For the Skyline‘s 55th birthday Nissan has released a series of wallpapers by artist Eizen Suzuki. The gorgeous illustrations depict each generation of the Japanese legend in various nostalgic settings, and a new one will be released every month of 2012. Keep checking back at the Skyline 55th website, where you can also grab a screensaver and take a peek at the JDM V36 Skyline 55th Limited.
Thanks to James D. for the tip!
This year’s New Year Meeting was a bit less exciting as a large number of cars were repeats from previous shows, but hey, it’s Japan and there’s tons of vintage steel. Continue reading
Valentine’s day usually results in a bunch of useless containers shaped like hearts. But here’s a much, much cooler container shaped like a Star Shark! It’s a vintage ashtray, still stamped with the original manufacturer, Colin, on the back. The opening bid right now is a mere ¥24,980, which converts to $322, or roughly the price of a real wheel. Not trying to drop a hint, but if we were to find one wrapped in a bow come February 14, we’d definitely put out. Continue reading
Not to be outdone by the boys at Fuji Heavy, Mazda has produced yet another look-at-our-awesome-history-of-fun-to-drive-cars montage commercial, but this time without the zoom-zoom. Instead, it’s to get the word out about its new family of Skyactiv motors. The spot is titled “Revolutions,” but despite glimpses of 787Bs and Cosmo Sports ironically/sadly there is no rotary engine to promote. Continue reading
ToMoCo has plenty of FR heritage to capitalize on as they gear up for the Toyota 86 launch, but what about its Subaru BRZ twin? Instead of drifting XT coupes we get a disowned son reuniting with his father over a common love of Fuji Heavy products. Dorama! Also, there’s not one but two official BRZ websites. Continue reading
A few months ago Koji and Terry Yamaguchi of the JCCS, Jun Imai of Mattel and I were interviewed by a reporter from the New York Times about the growing collectibility of vintage Japanese cars. This is the article. Nothing in it will probably come as news to any regular reader of JNC and a lot of what I said ended up on the cutting room floor, but this story isn’t for the hard-core otaku. I do wish they had more room to get to the essence of what makes these cars cool, but it’s nice to see that it’s not just mainstream collectors, but mainstream media, who are paying attention.
[Image: Axel Koester, New York Times]
As the Toyota 86 inches closer to its Japanese debut the Aichi mothership is releasing a slew of propaganda. The latest is a series of TRD wallpapers beautifully illustrated by Masahisa Higuchi. They depict the neo-hachiroku and its racing forebears, including the Sports 800, Yatabe speed record 2000GT, and Mobilgas Trial S30 Crown. Continue reading
Some say we don’t post enough Z31s. Let’s rectify that right now with a hidari-handoru 1984 Nissan 300ZX 50th Anniversary Edition targa that’s returned home for modification, wangan style. That is all.
[HTF]
The latest iteration of Hot Wheels‘ ever-popular Datsun 510 Bluebird is going to be metallic gray. It has the same graphics as the red one that came out late last year, but racier wheels. It’s still part of the “Faster than Ever” line with nickel-plated axles and should be on the shelves in mid-February.
We recently got some details on what’s coming down the pike from Mattel in terms of Japanese nostalgic cars, and although we can’t share anything with you yet… let’s just say you guys are going to lose your collective poo. There’s some surprising non-Japanese, non-muscle vintage goodness as well, like the BMW 2002. The Bimmer is new for 2012, which means that once again, the Datsun has beaten its old rival to the punch.
As it turns out, ramming an 8,000-pound dump truck with your 2,800-pound Nissan Cedric Special 6 is not an effective method for slowing it down. Like always, what you need is a Sgt Daimon in his own Cedric several miles ahead of you, ready to stoically cap a fool with is trademark Terminator-like accuracy. Continue reading
The 1977-79 Datsun 200SX was widely derided as one of the ugliest cars ever to hit the American market. That was because we never saw it the way it was intended by Nissan — as the S10 Silvia with flush JDM bumpers. Luckily our friend, Datsun 210 owner and mega-talented artist Scott Fischer has illustrated his own version of the 200SX, minus the park-bench US-spec bumpers while adding a healthy does of bolt-on flares and Longchamps. He calls it the SX Appeal, and it’s easy to see why.
Few things in life are cooler than vintage racing liveries. The colors, the typefaces, and the long-extinct corporate logos (of often just-as-extinct corporations) capture a moment in time that can never be replicated again. Add to that the rawness of the machines they decorated and the sheer amount of guts it took to hurl a metal box with zero modern safety furnishings around a track, just to satisfy the ridiculously primal need to beat the other guy, and, well, it’s stirring.
And if you look back at photos of Japanese racers from the glory days of Fuji and Suzuka, you’ll notice a stylized, pinkish-red hand, forefinger and thumb making a perfect circle — the internationally recognizable “OK” gesture. But what does it mean? Continue reading
Have you been scouring the pegs of your local mega box retailer? We’ve gotten reports that Mattel’s 1:64 Mazda RX-7 is out! So in honor of our collab with Hot Wheels, we’ve created a special “Black Gold” edition of our iconic JNC Inkan decal to match the miniature one on the RX-7’s B-pillar. Continue reading
Every year more and more vintage Japanese steel forges its way into the Tokyo Auto Salon. But as Japan’s equivalent of the SEMA show, the theme favors “custom” over “classic”. Continue reading
The 1996 film Super-Woman was not in fact about an ultra-strong female hero, but a cashier who uncovers shady dealings at a rival supermarket chain. The Japanese love of abbreviation strikes again! The movie would be altogether unremarkable except for a climactic third act showcasing what might be the world’s only dekotora chase! Several Toyota sedans get thrown into the mix as well when our heroine finds herself trapped in the back of a freezer truck. Doesn’t the portly baddie know? You simply do not F with a guy driving a 10,000-watt Shinjuku on wheels. Oh well, at least he rocks some sweet Advan kicks. Continue reading
Let’s face it. The Japanese offerings at the recent Barrett-Jackson auction were pretty middling. Z-cars and FJ40s restored to new reaches for the definition of “stock” aren’t going to wow anyone who’s been hanging out at JCCS. Well, what do you expect from a gaggle of octogenarians willing to shell out a cool $160,000 for a hideous candy-blinged “widebody” Mustang?
Today’s kidney bait is a Toyota 2000GT, an already organ-relinquishing car if there ever was one. But this isn’t just any 2000GT — it happens to be MF10-100001, the first production Japanese supercar ever built. It’s been in the private collection of Bob Tkacik and Peter Star of Maine Line Exotics for several decades now, periodically making appearances at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Monterey Historics. Now they’re willing to let it go for the low, low price of $1.7 million, shipping not included. Continue reading
Despite their notable absence from JCCS, on the streets, and in the collective memory of the American public, the Plymouth Arrow was actually quite a popular car. And you could have easily been the big man on campsite with this funky “Teepee” option. With it, your re-badged Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste‘s sloping fastback could be transformed into a soaring nylon cathedral! Continue reading
In case you were wondering where you could get your favorite nostalgic drawn in superdeformed anime style, your prayers have been answered. This unnamed master of Choro-Q style illustrations is a master of the form. Peep the gallery and video below. Continue reading
With all the automotive madness whipped up by the Arizona auctions week, let’s take a look at how it affects the nostalgic car scene. First, collector car insurance company Hagerty issued a press release identifying three “segments represent[ing] a group of collector vehicles that are quickly gaining in popularity amongst enthusiasts” — classic pickups, early Japanese cars, and vintage motorcycles. Continue reading
The biggest robbery in Japanese history took place on December 10, 1968. On that day, duralumin cases with the year-end bonuses for an entire Tokyo Shibaura Electric (now Toshiba) factory was to be delivered by the Kokobunji branch of the bank known today as Mitsubishi UFJ Shintaku Gingko. Normally, such cargo would be escorted by two guards in a bank-owned Nissan Cedric, but this time security was upped to four men. Continue reading
