Japanese Nostalgic Car

QotW: What’s the wildest Japanese concept car?

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Ben Hsu

We are headed to the Tokyo Motor Show tomorrow to cover Nissan’s new retro concept. The salon is known for bringing us design studies and techno-wizardry that could only have stemmed from a nation as obsessed with the future as Japan. So it seems like a good time to ask:

What’s the wildest Japanese concept car?

We’ll leave the real crazy to the comments, but we’ve always loved the bonkers 1970 Nissan 126X. Believe it or not, this wedge was a four seater GT, powered by a mid-engined 3.0 straight-six. There was absolutely no rearward visibility, so it had a rear-facing camera instead. Little did they know that 40 years later most cars would come with backup cameras, not because they’re so low slung, but because everyone’s driving SUVs.

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 modern car would be acceptable at a JNC meet?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged concept cars, QotW, Question of the Week | 19 Comments

Please donate to Typhoon Haiyan relief

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Justin Principe

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Philippines. Earlier this month, Typhoon Haiyan ravaged through the Leyte and Samar islands, causing catastrophic damage and the loss of 3,700 lives. Ninety percent of Tacloban City was destroyed by gusts reaching up 195 mph, leaving many with no food or water. Evacuation and relief efforts were greatly slowed by closed roads and lack of electricity. The calamity is the second-deadliest typhoon to hit the Philippines. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged haiyan, Philippines, toyota | 6 Comments

NEWS: Nissan readies 86/BRZ fighter with retro styling

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Ben Hsu

In less than a week, Nissan is going to reveal something very special to JNC readers at the Tokyo Motor Show. We can’t tell you what it is, as we have no desire to steal Nissan’s thunder or betray our sources. All we can say is what has already been leaked or speculated by other news outlets, or told to us at official press events. Continue reading →

Posted in News, nissan | Tagged news, nissan, tokyo motor show | 44 Comments

EVENTS: SevenStock 16

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Ben Hsu

Mecca for Mazdafarians. That was the scene at SevenStock 16 last weekend, held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. This year’s gathering for fans of rotary engine was one of the biggest in recent memory, and although everything from Cosmo Sport to RX-8 was represented, it was the largest turnout for old school Mazdas we’ve ever seen. Continue reading →

Posted in events, mazda | Tagged 787b, capella, cosmo, cosmo sport, eunos, fb, fc3s, fd3s, imsa, jc, mazda, rx-2, rx-3, rx-5, rx-7, rx-782p, sa22, savanna, sevenstock | 11 Comments

EVENTS: 2013 SEMA Show

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Ben Hsu

The SEMA show is a purist’s worst nightmare. Stock is a dirty word to these people. You won’t find a single unmolested car in the whole Death Star-sized convention hall, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Those brave enough to venture inside will encounter the craziest automotive freak show on Earth.

We cover SEMA every year not because it’s bursting at the seams with nostalgics, but because it’s a barometer of where trendsetters of the automotive industry are headed. So even if nostalgics themselves were largely absent, at least there was this Nissan GT-R decked out in BRE livery at the Optima Batteries booth. It did a great job translating the graphics to a much larger and differently proportioned body. It was more faithful than many actual 510s doing the BRE thing. Continue reading →

Posted in events, honda, Lexus, mazda, nissan, toyota | Tagged bisimoto, bre, camry, corolla, cr-z, e70, fj cruiser, gt-r, IS 300, IS 350, le mans, lexus, liberty walk, mazda, mazda 3, mazda 6, Motul, Odyssey, os giken, r35, reverse mesh, sema, ssr, toyota, vellfire | 4 Comments

VIDEO: JDM Legends Prince Skyline GT-B touge run

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Ben Hsu

Here’s JDM Legends taking the Prince Skyline GT-B we profiled earlier this year into the snowy touge of Utah. That straight six burble is music to our ears. Watch the video below. Continue reading →

Posted in nissan, Video | Tagged jdm legends, nissan, Prnce, s54, skyline, Video | 6 Comments

MINICARS: Hot Wheels X JNC 1970 Toyota Celica

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Ricky Silverio

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 →

Posted in minicars, toyota | Tagged a20, celica, daruma, hot wheels, jun imai, minicars, rally, ta22, toyota | 12 Comments

DESIGN: Our beer with Shiro Nakamura

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in Design, nissan | Tagged datsun, Design, infiniti, nissan, Nissan 360, Shiro Nakamura | 10 Comments

MOTORSPORT: Joginder Singh, Mitsubishi Rally Pioneer, 1932-2013

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in mitsubishi, motorsport, News | Tagged a73, Joginder Singh, lancer, mitsubishi, motorsport, rally, safari rally | 6 Comments

QotW: What modern car would be acceptable at a JNC meet?

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged QotW, Question of the Week | 53 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? 1968 Toyota 2000GT for just under $1 million

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Ricky Silverio

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 →

Posted in for sale, toyota | Tagged 2000gt, kidney anyone, toyota | 15 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? 33k-mile Isuzu Impulse

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Guest Writer

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 →

Posted in for sale, isuzu | Tagged impulse, isuzu, kidney anyone, piazza | 11 Comments

PROFILES: Mooneyes’ 1JZ 1970 Toyota Crown Hardtop

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in profiles, toyota | Tagged 1jz, crown, mooneyes, ms51, s50, toyota | 8 Comments

PRODUCT GUIDE: Hella Vision Plus 7″ Halogen H4 Conversion Headlamp

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in Product Guide | Tagged corolla, h4, Hella, levin, Product Guide, sprinter, te27, toyota, trueno | 18 Comments

PRODUCT GUIDE: Return of the SSR Formula Mesh, but with a twist

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Dan Hsu

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 →

Posted in Product Guide, wheels | Tagged formula mesh, Product Guide, sema, ssr, vintage barrels | 11 Comments

QotW: What’s the worst mod you’ve ever seen on a JNC?

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in cm, Question of the Week | Tagged cm, QotW, Question of the Week | 33 Comments

EVENTS: Honda celebrates 50 years of the S-Series

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in events, honda | Tagged events, honda, s500, s600, s800, Watanabe Griffon | 8 Comments

Happy Halloween from JNC!

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Kevin San

To all JNCers resurrecting creaky, decrepit, faded, and just plain old cars, we wish you a Happy Halloween.

Posted in jnc | Tagged c10, Hakosuka, halloween, nissan, skyline | 3 Comments

JNC GARAGE: Fun with Wipers!

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in JNC Garage | Tagged cressida, JNC Garage, jnc wagon, toyota, wagon, wipers, x70 | 17 Comments

VIDEO: Fredrik Sørlie’s 2JZ Cressida drift machine

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Dan Hsu

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 →

Posted in Drifting, toyota, Video | Tagged cressida, drifting, Fredrik Sørlie, mark II, toyota, x30 | 15 Comments