Japanese Nostalgic Car

Hot Wheels X JNC Hakosuka Nissan Skyline

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in minicars, nissan | Tagged 2000gt-x, c10, gt-r, Hakosuka, hot wheels, kgc10, kpgc10, nissan, skyline | 64 Comments

EVENTS: Toyotafest 2011 Part 02

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in bosozoku, events, toyota, wagons | Tagged 1jz, 20-valve, 2jz, 4age, 4runner, a60, ae86, ae92, all toyotafest, blacktop, celica, corolla, corona, cressida, estima, f20c, f22c, gx71, hayashi, hilux, honda, is-f, jza80, levin, lexus, ls400, lucida, markII, MkIII, mx28, mx72, mx73, pickup, previa, ra63, ra64, rays, rota, s2000, sakura, sprinter, sr5, ssr, supra, takeyari, te37v, te51, tokico, toyota, toyotafest, toyotafest 2011, trueno, vip, volk, wagon, work equip, work equip 03, x70, yayoi | 10 Comments

EVENTS: Toyotafest 2011 Part 01

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in events, toyota | Tagged 2000gt, 2011, a20, advan, ae86, all toyotafest, august, celica, corolla, cressida, crown, feroce, fj40, gear spoke, gt-s, gx71, highlander, kluger, kujira, land cruiser, levin, lexus, lfa, ls460, ls600h, mango, markII, mesh, mf10, ms65, ms75, mx73, oni, phantom, publica, queen mary, ra21, ra28, ra29, reverse mesh, rotiform, s5, s60, sprinter, sr5, ssr, ta21, te27, techno, toyota, toyotafest, trueno, up10, work equip 01, work vs | 21 Comments

JAF History and a New JNC Decal

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in jnc | Tagged decal, grille badge, jaf, japan automobile federation, jnc, sticker | 10 Comments

JNC Vintage Barrels II T-Shirt

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Ben Hsu

Ever since we released our original Vintage Barrels T-shirt, the suggestions have been flowing for a second design. So without further ado, we are proud to present JNC‘s Vintage Barrels II T-shirt! We’ll debut the new threads at Toyotafest this weekend, so be sure to stop by the booth. Can you name all the rims?

Posted in nostalgic wear, wheels | Tagged jnc, t-shirt, vintage barrels II | 12 Comments

Getting Ready for Toyotafest

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Ben Hsu

Posted in events, toyota | Tagged cressida, mark II, mx72, mx73, ssr, star sharks, toyota, toyotafest, x70 | 6 Comments

Wednesday Wall: Happy 510 Day!

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Dan Hsu

In celebration of 510 Day, here’s a Wednesday Wallpaper of the very first car ever featured on Japanese Nostalgic Car, Kelvin & Jeffrey Hiraishi’s rotary-powered Datsun 510.

widescreen: 1920 x 1200
standard: 1600 x 1200

Posted in nissan, Wednesday Wall | Tagged 510, bluebird, datsun, nissan, Wednesday Wall | 3 Comments

Get Ready for Toyotafest This Weekend!

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Ben Hsu

This almost goes without saying, but the biggest Toyota-themed party in North America is going down this Saturday. And sponsors Cabe Toyota has announced that they will be having a blow-out sale at Toyotafest. Continue reading →

Posted in events, toyota | Tagged cabe toyota, queen mary, torc, toyota, toyotafest | 5 Comments

1972 Mitsubishi-Built Dodge Colt Wagon Road Test

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Ben Hsu

The modern JNCer may have a few bones to pick with Car & Track host Bud Lindemann. Not only does he say that all Japanese cars look as if they came from the same drawing board (excepting the Datsun 240Z), he implies that compact cars are just a fad. Despite the 1972 Dodge Colt Wagon‘s leisurely 20-second 0-60 time, the Mitsubishi does get high marks in what a small, lightweight car does best — braking and handling. It’s a formula we’ve come to know and love. Watch the video below the fold Continue reading →

Posted in mitsubishi, wagons | Tagged colt, dodge, galant, mitsubishi, wagon | 5 Comments

Friday Video: Nissan Cedrics vs S30 Fairlady Z

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Ben Hsu

Last week we were surprised that we’d never featured a hakosuka in a Friday Video car chase. Even more surprising is the lack of S30s in Seibu Keisatsu pursuits. Although we’ve seen a couple here and there, you’d think there would be more examples of Japan’s most famous sports car in a Nissan-sponsored show devoted to vehicular mayhem. This week’s clip not only gives Zed heads a healthy dose of Fairlady Z as getaway car following a jewelry store heist, but Sunnys, Skylines and Cedrics as collateral damage. Perhaps one reason more Zs weren’t used is because they bad guys can’t always get away! Continue reading →

Posted in Friday Video, nissan, Video Games | Tagged 230, 240z, 260z, 280z, 330, b110, c10, car chase, cedric, datsun, datsun 280z, fairlady z, gloria, Hakosuka, japanese cop show, nissan, s30, seibu keisatsu, skyline, sunny | 4 Comments

The History of Racing Mate and a New JNC Decal

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Ben Hsu

It’s hard to believe, but for as long as JNC has been around we’ve only ever made one sticker. We need to rectify that situation stat, so the yotsuba above will soon be joining the red and white inkan. For all you hard core old schoolers out there, it should look familiar. Continue reading →

Posted in nostalgic gear | Tagged corona, crown, gloria, honda, japan gp, japan grand prix, jnc, monza, n360, n600, nissan, phantom oil, prince, racing mate, rs40, rt20, s40, skyline, soukichi shikiba, suzuka, tag heuer, tetsu ikusawa, tiara, tojiro ukiya, toyota, yotsuba | 13 Comments

Acura Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Ben Hsu

A quarter century ago, the first Japanese luxury brand made its debut. Honda decided that if they wanted so sell high-end cars they’d have to do it with a different marque altogether, and dreamed up Acura. And yet, despite the extraordinary bang-for-the-buck ratio of the Legend sedan and Integra sports coupe, if you were alive then you still heard incredulous cries of “Twenty-five thousand dollars for a Japanese car!?” Continue reading →

Posted in honda | Tagged acura, honda, integra, legend | 8 Comments

Choro-Q Zero to Re-Launch with Vintage Lineup

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Ben Hsu

Walk into the toy section of any Japanese department store back in 2005 and you’d see shelves stocked aplenty with Choro-Q. Older JNCers may recognize these small pullback toys as Penny Racers when they were sold in the US in the 1980s. Drop a one cent coin (or ten yen piece) into a slot on the back and the car would perform all manner of stunts across your kitchen floor.

However, despite their vast lineup of super-deformed (yet surprisingly detailed) Japanese autos, in recent years Choro-Qs have dwindled and disappeared from store shelves. Some blamed the lack of interest in toy cars among Japanese youth. Continue reading →

Posted in honda, minicars, nissan, toyota | Tagged caravan, choro-q, choro-q zero, city, dr30, honda, nissan, penny racers, r30, silhouette, skyline, soarer, takara, tomica, tomy, toyota, z10, z20 | 9 Comments

Best Motoring & Hot Version Era Comes to a Close

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Ben Hsu

The renowned Japanese automotive video series Best Motoring and its spinoff publication Hot Version have been canceled. According to its publisher 2&4 Motoring, the parent company Kodansha could not justify its continued existence citing declining sales figures for the past three years. Continue reading →

Posted in japan, media | Tagged best motoring, hot version, juichi wakisaka, keiichi tsuchiya, kodansha, manabu ori | 14 Comments

Friday Video: Hakosuka vs Cedric in Seibu Keisatsu

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Ben Hsu

We just got done watching the North American premiere of Fast Five in Los Angeles, and yes, there is a hakosuka in it. No, it’s not this airborne one with the rally lights and giant roof rack. It’s hard to believe but in all the clips of Seibu Keisatsu we’ve shown, we’ve yet to witness a single C10 Skyline taking part in the Western Division’s many pursuits. So here’s one, albeit a short-nose four-door, chasing down — what else? — a Cedric sedan. Trust us, this scene is much more action packed than any involving the hakosuka in Fast Five. That’s not to say there isn’t wall-to-wall vehicular mayhem, because there is. Though we can’t show you Paul Walker’s box, fear not for it emerges unscathed — which is more than we can say for 95% of the cars in the best of the “Fast” series yet. Continue reading →

Posted in nissan, Video Games | Tagged 330, c10, car chase, cedric, datsun, fast five, Hakosuka, japanese cop show, nissan, seibu keisatsu, skyline | 4 Comments

Restored TS B310 Sunny Preparing for Battle

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Ben Hsu

Yesterday’s post about the Tomei exhaust manifold reminded us of the Restored KB310 Sunny sharing the paddocks at Fuji Speedway with a Porsche. However, whereas the latter is revered in classic car circles the world round, the Datsun is appreciated by only by those in the know. But if you ask us, those red Advan A3As don’t look at all out of place parked lugnut-to-lugnut by a set of blue Fuchs.

Posted in motorsports, nissan | Tagged b310, datsun, fuji speedway, nissan, restored, sunny, ts cup | 1 Comment

Tomei Racing Exhaust Manifold for B310 Sunny

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Ben Hsu

In recent years vintage races inspired by the old TS Cup series has surged in popularity. Ever the popular choice, the Datsun Sunny has been a formidable opponent, both then and now, and it’s about to get a bit more formidable with a new exhaust manifold by OG tuning house Tomei. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1200, b310, datsun, exhaust, fuji, headers, manifold, nissan, sunny, tomei, tomei powered, touring sedan, ts cup | 7 Comments

Checking Godzilla for Radiation

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Ben Hsu

Apparently Japanese automakers have had to put their customers’ minds at ease, by conducting radiation tests on cars built since the Tohoku quake and tsunami for radiation. At Nissan’s Oppama plant, which is 225 miles southwest of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, and its Honmoku port facility in Yokohama, random cars are plucked from each shipment and checked. Readings are taken from the hood, wheel housings, and the steering wheel. So far, none of the cars have been found to emit any harmful atomic particles, not even (surprisingly) the GT-R.

[via Autoblog]

Posted in japan, nissan | Tagged datsun, fairlady z, fukushima, gt-r, nissan, nuclear, r35, radiation, tohoku earthquake, tsunami | 1 Comment

Liquid Hydrogen Powered KB210 Nissan Sunny

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Ben Hsu

Was the Tama Truck‘s source of energy not alternative enough for ya? Check out this little number. With a name like Sunny you might expect an enviro-friendly power source — and you’d be right, but it ain’t solar. This 1974 Datsun B210 is powered by liquid hydrogen! Only recently have cars like the Honda FCX and Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE been put on the streets in limited testing, but Nissan was experimenting with it decades before either one. Continue reading →

Posted in nissan | Tagged b210, datsun, fuel cell, hydrogen, kb210, nissan, seed rally, sunny | 9 Comments

EARTH DAY: 1947 Tama E4S-47-1 Electric Car

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Ben Hsu

Right after WW2, petrol was scarce in Japan. The Tachikawa Aircraft Company responded to this shortage by developing the car you see here, the Tama E4S-47-1, in 1947. The fully-electric car had a top speed of 35 kph (22 mph), a range of about 65 km (40 miles), and was powered by an array of batteries accessible from a panel below the door. Can you guess which legendary Japanese classic can trace its ancestry back to the Tama? Continue reading →

Posted in nissan | Tagged datsun, Earth Day, electric car, gt-r, nissan, prince, skyline, tama | 10 Comments