At last, we get to see a Fairlady Z give Daimon and his Skyline Japan Turbo a run for his money! With all the Nissan sponsorship, it’s a wonder there weren’t more Z-car pursuits in Seibu Keisatsu but we’ll take what we can get when a mysterious, Stig-like driver heels and toes his way through western Tokyo in a 2+2. Continue reading
Friday Video: C210 Skyline Turbo vs. Fairlady Z 2+2
The Z Has Landed
Remember Yuta Akaishi’s Mad Max Z? Here’s another epic photo from NorCal’s Heartbreakers crew that will probably take over the Internets again. Maybe we should call it the E.T. Z now.
Event Horizon for the Weekend of July 30, 2010
If you know of or would like to tell us about an event, send us a tip at the feedback address at the bottom of this page or leave a comment below.
This week:
- Sunday, June 27 / Palo Alto, CA: Palo Alto Concours D’Elegance
- Wednesday, July 28 – August 1/ Nashville, TN: Z CON 2010
- Sunday, August 1 / Fontana, CA: Fontana Nissan’s 2nd Nissan Meet
Kidney, Anyone? Nissan Fairlady Z432
When Kev wrote that an $80,000 Tomica Nissan Fairlady Z432 made of pure platinum was still cheaper than the real thing, he wasn’t kidding. For those who want the sleek lines of an S30 Z but the fire-breathing heart of a hakosuka Skyline GT-R, and true factory authenticity, the Z432 is your answer. Basically, imagine the 1970 version of an R35 GT-R drivetrain in a 370Z and you’ve got the Z432.
The name comes from the KPGC10 GT-R’s S20 motor: 4 valves-per-cylinder, 3 carbs, and 2 cams. And with only 419 examples built, it’s rarer than a bloody slice of Kobe beef. This Grand Orange example is being offered by Bingo Sports, a Japanese dealership that usually trades in exotics like Ferrari F40s. At ¥8,800,000 (approximately $101,000) the asking price is high (though fair), so you might need to offer up more than a mere kidney. Perhaps the kidney of your first born as well. More pics below the fold. Continue reading
Kidney, Anyone? 2274-Mile 1968 Toyota Corona RT52 Hardtop
Remember that 8700-mile ’66 Toyota Corona that sold for $16000 in 2007, and then again for $32000 in 2009 with the addition of just one more mile? Well if there’s ever another that could top it, it’s this 1968 RT52 Hardtop Coupe with only 2,274 original miles! It’s a black plate California car from Fresno that has had two owners, the first of which installed an aftermarket air conditioning system. We know, we know, that means it’s not 100 percent original, but this shovelnose makes up for it by being manual shift and having two fewer doors. Care to put in your guesses for the sale price? Find the ad here.
Hat tip to 91ma70.
Gurachan Mazda Luce RX-4
Bosozoku-style C210 Skylines and Toyota Mark IIs are a dime a dozen, much to the delight (or repulsion, depending on your taste) of Nissan nuts and Toyotaku alike. For Mazdafarians there’s the occasional Cosmo AP, but here’s an even rarer beast — a gurachan-style Mazda RX-4 Luce Hardtop!
From the bubble flares to the retina-searing color to the ducktail spoiler, it’s got the gurachan look down. Even the subtle use of the Mazda decal is perfect, proving you don’t need a shark nose and four-foot exhaust pipes to look like you’re headed to FISCO circa 1975. And to round out the package, it’s even cruising with a slammed yonmeri and purple hakosuka. Short video below the fold. Continue reading
Friday Video: Cedric 230 vs 330 in The Big City
Going solely by old Japanese cop shows, you’d think three out of every five cars was a Nissan Cedric. It’s the Chevy Caprice Classic of Nihon car chases! In this clip from Daitokai (The Big City), there are, surprisingly, no randomly placed ramps in the middle of the street, and the driving scenes seem actually somewhat realistic. And for once, the baddies get away (probably because Tetsuya Watari is nowhere to be seen). Watch the video below the fold. Continue reading
Event Horizon for the Weekend of July 23, 2010
If you know of or would like to publicize an event, send us a tip at the feedback address at the bottom of this page.
This week:
- Saturday, July 24 / Germany: Toyota-Treffen
- Saturday, July 24 – 25 / England: Japanese Nostalgia Weekend
- Sunday, July 25 / Los Angeles, CA: Datsun/Nippon Car Show & Swap Meet
Belated Wednesday Wall: Hakosuka Drift
As Kev has often said, the Hako is a tail-happy machine that, back in the day, was even more so as a result of bias-ply tires. It was often seen breaking its caboose loose on the circuit. Well, here’s what that would look like.
widescreen 1920 x 1200
[via JDMLegends]
Nostalgics at SpoCom 2010
As you know, last weekend we teamed up with TORC and JCCS and some of SoCal’s finest nostalgics and invaded classed up the SpoCom Super Show in Long Beach. So for the first time ever, all the crazy drift machines, bagged VIP sedans and Lambo-doored Chryslers were joined by some killer vintage rides. Continue reading
Car Surfing on a Mazda Cosmo RX-5
The Jokers were one of Japan’s biggest bosozoku gangs in the ’70s and ’80s. What’s that? The Mazda Cosmo AP looks too close to the pageant winner of Japan’s 1976 Car of the Year? How about one with garuchan headlight covers, nosasu (no suspension), and five trumpet horns protruding below the bumper? Continue reading
On the Way to Long Beach
JNC would like to thank the JCCS and TORC crews, and all the old schoolers that came to the Spocom show in Long Beach this weekend. We set up our own little section of nostalgics and rocked the house. But as we all agreed on the way there, it’s just not an old school cruise unless someone has a breakdown.
In this case, the hako lost a clutch slave, but a call to Autozone yielded an early Z-car unit that fit perfectly. Congrats to Ben Fernandez and his orange AE71, Leo del Cid’s ’64 Bluebird and John Williams’ Datsun 510 Wagon on their trophies.
Friday Video: Massive Carnage in Seibu Keisatsu (Again)
A black police-spec Cedric 230 on steelies sure looks like a mean machine. Too bad it, along with several other rarities, bites the dust in yet another car chase in Seibu Keisatsu. Video below the fold. Continue reading
Event Horizon for the Weekend of July 16, 2010
If you know of or would like to publicize an event, send us a tip at the feedback address at the bottom of this page.
This week:
- Friday, July 16 – 18 / Atco, NJ: 16th Annual Pan American Nationals
- Sunday, July 18 / Long Beach, CA: SpoCom Super Show
- Sunday, July 18 / The Netherlands: Japan Classic Sunday
Fingerpori Datsun Sunny B110
Fingerpori by Pertti Jarla is a popular comic strip that appears in Finland’s largest newspaper. Today’s comic happens to have one of our favorites, a B110 Coupe! Translation below the fold. Continue reading
Japanese Nostalgic Car Vol. 04 is Here
We got ours in the mail on Monday, hot off the presses. Yours should be either sitting in your mailboxes or in transit! If you haven’t already, subscribe here.
Datsun 510 Spotted on Transformers 3 Set
There are many reasons why Michael Bay’s entire Transformers franchise should be buried under a volcano and ignored for a million years, but perhaps there is one glimmer of hope for JNCers looking for an excuse to watch this, uh, movie. A photographer has caught Shia LaBeouf with a lowered Datsun 510 on the set of Transformers 3 in Milwaukee. Also, someone puts their foot in the engine bay, whatever that means.
UPDATE: Rumors on the Internets now say this is either Bumblebee (yellow/black stripe paint scheme, “Bee-yotch” air freshener) or a doppleganger. Videos and pictures below the fold. Continue reading
Bulldogs Flipping Over: Honda City Turbo IIs at Suzuka
Thankfully, Kev did not see quite this much action at his recent outing to the JCCA Classic Car Festival at Tsukuba Circuit. But in 1984, Honda, a long-time sponsor of one-make races, chose its Honda City Turbo II for its latest incarnation of same-spec motorsports. Continue reading
JCCA Classic Car Festival at Tsukuba
The month of July finds Japan sliding into the midst of a lazy Summer, but it also marks one of the big track events for the JCCA (Japan Classic Car Association). Open to both Japanese and foreign classic cars, there are racing classes that range from mildly modified road cars to wild racers.
Join JCCS, TORC and JNC as we represent the original sport compacts at SpoCom 2010 in Long Beach, California. Today is the last day to register, and you can. follow this link for a coupon code good for $10 off registration. See you there!