Friday Video: Guerilla Group 8 Mitsubishi Sigma Clown Car

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Ben Hsu


As we’ve mentioned before, Guerilla Group 8 was Mitsubishi‘s attempt at throwing vehicle sponsorship behind an action cop show to spice up their image (a la Nissan and Seibu Keistasu, Abunai Deka, and many others).

Since Mitsubishi was footing the bill, we learn that: a). a convertible Galant Sigma makes a great clown car; b.) the staring Pajero, Debonair V 3000 Royal AMG, and gullwing Starion must remain unscathed but it is perfectly okay to blow an E70 Toyota Corolla to high heaven; and c.) Daimon is even more awesome than usual when he brings down bad guys at point-blank range because d.) we still hate clowns, including Japanese ones. Video below the fold. Continue reading →

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Skylines at the Gates

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Ben Hsu


Outside of Japan, any one of these nostalgic Nissans would make heads explode. There, it’s par for the course. Just a little inspiration for Skorj.

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Nostalgic Car Shopping in Yokohama

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Skorj

The first real hot day of summer. I’m looking at a few options in buying a nostalgic car, so we took a quick drive on the Shuto to a reasonably well stocked shop near Yokohama. While I’m interested in one of their hakosuka Skylines, I was also taken by a few of the other options available. All relatively sound, in nice honest condition. Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2010 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, Part II

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Ben Hsu


Welcome to Part Two of our coverage of the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals. As we mentioned in Part One, this show often blends American and Japanese customization styles, as evidenced by this army-themed van.

If you think a US military motif, complete with kill markings indicating bombs dropped, is a bit incendiary for a Japanese car, count the number of Rising Sun flags at your next Datsun meet. Vans are the biggest thing in Japan right now, and there’s no reason why old schoolers should be left out. Continue reading →

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Friday Video: Abunai Deka's F31 Nissan Leopard vs. Boat

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Ben Hsu


Put on your shades and slick back your hair because it’s the 80s, and the dangerous cops of Abunai Deka simply will not tolerate your lousy escape attempt to escape by boat. Perhaps Infiniti would have sold more M30s if Crockett and Tubbs drove an F31 Leopard instead. Full video below the fold. Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2010 Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, Part I

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Ben Hsu


You can tell by its name that the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals is an event heavily influenced by American hot rod culture. You won’t find much, if any, of the typical stuff we crave from JDM shows. Sorry, no negative offset 14×9 barrels, ground-scraping shakotan sleds, or sky-high takeyari pipes here.

Instead, as automotive trends ping-pong across the Pacific, mods range from the clean and subtle — as in the movement of mirrors from fender to door on the Crowns above — to the, shall we say, darker side of USDM car culture. Here are some photos from our intrepid operative Satoshi. Continue reading →

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Event Horizon for the Weekend of May 28, 2010

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Dan Hsu

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:

Continue reading →

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Wednesday Wall: Lucha Libre 1967 Datsun Sports 1600, Squealing Tires Not Included

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Dan Hsu

You don’t have to see Michael Emery’s face to know that he’s grinning from ear to ear in this picture.  His road-rally prepped Datsun Sports 1600 was born to carve down steep mountain passes, so coming up with the concept behind this photo was easy.  Finding a suitable location was another matter.  There’s no better place to photograph a car than in its natural habitat, so climbing up the rocky hill, through the thorny bushes and over a rusty barbed wire fence was well worth it to capture this shot.  I needed the high vantage point to make sure the road would still be visible where it wound past the next hill.  If I had taken it at ground level, the road would have disappeared well before reaching the second curve.

Continue reading →

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2010 Tokyo Nostalgic Car Show

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Skorj


The Tokyo Nostalgic Car Show took place at the bizarre inverted ziggurat known as Big Sight convention center last weekend. The annual event isn’t limited to Japanese classics, and this year focused on high end Italian exotics. Ho-hum, right? But like the trooper he is, Skorj was on location with a camera getting up close and personal with some of Japan’s top nostalgics. Continue reading →

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"Datsun/Nissan: The American Story" Exhibit Opens at San Diego Auto Museum

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Ben Hsu

If you’re going to be in southern California this summer, be sure to stop by the San Diego Automotive Museum for an exhibit called “Datsun/Nissan: The American Story.” In addition to classic Datsun and Nissan cars, there will be tons of memorabilia on display, including racing footage and vintage advertising materials.

The museum has never devoted an entire exhibit to a single Japanese marque before, and they giving “Datsun/Nissan” the prime museum-going summer months, so please show your support!

The exhibit is made possible with help from our friends at the Datsun Heritage Museum and will run from May 27 to September 27, 2010.

In addition, on Saturday June 12, there will be an opening reception from 5 to 7pm, and Mr. K himself will be present via satellite feed from Japan. Please RSVP to the museum by June 7.

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Nissan Cedrics Speed Through Daitokai, The Big City

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Ben Hsu


You may recognize some of the faces here, but this is not Seibu Keisatsu. Rather, it’s Daitokai (“The Big City”), a Japanese television series that preceded the car chase-filled antics of Tokyo’s western district.

Tetsuya Watari (Sgt. Daimon in Seibu) plays Raisuke Kuroiwa, a different Nissan-driving, sawed-off shotgun-toting, aviator-wearing badass. Although the big city has no shortage of Cedric sedans screeching around narrow streets, knocking over fruit stands and empty baby prams, we learn a very valuable lesson here: do not to get taken hostage by armed criminals in Japan. The cops tend to shoot first and check if you’re okay second. Watch the video below the fold. Continue reading →

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Vintage Japanese Car Show at Laguna Gamagori

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Ben Hsu


Laguna Gamagori is a seaside amusement park in Aichi Prefecture. JNC reader Nakazoto went to a vintage car show there recently and snapped a metric buttload of photos. Somehow, a light blue hakosuka looks simultaneously oh so wrong and oh so right. Some of our favorites are below, or you could click here to see the CPU-melting totality of his photos.  Continue reading →

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Event Horizon for the Weekend of May 21, 2010

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Dan Hsu

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:

Continue reading →

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The Abandoned Cars of Ageo Bedroom Town

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Skorj


Thirty-five kilometers north of Tokyo is Ageo. A once semi-rural area, its main inhabitants are now mostly daily commuters to Tokyo — the famous Japanese salaryman and the odd OL — trudging off via their packed trains to slave away in the data-mines of mindless corporations. Continue reading →

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Jay Leno's Honda SM600 on My Classic Car

Posted on May 18, 2010 by John Roper


If you’re a regular viewer of SPEED Channel on cable/satellite, well… you’re probably not reading this blog. They do seem to go overboard to cater to the NASCAR crowd these days. But one of their regular programs is called My Classic Car and on last week’s episode they stopped by Jay Leno’s shop and took a few test drives of some of the cars in his fleet. Fortunately for us, the star of the show was his blue Honda SM600 Roadster. He seems to be very proud of this particular car, and why wouldn’t you be? Continue reading →

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510 Day Observed, in San Diego

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Matt De Mangos


The first ever Datsun meet put on by the San Diego 510 Crew (Ismael, Miguel & Ramon). This meet was conceived not only as a tardy 5-10 day celebration, but as a way to get any other Datsun models out of the garage. Word got out to the Toyota boys too, and some of them crashed the party (not referring to the black Camry that moved the cone to park there). Continue reading →

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Friday Video: Nissan Cedric vs Plymouth Belvedere

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Ben Hsu


We’ve seen villains in Seibu Keisatsu try and fail to make their escape in Detroit Iron several times before. Maybe their problem was their allegiance to the Blue Oval. What if they try Mopar power? Perhaps a 1969 Plymouth Belvedere (correct me if I’m wrong, my B-Body knowledge is shoddy) can outrun a police-issue Nissan Cedric unmarked! Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 15th Annual All Toyotafest, Part III

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Ben Hsu


Two years ago, nearly every AE86 at Toyotafest could have been a D1GP contestant. This past weekend, stock (or restorations with subtle mods) was the new black. We’ve long argued that the venerable twin-cam Corolla GT-S would be one of the first classics of the 80s (and probably one of the top Japanese collector cars), and it appears that now that it’s hit that magic 25-year mark, owners are appreciating it for what it is.

We were afraid that the exploding popularity of drifting and Initial D was going to make it impossible for a photo like the one above, where stock examples park next to modified ones, to be taken of the AE86 in 20 years. But we were wrong! Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 15th Annual All Toyotafest, Part II

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Dan Hsu


When everyone from Congress to late night comedians is painting your cars as deathtraps unfit for their worse enemies, follow the lead of GM, Chrysler and Alfa Romeo. Embrace your heritage. Show the haters that no matter how much the media repeatedly bashes your cars, there are die-hard enthusiasts out there who want to congregate around painfully beautiful examples of your past work! Continue reading →

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JNC Limited Edition AE86 Heritage Shirt Now Available

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Dan Hsu


We have a very small number of limited edition shirts from Toyotafest now available in our shop. Only 86 were ever or will ever be made. XLs are sold out, sorry!

Celebrating 25 years of the iconic Corolla GT-S, we’re proud to present our latest shirt, the Limited Edition AE86 Heritage. Only 86 of these shirts will be printed.

Flanked by its predecessor, the TE27, and its successor, the FT-86, the shirt is black on red, just like the iconic red panda paint scheme. A crest honoring its classic status is encircled by lightning bolts, a nod to the Trueno/Levin names, which mean thunder and lightning. All shirts are 100% cotton, pre-shrunk, and have the JNC logo on the sleeve.

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