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
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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
VIDEO: 1972 Fuji Masters Super Touring Race
One of the greatest rivalries from the heyday of Japanese motorsports was that of Nissan versus Mazda. After the Savanna RX-3 snatched Nissan’s much anticipated 50th victory from the Skyline GT-R in December 1971, a blood feud was born. The following year that fight grew even more heated, with roaring rotaries and fierce hakosukas duking it out throughout the 1972 season. Here’s a Mazda promotional video setting the scene for the 1972 Fuji Masters Super Touring Race, which pitted RX-2s and 3s against fearsome GT-Rs in a thrilling display of wheeled combat around the 30 degree banks of Fuji Speedway. Continue reading
Posted in mazda, motorsports, nissan, toyota, Video
Tagged c10, capella, fuji masters, fuji speedway, gt-r, Hakosuka, kpgc10, Masuda, mazda, Motoharu Kurosawa, motorsports, nissan, prince, rx-2, rx-3, savanna, Takashi Yorino, Video, Yasuhiro Okamoto, yojiro terada, Yoshimi Katayama
11 Comments
MINICARS: Tomica Limited Vintage Neo Honda CR-X
In the last installment our series on nostalgic collectibles, we looked at the Tomica Limited Vintage Toyota Crown. The TLV line pumped out casting after casting of stupendously detailed models of 60s and 70s cars for two years, and its success led to the formation of the Tomica Limited Vintage Neo line for 80s cars in 2006. Continue reading
EVENTS: Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show
There’s no event on Earth that captures the the fusion of Japano-American car culture quite like the Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show. Everything from Baja Bugs to T-Buckets are represented, with the majority of cars shown are imports to the Japanese. However, this being JNC, we’re going to focus on the Nihon Steel and the particular subset of showgoers who like to apply traditional American modifications to said steel. Continue reading
Posted in events, isuzu, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, toyota
Tagged 230, a30, cedric, chevy, crown, daihatsu, datsun, datsun 720, debonair, faster, fr-s, gloria, gt 86, hijet, hilux, isuzu, kujira, kuzilla, luv, mitsubishi, mooneyes, Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show, ms41, ms51, ms65, nissan, pickup, prince, quest, rs46, rs56, s40, s50, s60, scion, subaru, subaru 360, toyopet, toyota, toyota 86, wagon
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VIDEO: The Emperor of Japan drives a mauve Honda Integra
You would think that being the absolute top dog of a country known for building spectacular vehicles would provide Emperor Akihito with a garage to end all garages. Instead, when the head honcho of the Japanese royal family is not being driven around in his Nissan Prince Royal or Toyota Century Royal, he slips behind the wheel of a mauve second-gen Honda Integra. Continue reading
QotW: What’s the most significant “new” nostalgic car from 1988?
It’s 2013, and that means a new lineup of vehicles has officially crossed the magical 25-year threshold to become nostalgics. Cars built when INXS and Arsenio Hall ruled the airwaves can now officially qualify for historic tags and and collector’s car insurance in most places. Therefore we ask:
What’s the most significant “new” nostalgic car from 1988?
Our staff vote goes to the S13 Nissan Silvia. As other manufacturers abandoned the affordable RWD sports coupe, Nissan doubled down and created one of the most iconic Japanese performance cars ever made, still sliding at any given drift event a quarter century later.
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 your New Year’s resolution?” Continue reading
Posted in nissan, Question of the Week
Tagged 180sx, 240sx, nissan, QotW, Question of the Week, s13, silvia
31 Comments
EVENTS: Fundraiser for ex-Toyota 2000GT driver Scooter Patrick
This is just a quick post to let you guys know that Scooter Patrick, former driver of the white-and-red #33 Carroll Shelby SCCA Toyota 2000GT, has a case of rapid onset Alzheimer’s disease. There’s a fundraiser happening January 12, 2013 at the Riverside International Auto Museum from 1-5 pm.
If you’d like to attend, please download the flyer.
Posted in motorsports, toyota
Tagged 2000gt, Riverside International Auto Museum, Scooter Patrick, toyota
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FRIDAY VIDEO: Kenmeri rodeo
And now, please allow the shotgun rider of this shakotan kenmeri to demonstrate proper bosozoku door riding technique. The torso must be upright and positioned completely outside the vehicle. Grasp the grab handle tightly as the driver executes doughnuts. Continue reading
Posted in bosozoku, Friday Video, nissan
Tagged bosozoku, c110, door riding, kenmeri, kgc110, kpgc110, nissan, skyline
12 Comments
MINICARS: 2013 Hot Wheels Boulevard Subaru BRAT leaked
Looks like the J-tin is coming on early and often for Hot Wheels‘ 2013 lineup. Hot on the heels of the hakosuka and Jun Imai‘s 510 wagon comes this just-leaked image of the Boulevard series Subaru BRAT. This is the second color of this casting, which will hopefully be easier to find than the 2012 Hot Ones version. For the newbie, Boulevard series cars are premium models with special graphics, metal base and rubber tires and cost around $5. It’s only the second week of the year and it’s off to a smashing start for collectors.
[Image: T-hunted]
EVENTS: Classic Japan 2012, Part 05: Staff Favo(u)rites
Our picks of Classic Japan 2012 coverage from Melbourne, Australia thanks to guest writer Adam Laws —Dan
Our fifth installment of Classic Japan 2012 coverage features the JNC staff favourites. As it turns out, they have pretty damned good taste as I like the majority of these too! Continue reading
EVENTS: Classic Japan 2012, Part 04: Never Seen in the USA
Part 04 of Adam Laws’ Classic Japan 2012 coverage from Melbourne, Australia covers a whole bunch of J-tin that is rarely spotted in the USA. —Dan
In Australia the Mazda range in the 70s included both the RX-3 and its pedestrian little brother, the 4-cylinder 808 (called the Grand Familia in Japan I believe). Sold in sedan, wagon and coupe versions, many of them gave up their life as to become an RX-3 clone, and being no expert, I can’t tell if this is the genuine article – an RX-3 sedan – or an 808 that has been converted with all the good bits. Continue reading
Posted in datsun, events, isuzu, mazda, nissan, prince, Prince, toyota
Tagged 808, australia, b10, b110, b120, beams, bellett, classic japan 2012, compagno, compagno spider, corolla, crown, daihatsu, datsun 1000, familia, gloria, isuzu, isuzu 117, ke15, KE55, luce, markII, mazda, mazda 1300, mazda 1500, MS85, MX41, prince, rx-3, RX3, s50, s54, s80, savanna, skyline, sprinter, sunny, toyota, wagon
16 Comments
