QotW: What’s the best Japanese car commercial from the West?

The Japanese are known for offbeat, zany or downright insane car commercials, but clearly not all of them would translate to western audiences. International marketing departments have their own way of luring you into the showroom, so we ask:

What’s the best Japanese car commercial from the West?

There are many great ones, but perhaps none that tug so dearly and so triumphantly at your heartstrings as Honda‘s the Impossible Dream.

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 best car commercial from Japan?“  Continue reading

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EVENTS: The Bayline Gathering, Part 03

We begin Part 03 of our Bayline Gathering coverage with a pair of matching ’85 A60 Celica ‘verts. San Francisco’s hills form one of the most beautiful urban landscapes in America and navigating them with an open top must make for a pretty bitchin’ drive. Continue reading

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EVENTS: Mooneyes Mania Cruise Bluebird-Corona Day, Part 01

In the debut article from our newest contributor, Rod Serikaku of AutoNGraphic, we visit the Mooneyes Mania Cruise, an informal, early morning gathering of petrolheads. It’s a Japanese domestic version of Cars & Coffee of Japan except much, much cooler, because rather than fancy-schmancy European status symbols, it’s rife with old school Nihon steel. Continue reading

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2012 Hot Wheels X JNC Mazda RX-7 now in white, Kroger’s mystery pack

Sorry to do this to you guys, but there is now a third Hot Wheels Mazda RX-7 to be look out for, and it’s a beauty. The latest recolor is an ultra-Japanese pearl white with our JNC inkan in classic red on the B-pillar! But this is no ordinary Hot Wheels car. Continue reading

Posted in mazda, minicars | Tagged , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

EVENTS: The Bayline Gathering, Part 02

In Part 01 of our Bayline Gathering coverage we gazed upon the show’s centerpieces, a collection of rare vintage Nissan Skylines that had journeyed across the Pacific to be revered by a new generation of enthusiasts. But with nearly 200 cars present the show offered plenty of rare machines that were sold new right here on American shores. Case in point: a T130 Toyota Corona Wagon. Continue reading

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QotW: What’s the best car commercial from Japan?

Now that the star of one of the most famous Japanese car commercials has been rediscovered, it’s time we asked:

What’s the best car commercial from Japan?

The 1972 Nissan Skyline hit the market just as Japanese citizens getting hooked on the idea of road trips, vacations, and cars larger than a Subaru 360. A web of expressways had sprung up across the country and the open road beckoned. The C110 Skyline’s sun-drenched visions of Ken and Mary enjoying the freedom of grand touring took the nation by storm, and spawned the nickname, kenmeri, that has stayed with the car for 40 years.

What say you, dear reader? NOTE: This is for JDM ads only. There will be a separate QotW about the best comercial from America. 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 best model name?”  Continue reading

Posted in mazda, minicars, nissan, Question of the Week, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

Friday Video: Nostalgic Nissan art by Osamu Samurai

Now that we’ve found Mary perhaps it’s appropriate that we share a video full of tricked out kenmeri artwork. Well not a video per se, but these frames of customized Skyline and Fairlady Z renderings by Osamu Samurai are nevertheless killer. They’re also proof that one car can take on a multitude of varying styles and still look cool. Continue reading

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EVENTS: The Bayline Gathering, Part 01

Ever since Motoring J Style faded in 2008 there’s been a void in the NorCal nostalgic scene. The Bay Area is rife with vintage Nihon steel, and it needs a bona fide show to bring the cars out from their garages. Continue reading

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Hungarian in JNC T-shirt makes world’s greatest neo-hachiroku video

Look out, Top Gear. A Hungarian in, at varying times, Initial-D and JNC T-shirts has created what is being hailed as the world’s greatest Toyota GT 86 review. It might even be one of the greatest car review videos, period, neo-hachiroku or no. The production values and cinematography of Nino Karotta‘s Barcelona to Budapest jaunt are simply astounding, and there’s even some comparative track time in his own AE86 coupe. If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like to shoot across Europe in a RWD Toyota, this movie was made for you.  Continue reading

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Kidney, Anyone? 1979 TE51 Toyota Corolla SR5 Sport Coupe

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

Posted in for sale, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , | 69 Comments

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 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

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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

Posted in honda, Next Version | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

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

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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 , , , , , , , | 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

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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!

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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 CrawfordContinue reading

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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

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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

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