QotW: What’s the most environmentally friendly JNC?

Honda CRX HF

Today is Earth Day, and JNCs have always been at the forefront of environmentally friendly motoring. If it wasn’t for the Oil Crisis of 1973, JNCs may not have even entered the mainstream automotive world. From kei cars to hybrids there have been many economical cars from Japan.

What’s the most environmentally friendly JNC?

Our pick is an obvious one — the Honda CRX HF. In 1985 the HF, which stood for “High Fuel economy,” was highway rated at a whopping 57 miles per gallon. What’s more, it had all the handling prowess and fun-to-drive quotient of its more powerful brethren. Eat your hybrid heart out, Prius!

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 from last week’s question, “What’s the best Japanese nostalgic SUV?Continue reading

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MOTORSPORT: Mazda is the official car of the SCCA

4911_Mazda RX-7 IMSA GTU

Mazda often boasts that on any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on racetracks than any other marque. As such, it was already the de facto car of the SCCA, but now it’s officially official. Mazda is the car of the Sports Car Club of America.  Continue reading

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VIDEO: One man’s RB-powered 240Z vs Nissan’s crowdsourced 370Z

Nissan 370Z vs 240z

What’s faster, a home-brew Datsun 240Z or a professionally built Nissan 370Z? Last year, Nissan Performance (ie, NISMO USA) reached out to the tuner community and asked them to modify a Z34 by voting for their favorite mods on Facebook. The result was the kind of money-no-object dream build most of us can only wish for, made from the best parts the aftermarket had to offer, from a GReddy turbo kit to Volk TE37-SL wheels to Yokohama Advan Neovas.

Gordon MacSwain, on the other hand, is someone we can all relate to. He built his S30 Z with his own hands in his Columbus, Ohio garage over a period of three and a half years. Along the way, Gordon updated all its mechanicals, including the engine, which is now an RB26DETT. Fans then chose to pit his baby against the crowdsourced Z. So, how does a sub-2300lb, 360hp nostalgic fare against a more powerful but heavier modern machine? Watch the video below.  Continue reading

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EVENTS: Formula D Round One / AE86 Nights, Part 02

IMG_6157

In Part 01 of our coverage from last weekend’s SoCal car scene we watched the opening round of the 2013 Formula D season. After the smoke settled in Long Beach everyone booked it across the southland to El Monte for some grassroots Toyota love at AE86 NightsContinue reading

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EVENTS: Formula D Round One / AE86 Nights, Part 01

4753_Scion FRS Greddy Ken Gushi

Toyotaku in southern California had plenty to keep them occupied this past weekend, with not one but two events showcasing the venerable AE86 and its successor, the Scion FR-SContinue reading

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QotW: What’s the best Japanese nostalgic SUV?

08skorj310_Nagano_ToyotaFJ40LandCruiser

We’ve asked you before what’s the coolest Japanese nostalgic truck, and the comments were as diverse as they were plentiful thanks to Nihon having pioneered the mini-truck segment altogether. However, Japan was also building SUVs before the term SUV even existed, back when they were still called four-wheel-drives. Nevertheless, we ask:

What’s the coolest Japanese nostalgic SUV?

From Suzuki Jimny rock crawlers to Mitsubishi Pajero Dakar dominators, there have been plenty of great off roaders. However, if there was one that has moved humanity to the farthest reaches of planet Earth, it would be the Toyota Land Cruiser. It comes in second only to the 2000GT in terms of collectible Toyotas, but it was the first Japanese car to have, like the Mustang or Camaro, its own retro-styled tribute.

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 from last week’s question, “What’s the worst thing about loving JNCs?”  Continue reading

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GRAND TOURING: Shio no Michi, the Salt Road — Part 01

379s_Subaru R2_Honda Life_Toyota Corona T40

Having not been away in a few weeks, we decided to take a Monday off and spend three days exploring Nagano Prefecture and some of the less traveled valleys near the Northern Alps. Using our usual form of taking the main expressway as far as possible on the first day, dropping off, and taking a few days to traverse the slow roads home, we found ourselves near Nakano City off the Joshin-Etsu Expressway. Continue reading

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VIDEO: Hakosuka spotted in Adventure Time

Hakosuka Adventure Time

A number of readers excitedly informed us recently that Adventure Time had featured a hakosuka. We honestly have no clue what the animated show is about, but in this particular episode, titled “Simon and Marcy,” a wizard and a little vampire girl take refuge in an abandoned Nissan Skyline when they hear an ominous rustle in the woods. Continue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Belatrix Yellow 1967 Toyota 2000GT

1967 Toyota 2000GT belatrix yellow 01

This 1967 Toyota 2000GT is expected to fetch $650,000 to $850,000 when it crosses the auction block on April 27. If it does, it would be a new high for Japan’s first supercar.  Continue reading

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VIDEO: JNCs make the cut in Ron Howard’s Rush

Ron Howard Rush Toyota Celica

The hottest video circulating automotive sites today is the trailer for Rush. Last year we reported that some classic Nihon cars were spotted on set, specifically, two daruma Celicas and a kujira Crown Hardtop. Moreover, the screen shot above, which appears at 0:57 in the trailer, appears to be the exact scene being filmed in last year’s photo. Continue reading

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QotW: What’s the worst thing about loving JNCs?

R3a-915s_HachinoheExpressway

Aside from the occasional hater, most of you are here because you love Japanese nostalgic cars. But as we all know, what you love most can also hurt you the most.

What’s the worst thing about loving JNCs?

Being passionate about cars most people don’t think are classics yet can lead one down strange paths. Some seethe at owners who don’t take good care of their cars while others try to save them all. The Z31 collectors Skorj spotted in Tohoku appears to cover both sides of the coin. Most of us are just constantly patching up mechanisms that were never meant to last 30 years while our garages become piles of spare parts and our children grow up without us.

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 from last week’s question, “What’s the best way to introduce someone to the world of JNCs?”  Continue reading

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GARAGE LIFE: A visit with Isuzu Sports Eagle

15_Isuzu-117-Bellett-sedan

We first met Koji Okane, owner of Isuzu Sports Eagle, in 2009 at the inaugural Nos2Days show. A gracious guy, he invited us to his shop but our time in Japan was too short. We could think of no one better than today’s Guest Writer, Bart “IsuzuGeek” Wilkus, to make the trek instead and report his findings. Enjoy. —Ben

Isuzu Sports Eagle is a specialty shop dedicated to restoring and selling vintage Isuzu cars, and I would imagine it is probably the only place in the world like it. With Isuzu Motors itself largely out of the passenger vehicle market, the Isuzu marque is quickly vanishing into obscurity. But that has not stopped shop owner Koji Okane from doing what he loves.  Continue reading

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VIDEO: MotorFix’s V8-powered Corolla by XCar

MotorFix E70 Corolla drifting

If you’ve ever seen a ratty E70 Corolla mid-drift, chances are MotorFix was involved. The Gifu Prefecture shop is well known for its thoroughly modified but completely rat rodded fourth-gen Corollas. Remember, these are supsensionally identical to the AE86, and the only thing that prevented them from achieving worldwide drift glory was the lack of a 4A-GE motor. That’s where MotorFix comes in.

The latest video by Luke Huxham of XCar examines another Lexus 1UZ-powered nostalgic. This time it’s less blasphemous but the result is no less amazing. MotorFix has mated the eight-ITB V8 to Toyota‘s ubiquitous W58 5-speed and an S130 Crown rear end.  Continue reading

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VIDEO: Nissan restores the 1947 Tama electric car

Tama Electric Car E4S-47-1

The Nissan Leaf might be making waves as the automaker’s all-electric car of the moment, but it wasn’t its first. Way back in 1947 the Tama E4S-47-1 was produced to serve a gasoline-starved post-war Japan. In a new video, Nissan restoration team member (now there’s a fantastic job!) Masahiko Isobe describes the painstaking restoration of this important piece of automotive history. Continue reading

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QotW: What’s the best way to introduce someone to the world of JNCs?

NissanSilviaCSP311

There’s a certain segment of self-proclaimed car nuts convinced that latest equals greatest. Of course, JNCers know that they’re wrong. Dubs aren’t better than a set of 14-inch vintage barrels. A powerful AWD machine isn’t better than a lightweight RWD . Computers aren’t better than carbs. The problem is opening the eyes of noobs to these truths.

What’s the best way to introduce someone to the world of JNCs?

There are many ways, but one that’s worked well for us is showing people that their beloved models go back farther than just a generation or two. The original Skyline GT-R isn’t the 1989 R32, but the 1969 PGC10. The first Corolla Levin isn’t the AE86 but the TE27. And the Silvia name can be traced way back to 1965 with the CSP311.

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 from last week’s question, “What’s the most impressive JNC restoration job you’ve seen?Continue reading

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Honda/Acura to Completely Revert to 1991 Lineup

Honda 1991 brochure

Honda Motor Corp. has shocked the automotive world with the announcement that it will be completely reverting to its 1991 lineup. Safety and emissions equipment will be updated and prices adjusted for inflation, but everything else — including its former ergonomically intuitive cabins, double-wishbone suspensions and even styling — will be brought back unchanged.  Continue reading

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GRAND TOURING: Mobara Twin Circuit

324s_Honda S800 Coupe

As some of you might know, I own a dark gray Honda S800M Coupe, and it has landed me right in the middle of Tokyo’s S-car scene. When some friends went out for a day of circuit racing, I decided to tag along and test a new film with a few lenses on my Bessa.  Continue reading

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MOTORSPORT: The Reincarnation of Lady Blue

Balboa Datsun 610 Lady Blue 01

Anyone who grew up drooling over the Datsun Motorsports catalog knows the original Lady Blue. Going along with the topic of resurrection this week, it appears that she’s been reincarnated and the azure 1973 Datsun 610 spotted last Sunday.  Continue reading

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WEDNESDAY WALL: High-res Hakos

skyline festival 2012

Do you like GT-Rs? Of course you do. Here are some high-res versions by Rob Shaw from the Skyline Festival at Fuji SpeedwayContinue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? One-Owner 1973 Mazda RX-3 in Puerto Rico

1973 Mazda RX-3 puerto rico 01

If you’ve got a spare $45,000 lying around, there’s a 1973 Mazda RX-3 with your name on it. According to the seller, this is a fully documented one-owner coupe from a museum, though that “museum” appears to be part of a Puerto Rican shopping mall containing at least one Zara clothing store.  Continue reading

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