Epic Diecast Car Chase: S130 Fairlady Z and Silhouette Skyline vs Firebird Trans-Am

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Ben Hsu

No, it’s not Friday yet but this Tomica-filled car chase could not be chained back. Imagine an alternate universe that has Smokey and the Bandit fused with the cars and violence of Seibu Keisatsu. It’s The Fastest Yellow & Red by our old friend LUXE37.

The scene opens reminiscent of this Seibu clip, but pretty soon machine gun-wielding baddies in a Firebird Trans-Am lead the new police issue KDR30 Silhouette Skyline and S130 Fairlady Z on a carnage-packed chase through the city. The final showdown is like a who’s who of sports coupes, circa 1980.

Seriously though, the storyboarding and pacing are absolutely brilliant. This chase could teach 1:1 scale scenes coming out of Hollywood a thing or two.

Thanks to toyotageek for the tip!

Posted in datsun, minicar, nissan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Nostalgic Wear from Import Bible

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Ben Hsu

import_bible-old_schoolOur friends at Import Bible have once again turned out a new collection of fresh threads, this time for hachiroku heads. The “Old School” T-shirt has stuff like Work Equip 03s and an AE86 headlight switch in lieu of those pesky vowels. Vanna White would approve. You can order them here.

Posted in nostalgic wear, toyota | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Friday Video: TE71 Corolla Levin vs. S30 Fairlady Z

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Ben Hsu

We have absolutely no idea what movie or TV show this car chase is from, but at least the scene isn’t dominated by the marque that forked over the most sponsorship yen. The main cars are a TE71 Corolla Levin versus a 2+2 Fairlady Z, with a ton of random nostalgic goodness in the background. Who will win?

Thanks to cesariojpn for the tip!

Posted in datsun, nissan, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Event Horizon: Last Weekend of August

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Dan Hsu

monterey

It’s the last week of August, so get out there and enjoy your nostalgics!  Summer vacation will soon be over so if you have kids, bring them along before they’re too busy with homework.

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Posted in events | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Kidney, Anyone? 18,000-Mile Datsun Bluebird 411

Posted on August 27, 2009 by Ben Hsu

datsun_bluebird_411_01
This incredible 1968 Datsun Bluebird 411 is probably the closest you’ll ever get to owning a time capsule car. According to the seller, this RHD predecessor to the Datsun 510 lived in a New Zealand museum for 20 years before it was imported to the US. The odometer reads only 18,179 miles and the condition certainly seems to affirm the claim.

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Posted in datsun, for sale | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Sneak Peek at Classic Toyotas in New NFL Ads

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Ben Hsu

toyopet_crown_commercial
The NFL will be running a series of tailgate party-themed ads in the upcoming season, and some classic Toyotas are about to get prominent placement. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot, courtesy of the JCCS. In one a poor, checker-trousered pigskin fan gets his finger caught by a Toyopet Crown’s trunklid.

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Posted in cm, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Loss Of An Automotive Journalism Icon

Posted on August 25, 2009 by John Roper
The author (in 2008) with his son, E. John Thawley III

The author (in 2008) with his son, E. John Thawley III

John Thawley (aka Bob Waar) 1937-2009 – Author and motor journalist John Thawley died last month of complications from pneumonia. He was 71.

How to Hot Rod Small Block Chevys, How to Hot Rod Big Block Chevys, the Off Road Handbook and the cult classic How to Modify Datsun 510/610/240Z Engines & Chassis were all written under Thawley’s pen-name, Bob Waar. Those and the books that followed under his own name totaled some twenty titles over his career. John raced in Baja and Bonneville. He worked at Indy, Irwindale, Daytona, Pikes Peak and Riverside. He served time on the payrolls of Buick, Chevrolet, Nissan, Toyota and numerous performance industry manufacturers.

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Posted in datsun, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

EVENTS: The Very Last Nisei Showoff

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Ben Hsu

niseiShowoff2009_007_toyota_corolla_te72_wagon
Way, way back in the day, nisei (the Japanese word for second-generation Japanese Americans) held informal cruise nights all over the greater Los Angeles area. They were some of the first guys ever to modify 510s, Celicas and the early Mazda rotaries. Eventually, that evolved into an actual show, the Nisei Showoff, sometime in the early-to-mid 90s. There’s a lot of history there, but sadly, this will be the last one.
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Posted in datsun, events, nissan, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Finland Japanese Auto Extravaganza 2009

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Matt De Mangos

finn_japanese_car_extravaganza1
Mikko, our JNCer in the land of the Finn, has kindly uploaded a few pics of the recent Finland Japanese Auto Extravaganza.

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Posted in events | 4 Comments

Friday Video: Mitsubishi Action in Guerrilla Group 8

Posted on August 21, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Despite the presence of Tetsuya Watari, gunfights, and a gull-winged Japanese sports coupe, this is not Seibu Keisatsu. Mitsubishi fans, rejoice! It’s Guerrilla: Tokyo Police Group 8, starring Watari-san (who played our beloved Sgt. Daimon in Seibu), a Mitsubishi Starion 2600GSR-VR, Pajero, and a Debonair V 3000 Royal AMG. That’s right, kiddos, a Debonair AMG. As police car. If they could somehow work Giga Pudding into the equation Kev could die a happy man.

Guerrilla followed the adventures of a covert division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Called Group 8, the elite squad specialized in the atrocious crimes regular cops couldn’t touch, with each member carrying a licenses to kill.

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Posted in mitsubishi, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Event Horizon – End of Summer Edition

Posted on August 21, 2009 by Dan Hsu

niseiShowoff2009

As always, if you know of or would like to publicize an event, send us a tip at the feedback address at the bottom of the page.

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Posted in events | 1 Comment

More Vintage Wheel Ads: Techno, Yayoi, Etc.

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Ben Hsu

techno phantom 2
We posted some vintage Japanese wheel ads a while back. Here’s some more spotted on Riverside. Many have a similar theme: modified OG J-ride, night time shot, the wheel in question and a glimpse of asphalt lit dramatically. The message is clear, get out there and race, foo! This Techno Phantom-shod RX-7 just beckons. Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, mazda, mazda rx-7, nissan, wheels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

JNC Contest Answer: 1925 Otomo

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Ben Hsu

taxi2Congrats to Brad D. (TSiSS350), who guessed correctly that the yesterday’s JNC Contest Car was a 1925 Otomo! Here’s a brief history of the car and Brad’s prize after the jump.

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Posted in jnc, pre-war | Tagged | 6 Comments

JNC Contest: Call This Car!

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Ben Hsu

jnc contestI have been criticized for making my “guess the car” type contests too easy, so here’s one for ya’ll. Identify this car and win a diecast nostalgic from Japan!

Posted in jnc | Tagged | 12 Comments

Toyota Celica Speedster at Woodward Dream Cruise

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Ben Hsu

celica-convertible speedster
Since 1995, the Woodward Dream Cruise has taken over the streets of Detroit each August and is one of the biggest gatherings of muscle cars and hot rods on the planet. J-tin is a pretty rare sight at the WDC, but we’re not sure if that’s because photographers focus on the domestics or because there really isn’t any.

Motor Trend‘s article on this year’s cruise showed this Toyota Celica speedster, a custom job that lopped the roof off a first gen coupe – a scalped daruma, if you will. There’s also a droptop Datsun 260z in their gallery. They’re not exactly our cup of cha, but we’re glad that people are paying attention to them and that nostalgics are welcome at the WDC.

Posted in toyota | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Friday Video: Tokusou Saizensen Intros

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Ben Hsu

This week’s video shows the collected opening sequences for Tokusou Saizensen, which translates (we think) to “Special Investigation Frontline”. The long running Japanese police drama aired from 1977 to 1987, but the intro had to be re-shot each time Nissan redesigned the Cedric, Gloria or Skyline.

That’s because the cars are featured prominently driving in formation through the sprawling concrete jungle that is Tokyo, and the Nissan sponsorship juggernaut dominated cop shows of the era. As a result, you can see not only Nissan’s bread and butter sedans, but the capital city itself, evolve over the better part of a decade.

Thanks to cesariojpn!

Posted in datsun, nissan, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Shako Hako

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Ben Hsu

nissan skyline hakosuka kgc10Shakotan means simply “low-down” in Japanese, but this shako hako is a superlative example. There is such a thing as going too far though. Suffice it to say, you won’t be seeing this on the JNC project car.

[via KaZato Racing]

Posted in datsun, nissan | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Mitsubishi Lancers Rallying in Rio

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Ben Hsu


We are seriously behind in showing Mitsubishi love so here’s a double dose of commercials for you.

Japan is such a small country that it was often fashionable for automakers to ship their cars overseas and drive them across exotic continents, starting with Toyota and Nissan sending cars to compete in Australia’s Mobilgas Rally in the 50s.

Mitsubishi had tremendous success rallying their Lancers in Africa in the 70s, but curiously, this 1978 ad makes no mention of it at all. Instead, they show the cars on a South American expedition that ends up in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The signs on the cars seem to indicate this was a promotional tour to demonstrate the car’s mettle and not an actual race, though precious little information can be found about this trip.

The second commercial in the video is for the Mitsubishi-sponsored Mirage Bowl, which was an annual US college football game held at the Tokyo Dome from 1977 to 1986.

Posted in cm, mitsubishi | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Kidney, Anyone? Datsun 280ZX 10th Anniversary Edition, Number 1 of 3000

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Ben Hsu

datsun 280zx black gold 10th anniversary 1of3000 01

Automakers often release limited edition cars, but it’s not necessarily enthusiasts or collectors who buy them. More often than not, they’re simply snatched up by buyers who need a new set of wheels. Which begs the question: what happens to, say, number 1 of 3000 thirty years later? Does it get totaled in a crash, end up as scrap, or is it languishing in a backyard somewhere?
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Posted in datsun, for sale, nissan | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Japanese Classic Car Show 2009

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Ben Hsu

JCCS_2009 There’s less than a month left to register your car for the 2009 Japanese Classic Car Show. This is going to be a special one, as it is the 5th anniversary of the show that finally brought kyusha fans a venue to share, show and enjoy their cars with the rest of the community and country. Limited numbers of anniversary items will be available to registrants, so hurry!

The organizers have also informed us that one of the issues at the Hidden Valley Park location, the dust from the dirt trail near the entrance, has been solved. They have reconfigured the show for a new entrance and a water truck will be standing by.

Also, be sure to check out the JCCS newsletter for deals on hotels and a photo gallery from one of Japan’s most prolific auto photographers, Akio Hirano.

The 2009 JCCS will be held on October 3 from 9am to 3pm at Hidden Valley Park in Irvine, California. See you there!

Posted in events, jccs | 6 Comments