This 1979 Toyota Corolla SR5 Sport Coupe popped up on eBay over the weekend with a $4,250 asking price and several days left on the auction clock. Then, faster you can say “Kidney, Anyone?” it was gone. Continue reading
QotW: What’s the best model name?
The Japanese are known for colorful uses of the English language when it comes to christening their cars. There’s seductive women’s names like Silvia and Gloria, word salads like the Isuzu Wizard Alive and Honda Life Dunk, and perfectly chosen appellations like Skyline and Crown. So it’s about time we asked:
What’s the best model name?
Now keep in mind we’ll be asking about the worst model name next week, but for now think back to 1967. Nothing quite screamed “future” like the world’s first dual-rotor motor and the jet-like body it was ensconced in. What moniker could live up to this space-age rocket? The Mazda Cosmo Sport, that’s what.
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining, well-written, or inspiring comment by next Monday will receive a random JDM toy. Click through to see the winner from last week’s question, “What’s the most beautiful OEM color?” Continue reading
Posted in mazda, minicars, nissan, Question of the Week, toyota
Tagged 110s, 240z, 260z, 280z, choro-q, cosmo sport, datsun, fairlady z, kp61, mazda, nissan, Question of the Week, s30, toyota starlet
36 Comments
Friday Video: Against All Odds, the story of the BRE Datsun 510s
Today’s video is required viewing for any Datsun enthusiast. If you don’t yet know why every vintage Japanese car show in the US is packed with 510s sporting twin stripes down their fenders, this movie will answer all questions. Against All Odds is a period documentary chronicling the struggle of the BRE Datsun 510s in the SCCA Trans-Am 2.5 Challenge against a field of what were then thought to be superior Alfa Romeos, BMWs and Volvos. We all know how the story ended, but this is how it unfolded. Continue reading
Posted in Friday Video, motorsports, nissan
Tagged 510, against all odds, bluebird, bre, datsun, Friday Video, john morton, motorsports, nissan, osca, peter brock, scca, trans-am
12 Comments
New Honda N360/N600-styled retro kei car leaked
Renderings of a small Honda city car have been leaked on to the Intarwebs, one that looks suspiciously like the 1967 N360 and its sibling the US-market N600. Continue reading
The coolest E82 Corolla on Earth is “unreal”
Can wheels/stance make anything look good? After looking at these photos we’d say the answer is a resounding “Yes!”
It appears our friend Sebastian at VirtualModels, creator of the B310 Sunny California Shooting Brake, is at it again. Thankfully he has turned his attention to a very under-appreciated JNC platform to see if he can make it into something any of us would love to drive. Continue reading
QotW: What’s the most beautiful OEM color?
The world of nostalgics is filled with bold colors, perfectly paired two-tones and the whitest whites this side of heaven. Go to any gathering of vintage Japanese cars and it’s a feast for your retinas, a refreshing break from the seas of blandness at your local mall parking lots. So we ask:
What’s the most beautiful OEM color?
We’ve theorized before about why the Japanese love white cars so much. Tires must be black, taillights must be red. Add a canvas of white and you’ve got the three traditional colors of Japanese art. But Honda‘s Championship White isn’t just any white. It’s got hints of tan and yellow that make it look stunning on cars both vintage and modern. Plus it was reserved for only the highest spec models and had the provenance of the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix-winning Honda RA272 F1 car.
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining, well-written, 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 coolest kei car?” Continue reading
Posted in honda, minicars, Question of the Week, suzuki
Tagged alto, f1, honda, jimny, Question of the Week, ra272, sj140, suzuki
30 Comments
EVENTS: 2012 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, Part 04: Vans
All hail the one-box! Our final installment of the 2012 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals is going to be van-tastic! After all, the SCN is a festival of Amesha Kulture, and what’s more American than vannin’? Continue reading
2012 Japanese Classic Car Show registration now open
The year’s most anticipated gathering of nostalgics will soon be upon us. The 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show falls on September 15 this year and will be held at the usual venue by the Queen Mary in sunny Long Beach, California.
Registration opens today, and if you have a vintage Japanese car or motorcycle to share with the growing kyuusha community, sign up now. Spaces are limited so be sure to register early.
To whet your appetite, here are some photos from the 2011 JCCS. Don’t miss it!
Classic CM: “My Baby and Me” Mitsubishi Cordia ad by Randy Crawford
Mitsubishi had big plans for Tredia/Cordia twins when they debuted in 1982. The Triple Diamond Zaibatsu was ready to go mainstream with a front-wheel-drive compact, the wave of the future! Mitsu went as far as commissioning renowned album cover artist Shusei Nagaoka to whip up some sci-fi illustrations. The TV commercials weren’t quite as far out, but Mitsubishi recorded a dedicated theme song called “Me and My Baby (Cor-Di-A)” by jazz singer Randy Crawford. Continue reading
Posted in cm, Friday Video, mitsubishi
Tagged ad, Classic CM, cm, commercial, cordia, Friday Video, mitsubishi, randy crawford
4 Comments
The last rotary has been built by Mazda
Last year Mazda said that come next June it would end production of the RX-8 and, by extension, the rotary engine. Well that day has arrived. Mazda has announced that last Friday, June 22, the final Wankel rolled off the assembly lines in Hiroshima. Continue reading
Toyota Land Cruiser Museum opens at Miller Motorsports Park
This week the Toyota Land Cruiser received its own dedicated museum in Tooele, Utah. The Land Cruiser Heritage Museum currently holds 40 of the stalwart Japanese SUVs, ranging from the monstrous Mega Cruiser built for the JSDF to a 1959 FJ25, one of the first Toyotas to be imported to the US, period. Continue reading
Posted in museums, toyota
Tagged fj40, fj55, fj60, fj65, land cruiser, land cruiser heritage museum, Miller Motorsports Park, toyota
11 Comments
EVENTS: 2012 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, Part 03: Wagons
There’s a special place in the Japanese heart for wagons. Sure, they’re loved in America now, but over there in Japan they were always cool. At the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, where sports cars and two-doors are the exception, not the rule, wagons are practically a way of life. We certainly could be happy with this Toyota Mark II (or a similar Cressida) as our only car for eternity, as long as it was also finished in metallic avocado. In no universe would Appliance Turbo-Vecs be our first wheel choice, but they somehow fit nicely on this goon. Continue reading
Posted in events, mazda, nissan, subaru, toyota, wagons
Tagged 323, a30, b110, b310, cedric, chaser, cressida, crown, datsun, familia, gloria, kujira, leone, m10, mark II, mazda, mooneyes, ms63, mx72, nissan, pan-am, prairie, prince, s110, s120, s130, s40, s50, s60, skyline, stanza, street car nationals, subaru, sunny, toyota, van, wa30, wagon, x30, x70, y30
6 Comments
QotW: What’s the coolest kei car?
Seeing some excellent examples of kei jidosha on the way back from Nagano last week got our brains churning. These uniquely Japanese micro machines are what put the island nation on the road and have been around for over 50 years. There are way more spiffy examples than our 360cc minds can sort out, so we put the question to you:
What’s the coolest kei car?
On paper, it would seem the Vamos is one of the most amazing cars ever built. A mid-engined Honda convertible with a 9,000rpm redline? Sign us up! Oh wait, it’s got a 30PS SOHC 0.36 liter motor? Well, at least we can go to the beach, have a picnic, and load ladders with ease while fashionably dressed.
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining, well-written, or inspiring comment by next Monday will receive a random JDM toy. Click through to see the winner from last week’s question, “What Japanese concept should have been produced?” Continue reading
Posted in kei, Question of the Week
Tagged cherry, datsun, dome, honda, kei, minicars, nissan, QotW, Question of the Week, vamos, Zero
29 Comments
JNC Toyota RWD & Z Heritage shirts available in the shop
JNC‘s 2012 Z Generations and Toyota RWD shirts are now available online. Actually, they have been for a while and eagle-eyed JNCer’s have been getting them, but we neglected to make an official announcement.
Z Generations debuted at the Z-Car West Coast Nationals and is our homage to the legendary and iconic Nissan Fairlady Z. Each of the six silhouettes is accompanied by the corresponding “Z” emblem, which differs for each generation.
RWD Toyota debuted at Toyotafest and is our tribute to the return of the lightweight FR sports coupe. Iconic rear-wheel-drive cars from the Big T’s past include the 2000GT, Sports 800, TE27 and AE86. They are are pictured in rear-quarter view to emphasize the driven wheels, and are all headed towards the wearer’s heart.
Click here to visit the JNC Shop.
Posted in nissan, nostalgic wear, toyota
Tagged 2000gt, 240z, 260z, 280z, 280zx, 300zx, 350z, 370z, ae86, brz, corolla, datsun, fr-s, gt 86, hachiroku, JNC shirts, levin, nissan, s130, s30, scion, sports 800, sprinter, subaru, te27, toyota, Toyota RWD, trueno, Z Generations, z31, z32, z33, z34
2 Comments
Friday Video: Depth of Speed’s Wagon Heritage
This Friday Josh Clason‘s Depth of Speed series returns with a new video about Duane Schaffer‘s Datsun 510 Wagon and Toyota Hilux. As always, the cinematography is gorgeous and the story quite moving to the die-hard car nut. Schaffer’s garage is packed with period automobilia, and there’s nothing we like more than some cross-marque love, especially in truck and wagon form. Watch the video below the fold. Continue reading
Posted in datsun, Friday Video, toyota, trucks, wagons
Tagged 510, bluebird, datsun, depth of speed, Friday Video, hilux, josh clason, nissan, pickup, toyota, truck, wagon
10 Comments
Grand Touring: A Weekend in Nagano Prefecture
Eight-and-a-half feet of reliable snowfall blankets the mountains of Nagano Prefecture each winter, transforming quaint and quiet towns into temporary getaways for Tokyo-ites. When the snows disappear so do the downhill skiers and onsen soakers, but local FJ40 Land Cruisers stay to witness the spring thaw. Parked before a former thatched-roof house, the consummate rig for such climates appears to have braved many Nagano frosts. Continue reading
Posted in Grand Touring, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, toyota
Tagged Bessho, bus, Chikuma, chuo expressway, cr-v, daihatsu, fd, fj40, fuji heavy industries, fuso, hijet, hino, honda, j3, jeep, Kakeyu, kei, land cruiser, mazda, mitsubishi, Nagano, onsen, r3, rx-7, subaru, subaru 360, Summer Wars, toyota, Ueda, vitz, yaris
9 Comments
EVENTS: 2012 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, Part 02: Sedans
The Mooneyes Street Car Nationals may take place in Tokyo, but unlike the typical kyuusha gathering the SCN is a celebration of Amesha Kulture. That’s why you’re more likely to spot a Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier van than a G-nosed Z, and if there’s a barikan Corona it’s going to have white-letter radials on slot mags. Continue reading
Posted in events, honda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota
Tagged 130, 230, 430, 510, a30, appliance, b110, barikan, barracuda, bluebird, cedoglo, cedric, century, concerto, corona, crown, datsun, datsun 1200, debonair, gloria, hardtop, honda, k12, march, mitsubishi, motor wheel spyder, nissan, Paint Factory, rays, rt40, rt50, s110, s150, s50, special six, sunny, t40, t50, te37, toyota, turbo-vec, volk, vto
12 Comments
QotW: What Japanese concept should have been produced?
The Tokyo Motor Show is known across the auto industry for having the most crazed concepts in auto-dom. Future is what Japan does best, but last week Toyota debuted a concept at a toy show to get Japanese kids off their cellphones and back into garages. That’s why this week’s question is:
What Japanese concept should have been produced?
Our pick is the 1985 Nissan MID4. It was Nissan’s answer to Toyota‘s MR2, but armed with a twin-cam, 24-valve V6. Unlike many concepts it seemed production ready and many assumed it’d be the next Fairlady Z. Two years later Nissan came out with the MID4 II concept, adding improved aerodynamics and twin turbos for a VG30DETT putting down 330 horsepower. It probably would have been a Porsche killer, but it was too expensive for what the market would bear.
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining, well-written, or inspiring comment by next Monday will receive a random JDM toy. Click through to see the winner from last week’s question, “What’s the coolest vintage barrel?” Continue reading
Posted in concepts, minicars, nissan, Question of the Week, toyota, wheels
Tagged concept, konami, MID4, minicars, MkI, mz11, nissan, rs watanabe, soarer, ssr, techno phantom, toyota, vintage barrels, watanabe, wheels, z10
32 Comments
MINICARS: 2012 Hot Wheels ’87 Toyota Pickup
The latest nostalgic Hot Wheels to roll from the mad minds at Mattel is a 1987 Toyota Pickup. When it was first announced last December, we envisioned for reasons unknown a slammed minitruck, but instead it’s a lifted 4×4 that would have made Marty McFly forget all about his DeLorean. Continue reading
Friday Video: Depth of Speed’s Track Day & Taking the Plunge
What’s more stirring, the sight of a crimson hakosuka in motion or the heartfelt love of a car nut for his dream machine? Two new Depth of Speed videos follow the same red KGC10 Nissan Skyline, first as JDM Legends wrings it out at Utah’s scenic Miller Motorsports Park, and then after it’s found a new owner who teaches transportation design at the prestigious Art Center College of Design. Continue reading
Posted in Friday Video, nissan
Tagged c10, depth of speed, Friday Video, Hakosuka, kgc10, kpgc10, Miller Motorsports Park, nissan, skyline
9 Comments
