With 19 million units sold and 39 years under its belt, the Honda Civic is an icon of motoring. With the recent introduction of the 9th generation, Honda’s marketing team has put together a video called “Heritage” that explores its evolution to the music of Dirty Vegas. We love to see automakers salute their histories, and in any case it’s more entertaining than the one with zombie, luchadore and Sasquatch girl. Continue reading
Friday Video: 39 Years of Honda Civic
1981 Toyota Celica Supra at Survivor Car Show
A car show that only allows survivors? Awesome concept. If a car has been modified or restored, it is not eligible for the Survivor Car Show in St. Charles, Illinois. In other words, it’s for either OCD obsessives or incredibly fortunate barn raiders. For us enthusiasts, it’s a rare opportunity to study the classics exactly as they were when they left the showroom lo those many years ago. In a recent Detroit News piece about the event, the focus was on Mike Metrick’s 1981 Toyota Celica Supra. Continue reading
EVENTS: Eagle Rock Swap Meet
Aaah, SoCal. We know the rest of the country hates it when we gloat. But sorry, it’s just damn nice to be able to take a leisurely Sunday morning cruise to an old school Japanese car bazaar. The Eagle Rock Swap Meet started out as a trading post for Datsun 510 supplies but nowadays deals in all manner of nostalgic Nissan, Mazda and Toyota goods. Whether you’re buying or selling, it’s a great place to find an old part, diecast car, or a set of wheels.
Yesterday we shared the 1:64 nostalgics that we found there. Here are some 1:1 scale cars Continue reading
Hot Wheels Kenmeri Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R & Vintage Racing BRE Datsun 510 Bluebird
Hot Wheels is on a tear these days, adding Japanese classics to their lineup as quickly as the diecast cars will speed down an orange track. We were thrilled to be part of the hakosuka Nissan Skyline 2000GT-X (which is showing up in stores now!) but that’s not all. You’ll also find a kenmeri Nissan Skyline GT-R and BRE Datsun 510 Bluebird on the pegs later this year. Once again the folks at Mattel have generously allowed us to share the first ever published photos of these cars with JNC readers. Continue reading
Posted in minicars, nissan
Tagged 2000gt-r, 2011, 510, bluebird, bre, c110, datsun, first editions, gt-r, hot wheels, john morton, kenmeri, kgc110, kpgc110, mattel, nissan, peter brock, skyline, vintage racing
25 Comments
850hp Toyota Celica Is Fastest Hill Climber at 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Like Pikes Peak, the Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of motordom’s greatest hill climbs, a spectacular celebration of racing machinery from across the spectrum. Unlike Pikes Peak, the ascent is only 1.16 miles, and takes you up someone’s driveway. Nevertheless, this year’s fastest time to the Earl of March’s front door was 48:07 seconds, clocked by British rally champ Jonny Milner in his “Extreme” ST205 Toyota Celica GT-Four.
Milner’s Celica takes an 850-horsepower Toyota WRC four-cylinder and adds a Garrett turbocharger, belt-driven Rotrex supercharger and a shot of nitrous oxide in a car weighing 1050kg (2315 pounds). Milner painted it the same shade of orange as the limited Nürburgring Edition Lexus LFA in honor of the Celica’s 40th anniversary.
[Toyota, Jonny Milner Motorsport, Goodwood Festival of Speed]
Posted in motorsports, toyota
Tagged all-trac, celica, festival of speed, goodwood, gt-four, st205, toyota, wrc
8 Comments
Friday Video: The Depth of Speed
Remember the video of JDM Legends that we posted a while back? The filmmaker, Josh Clason, has returned with another beautiful video featuring the inner workings of the SLC-based tuning house. Along for the ride are their Celica, Starlet, and hakosuka. Feast your eyes below the fold. Continue reading
Posted in nissan, toyota, tuning shop
Tagged a20, c10, celica, datsun, depth of speed, Hakosuka, jdm legends, kgc10, kp61, kpgc10, nissan, ra21, skyline, starlet, ta21, ta22, watanabe, work equip
13 Comments
JDM Old School Style Hits Russia
Can you identify this awesome Japanese-style sled? No? Well, don’t beat yourself up too bad — it was a trick question. That’s because the car is a Russian VAZ 2106 steeped in vintage JDM style. With Hoshinos, bolt-on flares, shakotan stance and a JDM license plate (not to mention a giant banzai flag) this low-life Lada has got the look down pat. That’s it, folks, kyuusha kulture has gone worldwide. Continue reading
Posted in Nuts and Bolts
Tagged 2106, autovaz, hoshino, impul, jdm, kyuusha kulture, lada, only dropped picnic, russia, russian, vaz
22 Comments
Adrien Brody Drives a StarQuest
Although he has been seen in a black Ferrari California, actor Adrien Brody recently pulled up to the terminal at JFK airport in a Chrysler Conquest. He was spotted by TMZ, who called it a “crappy car” and titled the video “undercover clunker.” Au contraire, douchey cameraman — thank you for proving the point that any dingbat who doesn’t know a camshaft from a cupholder thinks “Oooh, shiny!” whenever they see a prancing horse logo, but only a true aficionado appreciates the brilliance of this turbocharged 80’s GT. Talk about arriving in style.
[TMZ]
Posted in mitsubishi
Tagged adrien brody, chrysler, conquest, mitsubishi, starion, starquest
14 Comments
Rumor: Nissan May Bring Datsun Back
Rumors are circulating that Nissan will be bringing back the Datsun brand. Unfortunately, it would be for low-cost models in emerging markets that are expected to ring in at $5000 or less. The news is being reported by the Nikkei but remains unconfirmed as of now. It wouldn’t be the first time a move like this has been rumored.
[via TTAC]
Enjoy Your JNC at Upcoming Summer Meets and Events
As temperatures increase, so do the number of events in SoCal where you can take your nostalgic car. We are highlighting some of these because these venues have not traditionally been a home for vintage Japanese steel. But their requests are proof that the old school movement is making headway into several different types of automotive gatherings. So dust off that sled and take it out of the garage. That’s what SoCal summers are all about! Continue reading
Posted in events
2 Comments
Friday Video: Gachapin and Mukku Teach Kids about Gymkhana on Hirake! Ponkikki
The Japanese show Hirake! Ponkikki is a morning kids show akin to Sesame Street. The main characters are a green, adrenaline-junkie dinosaur named Gachapin and a red yeti named Mukku. In this episode, they visit Honda’s Twin Ring Motegi Circuit in Tochigi Prefecture. Then they proceed to teach impressionable children terms like gymkhana, slalom and spin turn as they burn off the tires of a Honda S2000. Afterwards the Mazda Porter Cab-looking muppet take a turn on the banked high-speed ring in an Integra Type R. You ain’t gonna see that kind of action in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Continue reading
Posted in honda, Video Games
Tagged acura, gachapin, hirake ponkikki, honda, integra, mukku, s2000, twin ring motegi, type r
11 Comments
Introducing JNC’s Nostalgic Motorcycle Forum
The JNC Forum has a new section for classic motorcycles and scooters. As per the usual JNC guidelines, it’s for two-wheeled delights 25 years and older. There seems to be no good home for these bikes on the web, at least not US-based, and Japanese scooters are really the red-headed stepchild of the market. If the first day of traffic is any indication, this is a need waiting to be met. Go forth and post! We can’t wait to see the build threads that come out of it!
Sam Witwicky’s Datsun 510 in Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon
Last year a Datsun 510 sedan with twin black racing stripes and a “Bee-yotch” air freshener was spotted filming in Milwaukee for Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon. Immediately, speculation began that one of the star robots, Bumblebee, had disguised himself as a Bluebird. We just got out of an advance screening of the movie and we have answers. Warning: spoilers ahead. Continue reading
Kidney, Anyone? 24,000-Mile 1977 Toyota Celica for $19,000
A 910-horsepower Suzuki isn’t the only interesting thing coming out of Colorado. Recently, a 24,000-mile 1977 Toyota Celica Liftback was offered up in the little town of Berthoud (about an hour north of Denver). It was purchased in Fort Collins, Colorado (another 30 minutes north) and has apparently spent its existence secreted in the mountains like a mummified Ice Age caveman.
Continue reading
Posted in for sale, toyota
Tagged a20, celica, kidney anyone, liftback, ra28, ra29, toyota
17 Comments
Monster Tajima’s Suzuki SX4 Breaks 10-Minute Barrier at 2011 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
We don’t often get to write about Suzukis, but this past Sunday, one made history. Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima has smashed the storied 10-minute barrier at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The long-time Suzuki rally racer clocked a time of 9:51:28 in his Unlimited division Monster Sport Suzuki SX4.
UPDATE: Now with video. Continue reading
Posted in motorsports, suzuki
Tagged escudo, hill climb, hre, mazda, monster tajima, nobuhiro tajima, pikes peak, r360, rally, suzuki, sx4, xl7
9 Comments
Friday Video: Buzz Performs “Ken & Mary Ai to Kaze no Youni”
Welcome to JNC‘s summer concert series. Well, it’s not really a series per se since there’s just one song. Nevertheless, here’s the folk band Buzz playing their hit Ken & Mary Ai to Kaze no Youni on a Japanese music show. Now go drive into the sunset in your C110 Skyline. Continue reading
EVENTS: 2011 USDM Jam
Car culture has a curious way of ping-ponging across continents. While we in the US are drool over rare JDM goodies, our counterparts in Japan long for door mirrors, amber turn signals and safety bumpers. For eight years now there’s been an annual event in Japan called USDM Jam. There, Japanese enthusiasts obsess over the arcane differences on cars sold in the US market and study our customization trends.
The Honda Civic Wagon is called the Civic Shuttle at home. Interestingly, the Honda Civic is no longer even sold in Japan. The Fit has supplanted the Civic, and Honda has just released the wagon-bodied Fit Shuttle there. Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 200sx, 240sx, 300zx, 510, 720, a60, a70, acura, b14, b210, baja, bluebird, brat, celica xx, chevy, civic, corolla, diamond racing, e70, ef, fairlady z, faster, fit, hella flush, honda, isuzu, lucino, luv, ma60, ma61, ma70, ma71, mdx, nissan, pickup, s13, sentra, shakotan, shuttle, silvia, subaru, sunny, supra, te72, toyota, truck, turaichi, wagon, z31
12 Comments
What the Mazda 787B Sounds Like
We mentioned a few weeks back that the Mazda 787B was making a return to Le Mans for the 20th anniversary of its victory there. One of its drivers, Johnny Herbert, was on hand to take it for another spin around Sarthe Circuit. This is what a 700-horsepower four-rotor sounds like. Continue reading
Kidney, Anyone? 6,757-Mile Mazda RX-7
The Mazda RX-7 is one of the few cars that can truly be called iconic. When it debuted in 1979, it rocked the motoring world with its sleek looks, rotary powerplant, and stellar handling. It also came out of the gates with a class win at the 24 Hours of Daytona, kicking off a decade of IMSA domination and over 100 victories in the series. It is a true classic, and as important as cars like the Toyota 2000GT and Datsun 240Z.
Dan recently stumbled upon this mint 1980 SA22C, which looks to be as fresh as it was when it left the showroom 30 years ago. This metallic gray cherry comes with all the important options, like a 5-speed gearbox, moonroof, and AM/FM cassette deck. With just 6,757 miles on the clock, it’s not for the casual cruiser. The price isn’t even listed, so prepare to part with at least one internal organ. But for the die-hard Mazdafarian it’ll make a coveted addition to the rotary fleet. The car is offered by Exotic Classics of Syosset, New York.
