Kobayashi Tire & Wheel is totally old school. How old? According to its website, the tire & wheel shop was established way back in 1923! You can tell this isn’t your run-of-the-mill JDM version of Big O Tires, because they didn’t open up their second chain until 1997.
The best part is, they’ve taken (and developed, and subsequently scanned and posted) a Mazinger-sized library of photographs from the heyday of chrome bumpered motoring. Continue reading
Tsurikawa, check. Shako stance, check. Two-tone, check. Work Equip 03s, check. RB20DET? Possibly. Don’t get us wrong. We’re grateful for the Cressida, but sad that Nissan never brought this rival to the Toyota luxemobile stateside. There can never be too much 80s boxiness.
Yusaku Matsuda, to be precise. Although not a rotary-powered model, it still exhibits all the nimble handling the brand is known for. Video below the fold. Continue reading
Since we mentioned the BRE Mitsubishi Evo yesterday, we might as well one of the most classic examples of minicar marque-model mismatch. Zee Toys went out of business in 1996 but in its heyday the company had, among other products, an interesting lineup of cars. For a California based company in the 70s, there were a surprising number of Japanese cars in their lineup — Honda N600, Datsun pickup, and a whole mess of Toyotas like the TE27 Corolla, 2000GT, Celica and Corona.
However, as you can see from the 1979 catalog, there was an interloper in the family… the Toyota Skyline! It’s clearly a C110 or C210, but it’s even got a huge “TOYOTA” graphic on the side and “TEAM TOYOTA” writ large across the hood. Perhaps in 30 years the BRE Evo will be as interesting an oddity.
[Image: Zylmex]
So we were browsing the diecast aisle at Target the other day when the unmistakeable red/white/blue livery of Brock Racing Enterprises caught our eye. It was slathered over a big honkin’ semi rig with a matching smaller car on the trailer, so naturally we assumed the latter was a BRE Datsun 510 or 240Z. But upon closer inspection… Continue reading
As you may know, JNC’s Art Director (the one responsible for our new design and layout) owns just one mode of transportation, a 1972 Datsun 240Z. Well, technically he also owns a vintage Japanese Univega but let’s not split hairs. Living in LA with a forty-year-old kyuusha means adventure is always around the corner. Here’s Yee’s own words. -Ed.
So I was at Haus Dessert Cafe, the upscale coffee shop on 6th, and an Aston tried to overtake my parking space to no avail. The Z looks like a car Aston Martin built in the late 60s. This DB9 is closer to what a Z should be than the current 370Z, at least in triple Black Gloss PPG. That valet space is mine (though I park it myself).
Who says the northeast doesn’t have any nostalgic treasures? The spectre of oxidization may loom large, but that just guarantees that when a specimen emerges, it’ll be a low-mileage garaged beauty. Unlike the $500 finds from SoCal whose odometers have rolled around the ol’ 00000 God knows how many times, this Vermont Starlet can still be considered a virgin with just 2500 on the clock. And unlike the over-tanned Los Angeles examples, this one still has an uncracked dash and wears its original, classy black-and-red interior. And unlike the 12,000-mile 280ZX we saw last week, this RWD baby rows her own gears.
It seems as if the seller has received a smokin’ offer too, because the auction has ended early. Was the opening bid of $3200 too conservative? In any case, even if this car disappears into some eccentric hermit’s private collection, we will at least have the images below the fold as reference in case anyone wants to do a proper restoration of a 1982 Toyota Starlet. Continue reading
Finally, an inter-marque rivalry between the two titans of Japanese auto manufacturing! As with last week, we are unsure which movie this chase comes from, but who cares? We’ve got a daring escape by a bank robber in a jacked RT102 Toyota Corona taxi and cops in Nissan Cedrics pulling reverse 180s. Which industrial giant builds the better chase chariot? Video below the fold. Continue reading
We reported that Tomica was returning to the US market and debuting at the JCCS. Here are the details on where to buy them. Continue reading
This salt-caked 1972 Datsun 240Z hit 172.9 miles per hour on September 17. In doing so, it broke the the F/GT class (GT = Grand Touring gas-only class, F = the engine size, which has been upgraded to 3.0L) record previously held by a Ferrari that managed 168.7. Congratulations are in order for Douglas “Burton” Brown and the crew from Victory Motorsports in Fremont, Wisconsin. And it wasn’t even a G-nose!
Sometimes four doors are better than two. Check out this GC110 and more in JNC reader dalla’s mega gallery of the Historix Japan event at Suzuka.
As we have shown, the S130 chassis has potential, but if you were lucky enough to win this 1983 Datsun 280ZX for $17,200 you won’t flaring it like some bosozoku sled. That’s because its Tron-like 80s dashboard reads only 12,245 on the odometer! Resplendent in decidedly sleek Jade Gray paint job, its silver and black leather interior that resembles a finely crafted vintage hi-fi system.
True, it’s hobbled by a slushbox, but it makes up for that with original paperwork, tool kit, and T-top bags. The 280ZX was the car to have in the 80s — Knight Rider was even going to star one — and with that kind of rep, we would have listed it at one of the Arizona auctions rather than eBay. More photos below the fold. Continue reading
We’re not sure what this movie is, but it features terrible tons of totalled Toyotas. Corona Mark IIs and Crowns with bad/no brakes get slaughtered in some of the most spectacular patrol car pileups since The Blues Brothers. It’s enough to make a grown Toyotaku cry. Celicas, X30 Mark II/Cressida and Mitsubishi Colt Galants also make cameos as decoys. Video below the fold. Continue reading
After seeing all the sexy Datsun 610s at this year’s JCCS, Matt went shopping on YJA and found this 1975 Nissan Bluebird 610 Van. These babies are rare, even in Japan, and the odo indicates it’s hauled just 62,000km (or 38,525 miles). Continue reading
Welcome to the second and final part of our SevenStock coverage. Even though the yearly powwow in Irvine is the largest collection of early RX cars on the continent, the number of SA22/FB RX-7s dwarfs all the R100s and RX 2 through 5 combined. Continue reading
It’s late September so that means Mazdafarians everywhere are making a pilgrimage to Irvine, California, home of Mazda North America and SevenStock! Compared to Toyotas and Datsuns, old rotaries are rarer than UFO sightings (this ain’t Oz), but somehow new ones keep showing up. Continue reading
Back in January John discovered that Maisto was coming out with a new lineup of diecast cars honoring some of our favorite old school rides. Now they’re out in independent retail and online stores. Most reports have indicated they are available in Mitsuwa and other Japanese goods stores. They aren’t the easiest to find, but they are a very cool addition to the ol’JNC office.
Our favorite is this BRE-themed Datsun 620, but the lineup includes a Datsun 510, Nissan 370Z, Toyota Pickup, Scion xB, and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. As the name implies, they are 1:55 in scale and we think it’s pretty darned nifty that they chose to memorialize these classics! See the full lineup below the fold. Continue reading
We have so much coverage from JCCS that we’ve skipped the Friday Video this week and spilling the final installment into the weekend. So like a fleet of ported rotaries roaring down the 710, let’s tear right in! Continue reading
