Yes, we put a tsurikawa on a minivan. But not just any minivan. We’re talkin’ bout the baddest baby boomer bus on the block — the Toyota Sienna SE. Call us crazy, but we think this is one of the few new cars you can buy today that will be a sought-after JNC in 25 years. Continue reading
The latest commercial for the 2014 Toyota Corolla will either make you think Toyota is pretty rad or ruin your entire day. The spot titled “Step Up to Style” starts with cool 60s daddy-os groovin’ with a KE10. Flash forward a couple of decades and an AE86 is starring in Corolla 2: Electric Boogaloo. Fun use of heritage or utter blasphemy? Watch the ad below and sound off in the comments. UPDATE: A longer version has been released featuring a disco E30 and grunge E100! Continue reading
We’d gladly give up our internal organs for ridiculously rare cars, but a wristwatch? Amidst all the excitement over million dollar Toyotas at the Monterey Historics we nearly overlooked the fact that a rare Datsun timepiece sold for $1,586 at Bonhams’ Quail Lodge auctions in Carmel, California that same week. Continue reading
This long weekend was Labor Day here in America. In theory, you’re supposed to be free from work during its observance, but most car guys spent it wrenching.
What’s the hardest work you’ve put into a JNC?
This is not our hardest work, just the most recently frustrating, especially during a sweltering heatwave of 90-plus degrees in LA county. We moved a ’77 Corvette into storage, helped a friend buy a 5-speed Subaru wagon, and then attempted a routine brake line job on the JNC Cressida.
Sadly, a hard line broke during the process, resulting in (in no particular order) a barrage of expletives shouted into the night, a bath of brake fluid/sweat/undercarriage grime, and a walk to Autozone to rent a double flaring tool which provided juuuust enough false hope to keep us working past the closing time of any store that could help before twisting itself into a pretzel. Even sadder, everyone we knew was out of town, on vacation like a normal person. With no way to return home, our only option was an old AE86 that had been awaiting wiring harness work for over a year. But like a good old Toyota, it fired right up after everything was reassembled. Total time out: 28 hours.
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 non-car Japanese nostalgic vehicle would you love to drive?” Continue reading
In Part 01 of our journey to Subaru of America‘s headquarters, we got a rare glimpse inside the “attic,” a jaw-dropping treasure trove of the automaker’s most important cars. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as the nondescript New Jersey warehouse is not open to the public. Do you want to see more? Yes, of course you do. Continue reading
One way to tell if your car has attained true classic status is how many reproduction parts are available. For example, it is possible to buy an entire 1967-69 Camaro bare metal body brand new and completely licensed by GM. JNCs aren’t quite there yet, but you might soon be able to buy new repro sheetmetal for your Datsun 510 thanks to Futofab. Continue reading
Recently a second Toyota 2000GT went up for auction. When the bidding was over, the gavel fell on $935,000 for the 1968 Belatrix Yellow supercar. While it fell slightly short of the $1.2 million baby from Texas earlier this year, it’s still a highly respectable sum. Here’s why. Continue reading
Nisei Week has been a Los Angeles institution for nearly two decades. For years the car show capping off a week of Little Tokyo cultural festivities has been a showcase of nisei automotive culture, but now the torch has been passed on to a new generation. Continue reading
Those familiar with Japanese culture have likely encountered the art of papercraft. You may have even built a paper car or truck yourself. But we know you’re secretly wondering what would happen if some insane origami craftsmen built an entire full-size car out of paper. Continue reading
We just spent two days driving every new Nissan vehicle produces, from the Moco kei car to the Cabstar truck (more on this soon). Which got us thinking:
What non-car Japanese nostalgic vehicle would you love to drive?
By 1974 Mazda was fully invested in the rotary engine, putting them in everything from sports coupes to luxury sedans to, yes, even a bus. The Mazda Parkway 26 could carry you and 25 friends in premium comfort, with such amenities as “a soft ceiling trim” and “three-stage heating.” Not would would you be driving the world’s only 13B-powered bus, but one of the rarest old Japanese vehicles around. Only 44 were every built over four years of production.
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 will the valet park front and center at the opera?” Continue reading
We know it can be hard to find parts for your nostalgic car, but Koyorad has always been one of the biggest supporters of the old school scene. We all know that old cars could use a bump in the cooling department, and they’ve come out with high-quality aluminum radiators for the Datsun 510 and 240Z, as well as the first-gen Toyota Celica and AE86. Now one for the second-gen Corollas like the TE27 is in the works. Continue reading
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you probably know that a little TV program called Breaking Bad is heading chaotically towards its series finale. Only six episodes of the show remain and filming has already wrapped. That’s why one of its star cars, a 1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon driven by the character Jesse Pinkman, is for sale on eBay. Continue reading
For the third and final installment of our Vintage Auto Salon coverage, we take a look at cars that aren’t necessarily the rarest or the sportiest. Instead, this motley crew is comprised of bone stock survivors, tough trucks, and wicked wagons, all perfect for a leisurely drive through the beautiful hills and bridges of the Bay Area. Continue reading
Makoto Komori is a Japanese children’s book illustrator, and one of his favorite subjects happens to be 1960s nostalgic cars. He often incorporates them into his whimsical stories in which the vehicles, with eyes for headlights, find themselves on brilliantly drawn adventures. Continue reading
You’re piloting your dream Japanese classic, its drop dead sexiness outshined only by your spouse in the passenger seat, dressed to the nines in an evening gown (or tuxedo, we don’t discriminate). Lights dance across the gleaming hood as you pull up to the opera house. A valet opens your door.
Which JNC will the valet park front and center at the opera?
Let’s face it. We’re not (yet) living in a world where a Corolla or 510 will get you that primo spot right in front of the main entrance to the concert hall/Playboy Club/Monaco casino. But there’s plenty of nostalgics that would. A Mazda Cosmo Sport is pure sleekness. A 2000GT’s worth a million bucks. If you’re arriving in a Toyota Century your chauffeur will likely park it for you. Which one exudes so much class they can’t help but show it off as an example of their well-heeled clientele?
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 greatest Japanese nostalgic van?” Continue reading
Despite holding three shows in one year’s time, including one just three months ago, the variety of cars that come out of NorCal’s woodwork for Historic J events never disappoints. In Part 02 (Here’s Part 01 if you missed it) of our Vintage Auto Salon coverage, we examine the quintessential formula of the Japanese sports coupe — light, quick and agile cars that put a stupid grin on your face. Continue reading
Two months ago a shockwave was sent through the automotive world when a 1967 Toyota 2000GT became the first Japanese car to break the million dollar barrier. 1,155,000 buckaroos to be exact. But was it a fluke? Well, we shall find out this weekend when this 1968 Toyota 2000GT crosses the block at RM Auctions at the Monterey Historics. Continue reading
Vintage Auto Salon is the third show of its kind held by Historic J, the team that’s quickly becoming the de facto force for nostalgics in the Bay Area. Though co-founders James Vorasane and Ivan Jarmillo are both Americans, their events have evolved a distinct Japanese flavor that attracts both NorCal’s rare JDM machines and celebrities from within the nostalgic world. Continue reading
Blame it on being too successful a race car, but it’s hard to find an unmolested Datsun 510 these days. Most owners seem intent on turning them into rat rods, BRE replicas or flat-out hoonmobiles with smog-exempt SR20s. To paraphrase Seinfeld, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but we hope this 1971 Datsun 510 goes to a collector. Continue reading
Today, August 13, is Felix Wankel‘s birthday. Mazdafarians might know him as the father of the rotary engine.
Until now, much of his history had been either unexplored or glossed over. On the official Mazda website, they describe him only as an inventor who conducted research with the German Aviation Ministry during World War II to “serve the national interest.”
But an article published today on Jalopnik contends that Herr Wankel was kicked out of the Nazi party twice for being “too radical” and was a member of Germany’s most anti-Semitic group. The piece references those who believe Wankel worked for the Nazis simply because they happened to be the biggest funder of his research at the time, but that argument is quickly dismissed.
There is no denying the rotary engine’s brilliance as a piece of technology. Even if Wankel’s politics were abhorrent, it only puts him in the company of other automotive luminaries of the time such as Henry Ford. Perhaps it is best to divorce the man from the machine.
