To celebrate its 65th birthday, Honda has created another insanely watchable commercial showcasing its long history of motorized products. In “Hands,” a single nut became everything from a Super Cub to an NSX to ASIMO the robot. It is the latest in Honda’s grand tradition of artful spots ranging from the clever “Cog” to the heartrending “Impossible Dream.” Watch the full video below. Continue reading
Light weight combined with a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive architecture is a potent combination. It is the very reason why many of us love JNCs in the first place. Sometimes, however, our love for FR cars can give the appearance that we dislike front-wheel-drive. Nothing could be further from the truth!
What’s the greatest front-wheel-drive JNC?
Of all the Japanese automakers, Honda is the most stubbornly nose-biased. Imagine the utter dominance they’d luxuriate in if their phenomenal engines and chassis dynamics had been applied to FR platforms beyond the S-series roadsters. The mind boggles. Instead, Hondas have proven to be incredible performers throughout the decades, regardless of which wheels motivate the car.
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining or inspiring comment by next Monday will receive a toy. Click through to see the winner of the last QotW, “What’s the best second JNC for your garage?” Continue reading
In Part 01 of our journey to the Ise Peninsula, we crossed Ise Bay by ferry. While our navi plotted the quickest route to our next destination via a number of linking bypasses and expressways, we chose a twisting road designated a “Sky-Line” on the map instead. Named the Ise Shima Sky-Line, it was to hold some of the best views, challenging corners, and heavy climbs of this trip. Continue reading
Happy July 4th from JNC! Each year, the Aichi Prefecture-based supermarket chain APiTA teams up with Japanese toy car manufacturer Tomica for a series of limited edition cars.
Similar to when Hot Wheels teams up with say, Kroger, these cars come with exclusive colors and themes. Past themes have included nostalgic police cars and classic race cars. For 2013, the entire series will consist of one model, the Toyota 2000GT, decked out in various national flags.
The first in the series is Ol’ Glory, the stars and stripes, which has just been released and is on the market now. Next comes Brazil. So if you’ve ever wanted to own the most American 2000GT ever made, here’s your chance. Happy Independence Day, JNCers!
It’s hard to believe that 2013 is half over. That means it’s time to start preparing for the 9th Annual Japanese Classic Car Show.
The premiere event for nostalgic cars in North America will take place September 28, on the lawn of Queen Mary Park in Long Beach, California.
Registration is first come, first serve and spaces are limited, so be sure to secure your spot today.
For coverage of last year’s JCCS, click here.
The Camry. Much derided punching bag for self-respecting car enthusiasts. Scapegoat for all the world’s automotive ills, its clueless drivers, and the decline of automotive culture as we know it. Where would we be without it? Continue reading
We are two weeks from the July 15th reveal of the revived Datsun brand. If you squint real hard you might be able to see a similarity between the old hamburger logo, except that the red rising sun has now been turned into a blue orb enclosed in chrome. There’s even a bit of B210 honeycomb in the new grille, but that’s where the similarities end. Continue reading
So you’ve got your dream JNC sitting pretty in your garage. Your holy grail. Your 2000GT, street fighter 240Z, Fuji GC RX-3 replica, whatever. What do you get next, a SR20-swapped Datsun 510 for daily duty? A bosozoku Mark II sled? A FJ40 in case of zombie apocalypse?
What’s the best second JNC for your garage?
If you can’t decide, allow us to proffer a solution: the exact same car that you already have. That way you can modify one guilt free while knowing you have a numbers matching gem tucked away for posterity. OCD, yes. But your grandkids will thank you.
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining or inspiring comment by next Monday will receive a toy. Click through to see the winner of the last QotW, “What new cars on the market are the most JNC?” Continue reading
Our destination for this tour was Mie Prefecture, some 250 miles southwest of Tokyo on the far side of Ise-wan (the same wan in Wangan, meaning “bay”). Known for its ancient craft ceramics and as the birthplace of the ninja, Mie is rife with history and culture, but we also hoped for the usual automotive diversions. Continue reading
Er, how many kidneys does a human body have? Whatever it is we hope you’ve got enough, cause hidden gems are surfacing left and right this week. Hot on the heels of yesterday’s unmolested FC RX-7 comes a trio of Honda S600s in Temple City, California. Continue reading
It’s getting increasingly difficult to find a bone stock FC3S Turbo. Peruse craigslist and you’ll find all the blown apex seals and drift-damaged body panels you can hoard, or an endless parade of motor-less shells whose forced-induction 13Bs have been plucked for other projects.
Once in a while, however, a time capsule of a 1987 Mazda RX-7 Turbo II with 46,000 original miles does emerge from its hidden from its underground bunker. Continue reading
One of our proudest accomplishments for the inaugural Nissan Jam was the ability to gather a truly diverse set of rare Nissans that you can’t see anywhere else. In Part 01 we looked at the SoCal Standards, stalwart machines that no Nissan show would be complete without. In Part 02, we’ll visit the rarest gems that filled the venue, and — this is how spoiled we are in SoCal — that doesn’t include the hakosuka Skylines. Continue reading
Japanese automakers are in a bit of a slump. Sure, there’s the fleet-footed Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ twins, the fire-breathing Nissan GT-R, and the rough-and-tough FJ Cruiser. But is there a car you can buy new today that offers the equivalent of what Japanese cars of sixties, seventies and eighties did? In other words:
What new car on the market is the most JNC?
You can define JNC-ness in any way you want — great design, practicality, user-friendliness, affordable sportiness. Our pick is the Mazda 6/Atenza, which combines sharp styling with excellent driving dynamics and puts it in an utterly utilitarian family sedan/wagon package. A package, by the way, that blows away everything else in its class, including the established giants (in this case, the Accord and Camry) and yet is completely overlooked.
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining or inspiring comment by next Monday will receive a toy. Click through to see the winner of the last QotW, “When is it okay to buy an automatic transmission?” Continue reading
It may surprise you to learn that SoCal, epicenter of car culture that it is, lacks a dedicated all-Nissan show. Oh sure, there’s plenty of club shindigs, marque-specific events, and informal meets, but nothing on the order of a Toyotafest for the hard core Nissan or Datsun fanatic. That is, until the Nissan Jam. Continue reading
JNC contributor Mark “ScaleMaster” Jones has created some amazing Hot Wheels cars with the liveries we wish they came with. But not everyone has the wherewithal to go to that level of detail. So I asked Mark to make a simple tutorial where all you need is mostly paint and a bit of elbow grease. Enjoy — Ricky
This set of three Hot Wheels Skylines will be re-done in an established classic scheme. You can follow along and make your own if you wish, as the steps to make these simple repainted customs will be explained and illustrated with photos. Perfect for a (I hesitate to use the term “toy”) car you might have sitting on a shelf that you desire a little more personality from. Continue reading
A couple of months ago we were alerted to the presence of a hakosuka Skyline in an episode of Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time. It appears that the artists are back with another nostalgic Nissan, this time in the form of a Datsun 510. Continue reading
Don’t worry, you haven’t mistakenly stumbled onto German Nostalgic Car. We just thought it was cool that someone built a Porsche 911 inspired by what is one of the all-time great decal packages. Continue reading
Looking for a rare little turbo trickster from the dawn of Honda’s golden age? Look no further than this 1986 Honda City Turbo II, Soichiro’s bulldog with the foldable bike in the trunk. Continue reading
When considering what new cars will be future classics, JNC‘s Law of Transmission Selection for Future Collectability states: if it’s sold with a stick, you must buy it in stick. Yes, fancy new gearboxes can shift faster than a human being, many supercars aren’t even offered in MT, and the law is often in direct conflict with our Law of Engine Selection for Future Collectability: you must buy it with the most powerful engine option offered.
But in the old days, every car was offered with a manual, from the lowliest Subaru 360 to the grandest Toyota Crown. Plus, those old slushboxes were power-leeching whirlpools that needed at least one — more likely two — extra speeds to make you feel comfortable about highway driving.
When is it okay to buy an automatic transmission?
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining or inspiring comment by next Monday will receive a toy. Click through to see the winner of the last QotW, “What’s the greatest JNC barn find story?” Continue reading
The plan was simple. Three classic car shows, one week, 1,000 miles of driving. We even had at our disposal Japan’s latest long-distance luxe-UV, a brand spanking new 2013 Infiniti JX35. What could go wrong? A lot, apparently. Oh, it wasn’t the Infiniti’s fault at all —unless you can blame it for being too attractive to thieves — but I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let’s start at the beginning. Continue reading
