to drive the cars we love is safety. And while old cars offer great visibility thanks to large greenhouses, that advantage is nullified at night when 30-year-old wiring and outdated bulb technology conspire to turn your touge run into a date with Dead Man’s Curve. Today we seek to remedy that with some Hella H4 conversion kits. Continue reading
The SSR Formula Mesh is one of the classics, a vintage barrel whose design looks fantastic on cars from nearly any era. The good news is Speed Star Racing is bringing them back. However, the catch is that they’ll only be available in 16 inch and 19 inch diameters. And then there’s the issue of lug patterns. Continue reading
It’s SEMA week, and you know what that means. Steel yourself for an onslaught of the craziest custom cars blasted at you by every media outlet on Earth. Had enough of Lambo doors? Rims taller than a barstool? Paints so loud you can use them as a form of sleep depravation torture? Well too bad, because it’s all coming at you whether you like it or not. Which brings us to the question:
What’s the worst mod you’ve ever seen on a JNC?
The most recent assault on our senses popped up a few weeks ago on that virtual pit of despair known as Craigslist. Though this… this Accorolla? Corollord? may look more finished than many actual AE86s out there, why anyone think it was cool to graft a CB7 Honda front end onto a Corolla GT-S, we cannot even fathom. But as bad as this is, it’s probably not even close to the worst.
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 car had the most entertaining celebrity spokesperson?” Continue reading
Honda‘s first passenger car went on sale in October 1963. That was 50 years ago, and the S-Series was a screamer. You know the story: While the rest of Japan’s burgeoning auto industry was assembling crude beasts of burden, Soichiro Honda was skipping right ahead and building one of Japan’s first true sports cars, using advanced technology that helped his humble company win the world championships of motorcycle racing. Continue reading
To all JNCers resurrecting creaky, decrepit, faded, and just plain old cars, we wish you a Happy Halloween.
Fasten your seatbelts, cause we’re about to enter super-ultra-otaku mode on the scintillating topic of Toyota windshield wipers. Along the way we discover that even when you buy Toyota parts from a Toyota dealer and it says Toyota on the packaging, it’s not always original.
Continue reading
No big deal, just your average 2JZ-powered X30 Cressida drifting on a closed road in Norway. This is Norwegian drifter Fredrik Sørlie preferred commute. Watch the video below. Continue reading
Peter Butler loves Nissans. The 92-year-old man from Somerset County in the UK has just bought his 32nd Nissan from the same dealer, where he’s been a customer for 41 years. Continue reading
Subaru has always been a quirky automaker, but the funkiest feature in a pantheon of funkiness has got to be the Passing Lamp. Basically, it’s a third headlight hidden in the center of the car’s grille. When closed, the light’s door looks just like any Subaru constellation logo. Flip a switch on the turn signal stalk and BAM — the door swings up to reveal a glorious beacon of Fuji Heavy radiance commanding the darkness retreat! Continue reading
Japanese automakers have been using celebrities to pitch their cars for decades, forcing them to declare nonsensical phrases, speak Japanese, kiss the product, or barely say anything at all. None of it was ever meant to be seen by western eyes. With the advent of the internet, these ads are just a mouse-click away and a source of non-stop entertainment. Therefore we ask:
Which car had the most entertaining celebrity spokesperson?
Sonny Chiba became an international martial arts star with 1974’s The Street Fighter, but before that he had already achieved quite a bit of fame in Japan. In 1970 Toyota hired him to hawk their latest ride, the A10 Carina. Younger American audiences probably remember Chiba as Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill or, more likely with the car crowd, the yakuza kingpin who settled beefs with drift battles in Tokyo Drift. Of course, having a Japanese star peddle a Japanese car somehow doesn’t seem as hilarious, so maybe it’s not actually the most entertaining.
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 most blasphemous engine swap?” Continue reading
Kidney anyone? Well, not quite, as I bet this pair of Isuzu Bellels can be had for a song. Wait, wait! Before all you Toyota and Nissan geeks shrug this one off as just another boring Isuzu no one wants, you should know that the Bellel was the first passenger car to carry the Isuzu name, after they built the Hillman Minx in the 1950s. It was also Japan’s first passenger car to run with a diesel powerplant. Continue reading
The last time we saw Electric Federal they were chatting with Brian Karasawa about his 1977 Celica Liftback. Now it’s time for some classic Honda love (of the two-wheeled variety).
Gasser Customs builds classic cafe racers like this Honda CB 350, nicknamed the Silver Bullet. Although its displacement is pretty tiny compared to modern sport bikes, it does what old Japanese steel does best — capitalize on its light weight to sling it through the corners. It’s a gorgeous piece of machinery and worth the watch. (PS. See if you can spot the random AE86 sighting in the video). Continue reading
Want to stand out from the crowd and express your love for retro 80s styling? Now’s your chance. This 1983 Datsun 720 4×4 pickup is beautifully unmolested, and at 30 years old, looks almost brand new save for some minor bed wear that proves it was used as intended. Continue reading
