MINICARS: Hot Wheels’ mid-engined Honda CR-X
In 1981 Hot Wheels debuted the Hot Ones, a line of diecast cars with an articulating suspension and thin axles for a smooth, frictionless ride across your tabletop. Mattel has been busy re-launching many of the iconic cars from this series, as well as adding new models that weren’t included in the original collection but probably should have been. Case in point: the Honda CR-X, an 1980s icon of sport compacts.
Posted in honda, manga, minicars
Tagged ballade, cr-x, crx, diecast, honda, hot ones, hot wheels, Keiichiro Shinmura, king, manga, minicars, ultra hots
7 Comments
EVENTS: Motorsport Auto’s 2012 Z-car West Coast Nationals
This year Motorsport Auto brought back the Z-car West Coast Nationals with a full scale show at their headquarters. The theme was “Back to the Streets,” the street being a closed-off stretch of Collins Avenue in Orange, California, just like in days of old. Continue reading
Posted in events, nissan
Tagged 10th anniversary, 240z, 260z, 280z, 280zx, 300zx, 350z, 370z, 50th anniversary, 510, black gold, black pearl, bluebird, datsun, fairlady z, kameari, l24, l28, longchamp, motorsport auto, msa, n42, nissan, rb, rebello, s130, s30, ssr, superlite, wagon, watanabe, xr-4, z-car west coast nationals, z31, z32, z33, z34, zap
18 Comments
Question of the Week: What Japanese car was the biggest movie star?
Not counting the Fast and Furious franchise, cars of Japanese origin don’t usually feature too prominently in Hollywood productions. But that makes their rare appearances all the more special, which brings us to this week’s question:
What Japanese car was the biggest movie star?
Winston Wolf’s Acura NSX was an unexpected treat in Pulp Fiction. When Harvey Keitel’s mob cleaner was called upon to resolve a, uh, mind blowing accident, he promised to arrive on the scene in less than 10 minutes. He got there in nine and 37 seconds. Quentin Tarrantino’s script, heavily laden with details about the exact make, model and color of each car that appeared, originally called for a silver Porsche 911. But it had been written before Honda‘s magnum opus was unleashed on an unsuspecting public and became the most badass import on the block. In contrast, Bruce Willis’ totaling of a white 1980 Honda Civic in another scene is played for laughs. That only 10 years separates the two cars is truly mind blowing. What say you, dear reader? (Let’s keep it non-anime. That’ll be a future QotW.)
As always, the most entertaining, well-written, or inspiring comment by next Monday will receive a random JDM toy of some kind. Click through to see the winner of last week’s question, “Which nostalgic had the best nickname?” Continue reading
Posted in honda, Question of the Week, toyota
Tagged a20, acura, celica, civic, daruma, honda, nsx, Question of the Week, toyota
74 Comments
Kidney, Anyone? 22,000-mile 1974 Toyota Celica ST
In Ashland, Kentucky right now there sits a gorgeous 22,000-mile daruma waiting for a new owner. The 1974 Toyota Celica ST is as mint as mint can be and swathed in a period brownish-green. Everything is original except for the Cragar wheels, but it appears that the original steelies and hubcaps still reside in boxes stowed in the trunk. Perhaps the only downside is the fact that it’s equipped with a 3-speed slushbox, but luckily early Toyotas have a pre-punched hole in the firewall to pass a clutch master through. Just be sure to save the rubber plug for posterity’s sake. As of this writing, its reserve has been met and exceeded at $13,050. See more photos on eBay. Continue reading
Friday Video: The development of the Toyobaru Neo-hachiroku
As we gear up for Toyotafest this weekend, watch this promotional video in which engineers describe incredible feats of packaging that made the Subaru BRZ and neo-hachiroku twins smaller than a Scion tC. This is the Steve Jobs-level passion for and/or obsession with a vision — beancounters and focus groups be damned — that is absolutely critical if we ever hope to stem the tide of rolling social networking pods being heaped upon the clueless driving public. Continue reading
Posted in Friday Video, subaru, toyota
Tagged ae86, brz, fr-s, Friday Video, gt 86, scion, subaru, toyota, toyota 86
15 Comments
JNC “RWD Toyota” shirts will debut at Toyotafest this weekend
Three letters — RWD. That says it all for the shirt we’re debuting at Toyotafest this Saturday, May 5. The lightweight rear-wheel-drive sport coupe is the magic formula that made us fall in love with old school Japanese cars in the first place, and after a decade-long absence it will return to the automotive world when the Scion FR-S arrives at dealers next week.
To celebrate, our new JNC RWD Toyota design features the Americanized Toyota 86 and the cars it drew on for inspiration — the Sports 800 for its FR boxer layout, the 2000GT for its Nozaki arc, the hachiroku for its namesake, and the TE27 for originating the affordable twin-cam Toyota.
The design works from a distance, where “RWD” in bold letters draws the eye. Those well-versed in automotive lingo will get it right away. Up close, the words “light,” “quick,” and agile describe what makes these cars the stuff of driving dreams. We used only rear 3/4 views to emphasize the driven wheels, and they’re charging straight into the owner’s heart. Continue reading
EVENTS: Datsun Roadster Classic of Solvang 2012
Dragging a non-car nut spouse to a car show is a hairy proposition, usually resulting in paying back a day spent gawking at old metal with some proper romance. That’s why we recommend killing two birds with one stone by dragging your spouse to the Datsun Roadster Classic in romantic Solvang, California. Continue reading
Posted in events, nissan
Tagged 510, 710, auster, bluebird, bre, datsun, datsun roadster classic, fairlady roadster, frank monise, n320, nissan, nl320, peter brock, solvang, sp310, sp311, spl310, spl311, sports 1500, sports 1600, sports 2000, sr311, srl311, violet
15 Comments
Question of the Week: Which nostalgic had the best nickname?
One of the most entertaining things about vintage Japanese cars is the crazy nicknames. There’s obvious ones like hachiroku, shortened ones like hakosuka, and funny ones like butaketsu. Therefore, we ask you:
Which nostalgic had the best nickname?
There are so many good ones, but because this weekend is Toyotafest we’ll go with the RT40, commonly known as the barikan Corona. Apparently its angled grille reminded the Japanese of hair clippers like these 1970s Matsuokas. What say you, dear reader?
As always, the most entertaining, well-written, or inspiring comment by next Monday will receive a random JDM toy of some kind. Click through to see the winner of last week’s question, “What nostalgic race car would you have driven?” Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week, toyota
Tagged 787b, barikan, corona, le mans, mazda, Question of the Week, rt40, t40, toyota
43 Comments
MINICARS: Hot Wheels bosozoku-style Mad Manga
Holy effing crap. If you had told us a year ago that one day Hot Wheels, the most red-blooded American toy there is, would have a takeyari-equipped bubble-flared shark-nosed zokusha in its lineup, we would have called you baka. And yet, here it is — the 2012 Mad Manga. Continue reading
JNC “Z Generations” shirt will debut at Motorsport Auto’s Z-car West Coast Nationals this weekend
It’s spring and SoCal’s car show season kicks off tomorrow with Motorsports Auto‘s Z-car West Coast Nationals. The weekend of Z madness begins Friday evening with a launch party at MSA headquarters in Orange, CA. Saturday will feature dyno runs, detailing sessions, and something you won’t want to miss if you own a Z of any generation — a garage sale. The main event, an all-Z car show, takes place on Sunday, and we will be there with Project Z and to debut our new JNC Z Generations shirt. Continue reading
Posted in nissan
Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, 280zx, 300zx, 350z, 370z, datsun, fairlady z, JNC Z Generations, motorsport auto, msa, nissan, s130, s30, z-car west coast nationals, z31, z32, z33, z34
12 Comments
Donate $100 for a chance to own Victor Laury’s 1970 Datsun Fairlady Roadster
Our friend and beloved member of California’s nostalgic car community Victor Laury is relinquishing is collection of beautiful Datsuns. Sadly, Vic suffered a stroke a while back and as a result he will no longer be able to drive his cherished cars. We recently told you about the sale of his Datsun 240Z and now the car Vic is most known for, his gorgeous 1970 Datsun Fairlady Roadster, must be passed on to a new owner as well. Continue reading
Posted in for sale, nissan
Tagged datsun, fairlady, fairlady roadster, for sale, nissan, sports 2000, srl311, Victor Laury
21 Comments
MINICARS: Hot Wheels Subaru BRAT & A60 Toyota Supra leaked
At a current bid of $8,100 is yesterday’s Kidney Car a bit too rich for your blood? Perhaps then a Hot Wheels Subaru BRAT would be kinder to your wallet. Though slated for later this year, renderings have been leaked to the intarwebs. The little Gipper-mobile appears to have rollbar spotlights, roo bars and a slight lift.
MA61 fans should also hold on to their collective pants right now, because renderings for a second-gen Celica Supra have also hit the Series of Tubes. Continue reading
Kidney, Anyone? 44,000-mile 1979 Subaru BRAT
Here in SoCal, the one marque of nostalgic we rarely see is Subaru. There just wasn’t much need for 4WD passenger vehicles in the perpetually sunny climes of Los Angeles. Subaru BRATs occasionally show up in junkyards — and judging by the layers of dust only after sitting immobile for years — but I can’t even remember the last time I saw one on the street. That’s why this all-original 1979 with just 44,726 miles on the clock just blows my mind. Continue reading
Question of the Week: What nostalgic race car would you have driven?
Okay, so you’ve invented that time machine. Oddly, it can only serve one purpose — to put you in the cockpit of any classic Japanese motorsports machine.
What nostalgic race car would you have driven?
The JNC staff (except Kev) chose to zap themselves behind the wheel of the famous KPGC10 hakosuka GT-R, for the reasons of 1.) its legendary status, 2.) the fact that it played a key role in defining the culture we revere today, and 3.) we have a Hot Wheels of it. Kev, on the other hand, chose the bonkers KDR30 Skyline Silhouette Group 5 racer (something about him owning a hako already, the bastard). What say you, dear reader?
As always, the most entertaining, well-written, or inspiring comment will receive a random JDM toy of some kind. Click through to see the winner of last week’s question, “What is the ugliest Japanese car?” Continue reading
Posted in motorsports, nissan, Question of the Week
Tagged echo, gt-r, Hakosuka, kpgc10, mitsuoka, motorsports, nissan, Question of the Week, skyline, toyota
52 Comments
Friday Video: Mr. Bean goes for a ride in Nissan’s Zama Warehouse
Now that Nissan CEO Mr. Bean has revived the Datsun brand, it’s probably appropriate that he visit the Zama warehouse, where the company’s legendary collection of 400-plus classic and racing vehicles are stored. Continue reading
EVENTS: AE86 Nights 5th Anniversary
SoCal may have its drawbacks, but there aren’t many places where you can put the call out for a hachiroku party and have over 100 cars show up. AE86 Nights has been doing this almost every Saturday night since April of 2007, making this past weekend their five-year anniversary. Continue reading
Cataloguer: S130 Nissan Fairlady Z
The S130 Fairlady Z is by no means an ugly car. In fact it was once considered the must-have car of its time. Yet nowadays it gets little to no love from the Z-car crowd, whose legion of newcomers much prefer the lighter, purer, and more O.G. S30 chassis. But just look at this photo from a Japanese S130 catalog! It’s got everything — a cool car, amazing lighting, a hot chick in a racing suit, and a damn puma. Continue reading
Posted in Cataloguer, nissan
33 Comments
Turn your Datsun into a Champion with the 210ZX!
It’s as if the planets have aligned. Just as we posed a QotW about Japan’s ugliest car, a reader unearths this long-forgotten piece of motoring history. Behold, the Datsun 210ZX! Continue reading
Question of the Week: What is the ugliest Japanese car?
Without even reading the title, you can probably guess what this week’s QotW is just by photo alone.
What is the ugliest Japanese car?
Sorry Kev, but I’m going to have to make an executive decision on this one. The 1988 Autech Stelvio is both proof that the Italians were not infallible when it came to good design, and that there was once a time when Nissan was indeed crazy enough to green-light something like this. One of the automotive world’s great tragedies is that a road as incredible as the Stelvio Pass must now share a name with this abomination. Underneath, it’s an ¥18 million F31 Leopard/Infiniti M30, albeit one with 320hp, but as Kev has noted you could buy two NSX-Rs for that price.
As usual, the best (not the most-correct, but the most entertaining/well-written/inspiring) comment will receive a random JDM toy in the mail. Click through to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What is the most beautiful Japanese car?” Continue reading
Posted in mazda, nissan, Question of the Week, toyota
Tagged 1500 sports, 1600 sports, 2000 sports, autech, choro-q, crown, datsun, enfini, fairlady, fairlady roadster, fd3s, mazda, minicars, ms75, nissan, Question of the Week, rx-7, s60, stelvio, toyota, zagato
38 Comments
