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

datsun280zx_gokart1
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:

nissan_240sx_610_01

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.

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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

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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

The Hondells' "Little Honda"

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Ben Hsu

In celebration of American Honda’s 50th Anniversary here’s a bonus Friday Video. Put your hands together for The Hondells and their 1965 hit, “Little Honda”.

Posted in honda | 6 Comments

Cash for Clunkers Bill Passes Senate

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Ben Hsu

mitsubishi_galant_sigma
Well that was quick. The national Cash for Clunkers bill just passed Senate largely in tact, except senators chose to cut the funding from 4 billion dollars to one billion. Now it moves back to the House for review and then onto Obama’s desk, where he will probably sign it into law.

[Detroit News, Jalopnik]

Posted in laws | 7 Comments

Friday Video: Nissan Laurel vs. Datsun 720

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Ben Hsu

We’re not even going to begin to guess what is going on in this Seibu Keisatsu clip. All we know is that there’s a C130 Nissan Laurel being chased down by a Datsun 720 pickup and that a kenmeri Skyline makes an appearance at the end. As per Seibu Keisatsu rules, heavy Nissan and Enkei sponsorship abounds.

Posted in datsun, nissan, seibu keisatsu, trucks, Video Games | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Honda Celebrates 50 Years in the USA

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Ben Hsu

honda_n600 On June 11, 1959, a tiny motorcycle company set up shop on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. It had only sprung to life in Japan eleven years earlier, but its founder, Soichiro Honda, was not known for taking the easy road. Continue reading →

Posted in honda | 4 Comments

Event Horizon for Weekend of June 12-14

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Ben Hsu

hawaii_old_school_jdm
Images from last weekend’s Coast-to-Coast J-tin shows are still rolling in, including some we didn’t know about in our last Event Horizion. Here’s a snap from the Hawaii Old School JDM Meet & Greet. And here are some from Texas Nissans’ 2nd Annual Meet. Read on to see what fun J-tin related activities are available for you this weekend. Continue reading →

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Cash for Clunkers Not as Bad as We Thought

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Ben Hsu

toyota_corolla_te28_wagon_junkyard
Well, the House of Representatives approved the Cash for Clunkers bill last night. That means drivers trading an older car for a more fuel efficient one can get up to a $4500 toward their new car from the government. But what’s this? Congress squeezed in a couple of provisions squeezed that make it perhaps not as catastrophic as we had feared. Continue reading →

Posted in laws | Tagged | 13 Comments

10 "Cheap Fun Rising Sun" Cars from Hemmings

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Ben Hsu

isuzu_impulse
Hemmings once again turns their gaze to J-tin, this time choosing 10 cars that provide “Cheap Fun under the Rising Sun” (subscription required). The bravest pick is a tie between the Isuzu Impulse (shown above) and the Nissan NX2000, which we heartily applaud. Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, isuzu, mazda, media, nissan, toyota | 5 Comments

Honda Recreates 1959 Storefront in HQ Lobby

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Honda's Pico Building
Honda’s 50th anniversary in the US is fast approaching. The magic date is June 11, but in preparation for that they’ve remodeled the lobby of their Torrance, CA building to recreate the first Honda USA storefront.

This is what it looked like in 1959. It would be many decades before the Ridgeline (Honda’s first pickup that bigger than kei-size) so they used a 1960 Chevy Apache to deliver SuperCub 50s! What did you expect, a Datsun? Who would have guessed that 50 years later, the little bike builder would be making jets and the manufacturer of that pickup would be in bankruptcy?

Photos of the recreated storefront after the jump. Continue reading →

Posted in honda | 10 Comments

Worldwide J-Tin Meets' Photos

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Ben Hsu

mazda_r100_rx2
Sadly, the weekend is over, but at least you’ll have plenty of J-Tin to ogle as assorted galleries from this weekend’s gatherings roll in. Pictured above is congregation of Mazdafarians from the Vintage Mazda Owners Club of NSW in Sydney, Oz. Down in Melbourne the Toyota Owners Club of Australia had their own little shindig. And then let’s hop on over to the northern hemisphere for the Bay Area Classic Meet and the Texas Classic Japanese Car Meet.  Happy browsing!

Posted in events, mazda, toyota | 1 Comment