We weren’t supposed to show you the latest Hot Wheels car featuring the JNC logo until much later. However, collector sites have leaked the car already so we might as well put up our official announcement. Continue reading
EVENTS: 2013 JCCA New Year Meeting, Part 01
It’s a winter wonderland in Tokyo, but the blinding whiteness did not come from new-fallen snow. Instead, it emanated from the gleaming shiro paint jobs of rows upon rows of kyuusha. Two of JNC‘s intrepid photographers recently braved Japan’s icy winter to bring you coverage of the New Year Meeting. Continue reading
Posted in events, kei, minicars, mitsubishi, nissan, Prince, suzuki, toyota
Tagged 30-series Cedric, 31-series Cedric, 906, b110, butaketsu, c10, c130, Carrera 6, carry, cedric, corolla, daihatsu, Devil Japan, europa, fairlady roadster, galant gto, gc10, Hakosuka, JCCA, kgc10, kpgc10, kunimitsu takahashi, L50, laurel, levin, lotus, mira, mitsubishi, new year meeting, nissan, porsche, prince, rs watanabe, s54, shadow, skyline, sprinter, sunny, suzuki, te27, tomica, tosco, toyota, trd, trueno
10 Comments
QotW: What year was the peak of Japanese car design?
The Japanese auto industry has undergone many design eras — the jet setting Sixties, the techno-boxy Eighties, the lozenge Nineties. But like an old curmudgeon you know there’s a single year in your minds after which everything went downhill.
What year was the peak of Japanese car design?
In 1972 we Japan debuted such greats as the kenmeri Skyline, Mazda RX-4, butaketsu Laurel, and the above kujira Crown. What’s more, gorgeous Hakosuka, daruma Celicas, Isuzu Belletts and Fairlady Zs were already prowling the streets on a regular basis. In our minds everything was golden sparkles of sunlight reflecting off gliding chrome.
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 greatest video game JNC of all time?” Continue reading
VIDEO: Car Craft Boon’s Kazuhiro Furukawa explains what it means to be a Kanjo Racer
This isn’t the type of thing we usually cover on JNC. Sure, the video spends a large amount of time spotlighting a “hellaflush” EK Civic, but Kanjo racing is a deep rooted part of Japan’s — and particularly Osaka’s — car culture. Plus, there’s also an EF whose owner wears a scary-ass hockey mask. It’s understandable why these illegal street racers would want to keep their identities secret though. As Car Craft Boon founder Kazuhiro Furukawa explains, racers have crashed, been arrested, and died on the Osaka loop. Why do they do it then? Just watch this video from the always excellent XCar and you’ll understand. Continue reading
Posted in honda, Video
Tagged Car Craft Boon, civic, honda, Kanjo racing, Kazuhiro Furukawa, osaka, Video
5 Comments
MOTORSPORT: Remembering Funabashi Circuit
If you’ve ever taken the JR Keiyo train from downtown Tokyo to Makuhari Messe for the Auto Salon or Tokyo Motor Show, you’ve passed over the former grounds of Funabashi Circuit. Like much of Japan in 1965 Funabashi city was booming, and with its location right between Tokyo and Chiba, city planners had any number of entertainment options. The winner? A 11-turn race track just under two miles long that hugged the Tokyo Bay waterfront. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged datsun, fairlady roadster, Funabashi Circuit, honda, Motoharu Kurosawa, motorsports, s600, s800, sports 1600, sports 800, tojiro ukiya, toyota
9 Comments
MOTORSPORT: Mazda 787B Named Le Mans car of the 1990s by Automobile Club de l’Ouest Jury
France’s Automobile Club de l’Ouest, the organizing body behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans, recently announced the 10 race cars they believe to be most emblematic of the legendary race. One car was chosen to represent each decade of the 90 years Le Mans has been running. However, it was deemed that the 1990s could not be defined by just one car, and thus the honor was shared by the 1991 Mazda 787B and the Peugeot 905 (the sole Japanese and French cars on the list, respectively). Continue reading
Posted in mazda, motorsport, motorsports
Tagged 787b, le mans, mazda, motorsports, yojiro terada
4 Comments
VIDEO: Rocky Auto’s Lexus V8-powered Hakosuka
Many of you loved the cars in the last video we posted but found the music controversial. Prepare yourself for the opposite. It’s hard to take offense to a Temptaions-esque free use Motown groove, but the accompanying car is one of Japan’s most revered classics, the hakosuka Nissan Skyline, powered by a 1UZ Lexus V8. Continue reading
MINICARS: Kyosho Honda Collection 1974 Civic RS
Remember to go to DaBox Toys and get 7.5% off any order with the coupon code JNC2013.
If there’s one thing about Japanese collectibles that’ll drive you crazy, it’s the blind box. Found in toy stores and konbini across Japan, blind boxes are packages that are completely sealed so you can’t see what’s inside. All possible contents are listed on box itself, tempting you like diecast sirens, but there are usually so many model and color combos that it’s near impossible to get exactly what you want on the first try. Continue reading
QotW: What’s the greatest video game JNC of all time?
Many readers were plunged into the world of nostalgic cars thanks to Japanese video games. The fact that those machines were made of pixels and polygons rather than glass and steel didn’t make our lust for them any less fierce, and in many cases fueled our passions for the real thing. Therefore it’s about time we ask:
What’s the greatest video game JNC of all time?
Tokyo Xtreme Racer was the English name for Shutoku Battle, a game in which you prowled a highly accurate rendition of Tokyo’s famous Shuto loop and Wangan expressway, looking for street races. Rivals came in teams with wildly creative names like Dreaming Apparition, and once you’d defeated all underlings the team leader suddenly appear in your rear view, headlights flashing, for a showdown.
The cars consisted of everything from Subaru Legacy Wagons to S13 Silvias, but if you wanted to rise through the ranks you’d eventually have to upgrade so an FD or JZA80 Supra. Once all known rivals in the game were defeated and just when you thought it was all over, the end boss to end all end bosses — called NoName (or “???”, depending on the iteration) — would appear in a nearly impossible-to-defeat S30 Z. It was a definite nod to Wangan Midnight‘s Devil Z (and in some versions it even came with an inverted cross and “666” on the hood just to drive the point home), but because the game was released in 1999 few players were familiar with the manga. All they knew after weeks of mashing buttons against virtual R34 GT-Rs that the numero uno top dog killer was a classic Fairlady Z.
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, “Which car should Japanese automakers sell again exactly as they were?” Continue reading
Posted in nissan, Question of the Week, Video Games
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, a20, celica, datsun, devil z, fairlady z, nissan, QotW, Question of the Week, ra21, s30, shutoku battle, ta22, Tokyo Xtreme Racer, wangan midnight
24 Comments
GRAND TOURING: Driving the Chubu Touge, Part 02
In Part 01 of our Chubu grand tour, we escaped Tokyo by expressway northwest into the mountains. Our return trip took us on roads less traveled, over some of Japan’s most famous winding passes known as touge. We had made it as far as Matsushiro, Nagano Prefecture, but had a long ways to go yet. Continue reading
Posted in Grand Touring, honda, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, Prince, subaru, toyota
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, ae86, b110, b120, bellett, c10, carol, chubu, corolla, coupe 7, datsun, datsun 221, fairlady z, familia coupe, gc10, Grand Touring, Hakosuka, hillman, honda, honda 1300, honda 145, Ini, isuzu, kp47, levin, mazda, miler, minica, minx, mitsubishi, n360, nissan, prince, s30, sanitora, skipper, skyline, sprinter, starlet, sunny, sunny truck, touge, toyota, trueno, usui
11 Comments
VIDEO: 2013 JCCA New Year Meeting
Forget the Tokyo Auto Salon. You know the best place to be in Tokyo in January is really the New Year Meeting. We dare you to watch this video of the event in Odaiba, Tokyo and not drool all over your keyboard. Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? NOS Datsun Competition L20 head, manifold and 50mm Mikunis
Today’s kidney trade is not even a complete car, but it could cost much more than one. The Nissan L20 Group 1 cylinder head is perhaps the rarest, most unobtainable piece of Datsun metal in the world. A race-only part sold by Datsun Competition in the 70s for L-series motors, Nissan only made made a few and it was obscenely expensive even back then. Continue reading
Posted in for sale, motorsports, nissan
Tagged 510, bluebird, datsun, datsun competition parts, L16, L20, mikuni, nissan
18 Comments
GRAND TOURING: Driving the Chubu Touge, Part 01
With an extended weekend available and being rather tired of Tokyo one tedious week, we decided to explore Chubu. North of Tokyo but with its name meaning “central”, Chubu is the region between Kanto (the greater Tokyo area), and Kansai (the greater Osaka area), and it includes many highland prefectures like Gunma, Nagano, and Niigata. Continue reading
Posted in Grand Touring
Tagged Chubu Touge, corona mark II, datsun, datsun 220, fairlady z, gloria, Grand Touring, gt-r, gto, hardbody, mitsubishi, nissan, pickup, police car, prince, r34, skyline, toyota, truck, ute, yamaha, yd125, z31
15 Comments
NEXT VERSION: Lexus LFA in Toyota 2000GT Yatabe Speed Trial livery
If you were one of the lucky ones who ordered one of 500 Lexus LFAs before production ended in December 2012, you could have ordered it an any color under the rainbow. Pearl Yellow wouldn’t have been our first choice, but pair it with a green hood and we’d just might reconsider. Continue reading
QotW: Which car should Japanese automakers sell again exactly as they were?
In 1998 Nissan embarked on an unprecedented program to buy back 1970-71 Datsun 240Zs, restore them, and sell them through dealerships with an official warranty. Only about 40 of the 250 planned cars were sold, and even at nearly $28,000 Nissan lost money on each and every one. Suffice it to say, nothing like this will ever happen again. But if it did,
Which car should Japanese automakers sell again exactly as they were?
There were many good candidates for this question. Who wouldn’t love a 1967½ Datsun Fairlady 2000 roadster? Then again, it’s hard to argue against the Miata. AE86? Well there’s the Scion FR-S already. That’s why our staff pick is the 1987 Honda CR-X (specifically, the second-gen version that debuted in Japan that year) Heck, it doesn’t even have to be the hotted-up Si or SiR. Give us a orgasmically fun-to-drive runabout with a double wishbone suspension that, in various guises, can get 50 miles per gallon, Honda, and we’ll forgive all your sins since the demise of the S2000.
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 Japanese car is the best investment?” Continue reading
Posted in honda, nissan, Question of the Week
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, crx, datsun, fairlady z, honda, nissan, QotW, Question of the Week, s30
34 Comments
VIDEO: @Speed Garage Thailand: The Garage Passion Built
Thailand is a hotbed of nostalgic car activity these days, and @Speed Garage is the perfect example of exactly why that is. From classic Skylines to a race-ready Toyota Starlet, it’s the stuff our most fevered dreams are made of. Although vintage Benzes and an Alfa make appearances, owner and current record holder for coolest name ever published at JNC A-Thummanoon Pornrojanagoon‘s first love is still the Japanese nostalgic cars that harken back to his earliest purchase and, presumably, the one he would “borrow” from dad at the tender age of eight. Watch the inspiring video below. Continue reading
ART CORNER: The least resilient Land Cruisers you’ll ever see
Yesterday we saw Toyota FJ40s fetching some high prices at the recent Arizona auctions. These, on the other hand, are the cheapest Land Cruisers you’ll ever encounter. They’re also some of most easily destructible ones too, as they’re made completely out of paper. Continue reading
Posted in Art Corner, toyota, trucks
Tagged Art Corner, fj40, fj45, fj55, land cruiser, papercraft, toyota
5 Comments
NEWS: Classic Toyota Land Cruisers go for record prices at 2013 auctions
Earlier this week we asked what classic Japanese car would be the best investment. Turns out the answer may not be a car at all, but a Japanese nostalgic truck. During the height of the Arizona auto auctions this past week, FJ40 Toyota Land Cruisers continued to fetch ever-higher prices. When all was said and done at Gooding & Co. the 1979 FJ40 above went for $61,600 including fees. Continue reading
MINICARS: Kyosho Nissan Skyline GT-R KPGC10
Before we get started, we’re excited to announce that DaBox Toys has offered JNC readers a 7.5% discount if you purchase with the coupon code JNC2013. Now let’s take a look at this week’s minicar.
Most of you probably know Kyosho as the maker of plastic model kits and R/C cars, but since the early 2002 they’ve also been making some of the highest quality 1:64 scale diecast cars money can buy. Continue reading
QotW: What Japanese car is the best investment?
It’s car auction season, and collectors with more money than sense are flocking to Arizona to pay the highest possible prices for the cars of their dreams. Our buddy Jeff Koch is covering the auctions for Hemmings and reports that an FJ40 Land Cruiser just sold for $56,000 at the Gooding auction. We don’t necessarily condone the practice of buying and flipping or stowing your car away from the world like a prized Van Gogh, but if you were…
What Japanese car is the best investment?
As a result of it being the last of its kind, its status as a pioneer of drifting, and a star of its own anime series, we think the Toyota AE86 will be hugely desirable sometime in the near future. The fact that so many were destroyed in failed attempts at said drifting make them only rarer, and its fan base is world wide. Will we see them trading for ridiculous sums at Barrett-Jackson 2030? Only time will tell.
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining or inspiring comment by next Monday will receive a random toy. Click through to see the winner from last week’s question, “What’s the most significant “new” nostalgic car from 1988?” Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week, subaru, toyota
Tagged ae86, corolla, hachiroku, levin, QotW, Question of the Week, sprinter, subaru, subaru xt, subaru xt6, toyota, trueno
26 Comments
