Mr. Craft Closes Its Doors

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Ben Hsu

mrcraft_closing Any car nut who has been to Tokyo has surely passed through the doors of Mr. Craft, a five-story building full of toy cars in every scale, brand, and material you can imagine. Radio control, plastic model kits, diecast, wind-up toys, it was all there.

Sadly, it shuttered its decadent doors for good last September due to bankruptcy. The only remnant that remains is the Mr. Craft blog, on which you can find a ¥150,000 Choro-Q Nissan MID-4 (approximately $1500). It’s a loss to collectors everywhere, but at least we won’t be tempted to blow our life savings next time we visit Tokyo.

Collectors with minicar withdrawal can now get their fix at Ikeda Minicar Shop near Nippori Station or the Yodobashi Camera mega-retailer in Akihabara.

Posted in japan, minicars | 3 Comments

Tire Stretching Guide, With Pictures

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Ben Hsu

stretched_tire We all know there are few things sexier than stretched tires flush mounted on an old school Japanese car, right? The problem has been trying to figure out how a particular tire will look on your rim without a bunch of trial and error, or tracking down someone with a similar setup.

Well fear no more, zetozeto99 has come to the rescue by digging up TyreStretch.com. It’s a site that takes the guesswork out of tire stretching, with a long list of wheel widths and the tire models and sizes fitted to them, complete with pics of each setup.

Amusingly, the disclaimer says “This site is for entertainment purposes only. Under no circumstances should tyres outside of manufacturers recomendations be used on the road.” Haha, shyeah right! Like you’re not gonna slap those bad boys onto your car as soon as you’re done. Just remember that if something happens to the tire, you can’t sue them. Or us. Now pass that brake cleaner!

Posted in wheels | 7 Comments

MX41 Toyota Chaser Meets Crusher

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Here, have a sad. This is what happens at Japanese junkyards every day. In this case, a perfectly decent-looking MX41 Toyota Chaser, a 2-door version of the Cressida that we never got, is introduced to the Grim Crusher. It was obviously loved at some point, as it wears a set of Wats, but those are removed before the car is unceremoniously dumped on its side to be gutted. Then it’s dumped into a crusher and emerges moments later as a brick of steel.

Japanese vehicle registration laws are quite strict, and often perfectly good cars are crushed simply because they don’t have the proper title or paperwork to be resold to the public. Or exported. There, your day is ruined. Thank Banpei.

Posted in japan, toyota | 11 Comments

Z Club of San Diego Sweetheart Run

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Just got this email from the guys at the Z Club of San Diego. Join them this Sunday if you want to drive through Temecula Wine Country. Details below. Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, events, nissan | Leave a comment

President's Day Miracle: Nissan President Wagon

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Ben Hsu

nissan_president_wagon1
In celebration of President’s Day here at JNC we thought we’d bring you a photo of the baddest, most mind-numbingly awesomest example of Nissan’s flagship that we could find. That’s right sportsfans, it’s a 250 President wagon.

As if having the top-dog V8 sedan in Nissan’s lineup sedan wasn’t enough, this political leader/yakuza kingpin felt the need to transform it into a spacious yet practical estate. Yes, unfortunately it’s a custom and not a factory body style from Nissan, but that doesn’t stop it from being a total jaw-dropper. Whoever did it has an excellent eye for body lines and did an amazing job incorporating the original C-pillar.

As the resident wagon nut on the JNC staff, my head nearly exploded when I saw it. I think it officially gets a JNC stamp of approval and displaces the hearse we saw a while back as the best President ever. And just to make it harder to claim that this is all a clever photoshop, there’s another pic after the jump. Continue reading →

Posted in nissan, wagons | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day from JNC

Posted on February 14, 2009 by Ben Hsu

chocolate_sparkplug
Japan’s Frantz Kobe Sweets releases a popular set of chocolate tools around this time each year. It even comes with a cocoa sparkplug for lending a little spark to amorous moments with your loved one. Kev is going to present his beloved Project Hako with these tomorrow as they celebrate their one-year anniversary, to the romantic glow of a work lamp and the gentle aroma of WD-40. And Giga Pudding for desert. Shhh, it’s a surprise! Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.

Posted in jnc | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Toyota Crown on Crown Violence

Posted on February 13, 2009 by Ben Hsu

It’s Friday, so here’s your weekend video. This video clip causes me actual physical pain because it combines three of my deepest loves – the kujira Crown, wagons, and vintage work vehicle paint schemes – and blows them all to Kingdom Come in one fiery crash… into another kujira Crown police car! Oh, the horror, the horror… If someone knows the name of the movie this clip originates from, please let us know in the comments section. Or, just use it to offer your condolences.

Hope your weekend fares better than this!

Posted in toyota, Video Games, wagons | 10 Comments

Toyotafest 2009

Posted on February 13, 2009 by Dan Hsu

Good news, guys! The 14th annual All Toyotafest is moving back to the Queen Mary for 2009! It’s the preferred venue of fans, and few can argue with the neatly trimmed lawn and cool ocean breeze we’ve come to know and love at the QM.

Toyotafest2009

For all you journalism majors, here are the 5 W’s:

  • WHO: Toyota, Scion or Lexus lovers
  • WHAT: The 14th Annual All Toyotafest
  • WHERE: Queen Mary Park, Long Beach, CA
  • WHEN: May 9, 2009
  • WHY: Because we LOVE Toyotas (geez, Ben should be writing this post!)

Over 370 cars will be there, and admission is free! Discounts are available for early registration, so head on over to the Toyotafest website or email events@toyotaclub.org to sign up.

Full press release after the jump. Continue reading →

Posted in events, toyota | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Nissan Silvia Dies, But Mazda RX-7 Lives!

Posted on February 13, 2009 by Ben Hsu

mazdarx7concept_thumbOh noes! Our friends a The Motor Report, um, report that the upcoming revival of the Nissan Silvia is dead in the water. Anyone care to venture a guess as to why? Ding ding ding! That’s right, the correct answer is: the economy. The global meltdown has now claimed so many victims recently we’ve lost count. The lightweight RWD coupe would have been a worthy surely reignited a rivalry against Toyobaru‘s similar effort which, as far as we know, is delayed but still clinging to life. We don’t know if this car would have been a worthy successor to Silvias past, but now we’ll never have the chance. Nissan is also canceling the Infiniti four-door GT-R, shattering all our hopes for a PGC10 redux.

But here’s the good news. TMR also says that an Inside Line source spilled the beans on a new-generation RX-7 already “well along in development.” Hurrah! The new rotary that powers it will be an 800cc x 2 configuration and is predicted to crank out at least 270hp naturally aspirated, while the car itself will weigh only 2640 pounds. Rotorheads who need a larger car can rest assured that the RX-8 will be succeeded by a a design larger than the RX-7, called the RX-9. That’s two Mazdas in the pipeline!

Posted in mazda, nissan | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Slidin' Sunnys and Coastin' Corollas

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Ben Hsu

ke70_drift
We know not all JNC readers baby their nostalgics, so here’s some examples of nostalgics behaving badly from a couple of blogs we like. Nori Yaro‘s gallery of drifting remind us of the guys from the Japanese KE70 drift team Motorfix. And from JNCer  BeeOneOneOh here’s a couple of video galleries of sliding Sunnys and a chorus of ITB-equipped Sunny Pickups revving their engines. Also, more drifting AE71 action on Speedhunters. Could the E70 chassis be the next AE86?

Posted in datsun, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Happy Birthday, Mazda MX-5

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Ben Hsu

mx-5
Has it really been 20 years since the birth of the Mazda MX-5? Indeed. The little two-seat roadster was unveiled in February 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show.

Okay, we know this really isn’t a nostalgic yet, but it was developed in the spirit of cars like the Datsun Sports 1600, Lotus Elan, Honda S600, and countless Triumphs and Austin-Healeys.   Continue reading →

Posted in mazda | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Arthur Garage, Used Car Dealer Manga

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Ben Hsu

arthurgarage_covers
Here’s another car-based manga to add to your library in addition to Initial-D, Wangan Midnight and Garage Restore 251. It’s Arthur Garage, a series published in Kodansha’s Weekly Young Magazine.

From what we can gather based on extremely limited Japanese skills, it follows the exploits of Asao “Arthur” Harada, a used car dealer that has fallen on hard times. His business is failing, he owes money to the yakuza, and his wife has just left him. Still, he presses on with his love for used cars, missing the Nissan Gloria he once owned. Continue reading →

Posted in bosozoku, manga | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Hanshin Expressway Plows Through Building

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Ben Hsu


This is the Gate Tower Building in downtown Osaka, an otherwise nondescript office high-rise except for the fact that the Hanshin Expressway plows right through the middle of it.

How did this happen? Apparently it’s the result of a freak zoning loophole that can be traced back to the Meiji Era. Construction negotiations stood at an impasse for five years, and when the builders finally reached a compromise, this is what happened.

The highway bores through levels 5 through 7 of the building, but lest an errant car come barreling through some hapless office worker’s cubicle, those floors contain no tenants, only elevator shafts and stairwells. In somewhat comical Japanese fashion, this most obvious trait was completely ignored when nicknaming the building, which has been christened  “the beehive” due to its busy atmosphere. Follow the jump for one more photo of what it looks like as you’re about to drive through it. Continue reading →

Posted in japan, road trip | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Cash for Clunkers, UK Edition

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Ben Hsu

uk_cash4clunkers Egad! As if the moist climate of  Ye Olde World hasn’t taken enough old J-tin, it appears that Cash for Clunkers programs are now being rolled out in the UK as well. In this piece titled “Money for old rope? Not quite. Money for an old Datsun? Maybe…” it says the government is looking to offer as much as £2200 for an old car, even though we know that our friends across the pond are masters at bodywork on rusty old machines. Just take a look at some of their projects in our forum and you’ll see the craftsmanship at work.

We’ve already seen programs like this in Germany, and some American states have them as well. How many nostalgics will be lost before this genocide is over?

Posted in laws | 6 Comments

Subaru 1000, Front Drive for the Jet Age

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Ben Hsu

We’re not sure if this 1967 Subaru ad is trying to draw a on the company’s aeronautic background, but there’s plenty of jet footage interspersed with a group of Subaru 1000s at the high-banked Yatabe test track. Of course, Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries was formed from the remnants of a Nakajima Aircraft, and many ex-Nakajima employees used their knowledge of lightweight materials and unibody construction during the development of the 1000. It’s a long story that you can read all about in the Subaru 50 year retrospective we did in JNC Issue 2, but for now you can watch the strain the front-wheel-drive family car puts on its whitewall tires.

Posted in cm, subaru | Leave a comment

Honda S800 & S2000 Rendezvous

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Ben Hsu

hondas800_s2000
How about a nice Honda screensaver, illustrated by master automotive artist Bow? It’s called “Dream,” a charming little story in which a vintage S800 has a coastal rendezvous with a new S2000. Unfortunately the S-car lineage has just ended for the second time, but Honda is great at drawing the historical connection for its loyal Japanese customers. Hopefully it’ll return when the economy recovers. “Dream” is available at Honda’s website for Windows PCs and Macs.

Posted in honda | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

EVENTS: JCCA New Year Meeting 2009

Posted on February 6, 2009 by Ben Hsu


Ok, we lied. This is the last post before the weekend. Click the picture above for nearly 300 pics from the JCCA New Year Meeting. Enjoy!

Posted in events, new year meeting | 6 Comments

Mazda Cosmo Sports Monster Fighter!

Posted on February 6, 2009 by Ben Hsu

It’s Friday and you’ve made it through another week. We thought we’d end this one with another old Japanese clip featuring a nostalgic car. This time it’s Return of Ultraman, the fourth in the tokusatsu television series, running from 1971-72. If you’re not familiar with Ultraman he’s basically a regular bloke who, when needed, can transform into a 150-foot tall giant with superpowers to fight off monsters attacking Japan.

And what car does such a hero drive off to save the day in? Why, a Mazda Cosmo Sports, of course! Only the first ever mass-produced car with a rotary engine could be futuristic enough for a story that takes place in what seemed very far away at the time – 1993. A pity they didn’t foresee the FD RX-7! Also, in case you were wondering what the MAT logo emblazoned on the door stands for, it’s “Monster Attack Team.” Have a great weekend, everybody!

Posted in mazda, Video Games | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Famous Toyota and Mazda Racers, JNC Issue 3 Sneak Peek

Posted on February 6, 2009 by Ben Hsu

toyota2000gt_yatabe Time to check in with our friends at Speedhunters, who have had the fortune to see the famous yellow and green Toyota 2000GT land speed record car in person.

If you’ve read Lifelong Pursuit, our profile about Shunichi Kasai’s Toyota 2000GT, you’ll know that in 1966 a prototype 2000GT broke 16 FIA-sanctioned world and international land speed records in a 72-hour endurance run at the now-decomissioned Yatabe test track. Oh, did we mention that it was during a torrential rainstorm?

Continue reading →

Posted in mazda, motorsports, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Honda Builds 20M Cars in North America

Posted on February 5, 2009 by Ben Hsu

hondaaccord_marysvilleusa On November 1, 1982, the first Japanese car built in America rolled off the assembly lines in Marysville, Ohio. The manufacturer was Honda, and the car was a gray Accord sedan wearing the license plate “USA 001”.

Today, Honda has four factories in the US, two in Canada and one in Mexico, and on February 3 Honda produced its 20 millionth North American-built car. 77 percent of the Hondas sold here are built locally and Honda has even exported close to a million of these cars to overseas markets.

As for the original Accord, it now resides at The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

[Honda]

Posted in honda | Tagged , | 3 Comments