Japanese Nostalgic Car

JNC Greetings from NorCal, Part III

Posted on May 27, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Today we were all over the place, from Concord to San Fran to San Jose. The most exciting moment came when one of our subjects’ cars ran out of gas on I-280 and coasted to a stop in the middle of the right lane. We helped the owner push it onto the almost nonexistent shoulder as SUVs flew by at 80mph and went off to buy a gas can and some fuel. When we returned, one of California’s finest was offering to shove the mint nostalgic to the next exit with his standard issue CHP Crown Vic’s push bar. Luckily, we were able to gas the car up and drive it under its own power. The whole experience was quite scary when you think about all the cars that get hit while pulled over.

Anyway, here’s another sneak peek at an upcoming JNC magazine feature car, which is not the one that ran out of gas. Again, first one to guess the car (make and model) wins a prize when we return. Tee hee!

Posted in jnc | 20 Comments

JNC Greetings from NorCal, Part II

Posted on May 25, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Today we went up to beautiful Marin County to photo shoot a nostalgic for an upcoming issue of JNC magazine. First person to guess the make and model of the car will win a prize once we return to JNC HQ.

Posted in jnc | 20 Comments

JNC Greetings from NorCal

Posted on May 25, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Just before were were about to leave for the Motoring J Style show on Friday, the official JNC wagon experienced a technical malfunction. As a result, in a frenzied last minute decision we had to take a decidedly un-nostalgic car to the show via a another all-nighter drive. Here’s a picture of yours truly at our booth attending to a loyal new subscriber with only 3 hours of sleep. Thankfully, MJS organizer David Swig graciously lent us the Euro-spec 18RG ’75 Celica Liftback so we’d have some eye candy at the JNC booth. Even though the weather didn’t cooperate, the event itself was great, and we got to see some fantastic cars (pics coming shortly) and meet Peter Brock. We’ll be hanging around the Bay Area for the next few days to do some photo shoots for the magazine and we’ll have a full article and gallery when we get home.

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Beauty Is in the Eye of the Expressway Interchange

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Our man Kev is in Japan right now seeing the sights. And oh what sights there are. Tokyo is so densely packed that expressways don’t run through it, they run over it. Legendary road systems like the Shuto and Wangan are all elevated, the walls on either side the only thing keeping you from realizing that you’re driving 10 stories above Tokyo Bay.

And you might not think that a tangle of rebar and concrete could be beautiful, but you’d be wrong. Just take a gander at Ken Ohyama’s gorgeous photographs of Japan’s expressway interchanges. Then imagine yourself hauling through them with your exhaust roar bouncing off the barriers like a superball and streetlights inducing seizures as they whiz by in your fender mirrors. More pics after the jump: Continue reading →

Posted in japan | 6 Comments

WANT: Nissan President Hearse on eBay

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Ben Hsu

We mentioned Japanese hearses the other day, and as luck would have it, there happens to be one on eBay right now. And this one guarantees safe passage into the underworld because there’s a giant f’in golden dragon on it. That makes it quite a bit more ornate than the already-ornate examples from the original thread. But if you think that’s fancy, you should see how the dearly departed are ridin’ on the inside. Pics of the interior after the jump. Continue reading →

Posted in nissan | 5 Comments

Reminder: Motoring J Style This Weekend

Posted on May 20, 2008 by Ben Hsu

For those of you spread around this vast nation of ours, we just wanted to let you know that not all vintage Japanese car events are in SoCal. In fact, some are in NorCal. Check out Motoring J Style this Saturday, May 24. The day of Japanese automotive fun will kick off at 9:30 at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo, just north of San Francisco. Events include drifting and rallying demos, a guest appearance by BRE legends Peter Brock and John Morton, and lots of nostalgics on display. Also, we’ve got a reliable source telling us that a JNC booth will be on the premises. Be there or be square, mon frére!

Oh, but SoCal will still have something going on: San Diego Meet and Cruise. Man, they have it good!

Posted in events | 2 Comments

Bring Out Ye Dead: Japanese Hearses

Posted on May 20, 2008 by Ben Hsu

When Japanese people die, it’s not enough to go out in a big, black, velvet-lined station wagon. You have to arrive at the afterlife party in style. That’s why we’re glad that alert reader Toyotageek posted a link to pictures of Japanese hearses. This one pictured here is based on a Nissan President, which is probably what an actual president would take his final ride in, but for the Japanese rice farmer there’s even a Toyota Hilux pickup. Enjoy, you morbid sickos!

[Image: Al’s Car Page]

Posted in japan | 10 Comments

EVENTS: Tokyo Nostalgic Car Show

Posted on May 19, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Mission accomplished! Check out our mind-warping coverage of the 2008 Tokyo Nostalgic Car Show!

Posted in events, japan | 1 Comment

Tokyo Photo Diary

Posted on May 17, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Our international man of mystery known only as “Kev” has infiltrated Tokyo on a recon mission. His objective: the Tokyo Nostalgic Car Show. But, before he breaches that perimeter, he’s hitting the streets and sourcing materials for Project Hakosuka. From seedy pachinko parlors to deep cover at a Japanese game show, he’s doing it all and documenting every step of the way in these sensitive images relayed back to HQ. As you can see, the target is employing a host of diversionary tactics such as tasty food and positioning something cool to photograph every three feet along the way. Will our agent secure the mark and extract himself without being compromised? Stay tuned!

Posted in japan, jnc | 1 Comment

Nissan 370Z Picture Leaked

Posted on May 15, 2008 by Ben Hsu

A couple of months ago we told you about this speculative drawing of the next iteration of Nissan’s iconic Z car. Now, what appears to be an official Nissan rendering of the final design has been leaked to the world. It looks like the sketch from March wasn’t too far off, but do you notice something? No, the 2009 Maxima headlights and bulging fenders were already identified in the March rendering. Look closer. That’s right, baby – the side glass and C-pillar is a nod to the original 240Z! Yeah, it’s not much but we’ll take what we can get. At least someone in the design department knows Datsun history. A comparison pic after the jump. Continue reading →

Posted in datsun, nissan, retro | 4 Comments

Front Drive Toyota Defies Convention, Gravity

Posted on May 15, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Why yes, that is an airborne 1980 Toyota Tercel leaping over a herd of the now-extinct species Compactus domesticus. Plus a Honda. Though it began life in Japan in 1978, the Tercel arrived on our shores for the 1980 model year. It was the Big T’s first attempt at a front wheel drive vehicle, and apparently they really hadn’t nailed down the whole concept of FWD because the 1.5L inline four was still mounted longitudinally. Yet, unaccountably, they rub Honda’s nose in it.

Did the Tercel herald the coming of a revolutionary new layout to Toyota’s lineup or tragically symbolize the beginning of the end for rear wheel drive? Also, our readers ask in this forum thread, whether in 2020 the Tercel will be a classic or merely an old car. All we know is, any stuntwoman who can catch that much air in a car of any drivetrain configuration turns the keys to our hearts.

[Source: Youtube via Jalopnik]

Posted in cm, honda, toyota | 2 Comments

Reminders for SoCal: There Will Be Events

Posted on May 14, 2008 by Ben Hsu

This weekend promises yet more events in the magical land of J-tin known as SoCal. First up, the Z Car Club Inland Valley is having their sixth annual show in Murietta, CA from 10am to 2pm this Sunday, May 18. Click here for show details.

Next, there’s the Eagle Rock Vintage Nippon Swap Meet and Car Show on the same day. Doors open at 9am. Check out DatsunBluebird.com for details.

Unbelievable! If you live anywhere else in the world, here’s some more salt for your wound: the weather’s always good too.

[Image: DatsunBluebird]

Posted in datsun, events, nissan | 2 Comments

Thai Fighters II: Bangkok Nostalgic Car Show

Posted on May 13, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Ever since we saw the awesome pics from a Thai enthusiast gathering, we’ve been craving more. As luck would have it, an email from Thailander George Manont popped up in our inbox the other day, telling us about the recent Bangkok Nostalgic Car Show. Problem was, the link he sent us was so image-heavy that it nearly crashed our computer. We normally don’t do this, but these rides were so cool we had to share, so we saved most of the photos are resized them in this thread.

Here’s George’s own words:

Like in Thailand, we have a bunch of Japanese Car Lovers as per the following testimonial. The above was some kind of gathering of ALL older cars. It just so happened that 90% + shown up with Japanese cars. Automobile in general in Thailand is , to western world, quite amazing as we have all kind of cars from almost all brands. But Japanese cars are always the market leaders. In this respect, Toyota is #1, follow by Isuzu (1 ton truck), then Honda. And the rest of around 25% or less is shared by the like of Nissan, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Suzuki. I realize that you don’t read Thai, but I’m sure that the pictures may have told a lot of story there!

If you’d like to see the original pics for yourself, click here, but be warned. Thanks for the tip, George!

[BangkokClassicCar]

Posted in events | 3 Comments

Datsun 1200, Can You Feel the Love?

Posted on May 12, 2008 by Ben Hsu

One of our favorite posts over at Jalopnik is Murilee’s Down on the Street series, in which he photographs random interesting cars just sitting curbside in the city of Alameda, CA. There’s already been over 250 such sightings, not all of them well preserved, but all of them worthy of retrospect. Today’s just happens to be a very clean Datsun 1200, and 1200 owners should be beaming with pride when reading the outpouring of love in the post’s comments. Click here for our own forum thread of JNC reader sightings.

[Jalopnik]

Posted in datsun, nissan | 1 Comment

Project Hakosuka is Back

Posted on May 11, 2008 by Ben Hsu

A few months ago, we welcomed Kev’s Nissan Skyline (aka Project Hakosuka) to the family. And since JNC/grandJDM merge was announced, the continuation of his (mis)adventures has been a top request. Kev was gracious enough to replicate all the posts documenting his work in this thread. So in case you haven’t seen it, take a look. The only downside is that it resides in Sydney, Australia so we won’t be able to see it in person for a long, long time.

Posted in datsun, nissan, project hakosuka | 3 Comments

The Real Speed Racer

Posted on May 11, 2008 by Ben Hsu

The new Speed Racer live-action seizure movie opened this weekend to poor reviews. Therefore, we thought it would be nice to see some of the original Japanese anime about a boy and his car. We can all relate to that, right?

The Japanese version is called Mach GoGoGo but the Japanese pronounce it “Mahha GoGo” (note that one Go is not pronounced). It follows protagonist Goh Mifune, named by the creators after Toshiro Mifune, the star of films like Seven Samurai. The “M” logo on Speed’s helmet is actually that of Mifune Motors, the family business.

According to this article, neither creator Tatsuo Yoshida or director Tsuyoshi Sasakawa were car enthusiasts or even owned a drivers license. But that’s ok. The anime was always an allegory of Japan’s rapid post-war modernization anyway. It debuted in 1967 and after some quick dubbing sessions, soon became a worldwide hit.

For many of us Westerners, it was our first contact with anime and its catchy theme song and vivid colors were seared into our childhood memories, much like this remake sears retinas. Or, at least we imagine it would. We haven’t actually seen it, but considering the reviews and the critic-confirmed discontinuity with the original, we plan to skip it like the Mach 5 over a rival with its Auto Jacks.

Click here to see Japan’s Speed Racer-themed service stations and used car lots.

UPDATE: So the weekend box office tallies are in, and Speed Racer, which cost $160 million to make, raked in only $20 million.

[io9]

Posted in manga | 2 Comments

Happy 510 Day!

Posted on May 10, 2008 by Ben Hsu

May 10th is 510 Day. We went out to Doheney Beach to hang out with the guys from Dime Quarterly. Click here for more pics. How did you celebrate?

Posted in datsun, events, nissan | 2 Comments

EVENTS: Mooneyes Mania Cruise

Posted on May 9, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Here’s some pics of the Mooneyes Mania Cruise, which came to us over the Pacific while we were scrambling to get the first issue out. A must-see for alternative body style lovers. That means wagonists, vanners, and pickup truck artists, but there’s a healthy dose of the normal stuff too. [LINK]

Posted in events, japan | Leave a comment

Carmel Concours Seeks Nostalgics

Posted on May 7, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Every year the town of Monterey, California is besieged with what they call Classic Car Weekend, an all-out celebration of the automobile including the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance, the Monterey Historics, and various auctions and club events.

One such event is the Carmel-By-The Sea Concours On The Avenue scheduled for August 12, which was new for last year. This year, they’re interested in having a class for Japanese cars. Unfortunately for most of us, they’re looking for 1971 and older cars in all-original condition with well-documented histories. This excludes most of our cars, but it’s still a great opportunity to get Japanese vintage cars some exposure in a venue where they’re often overlooked.

If you happen to have just such a gem, you can register here.

[Thanks to Joji for the tip]