QotW: How would you spend $10,000 on a car in the year you were born?

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Ben Hsu

Recently I was tapped to play out this game on another site. The rules there stated I had to spend all 10 grand on a single car, which put my top choice, a 1976 Celica GT Liftback, out of the running (All Japanese cars were out, so I ended up with a BMW 530i, though as a kid I would’ve picked a Corvette L82. If asked which of the three would be most valuable today, I doubt many would have predicted the Toyota have the highest selling price, followed by the Corvette and the BMW dead last). We’re going to modify the question a bit so that you don’t have to spend the full amount. But you still have 10 thou and a time machine, and you have to buy a new car that was available for sale somewhere in the world.

How would you spend $10,000 on a car in the year you were born?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your favorite Japanese car logo?“. Continue reading →

Posted in Public Service Announcement | Tagged | 17 Comments

A Quiet Greatness is a gorgeous, must-have book about Japanese cars

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Ben Hsu

As much as Japanese cars have permeated automotive culture, they’ve been lacking in one important aspect: the coffee table book. Walk into any bookstore (if you can still find them in your town), and you’ll see gorgeous volumes on Italian, British, French and American cars. There’s no shortage books dedicated to entire marques such as Ferrari or Porsche, books about certain eras like the golden age of muscle cars, or even books devoted to a single model like the Corvette. But there has never been an English-language title that confers the same kind of reverence onto Japanese cars until Mark Brinker and Myron Vernis’ A Quiet Greatness. Continue reading →

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New Toyota Automobile Museum exhibit spotlights classic Japanese trucks

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Ben Hsu

A newly opened exhibit at the Toyota Automobile Museum puts the focus on Japanese trucks of the Showa Era. “Road Transporters” hosts a number of workhorses from Toyota’s collection, ranging in age from the 1930s to the 1990s, with special attention paid to the 50s and 60s. It’s a compelling peek in to the early days of Japanese trucking and an opportunity to see some very rare vehicles that’ll make a Hakosuka GT-R seem downright common. Continue reading →

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The Mitsubishi Fuso Canter turns 60 years old

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Steve Chang

Among the oldest nameplates in Japan’s auto industry is the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter. Though perhaps not as exciting as Nissan’s Skyline or Toyota’s Crown, the Canter has been a staple of Japanese roads for 60 years. The cabover light-duty truck has lasted for nine generations since its original mid-century robot face debuted in March 1963, on the eve of Japan’s first expressway opening. Continue reading →

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Mazda Rotary cars on display in Ginza, circa 1971

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Matt De Mangos

The curved glass San’ai Dream Center in Ginza has been a major advertising platform in Tokyo for decades. The building at times has been home to the Nissan Gallery, worn a Mitsubishi triple-diamond logo and, in 1971, hyped Mazda’s latest rotary engines. The two cars in the tower appear to be a Mazda Capella Rotary Coupé and a Capella Rotary 4-Door DX, which we would’ve known as the RX-2 in the US. The glow of its lights is so warm, just begging you to go check out one of these new pistonless wonders. Continue reading →

Posted in Showa Snap | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

QotW: What’s your favorite Japanese car logo?

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Ben Hsu

Today is Logo Day in Japan. The date was chosen as a pun formed by the first syllable of roku (ro/lo), Japanese for “six” and go, Japanese for “five”. The purpose of the day is to promote effective logo design. In Japan, it’s still not uncommon to find not only the make logo on every car, but a unique model-specific logo as well. As a result there’s no shortage of cool badges to be found.

What’s your favorite Japanese car logo?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Would you import a JDM car that you could get in America?“. Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 24 Comments

Toyota 86 coupes drift through new Japanese cop show

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Ben Hsu

A new Japanese police series promises a throwback to classic shows chock full of shootouts and car chases. Farewell, Gun: Metropolitan Police SGU is an 8-episode streamer that harkens back to old school standards of the genre like Seibu Keisatsu or Abunai Deka. Only in this case, instead of Nissan Skylines and Leopards, we have drifting matte black Toyota 86es. Continue reading →

Posted in Film/TV | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Toyota Stout name could be revived for sub-Tacoma pickup

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Ben Hsu

Compact pickups are coming back. Former compact trucks have gotten so large that there’s now room at the low end of the market for smaller offerings. The catch is that this new crop of vehicles like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz are unibody, not body-on-frame. As the undisputed king of mid-sizers, Toyota is well-positioned to offer a rival that slots below the Tacoma. Rumor has it they’re reviving a name from the past and calling it the Stout. Continue reading →

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Wanton Toyota MR2 Spyder destruction proves takeovers aren’t about the cars

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Ben Hsu

A couple in Tolland, Connecticut were heading home from a dinner in a Toyota MR2 Spyder when they passed through a street takeover on May 21. The crowd of supposed car enthusiasts ended up surrounding their mid-engined roadster and deliberately and maliciously destroying it as the couple, driver Stephanie and passenger Dennis Sargisian plead with them to stop. Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Nissan R90CK that set “the greatest lap at Le Mans” is for sale

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Ben Hsu

At the peak of Group C racing, this Nissan R90CK set what is considered one of the greatest laps in modern racing. At the qualifying session of the 1990 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, newcomer Mark Blundell put the hammer down on its V8 with malfunctioning twin-turbos and set a pole position qualifying lap beating the next closest Porsche 962C by over six seconds, a gap that’s still not been bested. Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Happy S30 Day from JNC

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Dan Hsu

The Nissan Fairlady Z is still the one. The original game-changer from the Land of the Rising Sun that set a new bar for sports cars in the 20th century. It’s beautiful from every angle, spanked not only the competition but cars that weren’t even in the same price bracket, and forever changed the world’s outlook on Japanese cars. That’s why on today, 5/30 we wish everyone a happy S30 Day from JNC!

Posted in Holidays | 2 Comments

QotW: Would you import a JDM car that you could get in America?

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Ben Hsu

There are many degrees of JDM-ness, but we think it can be classified into four main categories. If we were to list them in order from most JDM to least, something very JDM like a Skyline GT-R that has absolutely no US equivalent would be a JDM4. Next up, a JDM3 would be a car that has the same body but a powertrain that is not offered in America, like a GC WRX STi. A JDM2 car would have unique options or colors that were only available on Japanese variants, like an AE86 Black Limited. And finally a JDM1 car would be a car that has minimal differences from its US counterpart, stuff like lights, folding mirrors, and the steering wheel on the other side. We’ve seen quite a few JDM1 cars here in the US, and it’s always made us wonder what made someone to go through the trouble.

Would you import a JDM car that you could get in America?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What will my 3-year-old’s first car be?“. Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 17 Comments

The seventh-gen Mazda Familia wagon only existed as a Ford

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Ben Hsu

Talk about a genre of car that’s gone completely extinct. The compact wagon used to be a staple of American roadways, but first wagons vanished and now compacts are gone. The charm and sheer functionality of compact wagons is unmatched, though. Fuel efficient, easy to park, capable of hauling a ton, they’d be the perfect car if drivers weren’t so image conscious. Continue reading →

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The R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO is right at home in Gran Turismo 7

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Ben Hsu

If there’s anything Gran Turismo is known for, it’s having a zillion variations of the Nissan Skyline. The tradition continues with the latest Gran Turismo 7 update, which adds the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R NISMO to the list of playable cars. The homologation special is a worthy addition to the many Group A-derived street cars that are already in the game. Continue reading →

Posted in Video Games | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

RIP Tina Turner, singer, actor, DSM spokesperson

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Steve Chang

Japan is known for poaching American celebrities for car commercials, and at first glance this spot for a DSM starring 12-time Grammy winner Tina Turner could easily be mistaken for that. But no, it’s a home-grown all-American ad for the Plymouth Laser, the Mitsubishi-built Eclipse twin that was never sold in Japan. Turner passed away on May 24 at the age of 83. Continue reading →

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Mitsubishi Electric, which put the world’s first in-car GPS in the 1990 Mazda Cosmo, is leaving the nav business

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Ben Hsu

Mazda’s Eunos Cosmo was a car of many firsts, one of which was the world’s first in-car GPS system over three decades ago. The so-called CCS (Car Communication System) was developed by Mitsubishi Electric, a trailblazer in car-based nav systems. Last month, however, the company quietly announced it would be leaving the automotive GPS business altogether. Continue reading →

Posted in News | 1 Comment

Overtake, a new racing anime, is coming this fall

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Steve Chang

The world is still waiting for the next Initial D, the last racing anime to really take the globe by storm. Could a new series about open wheel racing take the mantle? Titled Overtake, the series focuses on Formula 4, a junior league designed to put promising young drivers on the path to the F1.  Continue reading →

Posted in manga | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

QotW: What will my 3-year-old’s first car be?

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Ben Hsu

My son is three. I’ve always had dreams about passing down my AE86 to him someday. But by the time he turns 16 in 2035, a car built in 1986 will be nearly 50 years old. That would be like me, who came of age in the 90s heyday, inheriting a car from the 1940s when I got my license. And I can tell you that I had zero interest in a pontoon-fendered streamliner at 16. I’m hoping that my son will transfer his love for Hot Wheels into love for real cars, and that he’ll have one that teaches him the joy and art of driving in a fun and safe way. If gasoline and human-driven cars have not been outlawed by then…

What will my 3-year-old’s first car be?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Should being celebrity-adjacent add to a car’s value?“. Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | 22 Comments

See you at Toyotafest 2023!

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Dan Hsu

We will be seeing you at Toyotafest 2023 this Saturday, May 20. Just look for the red JNC pop-up canopy or our tan Land Cruiser. Gates open from 9am to 3pm at Marina Green Park, 386 E. Shoreline Dr., Long Beach, CA 90803. All Toyota, Lexus, and Scion cars are welcome.

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Subaru Leone vs Subaru Leone pursuit in 1978’s Double Clutch

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Matt De Mangos

We wouldn’t call the car chase in the 1978 movie Double Clutch one of the all-time greats, but it’s definitely the only Subaru Leone vs. Subaru Leone car chase ever committed to film. We posted a shorter version of this clip back in 2009 but that one has since disappeared into the internet’s black hole of ones and zeroes. Here’s a longer version of the chase. Continue reading →

Posted in Film/TV | Tagged , , | 2 Comments