Japanese Nostalgic Car

QotW: What car would you drive across Japan?

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Ben Hsu

From Hokkaido to Kagoshima, Japan has some of the coolest highways and mountain passes known to man. We live vicariously through Skorj’s Grand Touring stories, in which he travels across Japan looking for nostalgic cars “in the wild.” Though he owns a Honda S800 it is unfortunately not the most practical steed. So on his excursions he takes a late-model Honda CR-V instead, which begs the question:

What car would you drive across Japan?

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, “Which nostalgic car makes the perfect daily driver?” Continue reading →

Posted in minicars, Question of the Week | Tagged ae86, corolla, hachiroku, levin, QotW, Question of the Week, sprinter, te27, toyota, trueno | 44 Comments

Friday Video: Jay Leno drives Toyota’s 1936 Toyoda AA

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Ben Hsu

What’s it like to drive the first Toyota ever built? Jay Leno answers that question. Leno’s been on a whirlwind tour of Japan. First he stopped by the Nissan design center to drop hints about the 2014 Fairlady Z and take a spin in a 240ZG. Then he swung by Fuji Speedway to take a lap in the Lexus LFA. Next stop, Aichi Prefecture to drive Toyota’s first car, the 1936 Toyoda AA. Continue reading →

Posted in Friday Video, toyota | Tagged Friday Video, toyoda, toyoda aa, toyota, toyota aa | 4 Comments

MINICARS: How to make custom decals for your Hot Wheels hakosuka Skyline

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Ricky Silverio

Many readers have asked JNC contributor Mark “ScaleMaster” Jones exactly how he adds his amazing detail to the custom Hot Wheels he’s shown you how to build. In Today’s article he’ll explain exactly how to do just that by turning the Hot Wheels hakosuka into Kunimitsu Takahashi’s 1971 works racer. —Ricky

This is another “how to” article using a Hot Wheels C10 Skyline to create a tribute to Nissan’s 1971 Japan Grand Prix winning Skyline GT-R. It will contain mostly information about the decals and how to make your own using commonly available tools, materials and computer hardware/software. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars, nissan | Tagged c10, datsun, Hakosuka, hot wheels, kgc10, kpgc10, kunimitsu takahashi, minicars, nissan, ScaleMaster, skyline | 14 Comments

EVENTS: 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 09: Editors’ Choice

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Ben Hsu

It should be no surprise by now that the Japanese Classic Car Show continues to grow each year, but we still weren’t quite prepared for just how much bigger and better it was for 2012. Let’s recap some of the highlights and favorites from this year’s event. Continue reading →

Posted in events, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, toyota | Tagged 2012, 240z, 260z, 280z, 510, a20, a60, acura, ae86, bluebird, celica, challenger, corolla, datsun, dodge, fairlady z, fb, galant, hachiroku, honda, hot wheels, japanese classic car show, jccs, jdm legends, jun imai, kei, lambda, legend, levin, liftback, ma61, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, ra29, rx-7, s30, sa22, savanna, sprinter, subaru, subaru 360, supra, ta22, te27, toyota, trueno, wagon | 12 Comments

QotW: Which nostalgic car makes the perfect daily driver?

Posted on October 22, 2012 by John Roper

Some of us are blessed with enough parking to house multiple cars. Others must choose only one to fulfill all their practical, reliable and/or economical reqs while maintaining a veneer of old school Japan cool. Therefore we must ask:

Which nostalgic car makes the perfect daily driver?

As it happens, we have to haul a lot of gear around to car shows. We’d love to rock a comfy new crossover, but we gots to keep it real on the nostalgic tip, yo. We’ve taken our 1986 Cressida wagon all over SoCal, to Vegas for SEMA, and up and down the western seaboard. Here it is at California Speedway a couple weeks ago for 86Fest wearing faded AE86 steelies. The JNC wagon swallows more cargo than many modern SUVs, draws plenty of power from a nearly indestructible Toyota straight six, and most importantly, has passed that 25-year-or-older threshold. Who could ask for anything more?

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 greatest Japanese racing livery?” Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 50 Comments

FRIDAY VIDEO: Wangan Midnight, The Movie, with subtitles

Posted on October 19, 2012 by John Roper

You know the drill. Boy meets Fairlady Z, boy restores Fairlady Z, boy learns Fairlady Z is possessed by a need to kill its owner. Wangan Midnight, the story of the Devil Z and its rivalry against the Blackbird Porsche has been told and retold in manga, anime, live action and video game form. Christine this is not, but you do wonder who is the one possessed, the Z or its owner. Continue reading →

Posted in nissan, Video Games | Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, 911, 930, blackbird, datsun, devil z, fairlady z, Friday Video, lancer celeste, mitsubishi, nissan, porsche, r34, s130, s30, skyline, wangan midnight | 14 Comments

EVENTS: 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 08: Two-Door Sedans

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Dan Hsu

Some of you may be wondering what the deal with the two-door sedan is. Isn’t that just a coupe, and didn’t we already see the classic coupes at JCCS? The answer to that is, confusingly, no. Continue reading →

Posted in events, nissan, toyota | Tagged 2012, 510, bluebird, bre, corolla, datsun, e20, e30, e70, japanese classic car show, jccs, john morton, ke35, nissan, peanut, peter brock, te21, te72, toyota | 13 Comments

EVENTS: 2012 Formula D Car Show & Drifting Championships

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Jason

Formula D isn’t the kind of event we here at JNC normally cover, but in recent years stateside drifting has grown tremendously, and with that growth it has welcomed with open arms the nostalgics that made all this tail-sliding possible. Continue reading →

Posted in Drifting, events, motorsports | Tagged 240sx, 510, a20, a60, ae86, celica, corolla, cressida, cresta, dai yoshihara, daigo saito, datsun, drifting, e70, events, formula D, fr-s, frederic aasbo, gt 86, hachiroku, irwindale speedway, is-f, ken gushi, levin, lexus, mark II, mazda, mx73, nissan, ra64, rx-7, s13, sa22, sc430, scion, shakotan, silvia, sprinter, taka aono, tc, te72, toyota, toyota 86, trueno, tsurikawa, x30, x70, zokusha | 10 Comments

QotW: What’s the greatest Japanese racing livery?

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Graphics. Livery. Warpaint. Originally meant to identify the country of origin and visually distinguish fast-moving cars on the track, they are now the domain of corporate sponsors. Either way, there have been some darn cool ones. Therefore we ask:

What’s the greatest Japanese racing livery?

As tempted as we are to score another one for the Mazda and the 787B’s so-garish-it’s-cool Le Mans scheme, we have to go with the Honda RA272‘s simple red circle on white. Not only did it invoke the hinomaru, but after Honda won the Mexican Grand Prix in 1965 Championship White became the color of choice to distinguish Soichiro’s foremost feats of engineering from plebeian conveyances for the masses.

Posted in honda, minicars, nissan, Question of the Week, toyota | Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, chaser, choro-q, cressida, cresta, f1, fairlady z, formula 1, honda, mark II, mark x, minicars, nissan, QotW, Question of the Week, ra272, s30, toyota, X100, X110, X120, x20, x30, x40, x60, x70, x80, X90 | 31 Comments

Friday Video: God Speed You! Black Emperor

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Ben Hsu

God Speed You! Black Emperor by award-winning director Mitsuo Yanagimachi is a documentary following junior members of Black Emperor, the infamous bosozoku gang, or “touring club,” as they prefer to call themselves. This is not a car movie by any means. However, if you can tolerate the subtitles and plotless, meandering pace, you might be able to catch glimpses of Tokyo’s automotive landscape circa 1976 — everything from kujira taxis to shakotan Celicas — captured in raw 16mm. Continue reading →

Posted in bosozoku, Video Games | Tagged Black Emperor, bosozoku, God Speed You Black Emperor | 7 Comments

Garage Life: Classic Car Nagoya Diary

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Guest Writer

Today’s guest writer David Lovett lives in Japan and works at Classic Car Nagoya. Here is a dispatch about what it’s like to be employed at what most of us would consider the ultimate dream job. Enjoy. —Ben

Just about halfway between Nagoya and Toyota City is the town of Togo, home to a little shop called Classic Car Nagoya. As the name implies, CCN specializes in classic cars. It’s very much a family run operation with six full time employees, three of whom are related, plus one part time gaijin — me. Continue reading →

Posted in mitsubishi, nissan, prince, Shop Life, toyota | Tagged 510, a60, bluebird, c10, c110, Classic Car Nagoya, compagno, crown, daihatsu, datsun, Hakosuka, kenmeri, kpgc10, kpgc110, midget, mitsubishi, mitsubishi 360, nissan, prince, s20, s30, skyline, supra, toyopet, toyota | 52 Comments

EVENTS: 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 07: Trucks & Vans

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Thought we were done with our barrage of 2012 JCCS photos? Think again! From mini trucks to land crushers, trucks have been part of the Nihon nostalgic scene for decades. And like their car counterparts, they have just as many varying styles of build. Continue reading →

Posted in events, mazda, nissan, toyota, trucks | Tagged 320, 520, 620, 720, datsun, fj40, fj45, hilux, king cab, land cruiser, mazda, nissan, pickup, repu, toyota, trucks, vanette | 13 Comments

MINICARS: Custom Hot Wheels 1972 Nissan Skyline GT-R show car

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Ricky Silverio

At the 1972 Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan unveiled what would become the next generation of the famed Skyline GT-R racers. The KPGC110 in racing livery and gold RS-Watanabes was intended to carry on the winning tradition of the previous generation’s famed touring cars. Unfortunately the 1973 Oil Crisis and emissions regulations forced Nissan to reevaluate its racing program and the GT-R itself, leaving behind the show car as a stark reminder of what could have been. Many replicas of it have been built; here’s JNC and Mark “ScaleMaster” Jones‘ take on it. —Ricky

Thank you, Ricky, for the intro and for providing the direction and reference for this piece. I used the Hot Wheels Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R released in 2011 for this project. Mattel made it in only one color, pearl white, and it quickly became my favorite nostalgic casting. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars, nissan | Tagged 240k, c110, datsun, hot wheels, jun imai, kenmeri, kgc110, kpgc110, nissan, ScaleMaster, skyline | 9 Comments

QotW: What’s the best sequel?

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Dan Hsu

Rarely is the follow-up better than the original, but when it is, it’s not just slightly better — it blows the original away. That is why we ask:

What’s the best sequel?

We just spent a weekend at 86Fest, so there was much AE86 and Scion FR-S co-mingling. However, it remains to be seen whether the latter will out do the original in the annals of history to come. Our choice is Toyota Supra. It only got better with each of its four generations, from quasi-luxurious GT to paradigm-shifting sports coupe, to turbocharged Wangan beast to supercar-destroying icon.

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 Japanese car emblem?” Continue reading →

Posted in minicars, Question of the Week | Tagged a40, a60, a70, A80, accord, honda, jza80, ma61, ma71, majorette, mazda, rotary, supra, toyota | 17 Comments

Friday Video: IndyCar’s Alex Lloyd drives the BRE Datsun 510

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Ben Hsu

We all know why the BRE Datsun 510 rules, but what’s it like to actually drive? In this fantastic video by Road & Track, professional IndyCar racer Alex Lloyd gives viewers a seat-of-the-pants rundown on what makes the car so magical. This is likely the closest most of us will ever get to driving the magnificent beast ourselves, and the ridealong is absolutely soul-stirring. Continue reading →

Posted in Friday Video, motorsports, nissan | Tagged 510, bluebird, bre, datsun, Friday Video, nissan, Pete Brock, peter brock, scca | 15 Comments

EVENTS: MazFest/SevenStock 2012: The Sevens

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Ben Hsu

As the name implies, SevenStock was originally a gathering for Mazda‘s iconic sports car, the RX-7. Over the years it’s evolved to include all rotaries, and this year they teamed up with MazFest to throw one giant celebration of all cars flying under the zoom-zoom banner. Continue reading →

Posted in events, mazda | Tagged 787, fb, fc, fc3s, fd, fd3s, le mans, mazda, MazFest, rx-7, rx-782p, rx-8, sa22, sa22c, savanna, sevenstock, willow springs | 10 Comments

EVENTS: 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06: Wagons & Hatchbacks

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Ben Hsu

It’s no secret that many of us on the JNC team are certifiably nutty about wagons, yours truly included (There are a couple that aren’t, and they look at us as if we’re the weird ones when it’s clearly the other way around. Sheesh.). The Wagon section is always my favorite part of our JCCS coverage, so let’s jump right in like an excitable dog through the rear hatch. Continue reading →

Posted in events, honda, mazda, nissan, toyota, wagons | Tagged 411, 510, 610, accord, bluebird, civic, corolla, corona, datsun, e70, ed1, ed4, honda, japanese classic car show, jccs, kp61, liftback, ln360, mark II, mazda, MkII, MkIII, mx29, n600, nissan, rx-3, savanna, sr20det, sr5, ssr, starlet, te51, te72, wagon, wagons, x20 | 6 Comments

EVENTS: MazFest/SevenStock 2012, Part 01: Early RX and Pistoned Mazdas

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Mazda likes to brag that on any given weekend there are more of their cars on America’s road-race circuits than any other marque. It’s true that Mazdafarians love wringing their cars out, and MazFest has been one of the best events to offer them cheap track time. SevenStock, on the other hand, has been one of the premier rotary-themed car shows in the US for 15 years. For 2012, the two joined forces for one massive shindig. Continue reading →

Posted in events, mazda, motorsports | Tagged 323 GTX, 929, acura, capella, cx-5, familia, honda, mazda, mazdaspeed, mazdaspeed 6, MazFest, miata, mx-5, nsx, protege, r1100, racing beat, repu, rotary, rx-2, rx-3, savanna, sevenstock, ssr, wankel | 19 Comments

QotW: What’s the best Japanese car emblem?

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Japanese automakers love emblems, and we’re not just talking about those for the various marques. In Japan, each model often has its own as well, and these badges are highly desirable to those of us who want to JDM-ize our cars. Thus we ask:

What’s the best Japanese car emblem?

As a Toyotaku I’m tempted to pick the MR2 eagle or the Soarer gryphon, but actually I would have to agree with Matt and say Mitsubishi‘s reigns supreme. The three diamonds represent the family crest of the Iwasaki clan, after Mitsubishi founder Yataro Iwasaki, and their arrangement came from the Tosa, a samurai clan that Iwasaki was part of. So not only is it geometrically simple and easily recognizable, but it has history too. See the evolution here.

Posted in mazda, minicars, Question of the Week | Tagged choro-q, mazda, minicars, minivans, mitsubishi, mpv, QotW, Question of the Week, rx-3, Tosa Clan, Yataro Iwasaki | 15 Comments

Jay Leno tours the Nissan Zama Warehouse, gets dirt on potential S30 successor for Nissan’s 80th Anniversary