Here’s an good design comparison between the Datsun 240Z and the soon-to-debut Nissan 370Z on Jalopnik. Rumor has it that the 370Z is 300lbs lighter than the outgoing 350Z, and will produce more horsepower, 332 to be exact. Though it’s hard to tell from photos, the 370Z is also shorter than the 350Z, with a wheelbase of 99 inches. We’re not as fond of the new look as our friends at Jalopnik are, but we’ll reserve judgment until we see it in person at the LA Auto Show next week.
[Jalopnik]
Old school Honda-heads don’t often have the opportunity to show off their cars, so come and check out the show this Sunday, November 16, sponsored by Norm Reeves Honda. It’s the third annual event and it’s open to Hondas old and new, so come educate the youngin’s about Honda history. The address is 18500 Studebaker Road, Cerritos, CA 90703 it goes from 10am to 1pm. Here’s some pics from the 2007 NRH show.
We’re still trying to go through the hundreds of SEMA photos we took, but in the meantime here’s a small set of photos from Satoshi, our man in Japan, from one of the Morning Cruises sponsored by Barracuda. Here are two more galleries from some of their past cruises in our Events Section. Continue reading
We’re still recovering from SEMA and will be posting up the backlog of events that have accumulated. First up, the Mooneyes‘ Crown Picnic 2008!
The Japanese Society of Automotive Engineers is a huge organisation with over 40,000 members. It’s been going for over 50yrs and if you want to join, you have to be working in the automotive field. Cruise through JSAE’s website and you’ll find lots of info on engineering and stuff.
But one of the more interesting things on JSAE’s site is its article on the top 240 landmarks of Japanese auto engineering.
This weekend promises to be another one full of Datsun goodness for SoCal. First up, on Saturday Nov. 8 is the Southern California Datsun Roadster Club’s Show & Shine Toy Drive at the Datsun Heritage Museum. There is no entrance fee for the museum or the car show, but please bring a toy valued at at least $10 to donate to charity. The address of the DHM is 41610 Date St, Murrieta, CA 92562 and the event goes from 10am to 3pm.
Then, on Sunday Nov. 9, there’s a Datsun swap meet happening at Superior Nissan of Puente Hills. The location is 17621 East Gale Avenue, City Of Industry, CA 91748, and will lasts from 10am to 4pm.
Sorry for the short notice. Now it’s back to the chaos of the last day of SEMA!
If you’ve been to SEMA you know that the vast majority of vehicles are either classic American or new Japanese. Here’s one that manages to combine both: a ’32 Ford Highboy powered by a VG30DE from a 1996 Nissan 300ZX with its accompanying 5-speed. Much of the running gear – spindles, brakes, hubs, diff, halfshafts – were also from a Z32, mated to a custom 5-link suspension. Follow the jump for a closeup of the engine. Continue reading
Pop quiz! how big is the biggest engine that was available in a JDM production car? Give up?
The answer: well a pretty good guess would be 6.3L for the 1966 Prince Royal. Continue reading
We’re here in Las Vegas for the SEMA Show, trying to spread the word about JNC. There are so many magazines out here, but we’re the only one devoted to old school Japanese cars! So far the response is pretty good, but unfortunately J-tin at the biggest automotive show on Earth is still few and far in between. We’ve spotted a few goodies that will be posted on later though. Continue reading
Back in the day (waaaay back in the day…) when concept cars weren’t about hokey technology to save the planet, motor show specials were a lot more fun.
A case in point is the Mazda RX-500, which was unveiled at the 1970 Tokyo Motor Show. A futuristic, mid engined rotary concept, it was a proper working prototype with some tasty mechanicals. The engine was touted as being a production 12A, presumably because the 12A engine was having its debut in the Capella that year. However the engine bay of the RX-500 remained resolutely shut during the show… Continue reading
We hit up the Empire Z Club Car Show today to find more subscribers for JNC and check out some fine examples of classic Datsuns. The club is eight years old and is about 35 members strong. They own Z-Cars old and new, but the show itself, held at Corona Nissan in Corona, California, is open to all vintage Datsuns, and not necessarily to club members. If you’re a Nissan/Datsun owner who lives within the region spanned by Ontario, San Bernadino, Riverside and Yucaipa, check them out. Click to this thread to see the pics.
It’s All Hallows Eve, the time during which ancient Gaels believed that the worlds of the living and the dead merged for one night. Treats for all those bringing back a long forgotten nostalgic from the dead, and nothing but tricks to those who would send them to the crusher.
We’re not sure what the story is with this two-tone Were-Mazda RX-4, but beware! Apparently it can keep it’s lycan form even when there’s no full moon out. You can see more awesome photos of it and much more thanks to puregroove, who gave us another post about the recent Nostalgic Street Fighters show in Georgia.
Have a safe and happy Halloween, JNCers!
We wish we could hop across the Pacific for every car show in Japan, but it’s just not possible on our budget (unless you guys tell every bookstore in your town to stock JNC, hint hint!). In the meantime, we must thank for our Man in Japan Satoshi for these fantastic photos of the Maniac ’08 Hometown Pride Festival in Gifu Prefecture. Head to the article to see some ultra-rare J-tin!
Oh Nissan, why do you toy with us so? Less than 12 hours since we posted a bunch of spy shots and speculative renderings about the upcoming 370Z, you decide to unleash photos of the real thing. Maybe we can just claim we were ahead of the curve?
Anyway, here it is, in all it’s naked, uncamouflaged glory. Check out those voluptuous fenders. Baby got back! Also, The 240Z C-pillars are an official go, although Jalopnik calls the design a BMW-copying “Hoffmeister Kink.” Grrrrrrr…
Pics of the rear and interior after the jump. Continue reading
It’s been a while since we’ve posted about the upcoming cars that are, unbeknownst to most of the car-buying public, based on our favorite nostalgics. First up, there’s been a cavalcade of spy shots and rendered images of the Nissan 350Z, which looks like it will definitely receive its forefathers’ C-pillar treatment. The front air intake has been likened to a vampire, which may explain why there have been spy shots of it prowling graveyards. More shots and a video can be seen floating around the internet, as well as after the jump. Continue reading
Just a quick reminder, the Empire Z Club is holding their second annual car show at Corona Nissan this Saturday, November 1. All manner of Datsun and Nissan are welcome, but we’ll be crashing it in the JNC ‘Yota Wagon. Here’s a gallery of pics from the 2007 Show. Go to EmpireZ.com for more details.
Last week the Nostalgic Street Fighters crew from Hotlanta’s Zero Garage held a lakeside meet in the Dirrrty South. Check out the pics on this thread. Who knew there were so many old school cars and one very fuzzy RX-4 in the Peach State? Thanks to qdseeker for the pics!
UPDATE: Here is another thread of awesome pics. Thanks to puregroove:dot:org for posting them.
Like, OMG. Back in July, we reported that a vintage import was on its way into the Hot Wheels lineup. Well here it is, the Datsun 510! And it looks fantastic, with a BRE-style front spoiler, fender flares, and perfect proportions. Damn, this is sexy, if a toy car can be such a thing. Click through for more and a rear view. Continue reading
So a couple of weeks ago the JCCS went down. To give you an idea of how big the show has gotten and how much it has brought together the old school Japanese car community, here’s a story about a well-known celebrity and an attendee who came from 3000 miles away.
Brian Baker is proprietor of Formula H Motorworks and the top Honda S-car expert in the US, who came all the way from Middletown, NY. The reason? Because car collector and talk show host Jay Leno needed him to prepare his 1965 Honda SM600 for the event. That’s the back of his head in the photo above, riding shotgun (it’s JDM, yo!) to the JCCS. Continue reading
