Japanese Nostalgic Car

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

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Jay Leno is in Japan. What comes of this trip should be interesting, but for now, watch as he tours the Nissan DNA Garage.

UPDATE: Leno goes to Toyota and drives the Lexus LFA Spyder as well! Continue reading →

Posted in nissan, toyota | Tagged 240z, 240zg, 260z, 280z, datsun, fairlady z, jay leno, lexus, lfa, nissan, s30, toyota, zama warehouse | 10 Comments

Marty McFly’s Back to the Future Toyota Pickup getting a restoration

Posted on September 30, 2012 by John Roper

While plebeians consider the DeLorean the “cool car” from Back to the Future, JNCers know that the real gem from the series was the jet black 1985 Toyota 4×4 Pickup that Marty McFly owned in his new-and-improved future. Now an outfit called Time Machine Restoration has acquired the movie truck and is starting a thorough restoration. Continue reading →

Posted in toyota, Video Games | Tagged back to the future, marty mcfly, pickup, toyota | 7 Comments

EVENTS: 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 05: Sports Cars

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Dan Hsu

You want Zs? You got Zs. We begin Part 05 of our 2012 JCCS coverage with the seminal Japanese sports car, the one that forever changed perceptions of what it meant to be “J-tin” and swept America by storm. Here in the Cruise Nisei corral are the matching Datsun 240Zs of Kelvin Hiraishi, Tod Kaneko, and Raymond Lui, proving once and for all that yes, there are indeed three separate bright orange Zs in SoCal, not one insane owner that rotates wheels and engines. Continue reading →

Posted in events, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota | Tagged 2000gt, 240z, 260z, 280z, aw11, chrysler, conquest, crx, datsun, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, fb, fc, fc3s, g-nose, mazda, mitsubishi, mr k, mr2, nissan, rx-7, s30, sa22, sports 800, starion, starquest, toyota, yotahachi, yutaka katayama | 16 Comments

SevenStock Preview: JNC “Daytona” Shirt

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Last year at SevenStock JNC debuted “LeMans” in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Mazda 787B‘s historic win at the French enduro.

This year we follow it up with “Daytona,” the second in the series, celebrating the Mazda RX-7 that won its inaugural race in IMSA’s GTU class at the 1979 24 Hours of Daytona.

The car, driven by Yoshimi Katayama, Yojiro Terada and Takashi Yorino, was the first the RX-7 in a long line of successors that went on to dominate the IMSA league. By the time the series came an end in the early 90s, Mazda had won over 100 races, becoming the winningest marque in IMSA history.

This year saw the release of our Hot Wheels X JNC Mazda RX-7, which was inspired by this car. That subsequently led to a life-sized RX-7 by JDM Legends and Brandon Ozaki inspired by the Hot Wheels. It’s been a fantastic year for JNC and Hot Wheels, so this is our thank you to the fans.

As always, we will debut the shirt to SevenStock attendees first. We will add it to the JNC Shop after the show. See all you Mazdafarians on Saturday!

Posted in mazda, nostalgic wear | Tagged daytona, fb, imsa, jnc, mazda, rx-7, sa22, shirt | 7 Comments

REminder: REstart the Revolution at SevenStock this Saturday!

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Ben Hsu

This is just a friendly reminder that SevenStock and Mazdafest have joined forces this year to form one mega-celebration of rotary power at Willow Springs Raceway this Saturday, September 29!

Posted in events, mazda | Tagged events, mazda, sevenstock | 1 Comment

EVENTS: 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04: Luxury & GT

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Dan Hsu

By the mid-70s Japanese automakers had their sights firmly set on comfortable long-distance runners that could eat up highway miles. They were often luxurious too — well, more luxurious than a Datsun 510 at least — and built for the new Japanese pastime of road tripping. In previous years most of these cars you’ll see in this article were absent from JCCS, but as the show and scene grow, that’s changing. Continue reading →

Posted in events, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota | Tagged a40, a60, acura, c10, c110, celica, challenger, corona, dodge, galant, Hakosuka, honda, japanese classic car show, jccs, kenmeri, kgc10, kgc110, kpgc10, kpgc110, lambda, legend, luce, ma60, ma61, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, plymouth, rt114, rx-4, sapporo, skyline, supra, t110, toyota | 13 Comments

EVENTS: 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 03: Sport Coupes

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Part 03 of our 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show coverage considers the very vehicles that put Nihon cars on the map. Agile and stylish, the rise of the Japanese sport coupe gave those of us who like to do our driving in bends rather than boulevards an alternative to the muscle car, and it’s what made most of us enthusiasts today. Continue reading →

Posted in events, honda, mazda, nissan, toyota | Tagged 200sx, 510, 610, a20, a60, ae86, b110, b210, bluebird, c30, capella, celica, corolla, da3, datsun, datsun 1200, epsilon, familia, gt 86, hachiroku, honda, integra, laurel, levin, liftback, mazda, nisei, nissan, r100, ra21, ra29, ra65, rally, riverge, riverside, rs watanabe, rx-2, rx-3, rx-3 sp, s10, s110, s12, savanna, scion fr-s, silvia, sprinter, sr-5, ssr, sunny, ta21, ta22, te37, toyota 86, trueno, watanabes, z360, z600 | 12 Comments

Kidney, Anyone? Possibly the freshest Mitsubishi Galant Sigma in the US

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Ben Hsu

With all the JCCS coverage going on it’s time for east coasters’ yearly grumble session about their lack of clean cars. While it’s true that faded 510s and AE86s are not on every corner there, it’s equally true that when an old Japanese car does appear you can bet it’s going to be dead mint. Case in point: a 1988 Mitsubishi Galant Sigma currently on eBay in Philadelphia. Continue reading →

Posted in for sale, mitsubishi | Tagged galant, kidney anyone, mitsubishi, sigma | 17 Comments

EVENTS: 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02: Sedans

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Dan Hsu

In Part 02 of our coverage of the 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show we examine the fabulous four-doors that graced the Queen Mary lawn. Continue reading →

Posted in events, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota | Tagged 310, 410, 411, 610, 710, 910, accord, ae71, appliance, auster, bluebird, c10, capella, colt, corolla, corona, cressida, crown, datsun, dodge, e70, galant, gc10, gx71, Hakosuka, honda, japanese classic car show, jccs, lancer, lonchamps, longchamp xr-4, mark II, maxima, mazda, mitsubishi, mx73, nissan, r35, rs watanabe, rx-2, s30, skyline, ssr, SSR MkII, t170, toyopet, toyota, violet, vr-4, watanabes, x70 | 9 Comments

QotW: What is the greatest Mazda of all time?

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Ben Hsu

From greatest engine to most luxurious to most beautiful to proudest marque, Mazdas have consistently been winners in our QotW series. And since it’s also SevenStock/Mazdafest week, we thought we’d devote the next question to this one very special marque.

What is the greatest Mazda of all time?

There have been many great Mazdas, but in the annals of Japanese motoring history it was perhaps the Savanna RX-3 that left the most indelible mark. It was the zebra-striped rotary that prevented Nissan‘s then-dominant Skyline GT-R from snatching a 50th touring car win, a public trouncing watched by nearly everyone in Japan because Nissan themselves had publicized the “Victory 50″ event so highly.

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 made you fall in love with Japanese nostalgic cars?” Continue reading →

Posted in mazda, nissan, Question of the Week | Tagged c10, gt-r, Hakosuka, kgc10, kpgc10, mazda, nissan, QotW, Question of the Week, r31, r32, rx-3, savanna, skyline | 24 Comments

Friday Video: Celica Panic!

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Dan Hsu

After seeing a prototype of Jun Imai’s latest design in the flesh at JCCS last weekend, we’ve had nothing but Celica on the brain all week here at JNC.

Posted in Friday Video, toyota, Uncategorized | Tagged celica, Friday Video, toyota | 13 Comments

EVENTS: 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01: Debuts

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Dan Hsu

The 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show has come and gone, and this year’s was the hottest one yet. We mean that literally, as it was an unseasonably scorching 100-plus degree day, rare even for SoCal in September, but that didn’t stop throngs of enthusiasts from turning up in droves. In Part 01 of our JCCS coverage, we’ll go right to this year’s big debuts. Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, events, honda, jccs, mazda, mazda rx-7, mitsubishi, nissan, suzuki, toyota, Toys, Uncategorized, wagon | Tagged 1200, 510, ae86, b110, bluebird, c30, celica, chevrolet, chevy, civic, corolla, datsun, events, fb, gt-s, hachiroku, honda, hot wheels, jeep, laurel, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, rx-7, sa22, sprint, sunny, swift, toyota, trd, usdm | 22 Comments

Grand Touring: The Kii Peninsula via the newly opened Shin-Tomei Expressway

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Skorj

Earlier this year the first section of the Shin-Tomei Expressway opened for traffic, marking a new era for Japan’s highway system. Naturally we went exploring, taking this newest road to one of the oldest inhabited regions of Japan, the Kii Peninsula. Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, toyota | Tagged accord, ae86, beat, brz, c10, corolla, cr-v, debonair, hachiroku, Hakosuka, honda, impreza, kei, kii peninsula, levin, mitsubishi, shin-tomei, skyline, sprinter, sti, subaru, subaru 360, tokaido, tomei, toyota, trueno, vino, wrx, yamaha, yamano magic | 9 Comments