The original Toyota 4Runner was known as the HiLux Surf in Japan and became quite popular during the 1980s boom in recreational vehicles. In its marketing materials the HiLux Surf was promoted as an “American Offroad Machine” and actually launched in the US in 1983, a year before its 1984 debut in Japan. That probably helped conjure an exotic image of the truck in the motherland. Today, the US has tons of Toyota trucks that are uniquely American and not available in Japan — Tacoma, T100, Tundra, Sequoia, and more. Happy Independence Day from JNC!
QotW: What’s the most “American” JNC?
These days if you look at a Japanese car company’s US lineup and the hometown Japanese lineup, there isn’t much overlap. Almost all the US models have been engineered for the US market, built in the US, and sold here with no counterpart in the motherland. The myth of Japan always getting the best version isn’t true either. During the Gentleman’s Agreement Era, for instance, our versions of Japan’s top sports cars were all rated (on paper at least) with higher horsepower numbers than their domestic counterparts. But answers for this week’s question don’t necessarily have to fall into these categories. Some cars, like an S130 or 4Runner, just feel more American. All is fair game for this week’s Independence Day-themed QotW:
What’s the most “American” JNC?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC is not being preserved, but should be?“. Continue reading
Yamaha to end snow machine production after 55 years, closing the chapter on Japanese snowmobiles
Japan’s motorcycle companies have a long history of revolutionizing the powersports market, from motorcycles boat motors. Of the Japanese Big Four, however, only Yamaha has seen any success in snowmobiles. Not only that, but Yamaha managed to keep its highly accomplished run going for longer than any of its hometown rivals, 55 years to be exact. Soon, though, that will come to an end, as Yamaha announced yesterday that it will pull out of the snowmobile market in 2025. Continue reading
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III, blobeye Subaru WRX STi expand collector menu in Gran Turismo 7
The latest update for Gran Turismo 7 arrived on June 29 and it comes with long-time Japanese AWD rivals. The car we’re most excited for is the 1995 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III, the last of the Evos that to the untrained eye could still be mistaken for an ambitiously modified Mirage. Its nemesis comes in the form of a blobeye Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Continue reading
Posted in Video Games
Tagged Gran Turismo 7, lancer evolution, mitsubishi, subaru, WRX STI
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A Honda Civic Wagon was the sound of Raiders of the Lost Ark‘s iconic boulder
The Indiana Jones movies aren’t typically very car-centric, as most of them are set in archaeological sites that date back hundreds of years before a car was even conceived. However, you might be surprised to learn that in reality, a humble Honda Civic made a huge contribution to one of the very first sequences in the Indy franchise. The car never actually appears on screen in the 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it provided the sound effects for one the most memorable scenes in cinema history. Continue reading
New Toyota Land Cruiser reportedly getting FJ40 and 70-inspired design
We’re all excited about the Toyota Land Cruiser reboot in the US, but a new report has us even more stoked than before. A report out of Australia says it may get a retro-inspired design that is specific to the US market and which hearkens back to the classic FJ40 and J70 Land Cruisers. Continue reading
Nissan technical college students restoring flood-damaged Fairlady Z for bereaved family
In 2018 one of the deadliest floods in the country’s history swept through southwestern Japan. Twenty-three prefectures received evacuation notices, over 200 people perished, and damages to infrastructure, farms, and property totaled about $20 billion. One family lost an S130 Nissan Fairlady Z that was priceless due to the tremendous sentimental value it held. Now students at Nissan Kyoto Automobile College are helping restore the flooded car. Continue reading
QotW: What JNC is not being preserved, but should be?
Today is 626 Day, an occasion to commemorate a car that’s been largely forgotten though they were once everywhere. The Mazda sedan didn’t sell as well as rivals from Toyota and Honda, but it’s an interesting car nonetheless. It served as the bread-and-butter staple of the Mazda lineup for years, spawned sports versions like the MX-6, and even predates the Camry. First-generation models were rear-wheel-drive as well.
But as far as we know, Mazda does not own a 626 in either at its Hiroshima museum or its US headquarters. The European museum has a later front-drive 626, but we’re not sure if a rear-drive model exists. It’s not really the kind of car one would seek out and restore, either, unless you were some kind of Mazdafarian nut and already had all the rotary cars you could warehouse. History is littered with cars like this.
What JNC is not being preserved, but should be?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Do friends and family actually take your car advice?”. Continue reading
Mazda is mass producing rotary engines for the first time in over a decade
On June 21, 2012 Mazda shut down rotary engine production at its Ujina No.1 plant in Hiroshima. A day later, on June 22, the RX-8, the last production car in the world to have a rotary engine, ended production as well. There was no successor and for all the world knew the amazing pistonless technology would cease to exist. That’s why it seems particularly fitting that yesterday, on June 22, 2023, exactly 11 years after those events at the same Ujina No.1 plant, rotary engine production began anew. Continue reading
Nissan Z NISMO drifts into 2024 with new nose
Nissan says it’s “teasing” the new Z NISMO with a video of it kicking out tire smoke galore. It’s not much of a teaser, because the whole shebang can be seen in its full undisguised glory. There’s a number of changes, but most notably the NISMO version has a new schnoz that looks pretty slick. Continue reading
Toyota GR86 Trueno Edition pays tribute to the original panda 86
Toyota has introduced a new limited edition model of the GR86 with a strong throwback to the famed AE86. It’s even called the Toyota GR86 Trueno Edition, and it’s loaded with visual cues referencing the car that gave the GR86 its namesake. Continue reading
Honda CRX Si returned to family and restored to Tuner Era glory after 20 years
Anthony Pedatella’s 1990 Honda CRX Si was his pride and joy when he and his wife-to-be Marisa began dating in midst of the Tuner Era. It epitomized the style of the times, with a ZC twin-cam, Clarion stereo, and a coat of orange-bronze paint. Unfortunately, the couple had to sell the 2-seater as their family grew. Then in 2011 Anthony passed away from cancer at the age of 36. Ten years after that, the Toronto-area family decided they wanted the car back, but it had been 20 years since it was sold. Continue reading
Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, joined by British cars in 1969 Tokyo
This touched-up video shows the hustle and bustle of the Ginza area in 1969. Most of the footage was taken near the famous 4-chome intersection where landmarks like the Morinaga globe can be seen. The soon-to-be-demolished San’ai Dream Center can be seen in the reflection of some of the store windows, complete with Nissan showroom on the second floor. Our favorite scene is at 0:24, where cars waiting in traffic include a Nissan Cedric taxi, Subaru 360 Custom, Toyota Corona HT, and Toyoace truck. Continue reading
Happy 620 Day from JNC
Compact trucks like the Datsun 620 were one of the ways Japanese companies really made an impact with American customers. Post fuel crisis, they were well poised to save some dough at the pump. Nissan launched a whole campaign around how thrifty their vehicles were, with the 620’s mileage advertised anywhere from 25 to 31 mpg. Happy 620 Day from JNC!
Posted in Holidays
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QotW: Do friends and family actually take your car advice?
Like it or not, as car enthusiasts we often serve as the go-to people among our normie friends and family for advice on cars. Some people do follow our recommendations, but others, after picking our brains for hours and asking zillions of questions, end up overpaying at the mechanic or buying a car no person in their right mind would pick.
Do friends and family actually take your advice?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How would you spend $10,000 on a car in the year you were born?“. Continue reading
Is Kanye West a closet JDM car enthusiast?
Kanye West’s lyrics have not been kind to Japanese cars. Not only are they jammed with references to typical rapper fare like Mercedes-Benzes and Lamborghinis, he often rips on cars like Nissans and Toyotas. But a recent spate of West family sightings in a Toyota Mega Cruiser and an Isuzu VehiCROSS make it seem like he might be somewhat fond of Nihon steel after all. Continue reading
Former Nissan, Mazda and Mitsubishi showroom, the San’ai Dream Center in Ginza, will be demolished after 60 years
Another famous Tokyo building with ties to Japan’s automotive history is on the chopping block. It was announced earlier this year that the San’ai Dream Center is scheduled to be demolished. For 60 years it has been a landmark in the heart of Ginza, Tokyo’s trend-setting shopping district packed with high-end stores. Companies such as Nissan, Mazda, and Mitsubishi once displayed their latest and greatest in the building’s distinctive glass cylinder, but those sweeping window will be no more. Continue reading
1970 KE10 chases Toyota GR Corolla in new ad that is cringe
In Toyota’s latest ad for the raucous GR Corolla, a cameo by a 1970 KE10 almost threatens to steal the show. Not only that, but there are several references to past Toyota commercials, some obscure enough that only Toyota nerds will catch them. Continue reading
A Subaru Sambar is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ new Party Wagon
Like Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine and Inspector Gadget’s Gadgetmobile, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Party Wagon is one of the all-time great cartoon vans. Since the original show in 1987, it’s always been depicted as a generic yellow-and-green box on wheels that doesn’t resemble any real-life model. Now in a new movie installment, however, we finally get to see that the heroes in a halfshell’s famed conveyance is a Subaru Sambar. Continue reading
Toyota Land Cruiser returning to the US market
Toyota quietly made if official late last night. The venerable Land Cruiser is making a comeback to the US market. After departing our shores at the end of 2021, it will be returning for what is likely the 2024 model year. Toyota announced its return on social media with a post showing classic Land Cruiser badges and the caption, “Nothing better than a comeback story. The legend returns…” Continue reading
