It has been confirmed by Brazilian collector’s site T-Hunted that Hot Wheels‘ 2013 Boulevard series will contain at least two of our favorite nostalgics. We’ve shown you one of them already during a sneak preview at this year’s Japanese Classic Car Show — it’s none other than the Datsun Bluebird 510 wagon, complete with external oil cooler, fender mirrors, and deep polished lipped wheels! The other one will be the Nissan Skyline H/T 2000GT-X, also known as the hakosuka Skyline! Continue reading
We’re still depressed about the departure of Suzuki autos from the US. JNCers have already chimed in on what the company should have done differently, so perhaps before we can move on to Kubler Ross: 5th Stage!, we need to reflect upon some of the plucky motorcycle builder’s automotive successes. Therefore we ask:
What was the greatest Suzuki of all time?
It may not be the popular answer but we’re going out on a limb and say it’s the Jimny/Samurai. The micro-4×4 is often overshadowed by trucks like the Toyota Land Cruiser, but just look at any off-roading enthusiast site and you’ll find a cadre of devoted fans. The Jimny/Samurai is so popular it was built in Japan, Spain and India. It’s been immortalized in R/C and Hot Wheels form. It’s a consistent choice for the Mongolia Rally and a Chilean duo in a Samurai even holds the Guinness world record for highest altitude (21,942 feet) achieved by a four-wheeled vehicle. Supposedly, they found the previous record holder’s blown over “Jeep Parking Only” sign and brought it back down as a souvenir.
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 best nostalgic for the Pacific Northwest?” 
Continue reading
When Hong Kong triads cold kidnap you from a moving car, a Mitsubishi Galant Sigma with Jackie Chan behind the wheel might be your only hope. That is, unless your abductors have armed themselves with the best of Japan’s luxo-box sedans, the X60 Toyota Cresta and 910 Nissan Bluebird! Continue reading
Today’s article comes from our friends at RotaryNews. They dug up and compiled this interesting but brief history of a rotary engine built by a Japanese automaker other than Mazda. Enjoy and please “like” them on Facebook. —Ben
Nissan‘s interest in the rotary engine started in mid-1965 and culminated in a prototype Wankel rotary engine vehicle at the 1972 Tokyo Motor Show. It was one of among many automakers (others included GM, Mercedes-Benz, Citroen, and Porsche) experimenting in the revolutionary new design. Sadly, however, it never reached production. Continue reading
The Mazda Japan Facebook page has been posting a series of beautiful watercolor paintings by Mazda designer Miki Nakajima. Subjects range from the 1950 Mazda PB-type three-wheeler to the 1970 RX-500 concept to modern favorites like the MX-5. See the full gallery below the jump. Continue reading
Some more exciting news from our friends at Mattel. For 2013 there will be a new line of premium 1970s-inspired cars called the Flying Customs, which will include some of our favorite castings, including the ’82 Toyota Supra, Datsun Bluebird 510 and Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R. Continue reading
I’ve just spent the Thanksgiving holiday driving through rural Oregon, along the Columbia Gorge, up to Portland and ultimately Seattle. It rained, heavily, non-stop the entire 900 miles. Everything from minivans to tractor trailers threw up walls of mist so thick it felt like Niagra Falls was emptying onto the windshield of my borrowed Civic. It was an alien planet of dampness compared to SoCal, and throughout it all I kept asking myself:
What’s the best nostalgic for the Pacific Northwest?
Oregon and Washington are ground zero for Subarus. Fuji Heavies are issued standard with your REI raincoat and reusable farmer’s market tote bag when you get your driver’s license. I saw Outbacks, Legacies and Imprezas galore, and more Loyales in one week than I’ve witnessed in all my years living in SoCal. And best of all for this squareback fiend, the wagon is the configuration of choice, outnumbering sedans by a ratio of four to one according to my unscientific polling.
That’s why if I had to live there I’d probably trade the JNC Cressida for a 1987.5 Subaru RX Coupe. With 115 turbocharged horses on tap and a mass of 2,200 pounds, it’s about the power-to-weight of an AE86 but has AWD to boot. Plus, it has was limited to a 2,600 production run, making it a rare beast. But is that the best whip for a climate of constant rain and mountains?
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 are you most thankful for, car-wise?” Continue reading
In honor of Doukoho Eve here’s your early Friday Video, the trailer for 1975’s Detonation! Violent Riders. Teruo Ishii’s bosozoku exploitation film arrived just as media frenzy surrounding Japan’s motorcycle gangs reached fever pitch. The plot follow two rival gangs vying for supremacy on the streets of Tokyo, and even featured a small role by a bearded Sonny Chiba. Continue reading
Despite the fact that various generations of Godzilla were the headliners at the 2012 Skyline Nationals, many of Nissan‘s 1980s Group A and Group C touring cars drew just as much attention displayed at the car show and in action at the track day at Wakefield Park Raceway. Continue reading
It’s Thanksgiving week for us Yanks and it’s a tradition to reflect on what we’re most grateful for. That’s why this week’s question is:
What are you most thankful for, car-wise?
For us it’s simple. We’re thankful that classic Japanese cars are getting much deserved recognition as such. It’s almost hard to believe, but when JNC first began in 2006 there were still people saying that Japanese car could never be a classic, period. That’s obviously changing, with cars like Patrick Ng’s TE27 Corolla getting prime positioning at SEMA in the Enkei Wheels booth and being chosen by mainstream automotive media like Edmunds.com as one of their Top 10 cars of SEMA. Attitudes are changing, which means more and more of these cars will be preserved for posterity.
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 should Suzuki USA have done differently?” Continue reading
What’s that, you say? You’ve never seen the Top Gear segment where they drive the Toyota 2000GT? That’s because it just aired as part of a BBC special to coincide with the lastest James Bond film, Skyfall (in which the spy resurrects the classic Aston Martin DB5). There are many reasons why Daniel Craig could be the best Bond ever, but he sealed the deal with his answer to Richard Hammond‘s query of what his favorite Bond car was.
“I love that little… Datsun in Japan,” says Craig. Okay, so perhaps he’s not exactly a frothing Toyotaku — or perhaps he’s more of a J-tin anorak than we could ever imagine and was thinking of the Fairlady Z-based 2000GT by Roadster Garage — but what he meant was You Only Live Twice‘s Toyota 2000GT. Continue reading
At this point cave dwellers and castaways may be the only people on Earth who haven’t had their senses assaulted by Rocket Bunny‘s insanely wide-bodied Scion FR-Ss. However, it’s Kei Miura, Osaka Kanjo racer, ex-bosozoku and shacho at TRA Kyoto that’s the man behind the machine.
Yes, the uber-aggro neo-hachiroku is cool and we dig it, but what really makes us want to share this video that our friends at Crank & Piston and Maiham Media made is that the internet’s man of the hour also owns a flared 510 Bluebird, and it’s a hint at what motivates his mad mind. Continue reading
The fourth event of its kind and the largest Nissan Skyline gathering in Australia, the 2012 Skyline Nationals in Goulburn brought together enthusiasts of all kinds of Skylines imaginable, from an immaculate original Prince S54 GT-B to the Australian-built R31 Silhouette and the high-powered R34 GT-R. Continue reading
You could be forgiven if you thought the Toyota Crown above was a real car. In fact, it’s a highly detailed 1:64 scale diecast model measuring only about three inches long in total. In a new series on JNC, we’ll be delving into the vast world of Japanese automotive collectibles with the help of our friend Felix at DaBox Toys.
Any aficionado of Nihon steel is surely familiar with Tomica. Japan’s most popular diecast car brand has been around since 1970, largely unchanged but for the addition of models reflecting what life-size cars became popular as the decades passed. Continue reading
Here’s another garage gem for east coasters JNCers. A seller near Philadelphia is unloading a 25,000-mile 1974 Mazda RX-4, and it’s a beaut. We’ve long contended that the pre-facelift big Luce coupe was one of the sexiest cars from its era. Add what appears to be a gorgeous period Iris Blue paint job with white interior and you’ve got a real stunner. Although we could do without the white vinyl top, door ding guards and US-spec bumper extenders, this car is rare enough that beggars can’t be choosers. Continue reading
Alas, Suzuki, we hardly knew ye. This statement rings especially true in the wake of the Suzuki’s departure from US shores last week, because as JNC reader Tyler pointed out, many of their best cars were not sold here under the Suzuki name. That’s why this week we ask:
What should Suzuki USA have done differently?
We opine that Suzuki should have imported their Alto Works RS-X to America. What’s not to love about a turbocharged, twin-cam, all-wheel-drive pocket rocket with an astounding output of 118 horsepower per liter? To be fair, that’s the specific output if you actually had a full liter, and the kei car actually had only .543 liters. Still, that’s 64 angry ponies in a package weighing 1345 pounds. Would it have changed Suzuki’s fortunes? Probably not one iota, but damn it would’ve been fun.
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 music do you listen to when driving your nostalgic?” Continue reading
Admit it, you’ve been waiting for this, ever since Fifth Stage rumors surfaced months ago. There’s no shame in being a fan of Initial D. After all, it features some of our favorite cars drifting through the mountains of Japan, and it can’t be any worse than the live action Wangan Midnight movie.
The first episode has already been posted to YouTube and subtitled (be sure to click on the closed captioning button). Just sit back and enjoy your guilty pleasures. UPDATE: Episode 02 now out too (see below, thanks to Marcelo for the tip)! Continue reading
Lawrence of Arabia. The Road Warrior. Return of the Jedi. These journeys into the desert and the hazards that befall their heros were fully seared into our minds as we traveled from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Arizona for the 25th Z Car Convention.
Those of you who attended JCCS this year will probably never forget how skin-meltingly hot it was by the coast in Long Beach. We were headed 400 miles into a barren wasteland in the midst of this record heat wave, and as much as we love the JNC wagon, we love A/C and not turning into a powdery skeleton even more. Continue reading
Right now on Ebay there’s a 1972 Datsun 1200 Coupe for sale, with a claimed mileage of only 17,181. Nissan USA marketed it as a fuel saver back in the day, with ads trumpeting its ability to drive from New York to Los Angeles for under $30 in fuel (in 1972 dollars, of course). Continue reading
After 27 years American Suzuki Motor Corp. has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Though it will no longer be selling cars in the US, the motorcycle and ATV side of things will continue on. Continue reading
