Cash for Clunkers: Fail or Win?

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Ben Hsu

mitsubishi_galant_sigmaSo last week was the first for the dreaded Cash for Clunkers program and it’s been either wildly successful or a dismally mismanaged failure depending on how you look at it.

First, the government thought it might run out of money too quickly. Overnight, a bunch of cars that once fell within the 18mpg or under threshold to qualify were magically boosted to 19mpg according on the EPA website. Sucks for the owners, but the fewer cars that qualify on the lower end of the fuel efficiency scale the better for us JNCers.

Then rumors began to fly that the almost $1 billion automaker stimulus money set aside for C4C had been burned through in four days and the program would be suspended.

But no, it was actually going stronger than ever, and the the House approved another $2 billion for the program.

Continue reading →

Posted in laws | Tagged | 16 Comments

Bonus Vid: Toyota Corona Mark II & Clipper Ships

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Ben Hsu


A heavenly Toyota Corona Mark II in the music video for the song “Clone” by Japanese band Straightener.

Thanks to gtxtom!

Posted in toyota, Video Games | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Friday Video: Seibu Keisatsu Nissan Carnage

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Ben Hsu

We went with high art and how-to for the last two Friday Videos but this week is a return to the roots – more Seibu Keisatsu madness.

The video appears to be clips from two episodes spliced together. In the first one, our heroes’ R30 Skylines and S130 Fairlady Z give chase to a C230 Laurel. Look out for the rare Toyota sighting in the Nissan-sponsored series.

In the second vid, the crew pursues a 330 Cedric/Gloria through Nissan Sunny Miyagi, an actual dealership. Car carriers full of brand new Nissans become embroiled in the melee. A perfectly good B210 hatch gets its door shorn off, and the finale results in some serious cringe-inducing carnage.

Posted in nissan, seibu keisatsu, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Mazda MX-5/Miata/Roadster 20th Anniversary Edition

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Ben Hsu

mazda_mx-5_miata_roadster_20th_anniversaryAvailable starting today at all Japanese Mazda and Mazda Anfini dealerships is a new Roadster (called MX-5 or formerly Miata elsewhere on planet Earth) celebrating the model’s 20th anniversary.

Mazda offers it in either soft top or retractable hard top versions, 6-speed manuals or automatics. There’s no performance upgrades but 20th Anniversary editions can be visually identified by their exclusive Crystal White Pearl Mica exteriors matched to red leather and black alcantara (very Honda S600-esque, no?) Recaros, 17-inch wheels, clear fog lamps and obligatory badging.

Posted in mazda | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Adam Carolla’s Bob Sharp Datsun 610 Racer

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Matt De Mangos

Many of you know that squawky-voiced celebrity Adam Carolla has a penchant for Datsuns, owning a 510 BRE street replica as well as a Fairlady Roadster race car. You’d think that it qualifies him to be the celebrity spokesman for Datsuns, to defend and extol them to the unwashed masses.

On a recent video, Carolla presents a genuine Bob Sharp Datsun 610 race car to his audience. At first, Carolla seems to be enthusiastic about the car, teaching the co-host a thing or two about Datsuns. Unfortunately, Carolla soon takes on a snide tone and says some not-so-nice things about this venerable rig at the 3:49 mark.

See the vid after the jump. Watch it all the way through and decide for yourself if Carolla is being uplifting or derogatory:

Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Original Mazda RX-3 Accessories

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Matt De Mangos

rx3eDid you ride a Chopper bike when all the other kids rode Schwinns or Huffys? If so, then these official Mazda accessories would’ve suited you when you bought your first RX-3.

So the “side skirt mold” and “speed wiper arm and blade” seem pretty decent. Even the “safety scope” (sun visor) seems useful. But look closely and you’ll see an unlabeled bug shield in the middle of the hood! Also, note the bulge on the hood for a possible gauge.

Not your style? Next we have a a race car “Sports Kit”:

Continue reading →

Posted in mazda | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

The Ninja's Arsenal: 1968 Toyota Corolla KE10

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Ben Hsu

toyota_corolla_ke10_ninja_commercial
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.

Continue reading →

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

Shizuoka 70s Street Fighters

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Ben Hsu

nissan_skyline_hakosuka_sedan
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.

Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan | Tagged , , , , | 26 Comments

61 J-Tin Sightings in Alameda

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Ben Hsu

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

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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

More J-Nostalgic Wheel Frenzy

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Kevin San


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!
Continue reading →

Posted in wheels | 6 Comments

Friday Video: Wheeler Dealers Flip Toyota MR2

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in mazda, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

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

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in for sale, honda | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

JNC Tip: Never Pull on Heater Core Hoses

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Ben Hsu

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.

Continue reading →

Posted in how to, jnc | Tagged , | 13 Comments

Slappy’s Wall of Wheels Wallpaper Goes Viral

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Ben Hsu

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.

Posted in wheels | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Event Horizon

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Dan Hsu

zcars

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

Continue reading →

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

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Ben Hsu

nissan_cherry_x1r
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.
Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, junkyards, nissan | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

First Ever SEMA Car Show

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Ben Hsu

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.

Posted in events | 14 Comments

You Might Own a Nostalgic If…

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Ben Hsu

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

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in mazda, toyota, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments