This Sunday we celebrate the one without which we would not exist, the one who brought us into the world… Continue reading
Happy 510 Day 2009!
Bonus Vintage JNC Car Chase Video
While Seibu Keisatsu may be the quintessential JNC cop show, here’s another zany vintage car chase video floating around the internet. The following selection is from a movie but we’re not sure which title, so if you figure it out, be sure to reply.
With this one we get a little more graphic with a Crown HT in the role of a bank robbery getaway car. Watch for the for the bad guy taking off his sunglasses… it’s classic.
Friday Video: Mazda Luce Legato Smash!
Who knew that Mazdas could slice open a Nissan like a knife through hot butter? We have absolutely no idea what movie or TV show this is from, nor what is going on here, but it sure is zany! However, the fun times implied by a bright yellow Mazda Luce Legato surgically bisecting a Cedric down the middle seems to take a darker detour when the final crash engulfs several cars – and presumably their occupants – in flames and a (um, spoiler alert?) child’s red cap falls from the sky. If you know from where this clip originated, let us know in the comments.
Posted in mazda, nissan, toyota, Video Games
Tagged japanese car chase, japanese tv, mazda luce legato, nissan, nissan cedric, nissan gloria, toyota crown
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All Japan Day, Adelaide Australia
There were so many car shows going on last weekend. All-Japan Day, “Australia’s premier all-japanese classic and import show,” went down in Adelaide, South Australia. But since they’re in the southern hemisphere doesn’t that make them, like, the Wisconsin of Oz? And yet, so… much… J-tin! Is that sound reasoning? Who knows, we fail at geography. But what we don’t fail at is drooling over very awesome cars.
Some of you look at the Events, Meets & Gatherings section of the forum for event announcements, but where do you think the pictures go after the show’s over, hmmmm? Check out both pages of JNCer benny_blanco‘s snaps (page 2 here). All of us (well, minus Kev) once again proclaim our jealousy of the Ozzies! Hand over your J-tin and eucalyptus Ewok bears now!!
EVENTS: Solvang Datsun Roadster Classic
And now for your viewing pleasure, photos from the 2009 Solvang Datsun Roadster Classic.
Be There: 14th All-Toyotafest, Sat. May 9
Sick of Datsuns? Come down to Long Beach, CA for the 14th Annual All-Toyotafest this Saturday, May 9. JNC will have a booth there along with our battle wagon, so stop by and say howdy. Doors open a 9AM and remember that this year, by popular demand, this show is back at the Queen Mary. See the Toyota Owners’ and Restorers’ Club for more details. If you love what Toyota does for you, you can’t miss this!
Uh Oh: National Cash for Clunkers Bill Coming
As we predicted over a year ago, the Cash for Clunkers program offered by states such as California and Texas is going national. Continue reading
Posted in laws
23 Comments
Prince Skyline Sport at Concorso D’Eleganza
You can tell from the name itself that the Concorso D’Eleganza Villa D’Este is not your typical Denny’s parking lot car meet. It’s held at the end of every April held on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, one of the most gorgeous locations planet Earth has to offer. The show stems from the days just before the Great Depression (the, um, first one, in 1929) and lasted through WWII. So what’s a Skyline doing there? Continue reading
EVENTS: Time Machine Festival
We hope this event coverage is worth the wait. We gave you a sneak peek of the Time Machine Festival before, now here’s the real deal.
Posted in datsun, events, honda, isuzu, japan, jnc, mazda, mitsubishi, motorsports, nissan, toyota
Tagged time machine festival
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Jay Leno's Honda SM600 on Speed TV
We just got a hot tip from Brian Baker that tomorrow, Sunday May 3 at 10:00am Eastern Time, Speed Channel will be broadcasting an episode of My Classic Car called “Jay Leno’s Little Cars.” Of course, that would include one of his prized possessions, a 1965 Honda SM600 that we profiled before it found its way into Leno’s hands. Also, we are using any excuse available to link to this photo again.
The episode will be run again on May 4 at 3:00am and May 5 at 3:00pm. The website has a full schedule.
Posted in honda
3 Comments
Friday Videos: More SA22C Love
Since our post earlier this week was pretty popular, we thought we’d round out the week with some more old school SA22C RX-7 love. Here’s a couple of vids.
This first vid is from Japanese video car magazine Video Option. It starts out with Ama-san from Tokyo rotary tuner RE-Amemiya building up an SA22C (shame there’s not more of that buildup phase) and then we skip ahead to Tsukuba Circuit where it’s put through its paces by Shinichi Yamaji (who I believe raced GT300 for RE-Amemiya at the time), posting a very respectable 1:05, a good time for a mildly tuned FD. If this doesn’t make you want one, I don’t know what will!
More video after the jump.
Austrian Collector Auctions Fleet of Japanese Cars
What surprises us more than an Austrian actor auctioning off his collection of Japanese cars, is the fact that there was an Austrian actor with a collection of Japanese cars to begin with.
We aren’t familiar with Roland Düringer but after seeing his car collection, we wish we were. Apparently he’s quite the comedic celebrity in his homeland, and a motorsport enthusiast as well. His stable includes an enviable herd of J-tin, including an S60 Crown, Corollas from ’75 and ’79, a Celica liftback, Mitsubishi Sapporo and a Honda S800 Coupe. He also has newer fare like a Toyota Will VI, Nissan Cube and Nissan Figaro.
So why is Düringer selling off his cars? Well, it’s for a good cause – to help a young man recently paralyzed in a moped accident so he can get his car modified to accommodate his handicap. Hats off to you, Mr. Düringer!
More pics of Düringer’s collection after the jump. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
10 Comments
East Coast Events: Zero Garage at Road Atlanta
There are more events for you east coasters this weekend! Take the midnight train to Georgia and meet up with Zero Garage, our favorite band of Peach State bandits at Road Atlanta! They will be repping J-tin at the Mitty, so be sure to check it out. Go to Import Atlanta for details.
[Image: Puregroove.org]
Posted in events
6 Comments
Source Interlink Files Chapter 11
Holy moly! The Carpocalypse has claimed another victim, but this time it’s not an automaker.
Remember back in November when Sport Compact Car folded? Well now its parent company, Source Interlink, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As of yet there’s no word on how this will affect their other titles, which range from Motor Trend and Automobile to Hot Rod and Super Street.
It’s a tough climate for everyone, and the company’s ad sales were down 20% compared to this same quarter in 2008. The company has claimed a debt of $1.9 billion and assets of $2.4 billion. Side note: those numbers make our jaws drop here at JNC headquarters, where we subsist solely on a diet of Cup Noodle and Giga Pudding. We will keep you posted as news unfolds.
Posted in media
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Maryland Z Club Show at Frederick Nissan
Here’s another event for you east coasters. The Maryland Z Club will be hosting a gathering of Datsuns and Nissans at Frederick Nissan in Frederick, MD. They are a great group of guys and are very supportive of the old school movement. The show will be this Sunday, May 3. For more info go to the Maryland Z Club website.
RX-7 Lovin at 22C Works
One of the cars that seems to have been a little left out by the whole J-nostalgic movement is the SA22C RX-7 (or FB as you’d know it in the States). It seems to straddle the 70s era of fender mirrors and chrome and the 80s period where everything seemed to have turbos, fuel injection and digital dashes. In its driving qualities it’s a lot closer to the old school than it is to the 80s FC RX-7, while its styling and amenities are more in line with the later era. So to me, they’ve always had tons of appeal, and it’s only a matter of time before people start to take notice and values rise. The fact that they were built in serious numbers makes them a much more practical resto proposition than an RX-3 too. But while everybody wants a period-look RX-3 or RX-2 with flares and dished Watanabes, I’ve always thought that in Japan the SA22C is a little unfairly ignored.
So it was great to find an awesome enthusiast site for the marque at 22C Works.com. It’s an excellent community of SA22 junkies in Japan and just check out their awesome photo galleries. The site also has a big section on modification and upgrade tips, and a great resource for vintage car commercials here. Let’s hope that we’ll start to see more SA22Cs in the nostalgic style.
Posted in mazda
11 Comments
The Teletubbies Were Never This Hard Core: JDM Giant Furry Kids Show Characters Go Drifting
Well as all you japanophiles know, Japanese TV really exists in its own parallel universe. So it shouldn’t surprise that even kids shows in Japan will have you scratching your head as to what the heck is going on. But in the case of a particular episode of Hirake! Ponkiki, this is weirdness on a good level! Watch in amazement as the furry green giant-headed Gachapin dons an oversize helmet and puts an S2000 and Integra through their paces at Twin Ring Motegi.
…and try not to laugh out loud at the 2:05 min mark!
Posted in honda, japan
14 Comments
Friday Video: Abunai Deka's F31 Nissan Leopard
Before attending Nos2Days, we had no idea that the F31 Nissan Leopard enjoyed such a strong following. But once Seibu Keisatsu ended in its run in 1984, there was a cop show void that needed to be filled. Enter Abunai Deka, an 80s buddy cop series that started in 1986, featuring the then-new Nissan Leopard (later imported to the US as the Infiniti M30). If car chases with Toyota Mark IIs and shootouts at marinas set to an over-synthesized post-disco soundtrack don’t make you want to break out the Nagel prints, we don’t know what will.
Posted in nissan, Video Games
7 Comments
I Feel the Need: Need For Speed SHIFT
One of the oldest and most well loved series of racing games is Need for Speed. And like all the latest generation driving games, the next NFS game, Need for Speed SHIFT, promises even more amazing graphics and immersive gameplay. NFS piqued our interest recently when it released news of the KPGC10’s inclusion in the next game. I think maybe the taillight placement isn’t quite right but who’s complaining?
Watch the trailer after the jump and salivate at the opportunity to drive a hakosuka in a properly immersive driving sim (and crash it without having to worry about where the parts are going to come from).
Posted in Video Games
6 Comments
East Coasters: OSTCBPT Swap Meet
Don’t feel left out by SoCal’s Datsun Weekend, east coasters. The Old School Toyota Club of Bridgeport, CT is having a swap meet on Sunday, April 26. So while the Solvang Roadster Classic and Z Car West Coast Nationals are in full swing this Saturday and Sunday, you can be hunting for parts to go on your nostalgic. For more information check this thread in the JNC forum. Photos from last year’s swap meet can be found here.
Posted in events, toyota
3 Comments
