See that wagon lurking behind this hakosuka and Honda Today? All we know is that it’s old, rust, and resting in a junkyard somewhere in Japan. This photo was sent to us by a reader there. Heck, it may not even be Japanese.
Be the first one to identify it in the comments below and we will send you a set of three JNC decals – the original JNC inkan and our new Racing Mate Tribute and the JAF Tribute. One more pic below to help. Continue reading
This may look like an RA21 Toyota Celica. But look below the surface where the sun don’t shine and you’ll find a full-on AE86 drift machine. The result? Whether it’s smoking tires sideways or just cold chillin’ by a vending machine, it looks damn good doing it. You can read more about owner Matt-Panic’s build at Classic-Celica.com. Continue reading
The title says it all. Watch the luckiest bastards in the world at Best Motoring drive the greats. Continue reading
It seems we’ve got some exciting news from Hot Wheels every week now. Mattel‘s diecast toy line is really firing on all cylinders with cool nostalgics that JNC readers will love. Now you can park this Datsun 240Z next to your JNC-logo’ed Hot Wheels hakosuka.
Although the S30 has been around the Hot Wheels lineup in several iterations already, the upcoming red and white paint scheme is truly special. Somehow, it manages to evoke famous racing Z-cars from opposite sides of the Pacific — Peter Brock‘s BRE 240Z from the US, and Haruhito Yanagida‘s fearsome 240ZG from Japan. Continue reading
There was so much to see at this year’s Toyotafest it’s taken us six installments to get through everything. Alas, our coverage is coming to an end, but before we leave the Queen Mary here are some parting shots.
The 1980s came out really strong this year. As we’ve mentioned, RA63 and RA64 Celicas are the new black. This white one with black holes for wheels certainly pulled us in. Look at that laid back RWD lean and folded-origami design. If new cars today only looked this cool. Continue reading
It’s not every day you find a 1959 Datsun 1000 on eBay. This L210 is probably one of the earliest Nissan products ever sold in the US. This ancestor of the Bluebird is not for the faint of heart though. With a 37-horsepower OHV motor and four-wheel leaf spring suspension, it ain’t gonna hit the autocross like its great-great-grandson the 510. Two of these babies did, however, circumnavigate the continent of Australia in the 1958 Mobilgas Trial and one of them even won its class. Continue reading
Every couple of months our friends at Mooneyes holds an informal gathering near their HQ in Yokohama called the Mania Cruise. The great part about these shows is that you get to see oddball machines that tend to get crowded out at, say, the New Year Meeting. Case in point: the totally adorbs 1976 Mazda Porter Cab pickup. Two-stroke, 360cc, all style. Click on through to see some of our favorites. Continue reading
Best Motoring may be no more, but videos like this from their heyday are what old school Japanese cars are all about! Lightweight, rear-wheel-drive, small-displacement cars that are a blast to sling through the twisties. Watch as Keiichi Tsuchiya and Takuya Kurosawa gun a KP61 Toyota Starlet and and B110 Nissan Sunny through the mountains. I’m a Toyotaku to the core but I might have to give my vote to the super-sweet white Datsun on Watanabes in this case. Watch the video below the fold. Continue reading
Our latest installment of Toyotafest 2011 coverage begins with a lovely old school Starlet. The original RWD hot hatch. You can’t miss this killer shade of Amazonian tree frog green with over-fenders and and black ATS Classics. Continue reading
We quietly launched a new JNC Shop a few weeks ago, giving it an updated look and easier ordering process. It includes all the new gear we debuted at Toyotafest, like the Vintage Barrels II shirt, JNC X JAF decal and Racing Mate Tribute decal.
Those who stopped by our booth at Toyotafest got a sneak peek at another T-shirt design — LowLife. This one celebrates the tsurikawa, or subway grip. Decades ago, bosozoku car gangs would steal them from Japan’s ubiquitous train carriages. and hang them from the rears of their lowered cars. This served a two-fold purpose. It identified the driver as part of the criminal element, and proved his sled was truly slammed with the property of the rail system dragging behind it.
Shirts are 100% pre-shrunk cotton and available in sizes S to XXL. Gray ink on lime with maroon JNC sleeve logo. Order yours today.
It’s one thing to slap giant anime characters on your Suzuki Wagon R, Toyota Alphard, or even your Ferrari F430, but a KGC10 Skyline? That really hurts. This hot pink hakosuka was spotted last week at an itasha car show in Odaiba. Surprisingly, it was without Yayois.
[Image: getnews] Hat tip to toyotageek.
A suspect attempts to slink away just as our heros from the Western Division arrive on the scene. Too late, he’s made. Nothing left to do but wheel that Cedric like it’s your ticket to salvation. Oh, an plow over a dozen bicycles in the process. Just another day in Seibu Keisatsu-land. Watch the video below the fold. Continue reading
If you guys were excited about the Hot Wheels Hakosuka, then buckle your racing harnesses because the boys at Mattel are about to double down. That’s right, they are doing a kenmeri too. Continue reading
Our coverage of Toyotafest 2011 continues! This A40 Celica hails from the glory days of the Camel GT series. It always amazes us just how much Japanese and American tuning styles differed back then. Goodyear Eagles? Gottis? Had this Celica been race-prepped in Japan, it probably would have had massive box flares and mega-deep SSRs. Continue reading
Twenty years ago, the Mazda 787B became the first and only rotary-powered car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s also the only Japanese car to win overall what has been called “the most demanding endurance race in the world” (although the Toyota GT-One and Honda NSX have won class victories). Now, they’re inviting Mazda back. Continue reading
We gave you a heads up that Cabe Toyota would bring a truckload of NOS parts to Toyotafest 2011 at blow-out prices. We’d like to imagine that they arrived in Cabe’s off-white Toyota Stout pick’em up. Paired with gray wheels and a vintage logo on the door, it’s the perfect ‘Yota parts hauler. If you didn’t come down to Long Beach last weekend, here’s what you missed. Continue reading
We at JNC are very proud to announce the latest classic Japanese car to grace the 2011 Hot Wheels lineup — the legendary hakosuka. Mattel just sent us a small batch fresh off the assembly line, and has graciously allowed us to debut the Nissan Skyline H/T 2000GT-X to JNC readers first! These are the first photos of it released anywhere in the world, but the actual diecast cars will soon be appearing in your local retail stores so be on the lookout for them.
And of course, we are just plain delirious with excitement that it features the JNC inkan on the doors. It has been an awesome experience working with Mattel, and we are really happy that they’re on the forefront of the nostalgic Japanese movement! Continue reading
Welcome to Part 02 of our Toyotafest 2011 coverage. As Michio Kaku would say, let’s jump right in and take a look at some of more extreme cars that were at the show. This TE51 Corolla has exchanged hands a few times since PJ Bonifacio first debuted it a couple of years ago, but it still looks a fresh as ever, with oooh-shiny SSR MkIIs filling out the subtly flared fenders. Continue reading
Prepare to salivate like Pavlov’s dog in a pachinko parlor. Here are photos from Toyotafest 2011! The sixteenth annual gathering of the extended Toyota family took place this weekend at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, and that means lots and lots of Aichi steel. Continue reading
If you’ve been around old school Japanese cars you’ve seen this blue and white logo affixed to grilles or windows in badge and decal form. The Japan Automobile Federation is Japan’s version of AAA, a motoring club that you can call for roadside assistance, travel tips, or an international driver’s license. But unlike AAA, the JAF also serves as Japan’s motorsports governing body — overseeing everything from rally to Super GT to gymkhana. Continue reading
