Japanese Nostalgic Car

Kidney, Anyone? Carroll Shelby’s Toyota 2000GT #00001 for $1.7 million

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Dan Hsu

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 →

Posted in toyota | Tagged 2000gt, carroll shelby, dave jordan, toyota | 20 Comments

Custer could have made his last stand in comfort with the Plymouth Arrow “Tepee”

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Matt De Mangos

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 →

Posted in mitsubishi | Tagged arrow, celeste, lancer, mitsubishi, plymouth | 7 Comments

Your gallery of Superdeformed Nostalgics is here

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in honda, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, prince, subaru, suzuki, toyota | Tagged 110s, 2000gt, 240z, 240zg, 260z, 280z, 430, a20, anime, axio, b10, b210, barikan, c210, cedric, celica, concept, contessa, corolla, corona, cosmo, cosmo sport, coupe 9, crown, datsun, debonair, dome zero, eunos, ex-7, excellent, fairlady z, fronte, galant gto, gemini, hino, honda, isuzu, kujira, laurel, mazda, mitsubishi, ms65, nissan, nsx, pf50, prince, progres, r30, rt40, rx-3, s30, s60, savanna, skyline, skyline sport, subaru, subaru 360, sunny, suzuki, t40, ta22, toyota | 11 Comments

Early Japanese classics among top emerging collectibles says Hagerty

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in honda, kei, nissan, subaru, toyota, wagons | Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, 280zx, 510, barikan, bluebird, corona, cr-x, crx, datsun, fairlady z, fj40, honda, kei, land cruiser, n600, nissan, rt40, s130, s30, s500, s600, s800, shovelnose, subaru, subaru 360, t40, wagon | 18 Comments

Cedric-Corolla switcheroo pulls off 300 million yen heist

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in nissan, toyota | Tagged 300 million yen incident, bluebird, cedric, corolla, datsun, e10, ke10, nissan, prince, skyline, toyota | 11 Comments

The Story of Ronald Reagan’s Subaru BRAT

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Here’s proof that Subies aren’t all driven by tree-hugging bleeding hearts. At least one was driven by a tax-slashing, commie-hating Reagan-style capitalist — Ronald Reagan himself. We mentioned the Gipper’s Subaru BRAT a couple of years ago, but now Benjamin Preston of Petersen’s 4Wheel & Offroad has revealed the full background of Subaru One. Continue reading →

Posted in subaru | Tagged brat, fuji heavy industries, ronald reagan, subaru | 10 Comments

Hondas for Guys & Girls

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Matt De Mangos

Continuing on the theme of youthful, frolicking couples in nostalgic automotive ads, here’s a 1960s Honda print ad featuring products for “Guys & Girls” — a Honda N360 and E300 portable generator for camping families, and a Monkey Z50M on which you can ride creepily through the wood stalking said family.

Posted in cm, honda | Tagged e300, honda, monkey, n360, n600, z50m | 3 Comments

The Story of Diane Krey, the “Mary” behind the Kenmeri Skyline

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Ben Hsu

The C10 hakosuka GT-R made “Skyline” a legend among Japanese gearheads, but the C110 kenmeri made it a household name. Its popularity was due in no small part to the now re-famous Ken & Mary television commercials that gave the fourth-gen Skyline its nickname and perfectly captured Japan’s optimism and romance for the open road in the early 70s.

Although there were multiple Kens and Marys over the years, the original stars were a soap actor, Jimmy Zinnai, and the daughter of an American pilot living in Japan at the time, Diane Krey. Our friend and scribe Jeff Koch last year tracked down the real Mary, now a high school teacher near Sacramento. His interview reveals the backstory of the Ni-Ten ad agency shoots, and what it was like for an American girl to be one of the most recognizable faces in Japan at the time. Continue reading →

Posted in cm, nissan | Tagged c110, datsun, diane krey, jimmy zinnai, kenmeri, kgc110, kpgc110, nissan, skyline | 34 Comments

Friday Video: Mitsubishi Colt Targa in Armor of God

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Twenty-five years ago the film Armour of God broke the following things: Hong Kong’s box office records, a tree in Yugoslavia, and, in a stunt gone awry, Jackie Chan‘s skull. Chan was rushed to the hospital to remove a fragment of said skull from his brain. Fortunately, he survived to bring us this thrilling chase involving a built-for-the-movie Mitsubishi Colt that looks like the mutant love child between a Dome Zero and an AW11 MR2. The film also breaks many Pajeros and any semblance of reality once the Colt’s “Twin Turbo” button is invoked, all leading up to a surprise Batmobile-like finale. Where can we get that option? Also note that the letters spelling “MITSUBISHI” across the spoiler gap are actually molded.

Posted in mitsubishi, Video Games | Tagged armour of god, colt, jackie chan, mirage, mitsubishi, montero, pajero, shogun, starion | 10 Comments

Animated Hondas from new “Blue Skies for our Children” ad campaign

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Honda’s new ad campaign features some animated classics and a Watchmen-like generational mirror. The only question that remains is why, when the son gets to the EG, doesn’t slam it while riding around in baseball hat cocked at a 45 degree angle. It’s cute, but still not as operatic as the Impossible Dream. Keep trying, Honda. Continue reading →

Posted in cm, honda | Tagged accord, civic, cm, honda | 8 Comments

JNC Project Hako and Kev’s Sexy Aussie Accent

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Listen to those sonorous vowels flow from the maw of JNC Aussie editor Kevin San as he talks to Hoon TV about his world-famous Project Hako.

Posted in Friday Video, nissan, project hako | Tagged c10, datsun, Hakosuka, kevin san, kgc10, kpgc10, nissan, project hako, skyline | 13 Comments

Scion FR-S Drifter and First 86 Program

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Toyota made two announcements today regarding the US-badged neo-hachiroku. Firstly, ToMoCo expects sales to be so piping hot that they built a website just to give the enthusiasts a chance to be one of the initial (no pun intended) 86 Scion FR-S owners. Hmm, 86… that sounds familiar. Since this is a heritage car, maybe Toyota should do like Ferrari with the Enzo and offer it to Toyotaku who already own an AE86 or 2000GT or Sports 800. The registration begins January 12 at 9am PST and will last for 8 hours, 6 minutes. Continue reading →

Posted in toyota | Tagged ae86, drifting, fr-s, gt 86, hachiroku, ken gushi, scion, toyota, toyota 86 | 6 Comments

Kidney, Anyone? Frame-off Restored 1981 Toyota Hilux Trekker

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Ben Hsu

A die-hard Toyota truck nut (not to be confused with the plural) in Southern Pines, North Carolina has conducted a frame-off restoration of a 1981 Toyota Hilux Trekker. These ur-4Runners started out as a half-built Hilux pickups, which were then shipped to RV-maker Winnebago for the addition of rear seats and a fiberglass bed topper. Both 4×2 and 4×4 versions existed, but like many early Japanese collabs a record of numbers built (or even a VIN range) was never kept. It’s estimated that anywhere from 1,200 to 1,500 were made, but most were used and abused by outdoorsmen, campers, and the occasional serial killer. Continue reading →

Posted in toyota, trucks | Tagged hilux, kidney anyone, pickup, toyota, trekker | 12 Comments

Friday Video: Liberty Walk’s Boso Roots

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Ben Hsu

We first caught up with JDM tuning house Liberty Walk a couple of years ago at SEMA when we saw their catalog for the mini-hako. Sadly, it wasn’t on hand because LB was there to promote their main business of modding imports, which in Japan means Chryslers and Lamborghinis. Continue reading →

Posted in Friday Video, nissan | Tagged 240z, 260z, 280z, bosozoku, c10, c110, c210, datsun, fairlady z, garuchan, Hakosuka, kenmeri, kgc10, kgc110, kpgc10, kpgc110, liberty walk, motorcycles, nissan, police, skyline, wataru kato, yonmeri | 7 Comments

Kidney, Anyone? Toyota Celica TA64 Group 4 Rally Car

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Even if you were a mere fetus in the mid-80s, you must know by know of the legendary Group B rally cars — machines like the Audi Quattro, Ford RS200 and Peugeot 205 Turbo — that kicked off the AWD era. But Toyota had a dog in the race too, and despite it being RWD, the mighty TA64 Toyota Celica TCT dominated the Ivory Coast and Safari rallies, winning the latter three years in a row. But the ace of the African deserts was actually introduced in Group 4 a year before Group B rules went into effect. Now there’s one of those for sale in Italy. Continue reading →

Posted in for sale, motorsports, toyota | Tagged 152e, a60, celica, group 4, group b, kidney anyone, ra63, ra64, rally, tct, toyota, wrc | 7 Comments

Aoshima Gurachan Collection Nissan Fairlady 240ZG

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Yesterday we showed you some Aoshima 1/6 models of vintage Japanese racing barrels. On the opposite end of the scale scale Aoshima offers these bosozoku sleds from the 1/64 Gurachan Collection. The series has been out for a while, but we just picked this one up at Japantown Collectibles in San Francisco. This kandy orange Nissan Fairlady 240ZG is a zoku’s wet dream, with bubble flares, S130 hood vents, integrated fiberglass spoiler, and C210 Skyline taillights. Even the wheels are Watanabes wrapped in real rubber. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars, nissan | Tagged 240z, 240zg, 260z, 280z, a20, aoshima, bosozoku, c10, c130, celica, chaser, cressida, datsun, fairlady z, gt-r, gurachan, gx61, Hakosuka, kgc10, kpgc10, laurel, mark II, mazda, minicars, nissan, rx-3, s30, savanna, skyline, x60 | 6 Comments

Aoshima’s “The Wheel” 1/6-Scale Vintage Barrel Model Kit

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Dan Hsu

Welcome to 2012! As we await our Mayan apocalypse let’s enjoy what time we have by enjoying some holiday goodies received at the JNC office. Reason #3,811 of why Japan is great is because you can not only buy a model kit of your favorite Japanese car, but your favorite Japanese racing wheel as well. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged advan, aoshima, bomber, formula mesh, hayashi, minicars, r104, riverside, speed star racing, ssr, wheels, work, work equip 03, yokohama | 13 Comments

JNC’s Top Stories of 2011

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Ben Hsu

As the year draws to a close, we’d like to wish all JNCers a happy new year. May all your roads be smooth, and your all schools be old. For this year’s nengajou, we chose this photo of the real-life version of our “Best of the Best” shirt, featuring the most glorious Japanese GT cars of the late Sixties.

As is internet custom, it’s time to go over the most popular stories here at JNC.com for 2011. These aren’t the most important news stories of the year, but they were the ones most clicked by you. Continue reading →

Posted in jnc | 7 Comments

Fuji-go and Sakura-go Ride Again

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Ben Hsu

53 years ago, Nissan sent a pair of Datsun 210 sedans to compete in what was known as the “World’s Cruelest Rally.” The 1958 Around-Australia Mobilgas Trial was a tortuous, 19-day circumnavigation around the continent, over mostly unpaved roads. Named Fuji-go and Sakura-go, and painted with murals of Mt. Fuji and sakura (cherry blossoms), these were the first Nissans to ever compete in international motorsports. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsports, nissan | Tagged 210, bluebird, datsun, fuji-go, mobilgas trial, motorsports, mr k, nissan, rally, sakura-go, yutaka katayama | 5 Comments

Toyota 86 and Sports 800 reunited for the holidays

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Ben Hsu

It may be AE86 Jr., but when the holidays come the Toyota 86 prefers to spend time with its great grandpa, the Sports 800. A picture perfect family reunion, or is this Toyota telling us, “Hey, we made a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive, boxer-powered sports car 50 years ago!”? Watch the video below. Continue reading →

Posted in toyota | Tagged 86, ae86, fr-s, ft-86, gt 86, hachiroku, scion, sports 800, toyota | 8 Comments