Tama Autos of Auckland, New Zealand

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Ben Hsu

tama_autos_e70_toyota_corolla_wagon
We love checking out sites created by JNC readers and lately we’ve really gotten into cheater_5’s A B110 Perspective. As you can guess from the title, the man is obsessed with Sunnys, and he owns an uber-cool sanitora, or Sunny Truck. But in a recent post he visited Tama Autos, an Auckland, New Zealand-based Toyota AE86 specialist, where he snapped this E70 Corolla panel van on the lifts.

I don’t know what it is, but this car just calls out to me like a siren. Yes, it’s a Toyota, it’s a wagon, and it’s a vintage work vehicle — three things that instantly get my heart pumping — but there’s more to it than that. Maybe it’s the classic Techno Phantoms or that perfect shade of retro powder blue, brilliantly matched to the two-door wagon body style. Whatever it is, I want to see the completed car on the asphalt.

One more pic of the Tama Autos garage after the jump, complete with another dangerously enticing wagon. Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan, toyota, tuning shop, wagons | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Nissan 370Z Designer Is an S30 Owner

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Ben Hsu


Well whaddya know. Randy Rodriguez, one of the key designers of the Nissan 370Z, is an S30 fan at heart, according to this Canadian Press article. He’s owned 10 of them, in fact, and currently drives 1977 280Z that he restored himself. He says that his sketches were heavily influenced by the 240Z and the new GT-R. You might take issue with his statement that the 240Z and 350Z were the best Zs, but it’s good to know there such die-hard Datsun enthusiasts  working at Nissan.

Posted in datsun, nissan | 3 Comments

Toyota "086A" Project On Like Donkey Kong

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Ben Hsu

Hachiroku, the digits 8 and 6, are legendary in the annals of Toyotaku by simply being the chassis code for last of the great FR Corollas. The car’s demise left a gaping hole in Toyota’s lineup that couldn’t be filled by FF Celicas and high-dollar Supras. Eventually, those disappeared too. For 20 years fans pleaded for a comeback, and in 2007 rumors of a modern-day revival for the bare-bones touge-runner, built jointly with Subaru, began circulating.

But when the global economy entered meltdown, its fate was questioned. Our hopes were pinned on Akio Toyoda, self-professed car enthusiast and racer that was favored to take the reins at Toyoda. Well he got the job, and apparently one of the new President’s first orders of business was reassuring fans that the project was still on during a speech at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Continue reading →

Posted in subaru, toyota | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Norwegian Toyota Crown Farm

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Matt De Mangos

NOTE: please DO NOT contact us requesting the address, email or phone # for this farm!

Southern Norway that attracts tourists year round with its scenic hills, valleys and waterways:

toyota_crown_farm1

However, deep in the backwoods rests an improbable Toyota Crown “Farm.” Continue reading →

Posted in toyota | 10 Comments

Big Gallery of Airborne Nostalgics II

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Ben Hsu

airborne_datsun710
Back by popular demand, here’s the continuation of our Airborne Nostalgics series in which we post nothing but pictures of J-tin momentarily defying the forces of gravity. We also urge you to free any similar images you have from the confines of your hard drive and share them in Drew_TSi_Si_STi’s J-Tin Raced in Anger thread that started it all.

We just love this Datsun 610. With the sun-bleached dirt of a rally stage as a backdrop, it looks like it drove straight off the set of Mad Max. All aboard the Bartertown Express!  Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, isuzu, mitsubishi, motorsports, nissan, rally, subaru | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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