The Ninja's Arsenal: 1968 Toyota Corolla KE10

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Sai. Nunchucks. Shuriken. These are the ancient weapons of the ninja, lurker of shadows, trained in the arts of illusion, stealth and assassination. But did you know there was another closely guarded secret weapon in the ninja’s arsenal that has evaded scholars and historians for ages?

Why, it’s the 1968 Toyota Corolla 1100! See, once a hero (you can tell he’s a good guy cause he’s dressed in white) has swooped in and rescued his damsel from a gang of heavily armed baddies, there’s the small problem of actually escaping. Well the obvious answer is to produce a pokeball and shout, “KE10, I choose you!” The best part is, once you throw it at the ground and the getaway vehicle magically appears, the ninja’s teleportation abilities ensure that he will already be in the driver’s seat. And then it’s sayonara, suckas!

Unfortunately, the ninjas have also disabled youtube embedding for this commercial but you can see it in full on YouTube. And in case you were wondering what William Tell’s favorite car was, your answer is after the jump.

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Shizuoka 70s Street Fighters

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Picture it: you’re cruising along in the Shiz behind the wheel of a rented kei car, minding your own business in the slow lane. It starts as a faint buzz. Within moments, the sound multiplies into a chorus of side draft carbs running in triplicate as a swarm of vintage Skylines rips past. You’ve just been buzzed by the Shizuoka 70s Street Fighters.

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61 J-Tin Sightings in Alameda

old_japanese_cars Our buddy Murilee Martin over at Jalopnik has been documenting old cars still in service in his hometown of Alameda, California. “The Island that Rust Forgot,” he calls it.

Out of 480 cars “Down on the Street,” 61 have been Japanese, starting with a 1966 Datsun 411 Bluebird. The only rules are they have to be on public streets and must be driven. Take a look.

We have our own “Sightings” thread that’s 21 pages and counting. See a nostalgic in the wild? Post up a pic!

Posted in datsun, honda, mazda, mitsubishi, subaru, toyota | 1 Comment

Nissan Gallery To Open in Yokohama

nissan_gallery_yokohama Come August, Nissan will be opening a gallery showroom at its new headquarters in Yokohama. According to the press release, part of the gallery will display classic and race cars alongside new models. It will be about four times the size of the current showroom in Tokyo’s pricey Ginza district, but unfortunately that’s still too small to house the 400-plus cars in its top secret Zama warehouse (coverage in JNC Issue 3). There will also be a boutique for Nissan-related goods and a cafe overlooking Yokohama Bay. The grand opening will be on August 8. If you’re in town, stop by and send us some photos. Continue reading

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More J-Nostalgic Wheel Frenzy


Hot on the heels of Slappy’s Wall of Wheels Wallpaper we came across these vids of cool J-Nostalgic wheels from Youtube user Zeppann13J.  More video after the jump!
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Friday Video: Wheeler Dealers Flip Toyota MR2

Wheeler Dealers – S02E01 S02E02 – Toyota MR2 Part

Over at Streetfire someone has uploaded episodes of Wheeler Dealers, a great UK show “keeping modern and iconic classics on the road.” The premise is this: each week the hosts find a beat up old car, fix it up, and sell it for a small profit. Along they way they talk a bit about its significance, meet with a dedicated owner that has a mint example, and show you how to do some basic resto jobs.

Well that doesn’t sound so different from any slew of shows available on American cable TV, you might say. But wait! This being England, they aren’t obsessively focused on muscle cars and, as a result, feature cars like this AW11 Toyota MR2, another 1984 contender. All are gobs of fun to watch.

Of course, a slew of old Jags and MGs also turn up, but so does German schteel, Italian metallo, a Mazda MX-5, Suzuki Jimny, and Lexus LS400.

And here we were thinking Top Gear was the only car show from across the pond.

See parts 2-5 after the jump. Continue reading

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Kidney, Anyone? 6900-Mile Honda CR-X HF

honda_cr-x_01The debate about 1984’s most significant debut may not be resolved yet but no one can deny the impact of the first-gen Honda CR-X.

Launched in ’84, it was a nimble two-door based on the Civic platform. Its versatility would be exemplified in 1985 with the sport-minded Si (godfather to a whole new tuning culture) and the HF (for “High Fuel efficiency”). This is the latter, a mint 1986 Honda CR-X HF on eBay from Minnesota that has only 6950 miles on the clock! It’s an alleged Old Lady Car from Minnesota but according to the auction it’s “never seen snow.”

Still, the temperature changes seem to have taken their toll on the horn, hatch struts and exhaust. Those are minor problems, however. Overall, it looks darned cherry and, let’s see… at 50mpg city / 67 highway and an approximately 8-gallon tank, it’s seen only 14 gas stations in its whole life!

More pics after the jump. Continue reading

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JNC Tip: Never Pull on Heater Core Hoses

heater_core_hose2Last month we found ourselves at the boneyard because of a stupid mistake I declined to mention. I guess it’s about time I swallow my pride. See that pipe above? It was once part of the heater core but in a moment of colossal idiocy I shucked it like an oyster, clean off.

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Slappy’s Wall of Wheels Wallpaper Goes Viral

You may have seen this Wall of Wheels Wallpaper circulating around teh intarwebs recently, often uncredited. Actually, it was none other than JNCer Slappy, he of Slide Asylum and scary clown avatar, who put it together with nothing more than the simple caption “I was bored” in the Not-So-Ultimate Classic JDM Wheel Thread back in April. Congrats on your new-found fame, Slappy!

P.S. Whoever can name all those wheels gets a Datsun.

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Event Horizon

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Summer’s 1/3 over, but the shows are just beginning.  If you happen to make it to one of this weekend’s events, send over some pics!

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

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J-Tin Rotting Away in Japan, Plus a Cherry Cherry

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The Kusahiro Exploration Corps Blog is probably the saddest site you’ll see this week, if not ever. It’s basically a gallery of nostalgics rusting into oblivion on the grasslands of Japan, full of cars like this Nissan Cherry Coupe 1200X-1 awaiting a return to nature somewhere in snowy Nagano Prefecture.
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Posted in datsun, junkyards, nissan | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

First Ever SEMA Car Show

SEMASEMA is hosting its first ever car show on Saturday, August 1. If you live near  Pasadena, California we highly encourage you to participate. The Specialty Equipment Market Association welcomes all cars but has traditionally been the domain of hot rods, muscle cars and tuned imports/drift cars. Missing from the mix, glaringly, are vintage imports.

The organization is dedicated to speaking up on behalf of all car enthusiasts in this country (as in their lobbying efforts against the recent Cash for Clunkers bill), and has tremendous sway over the direction of the aftermarket industry. This is right up the alley for J-tin fans, but unfortunately nostalgics have been missing from the equation for far too long. So if you want your car to represent the old school scene, please consider entering your car.

The show also supports the Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp children’s charities and will be held at the Pasadena Convention Center.

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You Might Own a Nostalgic If…

datsun_240zWith apologies to Jeff Forxworthy here is a list of twelve things that just might make you the owner of an old car. It was compiled by Yee Chan, a graphic designer whose artistic touches will be seen in the next issue of JNC. We can’t reveal everything just yet but it’s going to look amazing.

His daily driver and only car is the black Datsun 240Z shown above at the 2008 Motorsport Auto Z-Car Nationals (and him hanging out in shades behind it). Funny, we knew his car before we knew him. Anyway, without further ado, you just might own a nostalgic if…

  1. You park far away from everyone to avoid door dings.
  2. You always give the car a backwards glance as you walk away from parking it.
  3. You feel uncomfortable parking it out in the open, where birds can crap on it.
  4. You do not let any valet drive your car.
  5. You sit in the garage, just looking at her.
  6. You love every angle and crease on your car.
  7. You know every nut and bolt has been torqued down or secured with Lock-tite by you alone.
  8. You don’t care about unburned hydrocarbons in the cabin.
  9. A new Corolla is like a luxury limo to you.
  10. You want to drive the car as much as possible (optional).
  11. You are too broke to get another car.
  12. You stopped seeing a girl, because she said something bad about your car.

Yee came up with this list because he’s done them all himself, even the last one, which is pretty hard core. Got any more to add? Let us know in the comments!

Posted in jnc | 23 Comments

Friday Video: Hairpin Circus

The Friday Video series has touched upon many great Japanese movies and TV programs celebrating the automobile. But while they made their cars brutish and macho and excellent for ramming criminals into submission, they never made cars sexy. Well, turn down the lights and pour yourself a masu of warm sake before hitting “play”.

1972’s Hairpin Circus was the seminal Japanese motoring film. The age of the personal RWD sports coupe was in full swing and Japan was still blissfully unaware of the oil crisis to come. The giants, especially Toyota, Mazda and Nissan, believed that they had earned their place on the world stage with world-class cars. So why not a world-class film dripping with passion and petrol? Continue reading

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Rotorstock & Retro Show at Santa Pod

datsun_710_nissan_violet JNCer from across the pond, colink, sent us some photos of the recent Rotorstock and Retro show at Santa Pod Raceway in Bedfordshire, England. This beautiful blue Nissan Violet/1600 (aka Datsun 710) really caught my eye.

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Posted in datsun, events, mazda, mazda rx-7, nissan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Kidney, Anyone? 1971 Dodge Colt

1971_dodge_colt_mitsubishi_galant3Just look at this pristine interior! It looks like you could lick it and still get the taste of brand new vinyl on your tongue. It belongs to a cream puff 1971 Dodge Colt, aka Mitsubishi Colt Galant, found in an ad on Bring A Trailer. It’s a California blue plate special and was found during a San Diego estate liquidation. There are only 39,722 original miles and the asking price is a kidney-saving $3500. According to the ad, the owner wants to take it to Concours d’Lemons, but we think it’d make a much better entrant at the JCCS!

More pics after the jump. Continue reading

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Event Horizon: Fun For Everyone

eventsGood news if you live on one of the coasts! This weekend, there’s a number of different events to choose from, provided you happen to live near an ocean.

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Happy Nissan Day

1981_datsun_by_nissan_badge_210According to the internets, on July 16, 1981 Nissan execs officially changed their brand in the US market from Datsun to Nissan. The campaign to notify the public began in earnest that fall and for three years badges like the “By Nissan” one on this 1981 Datsun 210 (actually a B310 Sunny) appeared on the rumps of various cars.

Even back then, the rebranding effor cost the company over $500 million dollars, says Dan Banks of the Z-Car Club or America (read this for a detailed history). With a sticker price of just under $4000, that could have bought 125,000 Datsun 210s!

[Image: Jalopnik]

Posted in datsun, nissan | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The New York Times Talks Hondas

honda_civic_cvccThe New York Times came out with their take on Honda’s 50 years in America recently. We disagree with the conclusion that they won’t be classics (the same thing was said about every Chevy, Ford and Dodge to come out of Detroit) but it’s a great read on the raw genius and unabashed ambition of Soichiro Honda and his motor company.

Accompanying the article are slideshows covering 50 years of American Honda and potentially collectible Hondas. Oddly, an S600 appears in the former even though it was never sold in the US and despite what the caption says, the T360 pickup was actually the first four-wheeled Honda product. Unfortunately, the Times also calls the cars “primitive” despite their advanced, high-revving engines and unique drivetrains.

Thanks to Brian Baker, who tipped us off to the article and actually owns the white S600 shown in the slideshow. Brian also informs us that the red S600 has an S800 motor and was purchased by ex-Honda F1 driver Jenson Button for a ridiculous price at Bonham’s auction.

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JNC Issue 4 Sneak Peek

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John Oshima’s absolutely sinister 1977 Nissan Skyline.  See more of this car in Japanese Nostalgic Car: Issue 4!  Subscribe now to ensure you don’t miss out on the next issue!

Posted in jnc mag, nissan | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments