Right. 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
Event Horizon for the Weekend of Dec 11, 2009
If you know of or would like to publicize an event, send us a tip at feedback(at)japanesenostalgiccar.com
This week:
- Saturday, December 12 / Grapevine, Texas: Texas Toyota Car Show
- Saturday, December 12 / Atlanta, Georgia: Garage Zero Holiday Open House
- Sunday, December 13 / New South Wales, Australia: 2009 Show and Shine
1978 Mazda RX-3 Savanna of Undiluted Evil
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]
"Crazy Nobe" Wakatsuki, First Datsun Importer, Dies at 81
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 bluebird, datsun, mr k, nissan, nobe wakatsuki, nobushige wakatsuki, woolverton motors, yutaka katayama
11 Comments
Learning Japanese: "Tateguro" Nissan Gloria A30
Welcome 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 gloria, gloria a30, learning japanese, nissan, tateguro, tateme
9 Comments
Last Monthly Torrance/South Bay Meet of 2009
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 datsun, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, south bay meet, toyota
4 Comments
Classic Japanese Show & Shine, Brisbane, Australia
A couple of months ago our friends in the southern hemisphere held their own gathering of nostalgics. And because everything is topsy-turvy down there, they occupied an entirely different circle in the J-tin Venn diagram. Look at the photo above. Those lucky blokes have multiple Isuzu Bellets at a single event while we make do with zero. JNC reader B1500boy was kind enough to post results from the Classic Japanese Show & Shine in Brisbane, Australia. Continue reading
Posted in datsun, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, toyota
Tagged b110, bellet, cedric, cedric 1900, compagno spider, daihatsu, datsun, datsun 1200, isuzu, mazda, nissan, prince motors, prince skyline, rx-2, rx-3, skyline, sunny
3 Comments
Kidney, Anyone? 1960 Datsun 1200 Van VPL221
Just when you thought you’d seen every Datsun sold in North America, a 1960 Datsun 1200 Van shows up on ebay in La Grange, California. We at JNC have been around a lot of Datsuns, but none of us had seen one of these before. Continue reading
Friday Video: A Toyota Celica's Mad Mission
I rented the Hong Kong action-comedy Mad Mission II from the local video store back in the 80s. This was when I lived in Texas and it was the first Hong Kong movie I’d ever seen, lured by the VHS box’s promise of crazy vehicular stunts. It delivered. Hilarity ensued. And I watched the fleet of Jaguar XJ6s pursue the hero in his yellow A40 Toyota Celica (perhaps the same one from the Norwegian milk ad?) over and over again. I had completely forgotten about it until TSiSS350 posted this link. Thanks for bringing back memories!
We’ve posted on another Hong Kong flick featuring J-tin before, but given that city’s penchant for churning out action packed movies there’s probably a lot more out there. Click through for a brief scene involving a Datsun Sunny as well. Continue reading
Posted in datsun, nissan, Video Games
Tagged b210, celica, datsun, mad mission, sunny, toyota
10 Comments
Red & Black Two-Tone Toyota FT-86 on Option Cover
There’s been much talk about the Lexus LFA but don’t forget about the company’s other upcoming sports car, the Toyota FT-86. The latest issue of Option Magazine shows what the resurrected AE86 would look like decked out in O.G. hachiroku style — iconic red and black two-tone paint scheme and deep dish Watanabes. Classic.
Spotted this on our buddy Alexi’s Nori Yaro blog.
Posted in toyota
Tagged 086a, ae86, corolla, corolla gt-s, corolla levin, ft-86, rs watanabe, sprinter trueno, subaru, toyota, watanabe
7 Comments
Long-Lost Toyoda AA Discovered in Russia?
We love a good mystery, and Russian JNC reader Nitzer may have stumbled onto the mother of them all. Perhaps you can help determine if this is the Bigfoot of Toyotas or a man in a hairy suit. A gentleman in Russia claims to have purchased a genuine 1930s Toyoda AA, a car so rare that the company who made it doesn’t even own one.
That’s because not a single one is known to exist. All the examples photographed at the Toyota Automobile Museum are replicas. Continue reading
Wednesday Wall: JNC #4 Preview – Lexus LFA & Toyota 2000GT
We got so much positive feedback from our behind-the-scenes teaser that we decided to treat you to a wallpaper while you wait for the full article in JNC #4. Seen here side-by-side for the first time, the 1967 Toyota 2000GT and 2010 Lexus LFA. Japan’s true first supercar (despite what other car mags might tell you) and its earthshaking spiritual successor, separated by four and a half decades. Continue reading
Posted in toyota, wallpapers, Wednesday Wall
Tagged 2000gt, desktop, lexus, lfa, toyota, wallpaper
34 Comments
Event Horizon: Winter's Coming Edition
These days, it starts getting dark before 5pm. Many of you plugged in the Battery Tender long ago and have your nostalgic tucked away under the car cover awaiting bluer skies and warmer temps. For those of you still refusing to hang up those keys or crazy enough (in a good way) to drive your nostalgic year-round, this weekend will be the last chance of the year to meet up with your fellow classic J-tin brethren. Here’s to a great 2009!
If you know of or would like to publicize an event, send us a tip at feedback(at)japanesenostalgiccar.com
This week:
- Friday, December 4 / Torrance, California: South Bay Monthly Meet
- Saturday, December 5 / Tacoma, Washington: NW Toy Run 2009
- Sunday, December 6 / Fort Worth, Texas : North Texas Classic Japanese Car Meet
- Sunday, December 6 / Cerritos, California: Norm Reeves Honda Show
Classic CM: 1977 Mazda Cosmo AP
Don’t you wish car commercials still had a unique jingle for each model? Not only did the 1977 Mazda Cosmo AP (aka Mazda RX-5) have its own signature tune, there was a whole line of fashion accessories, including a belt, tie, umbrella and man-purse. What else do you expect from the height of rotary-powered luxury?
Abunai Deka Alternate Ending
Our favorite minicar chase maestro Luxe37 is at it again. This brief pursuit reveals an alternate ending for the Abunai Deka Nissan Leopard F31 (Infiniti M30).
JNC #4 Teaser: Lexus LFA Meets Toyota 2000GT
The hottest car on Earth right now is none other than the Lexus LFA. Let’s see: performance among the world’s best, a roaring engine by Yamaha, and a sharply styled body that belies a state-of-the-art chassis. Oh, and it’s also the most expensive Japanese car ever built. No wonder mainstream car mags are calling it Japan’s first supercar.
However, JNC readers might disagree. Over forty years ago the same automaker hit all those points with the Toyota 2000GT. Jay Leno‘s the only we know of that’s even mentioned this predecessor.
Like everyone else at SEMA, we drooled over the LFA at its US debut. As we stood there with mouths agape, the Lexus rep saw us holding a copy of JNC and exclaimed, “Hey, I love this mag!” We weren’t about to let an endorsement like that go to waste! We wrangled a 2000GT/LFA photo shoot on the spot and a week later we were in Toyota’s top secret unmarked warehouse somewhere in Torrance.
Here’s a quick behind-the-scenes cell phone cam pic. The full article will be in JNC #4 and as far as we know, it’ll be the only article showing these two stupendously magnificent machines together.
Kidney, Anyone? Low Mileage AW11 Toyota MR2, Datsun 510, Toyota Corona Mark II and Mitsubishi Lancer
We just had a shortened work week, but there was no shortage of low mileage nostalgics suddenly up for grabs. The only problem is deciding between the wedge-shaped pocket rocket that is this 39,000-mile 1986 Toyota MR2, undiluted driving experience of a bone stock 63,000-mile 1971 Datsun 510, cachet of a rare 80,000-mile Toyota Corona Mark II, and savanna-pounding potential of a 48,000-mile Mitsubishi Lancer/Dodge Colt.
We really need to get that black market organ harvesting thing going. Which babied gem would you choose?
So…you like old Nissans?
This slideshow is from the excellent KGC10kai blog, please check it out, it’s chock full of great photography (he must be a good guy, he has great taste in music!). I believe this was a club run last weekend, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many C10s on the road at once!
Posted in Uncategorized
10 Comments
KRS Battle Royal Nostalgic Trackday!
Kataoka Racing Service is a workshop in Hyogo, which is in the Kansai region of western Japan. For years, they’ve held regular trackdays for nostalgics (which they call Battle Royal), and the most recent one was last weekend. Here’s a terrific vid, which shows what an awesome variety of cars that KRS get at their events. There are Hakos and Zeds galore of course, but also Isuzu Bellett, multiple 510s, Starlets, RX3s and even a Sunny Truck mixing it up on the bumpy corners of Central Circuit!
More after the jump.
Posted in racing
12 Comments
Toyota MR2 Back from the Dead?
Good grief, Charlie Brown! There are many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, but Toyotaku may have just received the greatest gift of all. Japan’s Best Car magazine is reporting that an affordable, mid-engined sports car might be in the works! Continue reading
