From myself and all the JNC members, we’d all like to wish all our fellow JNCers a very merry Christmas, wherever you may be.
JDM Santa will bring you that hard-to-find part you’ve been looking for, and may all your days be rust-free!
…hey, that rhymes…
Our hopes for a return to RWD Toyotas have been dashed on account of the drastic worldwide economic downturn. The lightweight coupe, widely assumed to be a RWD Corolla successor, has been in the works since August 2007 but according to this article the project has been put on hold until at least 2012. This comes with the news today that Toyota has posted its first operating loss since 1938, its first year in business. But those are just the beginning of woes that are slamming the Japanese auto industry. Continue reading
These low-res scans of an early 1970’s Toyota publicity brochure tell an unbelievable story: “To heck with a Land Cruiser; we’re tackling the frozen wastes of Greenland in the New Carina!” Continue reading
Hotrod JNC’s are fascinating if for no other reason, they reflect the American hotrod’s influence in Japan. The JNC sub-culture took root some years ago thanks to the likes of Mooneyes and Crown Classics, but what shop has taken up the Datsun banner? GHOST FACTORY has: Continue reading
And now for a bit of shameless self-promotion. We were recently asked by the Japan Times, the largest English-language newspaper in Japan, to write a piece about the increasing interest in Japanese classics here in the US. The short article, titled “Nostalgia drives Japanese classic car scene,” pretty much sums up how we here at JNC feel about the scene, while covering a bit of very general history. It’s probably nothing regular readers don’t already know, but keep in mind this is for a broad audience who isn’t necessarily into nostalgics, or cars at all. Is there anything you take issue with? Anything we left out? Let us know.
As many of us can attest to, nothing beats the feeling of taking a finished project on its maiden voyage. That’s why it’s important not to get carried away before you familiarize yourself with your car’s limits. Tragedy struck earlier today when a 24-year-old Australian man crashed his newly-restored 1971 Datsun 1600 (aka 510 in the US), into a tree. The driver was airlifted to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, but his 20-year-old passenger survived with minor injuries. Continue reading
Last week we posted on a Father & Son sneak preview of JNC Issue 3, in which we compare and contrast a Datsun 240Z with a Nissan 370Z. Soon after, Gregg Rogers, president of the Desert Z Association of Arizona, sent us these photos.
According to Gregg, in October 1969 Nissan took a pair of pre-production Datsun 240Zs to Arizona for testing, along with a 510 for support. The photo on the left was taken in Phoenix’s Greyhound Park as Nissan’s drivers paused to look at a roadmap. Nearly four decades later, Nissan was back in town promoting the 2009 370Z in a cross-country multi-city tour called Follow the Nissan Z. Local Z enthusiasts seized the opportunity to re-create the 39-year-old photo at the very same location in Greyhound Park.
As you can see, the large building in the background is now gone and a tree stands where lamps used to be. And the 240Z and 510 has been updated with a duo of 370Zs and Maxima. We love these types of Then & Now photos, and this one was brilliantly executed. Got some cool historic photos like this? Let us know!
Thanks for the pics, Gregg! You can read more at NicoClub.
Like the title says, the JNC 2009 Wall Calendar is now available.
It includes pics from our readers’ favorite articles, a special sneak peak at a future JNC article, and some general badass photography from everyone’s favorite JNC forum moderator, datsunfreak.
We’re going though a company called CafePress. They’re trustworthy, and put out a great product. The price is $19.99 + s/h and tax depending on where you live.
Order here.
Recently in our forum there’s been an ongoing discussion about the Wangan Midnight movie from back in the days of VHS. The story of the Devil Z has also been retold in anime and its original manga form. Now it appears that a new big screen version is in the works! Continue reading
They say that the goose-step, ridiculous and inefficient as it may seem, became the march of choice for dictatorships around the world specifically because of its silly appearance. After all, only a terrifying madman could force thousands of able-bodied soldiers to walk that absurdly in precise formation. It’s a method of instilling both awe and fear simultaneously.
That pretty much sums up the feeling we get when we see this horde of bosozoku cars. Cantilevered lip spoilers, double-wide fender flares and yard-long exhaust pipes look insane when parked, no doubt. But get caught in a swarm of them wreaking havoc on the expressway and suddenly it all begins to make sense, even when a dude dressed head-to-toe in a tiger costume rides a convertible’s door sill as his mohawked associate maniacally twirls a baseball bat in the air. It makes one wonder, are they’re launching a siege on Bartertown or something? It’s probably best not to ask questions and just get the hell out of their way.
One more completely deranged pic after the jump. Continue reading
At this rate, your JNC editors are going to run out of kidneys by Wednesday. Not only have we seen a 1427-mile Mazda RX-4 and a 33,000-mile ’79 Honda Civic, now there’s a 1985 Mazda RX-7 with only 2450 miles on eBay. What’s going on here? Is the Great Depression Part Deux forcing owners to release these specimens into the free market?
According to the seller, who also happens to be the original owner, this creamy white RX-7 has a chocolate brown interior topped with a dash of orange pinstripe. Delicious. It has always been garaged, and driven around the block every month to keep things fresh. If you do the math, that’s an average of 9 miles per month.
At the time of this writing, the bidding is up to $1525. But the owner will part with what has been a fixture in his life for the past 23 years for a mere BuyItNow of $15,000. Seeing as how the last new RX-7 cost over $40K and this one is new for all intents and purposes, $15K is a bargain. Follow the jump for more pics.
Thanks to pqjim for the tip!
Check out this angry daruma Celica from Australia, with tube framed everything and and a V8 where the firewall should be. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but you have to admire the craftsmanship. Take a peek under the sheetmetal after the jump. Continue reading
This 1979 Honda Civic doesn’t quite have the low mileage as the 1427-mile Mazda RX-4 from last week, but it’s close. Besides, who’s going to complain about a 33,000-mile car that’s 30 years old, especially one in this condition? Our vintage Honda friend Ken Weidner says that it’s been years since he’s seen in-tact houndstooth upholstery.
This looks to be a dealer showroom display, and with an asking price between the highest bid of $4550 and the BuyItNow $6250, we think it’s a pretty good buy for a collector. Dan is our resident classic Honda nut, and I had to personally stop him from selling all his worldly possessions and rushing out to Arizona. The reserve hasn’t been met yet, so it’s still in Phoenix waiting for a good home.
More pics after the jump. Continue reading
Here’s a sneak peek of what we think will be an awesome article in the next issue of Japanese Nostalgic Car magazine. When Antonio Alvendia of Cipher Garage told us he was shooting a 2009 370Z for Speedhunters‘ Nissan month, we knew we had to put it side by side with its great grandfather, the Datsun 240Z! Continue reading
We have always admired Honda for charging right into Formula 1 at a time when it barely made any passenger cars at all. That’s why it saddens us to hear that the automaker is pulling out of F1. Honda made the announcement yesterday, citing a faltering economy as the reason. Earlier this year, the Honda-supplied Super Aguri team also ran out of funds. Continue reading
Hey Mazdafarians, we just got this in from Kiwi Bureau: photos from last weekend’s Mazda Rotary Summerdrags in New Zealand. Yes, while we’re huddled by the fireplace for warmth in the dead of winter, Nee Zeelanders are enjoying nice warm summer weather, because the Earth is round, or something like that.
Thanks for the pics, Madaz!
Straight outta Oak-town, here’s some photos from an old school Toyota meet at Performance Options in Oakland, California. The crew hopes to make this a semi-regular gathering, welcoming all old school J-tin.
Thanks to Miles Aquino and Justin Bonoan for sending us these awesome photos!
Click through for more images. Continue reading
If the story accompanying this auction is to be believed, this could be the lowest mileage Mazda RX-4 in the country. It appears that the prospective customer, way back when this baby was new in 1976, got into a bit of a kerfuffle with the dealer. He refused to fork over the balance, thinking the dealer was cheating him out of something larger and two more doors. The dealer insisted that the man had agreed to buy it already. In limbo, the car sat in the dealer’s storage until, as the listing subtly puts it, “THEN HE DIED!” Unquote.
A doctor purchased it in the subsequent estate sale and registered it for the first time in 1999. And now this car, whose velour has yet to be crushed, can be yours for an opening bid of $9,500, while the BuyItNow reveals what the seller’s heart truly desires – $18,500. Wow. For that price, you get full documentation, of which there is not much due to the low mileage, and a cheesy red bow. What do you guys think, is it worth it?
Click through for more pics. Continue reading
Ok, this car isn’t nostalgic (or even a car, really), but the idea is timeless. After graduating high school, three Japanese buddies decided to follow their dream of a year-long cross-country road trip, from the northeastern island of Hokkaido to the southwestern one of Yakushima. But before they set out, the trio built one of the coolest road trip cars ever conceived, from a decrepit mid-80s Toyota Toyoace. Continue reading
