Toyopet Crown Comes to America, 1956 or '57?

Posted on July 10, 2008 by Ben Hsu

toyopetcrown_licenseplate Loyal JNCers will know that Toyopet Crown came ashore in 1957, making it the first Toyota and first Japanese car to arrive in the US. If not, then you need to read our premiere issue, which looks back at the early days of Toyota USA, along with its trials and tribulations.

Fresh off the boat in Long Beach, the car received a small and rather unremarkable ceremony before being promptly whisked to the Los Angeles DMV by Toyota execs. After it was registered, this historic photo to the right was taken.

But apparently, if you zoom in for a closer look at the license plate, you can see that it actually reads “’56” in the upper right corner. So what gives?

Continue reading →

Posted in mazda, toyota | 5 Comments

Goodwood Festival of Speed Begins July 11

Posted on July 9, 2008 by Ben Hsu

goodwood2008z
One of the greatest gearhead events on the planet will commence this Friday. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is exactly what all of us would be doing if we were so stinking rich that we could invite manufacturers, car collectors and the world’s top drivers to our huge estate, complete with its own hillclimb course, forest rally stage and concours lawn. It’s al going down July 11 through 13 somewhere in England. And once again, we’ll be staying on this side of the Atlantic, envying the limey bastards from afar. Exactly which cars Japanese will emerge from their slumbers in museums and warehouses to make an appearance are not yet fully known.

Last year Goodwood celebrated Toyota‘s 50 years in motorsports and Mazda‘s 40th anniversary of the rotary. This year the flavor taste more like Europe as both Land Rover and Porsche celebrate their 60th birthdays. In the meantime, go to the Festival of Speed’s official website and watch the mind-blowing movie to get an idea of what this event is all about.

[Goodwood Festival of Speed]

Posted in datsun, events, mazda, motorsports, nissan, rally, toyota | 1 Comment

Show Some Love for Ove at the Toyota Museum

Posted on July 8, 2008 by Ben Hsu


As you know, the recent passing of Ove Andersson really hit the world of motorsports hard. If you’re in the Los Angeles area this weekend, please consider stopping by the Toyota USA Museum, where a tribute to the rally racer and founder of Toyota Team Europe will be held. Details after the jump.

Continue reading →

Posted in motorsports, rally, toyota | 2 Comments

Super Autobacs Car Show This Weekend

Posted on July 8, 2008 by Ben Hsu

superautobacs
Yes, it’s true. In addition to perpetually good weather, non-stop nostalgic car events and your pick of old cars on craigslist, southern California also has a Super Autobacs, the JDM aftermarket superstore. They’ll be hosting a car show this weekend and it’s free, so let’s see some old school representation.

Thanks to Burabuda for the tip.

Posted in events | 5 Comments

Datsun Fairlady Off Roadster II

Posted on July 6, 2008 by Ben Hsu

offroadster2
Let’s start the week off with another WTF moment. What’s with these things? Last month we showed you a Datsun Fairlady Roadster on a Jeep CJ5 frame. Now here’s another one spotted at Pismo Beach, sent in by an alert JNCer/quickdraw cameraman, who hypothesizes that the Datsun Fairlady’s body-on-frame construction has something to do with this phenomenon. Sad but true.

Thanks for the tip, Toygarage!

Posted in datsun, nissan | 6 Comments

Happy 4th of July, Part II

Posted on July 4, 2008 by Ben Hsu

subarubratearl
We have failed you. How could we have forgotten the most famous (and most likely, only) example of a vintage Subaru painted like Old Glory? Well, our lame excuse is that we don’t get to watch much TV. Luckily, Jalopnik is posting pics of flag-themed cars like there’s no tomorrow, so here’s the BRAT from My Name Is Earl. Eat it, Union Jack-themed Jaguar! Happy Independence Day again!

[IMCDB via Jalopnik]

Posted in subaru | 3 Comments

Happy 4th of July & Nostalgic Hot Wheels

Posted on July 4, 2008 by Ben Hsu

hwmystery Since we’re celebrating the birth of our great nation today, we thought we’d mention one of the most American things around: Hot Wheels. It’s probably safe to say that any red-blooded American who didn’t grow up playing with these small metal cars is likely some kind of terrorist. Since their debut in 1968, they’ve fueled the dreams of many a car nut, and this year is their 40th anniversary.

We had hundreds of them – still do – so we’re happy to bring you some news that made us all feel like little kids again. And that is, in 2009 some kind of vintage import is entering the Hot Wheels lineup.

Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | 4 Comments

Sideways Sliding Celica

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Ben Hsu

celicadrift
This has always been a dream of ours, to take one bad ass nostalgic and go drifting, one of the few motorsports where style matters just as much as speed. The problem is, we’d never have the nerve to actually do it because 1.) we can’t drift our way out of a used kleenex and 2.) we couldn’t bear to see the toll this would take on hard-to-find body panels and trim. Luckily, Hideo Itakura and HDO Racing Service have no such reservations and have been campaigning this SR20-powered Celica Liftback in Japan’s D1GP drift series. Note the intercooler masquerading as a grille. That’s total awesome right there.

UPDATE: Check out this pic from Zulu!

[Speedhunters

Posted in japan, motorsports, nissan, toyota | 12 Comments

Buy Back Programs Destroying Old Cars

Posted on July 2, 2008 by Ben Hsu

drivehealthy
Here’s some truly disturbing news for nostalgic car owners. We recently spotted a billboard portraying a Datsun B210 as a generic polluting old car while visiting NorCal for the Motoring J Style show. Turned out, it was part of a California program to buy back cars that fail the state’s infamously strict smog check. For up to $1000, these cars will be “retired” from service, meaning that the government is paying people to scrap old cars. According to a new Detroit News article, this program replaced 16,000 vehicles last year, and unfortunately for us nostalgists, the trend is growing. Continue reading →

Posted in laws, manufacturing | 20 Comments

JCCS 2008 Registration Open

Posted on July 1, 2008 by Ben Hsu

jccs2008

Registration has opened for the 4th annual Japanese Classic Car Show. If you want to show off your ride in front of thousands of kyusha fans sign up now because spaces fill up fast. Also remember, this year the show is in a new, bigger location in Irvine, CA. See you there!

Posted in events | 3 Comments

Nissan GT-R Brochure

Posted on July 1, 2008 by Ben Hsu

gt-rbrochure
Look what arrived in the mailbox at JNC HQ today. Nissan has finally begun sending out GT-R brochures to interested parties. In it, there’s a brief history of the Skyline GT-R and, as far as we know, it’s the first time that Nissan USA has ever officially acknowledged the 50-year history of these JDM models. And in case you were wondering: yes, we are very interested in the GT-R but no, we can’t afford one. You can get your own brochure by signing up for updates on Nissan USA’s website.

Posted in catalogs, datsun, nissan | 6 Comments

1958 Toyopet Crown Sells for $22,322

Posted on June 29, 2008 by Ben Hsu

We held off talking about this car because we heard that some JNCers were considering bidding on this baby. But now the auction is over and if its description is correct, this is one of the earliest examples of any Toyota — or any Japanese car, period — to exist in the US. It’s a 1958 Toyopet Crown used by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco to demonstrate their home country’s top-of-the-line auto. After putting just 28,698 miles on the car, the consulate signed over to the title to the current seller in 1964 and it has sat in a garage since. This is truly an amazing piece of Japanese automotive history, and the selling price of $22,322 definitely reflects that. Let’s hope that the owner will restore it to the rightful condition it deserves.

Thanks for the tip, Toyotageek.

Image: eBay

Posted in for sale | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Mazda Car Club of Queensland Car Show

Posted on June 27, 2008 by Ben Hsu

mazdaqueensland
Rotaries are big in Australia, the preferred vehicle of choice for road warriors and hoons alike. From achingly mint restorations to massive-horsepower drag monsters shod in 18-inch rims, the land down under has got it all. For a sampling of the pistonless potpourri available there, take a look at the Mazda Car Club of Queensland’s Car Show last weekend. Thanks to B1500boy from our Vegemite Sandwich Bureau, owner of over 50 nostalgic Mazdas and counting, for the pics!

Posted in events, mazda | 4 Comments

Honda Civic, One-Make Racing Since ’81

Posted on June 26, 2008 by Ben Hsu

civic1make

We all know that Hondas provide some of the best deals in cheap motoring fun, and Honda Japan knows this too. It’s been sponsoring a one-make race series in Japan since 1981, when the second-gen Super Civic debuted. From then on, some generation of Civic – Wonder, Grand, Sports, Miracle – has been the HOA (Honda One-Make Racing Association) chariot of choice until 2002 when the Integra took over. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsports | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Reminder: ZONC Datsun Show June 28

Posted on June 24, 2008 by Ben Hsu

zonc Just a quick reminder for those of you from or visiting NorCal this weekend. Be sure to check out the Z Owners of Northern California’s Blackhawk Datsun/Nissan Extravaganza in San Ramon on June 28. All manner of Datsuns are welcome – 510s, Zs, and Roadsters. Doors open at 10 AM. For more information, check out the ZONC website.

Posted in datsun, events, nissan | 2 Comments

Datsun Fairlady Z: The Manga

Posted on June 23, 2008 by Ben Hsu

projectx_zDMP’s Project X: Datsun Fairlady Z, tells the story of the iconic Japanese sports car in graphic form. Unlike Wangan Midnight, this is non-fiction and  has characters like Mr. K and Yoshihiko Matsuo. The description goes like this.

In 1960s America, the Japanese automobile was seen as a “second-class” inferior. In spite of it all, men dared to dream of building a world beating Japanese sports car. Through the innovative zeal of Yutaka Katayama (now reverently known as “Mr. K”) and the genius of designer Yoshihiko Matsuo, this dream became reality in the form of the legendary sports car, the Nissan Fairlady Z. Known as the Datsun 240z in America, this automobile was an unprecedented success and is still beloved today. The dramatic story of these men who refused to be beaten by the hardships they encountered will inspire all who read it.

It’s been around for a while but we’re not really hip to the whole manga scene. At least now we can sleep better knowing that the Z-car is among other hallowed cultural landmarks covered in the Project X series such as, um, 7-11 and Cup Noodle.

Posted in datsun, manga, nissan | 4 Comments

JNC Magazine Price Change

Posted on June 23, 2008 by Ben Hsu

5yencoinHello JNCers, just a quick announcement about the magazine. Starting July 1, prices are going up. Mostly it has to do with the increasing cost of paper, and the fact that we set our introductory prices very low because we were asking you to take a plunge into the unknown with us.

It’s not going to be a huge change, something you could easily recover by making a few less trips to the vending machine or by following our gas saving tips. This is only for new subscribers. Current subscribers will see no change. But we wanted to inform you anyway so all the lurkers and procrastinators out there could have one last chance to get in on the good deal. Thanks for understanding and thanks for supporting us!

Sincerely,
Team JNC

Posted in jnc | 7 Comments

9.5 Tips For Relieving Your Gas Pains

Posted on June 23, 2008 by Ben Hsu

gaspricesRegular at $4.00 per gallon is already a distant speck in the rear view mirror for some parts of the country. But if you think that’s bad, in Japanland the precious elixir sells for about ¥200 per liter now, which works out to $7.57 a gallon! So what’s a car fiend to do? Here’s 9.5 ways you can save your fuel, and thus, your yen.

1. Where’s the Fire, Son? By far, driving style has the greatest effect. When you mash the pedal that extra jolt has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the exploding dino juice in your cylinders as the engine shoots towards redline.

Our homeboy Issac Newton’s First Law of Motion says that a body in motion tends to stay in motion; a body at rest tends to stay at rest. So while few things in life are more fun than stomping on it as you snick through the gears, just know that there’s a price to pay when you indulge.

Also, if you have cruise control, use it.

Continue reading →

Posted in howto | 1 Comment

Uptown Girl: Infiniti Silvia?

Posted on June 23, 2008 by Ben Hsu

infiniti_rwd
We dream of one day becoming as important enough so that Nissan will invite us to exotic, faraway locales and give us cars to test drive while showing us sneak peeks of upcoming releases. Kinda like they did with the writers at Inside Line when they took them to Portugal and let them see the upcoming Nissan Silvia successor. Continue reading →

Posted in nissan, retro | 3 Comments

Palo Alto Concours D'Elegance

Posted on June 20, 2008 by Ben Hsu

paconcours
For the first time in its 42 years, the Palo Alto Concours D’Elegance will feature a small section on Japanese cars. Only a select few cars, some of which will be featured in the next issue JNC, have been invited to attend thanks to efforts by David Swig of Motoring J Style, which we told you about in our 2007 coverage of the show.

The debut of Japanese cars at the Concours will not be quite the splash we hoped, since the organizers have not yet made them eligible for judging and awards, but it still represents a step towards recognition. Most of the other cars that enter into this event cost over six digits, so the nostalgics will be in good company and hopefully bring some awareness about Japanese classics to this niche.

The 2008 Palo Alto Concours D’Elegance will be held on the campus of Stanford University this Sunday, June 22. Doors open at 7 AM.

Posted in events | 4 Comments