RX-7 Redux? Rumors of Rotary Sports Return

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Ben Hsu


If the Toyota FT-86 and Nissan Silvia are returning, why not make it triple? In a great end-of-year present, the grapevine has brought us news that the Mazda RX-7 will return in 2011 or 2012 (sources differ). Power will remain rotary-based, coming from the next-gen Renesis 16X shown in the Taiki concept at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.

The best part is, Edmunds Inside Line reports that “sources close to Mazda now suggest that the company will take a simpler approach and create a car whose character evokes the original RX-7 (sold in the U.S. from 1979-1985).” Though the 16X is capable of 350 horsepower, the new RX-7 will have 200 to 250 and ring up at around $25,000. If these rumors prove true, a retro car Renaissance from Japan is the perfect news with which to end the year. Happy 2010!

Posted in mazda | Tagged , | 7 Comments

JNC Reader Visits "Vintage" Vintage Car Dealership

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Ben Hsu


Nakazoto is a JNC reader who lives in Nagoya, Japan. He’s graciously posted two of his visits to a local classic car dealership called, simply, Vintage. Check out his photos here and here.

Posted in japan | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Wednesday Wall: JNC Project Hako KGC10 Skyline

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Ben Hsu


Tired of the last Wednesday Wall yet? We don’t know how you could possibly be, but this might be the only car capable of out-cooling the Lexus LFA and Toyota 2000GT: JNC Project Hako.

Kev’s ’71 Nissan Skyline KGC10 terrorizes the tunnels of Sydney, but could be right at home circling the Shuto according to this shot. This wall comes courtesy of Mark Pakula, as our usual lensmen Dan and John refuse to set foot in Australia until Bartertown is freed.

Also, a bonus rear view as well. Continue reading →

Posted in nissan, project hako, Wednesday Wall | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Classic CM: Mitsubishi Galant Lambda & Sigma Eterna

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Ben Hsu


We’re always looking for Mitsubishi-related posts for the all-important job of keeping both Matt and the triple diamond mafia happy. To be honest, there isn’t much to this late-70s commercial for the Galant Sigma Eterna and Galant Lambda Eterna. But the rousing disco score and parking garage hoonage somehow make us feel nostalgic for RWD Mitsus and cop shows, so we can dig it!

Bonus points for ID-ing the background cars at 0:07.

Posted in cm, mitsubishi | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

TOM'S Racing Motorsports History

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Matt De Mangos


Here’s a cool video showing the history of TOM’S Racing. The Toyota-authorized tuning house was founded in 1974 by Nobuhide Tachi and Kiyoshi Oiwa (TOM’S stands for Tachi & Oiwa Motor Sports). There’s some excellent footage of their Chaser and JGTC Supras, along with some vintage clips of their TE27 and TE71.

Posted in motorsports, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Merry Christmas from Japanese Nostalgic Car

Posted on December 23, 2009 by Ben Hsu


May Santa fill your stockings full of old school parts and rare accessories. Or, if you’ve been especially good, perhaps a new ride in your driveway with a big red bow on it. Merry Christmas, everyone! From all of us at Japanese Nostalgic Car.

Image: myco10jp.

Posted in jnc | Tagged | 24 Comments

Five J-Tin Winter Storage Tips

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Ben Hsu

With a snowstorm of biblical proportions terrorizing the east coast, we thought it might be a good time for some winter storage tips. JNC reader Dustin (aka ohcanada_00 of Giga Pudding fame) works for the car care experts at Griot’s Garage and has offered to share some of his company’s knowledge with y’all!  Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Fuji Speedway Frozen in Time, 1977-80

Posted on December 21, 2009 by Ben Hsu


The action that took place at Fuji Speedway in the 70s is the stuff of legend. Back then it was known as FISCO (Fuji International Speedway Co., Ltd.) and was host to epic battles in Group 5, Touring Sedan, and of course the Fuji Grand Champion series. Here’s a typical scene in which Nissan Sunnys, Toyota Celicas and Mazda RX-3 Savannas duked it out. Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, mazda, motorsports, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Friday Video: Winners and Sinners and a Massive J-Tin Pileup

Posted on December 18, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Here’s another one of those wacky Hong Kong movies involving ridiculously implausible car chases and copious amounts of J-tin genocide. Although main players in this car chase from 1983’s Winners and Sinners are a Triumph Spitfire versus, uh, Jackie Chan on roller skates, there’s plenty of nostalgics whizzing by in the background and sacrificed for a colossal pileup. We’re talkin’ Celicas, Corollas, Nissan Violets, a Mazda 808 wagon, Mitsubishi Lancer, Galant, and even a Honda 145 Coupe! A Honda 145 Coupe! A Honda 145 Coupe! We just hope that the Starlet rolling on what appears to be Hayashi Command 800s at 1:41 wasn’t involved.

Hat tip to banpei.

Posted in datsun, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Vintage JDM Brochures Galore

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Ben Hsu

1971 toyota crown ms60 ms70 brochure 04

We hope you have some time to kill because Kyuusha Maniacs is a Japanese blog with tons of JDM brochure scans going back to the 1950s. We stole this pic of from a 1971 Toyota Crown Sedan and Hardtop brochure, but there are plenty more with great artwork. Continue reading →

Posted in catalogs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Oldschool JDM Tuner Challenge

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Kevin San


Here’s a nice vid from Best Motoring, way back in the early 90s. It’s a tuner-car challenge around Maze circuit in Niigata prefecture. Surprisingly there are quite a few older cars in the mix, including a few FB/SA22 RX7s and a surprisingly fast S30 Zed, which SOUNDS great, and acquits itself very well until….well…you’ll see.

Part 2 of the vid is after the jump.
Continue reading →

Posted in Video | 7 Comments

TE27 Levin & Trueno: A Pair of Ripe Mangos

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Ben Hsu

te27 toyota corolla levin sprinter trueno 1
Here’s a good shot illustrating the differences between the TE27 Toyota Corolla Levin (back) and Sprinter Trueno. You never see the two parked side by side here in the US. The mechanically identical cars have only superficial visual differences, most of them in the nose. Continue reading →

Posted in japan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Classic CM: Honda Prelude's Tach Within a Speedometer

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Ben Hsu

honda prelude sn speedometer tachometer
The Honda Prelude made its debut in 1978 to compete with sport coupes like the Toyota Celica and Nissan Silvia. Honda would use the flagship model as a test bed for experimental concepts and innovative firsts. Take, for example, the concentric tach-within-a-speedometer dash in this Japanese commercial. It’s visually dazzling, which is probably why it didn’t catch on to later generations (or any other model, for that matter). The ad also makes hay of the sunroof. as the SN Prelude was also the first Japanese car to offer one that opened electronically.

Posted in cm, honda | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Rumored 2011 Nissan Silvia Styled After Foria Concept

Posted on December 12, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Nissan is not about to sit idly by and let the Toyota FT-86 and Honda CR-Z steal all the retro car resurrection glory. Rumor has it that Nissan will bring back the Nissan Silvia come 2011 or 2012. There’s been buzz about such a comeback for several years now, but perhaps Toyota/Subaru, Honda, and even Hyundai are lighting a fire under Nissan’s ass.

Edmunds says the next Silvia will be a 2+2 built on the current Nissan 370Z and Infiniti G37 platform, weighing in at 2800 pounds and powered by a 1.8-liter turbo four. But rather than go back to the 80s like Toyota and Honda, styling will be based on the Nissan Foria Concept from the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show (above left). To our eyes, that hearkens all the way back to the 1965 CSP311 Nissan Silvia Coupe. Keep your fingers crossed, folks, and we might just see an all out war for sports coupe supremacy once again.

Posted in nissan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

OneDay OldCar Festival Shikoku 2009

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Ben Hsu

toyota_markII_cressida_black_01Right. So that evil Mazda RX-3 we posted yesterday? It’s just met its match. This Toyota Mark II devours souls for breakfast. Take heed not to confuse the name of the car with the name of the wheel. Peer into the bottomless abyss of those blacked out SSR MkIIIs and you risk falling in completely. Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Event Horizon for the Weekend of Dec 11, 2009

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Dan Hsu

event

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

This week:

Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

1978 Mazda RX-3 Savanna of Undiluted Evil

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Ben Hsu

mazda rx-3 savanna
We don’t really have much to say about this menace to all that is innocent and pure, except that it’s hewn from brimstone and the nightmares of children. Imagine this ’78 Mazda RX-3 appearing in your rear view on a moonlit night with 12A howling. Even Cthulhu would cower in fear.

[Image: Katuofusitarou]

Posted in mazda | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

"Crazy Nobe" Wakatsuki, First Datsun Importer, Dies at 81

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Ben Hsu

datsun_bluebird_210_ad As we all know, Nissan officially came to the US in 1960. But you’ve probably seen a small number of Datsuns built before then lurking around in barns and collections. Where did they come from? The answer is a man known as “Crazy Nobe.”

Nobushige Wakatsuki was a young man in his late 20s working for Marubeni Corp. of Los Angeles in 1955, importing Japanese goods ranging from textiles to transistor radios. When Wakatsuki saw Toyota enter the US market in 1957, he thought he might be able to sell Datsuns as well. He went to Nissan with the proposal and was promptly laughed out the door. Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Learning Japanese: "Tateguro" Nissan Gloria A30

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Ben Hsu

nissan gloria a30 tateguro 2Welcome to a new series on the JNC Blog. In Learning Japanese, we’ll introduce nicknames for Japanese cars and delve into their etymology. We started informally with the erimaki Mitsubishi Mirage, but now it’s official.

Let’s kick off with the tateguro, or 1967-71 Nissan Gloria. So how did the third-generation Gloria get its name? Continue reading →

Posted in Learning Japanese, nissan | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Last Monthly Torrance/South Bay Meet of 2009

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Ben Hsu

southBayMeet18_mazdaR100
The boys with the Datsun wagons held the final South Bay meet of 2009 last Friday and despite the chilly (for SoCal) temperatures we rolled in to join the festivities.

We saw the Mazda R100 above at SevenStock earlier this year. Note the RHD, Victoria license plate and Simmons B45 wheels. This baby is more Australian than Paul Hogan on a boomerang. Continue reading →

Posted in events, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments