EVENTS: 2010 New Year Meeting, Part 3


Okay, okay. We can’t keep the rabid Nissan nutters at bay any more. Luckily, as with most nostalgic car shows in Japan, the New Year Meeting has heavy emphasis on Skylines with a hearty helping of Fairladies and Sunnies on the side. But we’ve got some Other Marque love in here as well. Hino and Suzuki, anyone? Click through to see JNC operative Derek Y’s final transmission. Continue reading

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Event Horizon for the Weekend of Feb 5, 2010

If you know of or would like to publicize an event, send us a tip at feedback(at)japanesenostalgiccar(dot)com

This week:

Future events: Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2010 New Year Meeting, Part 2


Welcome to Part 2 of our 2010 New Year Meeting coverage. JNC operative Derek Y. has sent us photos of Toyotas, Mazdas and Mitsubishis and a solitary Honda. We know you’re eager to get to the eye candy so let’s jump right in. Continue reading

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The First Japanese Racers in the US: H. Sakamoto and W.T. Watanabe, known only by their first initials, were the first recorded Japanese race car drivers in the US. They piloted a Mercer and a Case and Stutz respectively. Writer Dan Strohl is asked us to ask you JNC readers if you have any information about these two. Read the whole story at Hemmings.

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EVENTS: 2010 New Year Meeting, Part I


So as we’re sure you all know, the biggest Japanese kyuusha show of the year took place last weekend. The 2010 New Year Meeting has come and gone, and we just received an incoming transmission beamed across the Pacific from our operative Derek Y! Continue reading

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New JNC Vintage Barrels T-Shirt

Are you’re a J-tin fan having trouble justifying a set of fat rollers that cost more than your whole car? Soothe your guilty conscience and your wallet with the new JNC Vintage Barrels T-shirt! Fifteen of the most iconic old school wheels adorn the front of this stylin’, 100 percent cotton, pre-shrunk tee, while a Japanese Nostalgic Car logo graces the sleeve. See if your friends can name them all by ordering here today!

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Rotary Power Prevails at Daytona!

The icing on Mazda’s 90th birthday cake must be the SpeedSource Mazda RX-8‘s victory a few hours ago at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona enduro. Drivers Jonathan Bomarito, Nick Ham, David Haskell, and Sylvain Tremblay repeated their 2008 win amidst a field of Porsche GT3s  and Camaros.

Of course, Mazda has some experience at this venue, having conquered all at the 1979 Daytona 24 Hours during the inaugural run of the IMSA SA22C Mazda RX-7. See JNC #3 for the full story. Who says rotaries aren’t reliable?

[RX-8 image courtesy of The Epoch Times.]

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Mazda 90th Anniversary Website Launched


A little weekend browsing for you guys: Mazda just launched its 90th Anniversary mini-site. Timeline photos abound, including some rarely-seen commercial vehicles.

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Friday Video: Shakotan Boogie, The Movie

Don your headbands, hang your friends out your side windows and get ready for Shakotan Boogie. In 1987 Japan apparently made a movie out of the manga that celebrates the bosozoku lyfe. Plot points include cross-cultural drag racing that ends in some hard-to-watch hakosuka and F-body carnage, but the parade of boso’ed cars is worth the suffering. There are more Japanese lowriders than you can shake a takeyari exhaust at — Soarers, Cedrics, Glorias, Crowns, Skylines, and even some other not-so-boso cars like an AW11 MR2 and Honda CR-X.

Anyone who can name all the cars in this clip will win either an Apple iPad or our eternal admiration (prize to be determined).

Hat tip to banpei, via 86ers.org.

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Mr. K Talks Z-Cars: Yutaka Katayama opines on the Nissan 370Z, Toyota FT-86, Datsun 200SX, toy ponies, and the future of driving. Full article at Racer.com.

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Event Horizon for the Weekend of Jan 29, 2010

If you know of or would like to publicize an event, send us a tip at feedback(at)japanesenostalgiccar(dot)com

This week:

Future events: Continue reading

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BRE Reunion Dinner Video Availalble Now

From the video description:

Experience the BRE Reunion! In the Fall of 2008, BRE (Brock Racing Enterprise) team members reconnected en mass for the first time since the end of the 1972 race season. The BRE team changed the perception of Japanese cars as they won the SCCA D Production Pacific Coast Championship in 1969 with the BRE Datsun 2000 Roadster, the C Production Championships in 1970 and 71 with the BRE Datsun 240Z and won the professional Trans-Am 2.5 series Championships in 1971 and 72 with the BRE Datsun 510s. If you want to hear insider stories of what it was like to be on the BRE team and some of the crazy things that happened, you can get a two hour DVD of the reunion at www.bre2.net. Also a favorite moment of the night was when each team member shared what they are doing today. Don’t miss it!

Watch and learn. Available at BRE2.net.

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Mazdas at the 2010 Retromobile Show: Retromobile 2010 is one of the biggest classic car shows in Paris. They have all sorts of vehicles showcasing the history of locomotion, and this year Mazda had a big display. Check out photos at LeBlogAuto and ClassicMotor.se.

Hat tip to Alan F and Magnusrx7.

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Strong Nostalgic Showing at the Tokyo Auto Salon: This year’s TAS had more J-tin that we can remember for a long time. Check out Speedhunters’ coverage here: Old School Style @ TAS 2010.

Hat tip to DegreE.

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Kyuusha Dealership Found Outside of Japan: We’ve seen plenty of nostalgic car dealerships in Japan, but this is the first one we’ve heard of on the outside. Sadly for us ‘Murrikins, it’s still on the other side of the ocean — Christchurch, New Zealand to be specific. But it’s a start! Check out the post on Retro-Classics.

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Mazda Celebrates 90th Anniversary

In just a few days Mazdafarians will begin rejoicing in honor of their chosen marque’s 90th birthday. It has been ninety cycles of the sun since Toyo Cork Kyogo Company, Ltd. was founded in in the city of Hiroshima. Continue reading

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Help Add A Mazda RX-3SP and Honda CR-X to Forza 3


Forza 3 is teaming up with Jalopnik for the next round of downloadable cars for the racing sim. Let’s try to stuff the ballot box with J-tin like this Mazda RX-3SP (flames not included). Other candidates include the ’84 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE, first-gen Honda CR-X Si and quasi-nostalgics like the B13 Sentra SE-R, Mazda 323 GT-R, Acura Legend, Mitsubishi Evos I and V, ’96 Scooby STi, and ST165 and ST185 Toyota Celica WRC cars.

Vote for Group I

Vote for Group II

Vote for Group III

UPDATE: Looks like the RX-3, RX-7, CR-X and a some of the newer J-tin made it!

Now there’s a new batch, including a Datsun 240Z (um, why wasn’t this car in there from the beginning?), 1970 Corolla, Pulsar GTI-R, R31 Skyline, AW11 MR2, Mitsubishi Starion, and more.

Vote for Group IV

Vote for Group V

Vote for Group VI

Hat tip to JamesE.

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Nissan Skyline & Electric Vehicle Postage Stamps


If you’re expecting mail from Japan you might be lucky enough to receive a Nissan Skyline or two. The automaker is teaming up with the Minami Kanto Regional Office (Nissan’s home turf) of the Japan Post Network to offer these postage stamps depicting the history of the Skyline model. The sets will be available from February 1 to August 31 and will be limited to 5000 sheets.  Continue reading

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Friday Video: Toyota Starlet Driving Lessons


Here is Japanese comedy troupe Katoken in a sketch about driving lessons behind the wheel of a four-door Toyota Starlet. Hilarity and havoc ensue. Surprisingly, there appears to be a Pontiac Fiero GT at one point. It escapes unscathed. However, the same cannot be said for unfortunate JNC reader favorites like the Mitsubishi Sigma and Mazda 626 at the end.

Hat tip to cesariojpn.

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Honda Z600 Sells for $27,500 at Barrett Jackson

Hold on to your H-shaped hood ornaments, dear readers. You’re looking at a record breaking, potentially history making, piece of J-tin here. At the Barrett Jackson auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona yesterday, the value of this 1972 Honda Z600 Coupe went up to $27,500 when the gavel dropped. But our sources say that a year ago, this was an $8500 car that wasn’t even running properly. How did it more than triple its value in such a short time? Continue reading

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