Toyota Motorsports History Video

Posted on June 24, 2009 by Ben Hsu

It’s not Friday yet but in honor of known motorfan Akio Toyoda’s ascension to the top spot at Toyota, here’s a two-part video about the company’s motorsports history. Based on the intro with WRC ST185 and Ironman Stewart pickups, it looks like this video was made in the early 90s. But soon it delves into a brief history of the automobile itself, starting with the Benz trike and the 1907 Takuri.

From there goes on to talk about motorsports with early footage from Indianapolis, Daytona Beach and a 1936 Japanese auto race that even gives a shout out to then-18-year-old Soichiro Honda and his first race car.

From there, we get to see the Toyota AA racing a steam engine, a 1956 Toyopet Crown on a London-to-Tokyo 50,000km drive, and some fantastic footage of a 1957 Crown on the Mobilgas Rally around the Australian continent.

Part 2 after the jump. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsports, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Hasemi Tomica Skyline Livery Rides Again

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Ben Hsu

hasemi_kdr30_skyline_r35_gt-r

Fueled by the sponsorship of toy car maker Tomica, Masahiro Hasemi’s original fire-spitting KDR30 Nissan Skyline Super Silhouette was at the forefront of every Japanese child’s fevered imagination. The outrageous bodywork inspired legions of bosozoku-style ride-pimpers, countless diecast models, and even made an appearance in Gran Turismo 2. Walk into any hobby shop in Japan and you’ll find at least a few scale replicas of the 570PS monster, emblazoned with the word “Tomica” even if it might be made by a rival minicar company. And now, the iconic livery is back. Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, minicars, motorsports, nissan | 5 Comments

Akio Toyoda Officially Confirmed, New Supra On the Way?

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Ben Hsu

You knew this was coming all along but today it’s official: Lexus LF-A hooning, Toyota 2000GT rallying Akio Toyoda is the new Prez of Toyota. All hail! Is it a well timed leak or mere coincidence that on the same day, news came that a Supra successor will be unveiled this fall at the Tokyo Motor Show? The rumors are nothing we haven’t heard before – based on the FT-HS concept, V6 hybrid drivetrain, yada yada yada – but a 2011 sale date? The Lexus LF-A is also supposedly showing at the TMS so hopefully this isn’t a case of mistaken identity. If not and the rumors are true, all this plus the Project 086a is enough to make our Toyotaku heads explode.

Thanks to RoadsterViking for the tip!

Posted in toyota | 11 Comments

Autech-tuned Nissan Fairlady 370Z NISMO On Sale

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Ben Hsu

nissan 370z nismo version autech Here’s some more retro car news, this time for the Zedheads. Nissan’s in-house tuner Autech has just released the Fairlady Z Version NISMO.

It’s not quite the monster the Z432 was for the original S30 chassis, with only a 19PS increase (up to 355PS) over stock, but you do get a harder-core suspension with Yamaha performance dampers, redesigned exhaust, and transmission tweaks. Most noticeably, the wind-tunnel tested aerodynamics improve over the stock vampire/catfish front end. Inside, the speedometer now reads a 280kph max, along with a host of other cosmetic upgrades like red stitching on the leather seats, a unique engine cover and the all-important serial number badge. All this costs a jaw-dropping ¥4.935 million (about $52,000), which is not as bad as our original miscalculation thought, but still somewhat pricey for a Z.

Posted in nissan | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Last Honda S2000 to be Given Away

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Ben Hsu

honda S2000 finalWhen the last Honda S800 was sold in 1970, who knew it would be 30 years before Honda would continue the lineage with another FR roadster? Well, after 10 years in production, that lineage is coming to another end when the S2000 ceases production this fall. There is no known successor. Continue reading →

Posted in honda | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

JCCS 2009 Announcement

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Ben Hsu

JCCS2009 Listen up, nostalgic car fans! The event you’ve all been waiting for, the 2009 Japanese Classic Car Show, will be open for registration on Wednesday, July 1st. Be sure to enter your car into this historic event as early as possible, as spaces are limited.

This year will be a special one for the JCCS folks, as they will be celebrating the fifth anniversary of the original old school Japanese car show.

The organizers and volunteers work very hard to bring your favorite old school cars the recognition they deserve, so be sure and support them and drop a word of thanks if you can.

The 2009 Japanese Classic Car Show is set for Saturday, October 3, 2009 at Hidden Valley Park in Irvine, California. Mark your calendars! And for you first-timers, check out this demo reel from the 2008 show.

Posted in events, jccs | 4 Comments

Bosozoku-Style Sharknose How-To

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Ben Hsu

c210_sharknose
Should the urge to extend the hood line of your car into some kind of Death Race-style slicer suddenly overwhelm you, here’s a how-to using a Nissan C210 Skyline that’s been floating around for a while. Yes, now this bosozoku style accessory can be yours too for the low low price of welding several square feet of sheetmetal to the front of your car! Look, here’s another using a Toyota Mark II. A new direction for the JNC wagon, perhaps?

Thanks to datsunfreak and white_raven!

Posted in bosozoku, datsun, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Bonus Vid: JDM Nostalgic Drag Racing

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Is the traditional low and wide JDM look too boring for you? How ’bout some JDM funny cars built for the zero-yon (0-400m, about a 1/4 mile) with massive slicks and tubbed bodies? Here’s some footage from an Option video circa 1992 posted by JNCer SR-FairladyZ.

There’s the famous HKS MA70 Supra in action, along with some of the craziest Fairlady Zs, Skylines, and RX-7s on planet earth rocketing down the strip at Kamishihoro.

Also, check out part 2, which boasts draggin’ wagons, some American style funny cars like the ’91 Olds Cutlass (yes, that was a popular platform back then) and, of all things, an Isuzu Piazza Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, isuzu, mazda, mazda rx-7, mitsubishi, motorsports, nissan, toyota | 9 Comments

Friday Video: Police vs. Bosozoku

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Are these the most ruthless cops ever or just an extremely dedicated crew of stuntmen? We don’t know, but if you want to see some patrol cars mowing down a gang of bosozoku while being filmed from the trunk of a 1969 Olds 442, here’s a clip from the 1987 film Kono Ai no Monogatari or “The Story of This Love.”

Posted in bosozoku, Video Games | 8 Comments

Mini JNC Wagon! DISM Toyota Mark II

Posted on June 18, 2009 by Ben Hsu


This is probably not going to be of any interest to most of you, but we’re jumping out of our seats right now because we just got an email from Toyotageek informing us that the JNC wagon is now available in 1/43 scale!

Here it is, the DISM Toyota mark II Wagon, available in white, silver, and – wait for it – dark blue! DISM is a line of 70s and 80s diecast cars from Aoshima, the toy company known by many JNCers for their plastic scale model kits. At approximately $40 per car we can’t afford to collect these but we just might have to make an exception. Some more pics from different angles and such after the jump. Continue reading →

Posted in minicars, toyota | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Datsun 280ZX Go-Kart

Posted on June 18, 2009 by Ben Hsu

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We like to check out what’s going on at the Datsun Heritage Museum every couple of months or so, as they’re always changing the cars around and adding more cool exhibits. On our most recent trip there we spotted this cool little 280ZX-shaped go-kart on display. Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, minicar, museum, museums, nissan | 12 Comments

2009 Canby: A 240SX Retro Oddity

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Matt De Mangos

Some of you have no doubt heard of the Canby Datsun Show that took place this past weekend up in Oregon. Well this year there was the fine assortment of eye candy Datsuns and eyesore Ratsuns, but one truly bizarre 240SX Retro Oddity showed up in Glow Green to stun the crowd:

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Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, events, Galleries, nissan | 22 Comments

Junkyards, a Love-Hate Relationship

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Ben Hsu

junkyard_love-hate2Due to a series of stupid errors, which I may or may not blog about later, I found myself this afternoon slogging through the desolate wasteland of the self-serve wrecking yard. Anyone who’s owned an old Japanese car has probably found him or herself in a similar state, driving 20 minutes to the part of town where no one would ever think of building a town house complex, not even during the biggest of bubbles, and actually paying good money for the pleasure of trudging through a barren, hot and dirty lot filled with things that normal people generally try to avoid.

Broken glass, pointy bits of bent metal, vast smears of black sludge, it’s all here. And all you have to do is wade through it, armed with a bag of wrenches and a tetanus shot, to find the elusive part that you either bone-headedly broke or was already missing when you fell in love with the car and bought it against your better judgement.

Continue reading →

Posted in junkyards | 30 Comments

New Toyota Prez Wants to Revive Sports Car Heritage

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Ben Hsu


A few months ago we were jazzed when we heard that Akio Toyoda might be taking the reins at Toyota, succeeding then-President Katsuaki Watanabe. Why? Because after spending the last 10 years killing off all the sporty coupes and GT cars in its lineup, here was a guy who actually loved donning a helmet and fireproof longjohns to take a Lexus out for a lap or two around the Nürburgring. And they’re actually promoting him to President! Of course, it does help when your last name is on all the buildings. Continue reading →

Posted in toyota | 25 Comments

Vintage JDM 5-Lug Wheels

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Ben Hsu

longchamp5lug Finding the proper old school wheels can be a problem for those of us who are inclined towards cars like the Toyota Crown. That’s because unlike 99 percent of old Japanese cars out there it has a 5-lug bolt pattern. Popular vintage wheels with the extra hole can look nearly identical to their 4-lug counterparts. Or, they can look wildly different: Longchamps, pictured above, gain a hole but lose a spoke. Check out Beeoneoneoh for more 5-lug variations.

Posted in wheels | 7 Comments

Queensland All-Japanese Day Car Show

Posted on June 14, 2009 by Ben Hsu

queensland_all_ajapnese_day_show
Flippin Aussies! When rx2s2 and B1500boy announced this event in the JNC Forum I couldn’t even find a website to link to. But even a self-proclaimed “non-professional” event can have 125 cars turn up to tease us Yanks with Nissan Presidents, Isuzu Bellets and rare-as-hens-teeth Mazda pickups. And this is in the middle of their winter! What gives? Click here to slowly simmer in jealousy.

Posted in events | 1 Comment

Old School Japanese Cars Cruise

Posted on June 14, 2009 by Ben Hsu

old_school_japanese_car_cruise
Well it’s Monday and it’s summertime so that means a roundup of the J-tin events that took place over the weekend. First up is the Old School Japanese Car Cruise put together by JNCer mazedatsun. This is another one of SoCal’s many mixed-marque events, except for the part where you wring your machine out on twisty mountain roads. Click here for photos and a video. Think your nostalgic has what it takes to keep up? Next time we’ll bring the JNC wagon out there and see how it fares with those Zs!

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This Old Honda's Honda/Acura Show

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Ben Hsu

honda_acura_show_newyorkOur bonus weekend coverage in celebraton of American Honda’s 50th anniversary continues.

If you followed last week’s Event Horizon to Middletown, New York, then you saw this awesome collection of Hondas and Acuras at the This Old Honda Honda & Acura show at Formula H Motorworks.

On the photo to the right there’s a 1964 Honda T500 pickup with a bed full of Honda Kick N Go scooters, an S800 Coupe, an S600 roadster, and a JDM Beat kei car. And in case you missed it, here is a gallery of minty fresh S800, CR-X and Accord goodness. Honestly speaking, this was a better showcase of vintage Hondas than the official American Honda event!

Thanks to Brian Baker of Formula H Motorworks, who hosted the show and sent us these great photos (a couple more after the jump). Continue reading →

Posted in honda | 5 Comments

Ed Roth’s Honda N600 on Auction Block

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Ben Hsu

honda_n600_ed_roth

Here’s a bonus weekend post illustrating just how much Hondas have infused American culture. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth was creator of the Rat Fink and a legend in the hot rod and Kustom Kulture scene of the 60s. His custom choppers and show cars were among the most famous of their era. You may recall names like Road Agent, Mysterion, or Road Agent from your youth, and anyone who grew up playing with Hot Wheels knows the Beatnik Bandit. Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

American Honda's Official 50th Birthday Party

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Ben Hsu

honda_cr-x_50th_anniversaryIn honor of American Honda’s 50th anniversary we’re bringing you bonus Honda coverage this weekend. Yesterday American Honda held a little shindig at their corporate headquarters in Torrance, California. According to eyewitness accounts, there were more two-wheelers than four, and not many nostalgics present.

That’s probably why this little black number is a 1985 Honda CR-X Si caught our eye. Rolling on Mugen CF48s, it’s the car that kicked off the whole Honda tuning scene. We love how Hondas of that era denoted performance trim levels with that thin red line wrapped around the bumpers.

Check out the rest of the cars and bikes in Autoblog‘s gallery.

Posted in honda | Tagged , , | 1 Comment