Happy Holidays from JNC! We hope Japanese Santa Claus gave you everything you wished for. QotW will be back on Tuesday. メリークリスマス!
Hundreds of Honda SuperCub fans gathered to celebrate bike’s 65th anniversary
This year marked the 65th anniversary of the venerable Honda Super Cub. It also happened to be the 75th anniversary of Honda Motor Co. As such, the annual Cub Cafe Meeting at Honda’s headquarters in Tokyo had even more cause for celebration than usual. Nearly 400 Super Cubs showed up to the two-day event, and even a bout of heavy rain didn’t stop riders from showing up on the second day. Continue reading
The Bridgestone Super R.A.P. aluminum wheel has been resurrected
It looks like a steelie, but the Bridgestone Super R.A.P. is an aluminum wheel. Introduced in 1987, it was designed to be “the ideal competition wheel”. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Bridgestone’s motorsport program, so the company has resurrected the Super R.A.P. to celebrate the occasion. Continue reading
Posted in wheels
5 Comments
R35 conversion turns Nissan GT-R into R34 Skyline homage
The R35 Nissan GT-R has always been an incredible performance machine, but it hasn’t been traditionally beautiful. In fact, it departed quite a bit from tradition by splitting off from its R32/R33/R34 predecessors to become its own thing. However, a company from the UK has an answer to the question, “What if the R35 design was more evolutionary rather than revolutionary?” Continue reading
Adorable Mazda Miata slippers are a fun last-minute holiday gift
Looking for a last-minute holiday gift idea? These Mazda Miata slippers seem like an ideal way to keep your feet warm during the cold months. Who wouldn’t want to go sliding around their floors with a pair of NA MX-5s while their clutch and gas pedal pushers are ensconced in plush versions of the best-selling roadster of all time? Continue reading
QotW: What do you want from Japanese Santa Claus this year?
Do you think Japanese Santa Claus is a rosy-cheeked, jolly old man with a fluffy white beard? No, he’s a chain-smoking mechanic in red one-piece coveralls with blackened fingernails and a perm. If you ask him the price of anything in his workshop he’ll say that it’s not for sale, but if you can prove yourself a worthy caretaker of the car/part/item he’ll gift it to you for free.
What do you want from Japanese Santa Claus this year?
The most entertaining comment by next Tuesday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Do you treat your JNC different than your daily?“. Continue reading
Mazda Luce owner is part of multi-generational rotary family
With the rollout of the rotary engine’d Mazda MX-30 underway in Japan, Mazda is doing a video series on owners of rotary-powered cars. The first is Mr Shimzu, who drives a second-generation Mazda Luce, known as the RX-4 in the US and as the 929 in some parts of the world. It’s a car he’s loved since childhood, as his grandfather purchased it the year he was born. Continue reading
Drive a classic Toyota Supra when you stay at the Fuji Speedway Hotel
If you’re planning to visit Fuji Speedway soon, you might want to look into the Supra Winter Festival. The program lets guests of the Fuji Speedway Hotel drive a Supra during their stay. While the main purpose of the promotion is to get people who can afford to stay at the very fancy hotel behind the wheel of new Supra for an extended test drive, there are a very small number of slots in which guests can drive a classic Supra as well. Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged a60, a70, A80, A90, fuji speedway, Fuji Speedway Hotel, supra, toyota
3 Comments
Marvel at Honda’s 1962 motorcycle manufacturing prowess, now in English
A few weeks ago we shared a wonderful 30-minute Honda promotional movie from 1962, just one year before they started building cars. The film went deep behind the scenes in Honda’s motorcycle manufacturing facilities, showing how raw steel and plastic was turned into transportation. The only problem was that it was only in Japanese, but there’s good news. Honda has released an English version. Continue reading
Honda engines of street and circuit sound off at 75th anniversary event
As part of Honda’s 75th anniversary festivities this year, the Honda Collection Hall in Japan invited guests to listen to the sound of engines. Taking a series of classic motorcycles, cars, and racing machines from the museum, curators fired them up for the crowd. The Collection Hall takes great pride in the fact that all their vehicles not only look good, but run as well. Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged Benly CB92, C100, Civic 1G, honda, honda collection hall, Honda Dream 2E, McLaren Honda MP4/5, McLaren Honda MP4/6, N360/N600, NR750, NSX Type S, ra272, RC143, RC213V, RC213V-S, S500/S600/S800, t360
4 Comments
QotW: Do you treat your daily different than your JNC?
I have a confession to make: I treat my daily driver poorly. With my JNCs, cars I intend to keep forever, I park far away from other cars, institute a strict “no food or drinks” policy, and spend hours detailing them. With my daily, currently a 4-cylinder automatic XV10 Camry sedan, I park anywhere there’s a spot, let my son eat whatever he wants, and go months without washing it. It’s not a car I plan to keep, and the basic non-V6, non-MT spec means no one will ever care about preserving it. Its next owner will likely be a student or someone that just needs a reliable commuter with cold a/c. Should I care more? If I had a nicer daily like a Lexus LS400 or even a same-gen Camry Wagon, I might.
Do you treat your JNC different than your daily?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What car would you show an alien to help them appreciate cars?“. Continue reading
Posted in News
11 Comments
How ‘Honda Red’ became the marque’s official color
This year marks Honda’s 75th anniversary as a company, and they’re celebrating in a very unique way. Honda is offering a colored pencil that is the exact shade of their official “Honda Red” corporate color. It’s the same red that’s used in the Honda logo and in many of the company’s products, from motorcycles to lawn mowers. However, to even get this color on his cars, Soichiro Honda had to fight an unexpected battle. Continue reading
Toyota continues teasing Celica revival from official channels
Toyota just can’t help itself from dropping not-so-subtle Celica hints all over the place. Last week it once again teased a revival of its beloved sports coupe from one of its official channels. When was the last time a car company talked this much about a car it had no intention of releasing? Continue reading
The Subaru Legacy turbo wagon had one fatal flaw
Long before the WRX was even a glint in the eye of Subaru USA’s marketing team, Fuji Heavy Industries was offering a turbo wagon in the US market. The first-generation Legacy Sport Wagon was the most athletic wagon Subaru had brought to America, but it was also one of the rarest. It was sold for only two years — its inaugural year of 1993, which was mid-way through the generation, and 1994, the final year before the second-gen’s debut. Continue reading
Posted in Video
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Toyota MR2 reportedly returning at the expense of mid-engine GR Yaris
A rumor out of Japan says that not only is Toyota reviving the MR2, but that it will have a purely gasoline-powered engine. In fact, the mid-engined runabout is likely to be the last combustion-only Toyota sports car ever made. The car may also have the GR Yaris to thank for its existence. Continue reading
QotW: What car would you show an alien to help them appreciate cars?
Today is ET Day in Japan, commemorating the day in 1982 when the movie E.T. The Extraterrestrial was released there. Using that as a jumping off point, let’s say you encounter a curious and benign life form that has traveled millions of light years to our little backwater pre-warp planet. The humanoid being knows nothing about cars, as their civilization is so advanced that they just teleport everywhere and thus have no concept of wheeled transport. But just because they’re unnecessary doesn’t mean they’re not interesting. We still marvel at the pyramids, after all. Clearly this species is missing out on the fun, beauty, and engineering that automobiles offer.
What car would you show an alien to help them appreciate cars?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What car-themed series should we binge over the holidays?“. Continue reading
Toyota 86 wagon revealed in never-before seen concept photos
Toyota has shared some photos of concepts that have, until now, never seen the light of day. Their public revelation comes as part of the 50th anniversary of Toyota’s pioneering CALTY design studio in Newport Beach, California, the first of its kind from any automaker. The concepts include a sporty wagon built atop the Toyota 86 platform and a pre-Prius EV hatchback. Continue reading
Posted in concepts
Tagged calty, prius, toyota, toyota 86, Toyota 86/GT86/Scion FR-S, zn6
8 Comments
Nissan helps rebuild long-lost Prince 1900 Sprint sports car concept
Sometime in the early 1960s in a small workshop in Turin, two men work at their drafting boards. One is an Italian master, designer of what are considered to be the most beautiful cars ever made. The other is Japanese, and will go on to guide the shape of one of the country’s most beloved nameplates: the Skyline. Together, they will create two jewel-like little cars, both of which will be lost to time. But this year, Nissan has recreated their forgotten work with a resurrection of the Prince 1900 Sprint. Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged Franco Scaglione, nissan, prince, skyline, Sprint 1900, Takeshi Inoue
5 Comments
A deep dive into the ever-evolving Hakosuka Skyline of Roy de Guzman
We’ve been on a long journey with our friend Roy de Guzman, one of the first Americans to ever own a Hakosuka Skyline. We first met Roy back when JNC was on paper and Roy’s car was all white. We revisited the car when it was made into Hot Wheels form. The ever-changing Hako is now in its nth and arguably best iteration, powered by a turbocharged and carbureted L28 and wearing one of the more elegantly subtle Rocket Bunny kits out there. Continue reading
Honda’s behind-the-scenes motorcycle manufacturing doc from 1962 is a must-see
Honda has released an astounding documentary from its early days of motorcycle manufacturing. The 34-minute This is Honda dives deep into Honda’s factories, depicting every step of the production process, from raw steel to finished bike. Arguably the most amazing part is that the film was made in 1962, a year before Honda would even release its first car. The quality is massively impressive, with full color, a soundtrack that belongs in a kaiju movie, and a comprehensiveness that even includes the employee cafeteria. Continue reading
