Magazine Subscription Update

Posted on January 22, 2008 by Ben Hsu

premiere.jpgMore news about the Japanese Nostalgic Car magazine subscription.

  • All content in the magazine will be new and unique, not reprints of articles on the website.
  • The only way to get JNC is to subscribe. It won’t be available on newsstands just yet. If we went into detail about how difficult it is to get an unheard-of title onto the shelf at your local bookstore, your head would probably explode. Ours did, and it hurts! If you’re interested in seeing it there, please ask them to carry it!
  • We’ve extended subscriptions to 4 (four) quarterly issues for the same low price of $9.99, or 50% off the cover price! If you’ve already subscribed, don’t worry – we’ll automatically give you the extra issue at no cost and you don’t even have to lift a finger.
  • International subscriptions are now open! Sorry for the increase in price, but it’s all due to shipping costs. We think it’ll still be worth your while, though!
  • JNC will be a collectible, high-quality publication designed for your library. It’s printed on thick, glossy paper that’s made to last.

And as always, thank you for your support! We would not be here without it, so please help us spread the word. The time has come for a magazine about Japanese Nostalgic Cars!  Subscribe here.

Posted in jnc | 14 Comments

Ken & Mary, Together Again

Posted on January 22, 2008 by Ben Hsu

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Here’s a prime example of why Japan rocks the casbah. From January 8 – 31, Japanese Nissan owners can get this bitchin’ re-issue of the Ken & Mary T-shirts from the famous old ad campaign of 1972. WANT. Yeah, it’s a marketing gimmick, but we’re biting it hook, line, sinker, and rowboat. We’ve lamented the fact that the US branches of our favorite Rising Sun automakers don’t really do the whole enthusiast pandering thing already, and just check out how much the original shirts are going for, despite being faded, worn, and quite frankly, disgusting. That’s $70 American for a used T-shirt, people!

Posted in japan, nissan, nostalgic gear | Leave a comment

Mazda Carol Hot Rod!

Posted on January 21, 2008 by Kevin San

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In last week’s Tokyo Autosalon report. we made mention of a supercool Mazda Carol-based hot rod. Well, we have some more details on it now, it was built by students at the…*deep breath*…Shizuoka Professional College of Automobile Technology. Especially notable is the fact that the original Carol is rear-engined, but the hot rod was built on a Suzuki jeep ladder chassis, which sited the 550cc two-stroke up the front for a more authentic hot rod style.

More info here…click on the links (and scroll down!) on the side to see more pics. Extremely cool!

Posted in mazda | 2 Comments

Swiss Bliss

Posted on January 21, 2008 by Ben Hsu

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Yank yer Toyoglide out of its peaceful neutral state and slam it into drive, cause Toyotas are invading Switzerland! The Swiss Toyota Museum, located in the unpronounceable municipality of Murschetg, Laax, has enough nostalgic Toyotas to drain an unmarked bank account, yet amazingly, has no affiliation with the Big T itself. All 80 cars are the work of a few independent but incredibly dedicated collectors, whom we salute, big time! Many of the cars are still in the restoration process, but we’re sure they’ll have them ticking like Swiss watches in no time. There even appears to be some Australian spec cars in the in the mix, on one long-ass walkabout. The museum itself, if the online translation is to be believed, was either an abandoned power plant or bat cave. Possibly both. It looks like it’s scheduled to open in summer of 2008, but perhaps our German-speaking readers can succeed where translation software fails. Thanks to Rich at Classic Toyota Town for the tip!

Posted in museum, toyota | 2 Comments

Auto Classica: Oldschool Nissan Meets High End Luxe

Posted on January 19, 2008 by Kevin San

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A few weeks ago we profiled Tokyo Hakosuka tuner Victory50. But Japan has quite a few Hakosuka/Old Nissan tuners as you would expect, and a particularly notable one is Auto Classica.

Located in Yokohama, Auto Classica is decked out like a high-end home stereo store, complete with cafe.

Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous | Leave a comment

Cool JDM Thing of The Week: I Rev…therefore I am

Posted on January 18, 2008 by Kevin San

220_15a458b31cc.jpgOne of the cool things we saw in Japan during Autosalon is the I Rev Car Series. It’s a box set, which includes a 1/24th scale car model kit, a DVD featuring the car, a booklet reproducing some original brochure material, and a small 60-page magazine, courtesy of JDM-classic-car-ubermag, Nostalgic Hero.

Cost is Y3300 (about A$35).

And the first model in the series is the KPGC10 Hakosuka Skyline 2000GT-R.

Continue reading →

Posted in Nuts and Bolts | Leave a comment

FlexAuto: The Mother Lode

Posted on January 18, 2008 by Kevin San

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A couple of days ago we posted a link to classic JDM dealer Harfees’s. But today, we seem to have hit the jackpot with FlexAuto, which has many, many more interesting used cars in stock. Check out their stock, you can click and view pics and details on each car, even the “Sold Out” ones..

Posted in Businesses | 2 Comments

I'm In Ur Kar, De4min Itz Proporshuns

Posted on January 18, 2008 by Ben Hsu

celica.jpgIf there’s one thing the Japanese love, it’s superdeformation. Do not be alarmed. That simply means the superdeformee’s features are exaggerated to give it a cartoonish, caricatured look. Everything from animals to anime characters get the treatment, and even inanimate objects can’t escape the process, with several whole toy car lines dedicated to it, like Maruka’s Drive Town and Takara’s Choro-Q, the latter of which you may remember as Penny Racers here in the States.

There’s just something indescribably cute about these cars, so please excuse us while we shout “Kawaiiiiii!” like a 12-year-old Japanese girl at Sanrio Puroland. Now, for your viewing pleasure, here are some 3D rendered versions, which, if not for their distorted proportions, would look entirely real. In fact, art66 has a whole gallery of these, along with other vehicular works of art in the form of shadowboxes, 2D illustrations, and that other Japanese favorite, papercraft. Check them out, adore them, and maybe create some lolcars. Kthxbai.

Posted in minicar, minicars, toyota | 4 Comments

Tomytec: little classics

Posted on January 17, 2008 by Kevin San

lv49_03.jpgThe fact that Tomy make little toy cars should come as no great surprise to any GrandJDM reader.  But did you know that it also has a special line of classic toy cars?  Well…you do now!  It’s called TOMYTEC.

They make trains, etc, but have some tasty selections in cars.  Check out Mr K’s Selection (older favourite Nissans of the ex-Nissan USA president and “father of the Z-Car”), their eclectic collection of trucks, police cars and taxis, their historic race car collection and their vintage sedan lineup. Make sure you click on the links at the bottom of each page to see the other models in the range!

Posted in Businesses | 1 Comment

Little GTO, You're Really Lookin' Fine

Posted on January 16, 2008 by Ben Hsu

mitsugtor73x.jpgJust as we finish whining our arses off about how tough it is to decide between freezing said arses at the Detroit Auto Show or Tokyo Auto Salon – and attending neither because we’re busy with the magazine – Damon Lavrinc of Autoblog rubs salt in the wound by emailing us to say that Mitsubishi had not one, not two, but three legendary machines on display in Motown. Aargh!

This travesty is somewhat tempered by the fact that we’ve seen the Starion at JCCS and the ’81 Lancer at the LA Auto Show, but oh baby, that third one is a gem. There, glimmering in all its chocolaty brown glory, is the Galant GTO R73-X concept that originally debuted at the 1972 Tokyo Motor Show.

Looking absolutely wicked, like something out of Mad Max, the R73-X was based on the existing Galant GTO. Mitsu extended the fenders and hood (now with scoop!) by 60mm for the potential to house several different engines, including a 6-cylinder. The show car, however, was equipped with the R69B, a 2.0L four-cylinder whose dual overhead cams, 16 valves, and 180PS was capable of mowing down pmitsugtor73x2.jpgost-apocalyptic biker gangs at 137mph. Sadly, much like the Road Warrior, this car was also doomed by an oil crisis. In 1973, Mitsu suspended their racing program as a result of the OPEC embargo and cost overruns from tighter emissions controls ensured the motor was never produced. In what’s surely one of history’s minor tragedies, this means we missed out on the R73-X’s hidden adjustable spoiler, activated from the cockpit.

Of course, these relics were all an effort to draw attention to the 2009 Lancer Ralliart, which slots in between the base Lancer and bat-guano-insane Evo X, and the Concept-RA, whose engine is pushing through the hood like cold nipples in a tight shirt.

Hats off to the Triple Diamond Mafia for really pushing its heritage on the auto show circuit. Last year at Motown, they showed King of Cars, the 1974 Lancer 1600GSR of the East African Rally car at Motor City, and in 2006, the 1937 PX-33 at Paris.

Thanks, Damon. Hopefully we’ll catch you next year in Detroit!

[Images: Autoblog]

Posted in events, mitsubishi | 5 Comments

Harfees!

Posted on January 16, 2008 by Kevin San

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If you want to buy a race-rep Hakosuka, a GT-R replica Kenmeri or a super-tough 240Z with ZG nose and flares, then you got to Rocky Auto or Red Megaphone.  But what if you wanted something low and slow, like a slammed ’69 Crown wagon on BRM wheels and chrome fender mirrors, or a 510 Wagon on Enkei slots?

Well for a start in Japan you can go see Harfee’s.  They seem to have a focus on aircooled VWs, but they handle a lot of the old JDM stuff too.  Check it out their stock, lots of nice things in there.

Posted in Businesses | 1 Comment

Swap Meet Photos

Posted on January 16, 2008 by Ben Hsu

hillco.jpgAh, California. Another meet in the dead of winter, this time at Hillco Fastners‘ warehouse in Gardena. Sadly, we weren’t able to make it out there, but thankfully, dear reader mazedatsun was!  Check out his photo gallery here.  There was a pretty good turnout of beautiful old school Datsuns, Mazdas, and Toyotas. Here’s your intrepid photographer’s own gorgeous 240Z, and we also dug this baby blue 411 Bluebird and this mean-lookin’ RX3.  Thanks for posting your pics, mazedatsun!

Posted in events | Leave a comment

Car Show Conundrum

Posted on January 16, 2008 by Ben Hsu

tas.jpgIt’s January, and that means while Americans party hearty at Detroit Auto Show amongst Lexus roadsters, alien-shaped Mazda race cars, and the occasional pile of actual steaming bullshit, Japan is humming along to the sounds of the Tokyo Auto Salon. Why, oh why, do two of the most spectacular, uh, spectacles in autodom have to happen at the same time? Well, at least we have grandJDM and Auto Otaku‘s terrific photos from the event to ogle. Although the Auto Salon focuses mostly on blinged-out minivans and drift machines, there were a few choice old school cuts in the mix, like Rocky Auto’s hakosuka (pictured), Star Road’s S30 Z, Top Secret’s RA25 Celica, a Mazda Carol hot rod, and Mooneyes’ 1JZ Crown.

Then there was the small issue of this hi-riser X70 Mark II Wagon donk thingy, which we are sooo doing with our own Cressida longbox. Thanks, Kev, for posting the image that will serve as our inspiration!

For our coverage of 2007’s Tokyo Auto Salon, click here.

[Image: grandJDM]

P.S. We are not doing that with our Cressida.

Posted in datsun, events, japan, nissan | 1 Comment

Come On Baby Light My Fire Arrow

Posted on January 16, 2008 by Ben Hsu

firearrow.jpgHot on the heels of the Tercel Wagon, Jalopnik is showing more old school J-tin love, this time with the captive import Plymouth Fire Arrow, aka Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste. All of the cars in their “Down on the Street” series are located on the island of Alameda, near San Francisco, so perhaps some of you enterprising readers can find this very machine and leave a note on the windshield. It’s a rare bird, and perhaps you foot soldiers in the Triple Diamond Mafia can tell us about the rarity of this shade of brown, which screams “70s” louder than a roller disco on acid. Oddly enough, it’s not too far off from the paint on that 2007 Civic in the background, but the orange and yellow stripes are what really give it that groovy vibe. Far out!

Posted in mitsubishi | Leave a comment

Won't You Adopt a Honda Too?

Posted on January 15, 2008 by Ben Hsu

sm600.jpgIf you don’t know by now that comedian and late night talk show host Jay Leno is a car collector extraordinaire, then we hope the alien probing wasn’t too painful and welcome you back to planet Earth. The great thing about Leno is that he’s not just some rich guy who throws money at the latest horsepower-soaked auction queen to pad his collection. The man knows and loves machines, and works on everything he owns, from Stanley Steamer to Fiat Topolino.

His latest acquisition is a 1965 Honda SM600, which, under his care, promptly underwent a meticulous frame-off restoration with the help of Brian Baker of Formula H Motoworks. “If this had ‘Porsche’ written on it, it’d be worth $250,000, but because it’s Honda, for some reason they don’t get the respect they deserve,” spake His Chinliness. Word up, Mr. Leno. If you’ve never heard a Honda S-car revving to its 9,500rpm redline through a Flowmaster during a fly-by, you need to drop everything and watch this video on Jay Leno’s Garage. It’s absolute music.

Thanks to dear reader tkmedia for the tip.

Posted in honda | 6 Comments

JNC Magazine Sneak Peek

Posted on January 14, 2008 by Ben Hsu

premiere.jpgIt’s official, Japanese Nostalgic Car magazine subscriptions are now open! You may have noticed some strange activity on the website over the weekend as we prepared for the launch, and here it is, with a pic of the cover to preview what’s in store for the first issue.

Some of our lightning quick readers parted with 9.99 hard-earned dollars as soon as the subscription was added to the Shop section. That’s awesome! We simply cannot thank you enough for your support, but we’ll try – Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!

We have one last favor to ask, though – please help us spread the word. We wouldn’t be here without you, and niche magazines like this sink or swim by the hands of its readers. If you think the world might be even the slightest bit better with a magazine about vintage Japanese cars in it, tell your friends, tell your family, post it in your favorite car forum, spraypaint it on your neighbor’s dog, or shout it into a megaphone in crowded places. Anything to get the party started. Arigato!

Now just sit back, relax, and wait for page after glossy page of achingly cool classic machines to arrive at your doorstep.

To our friends overseas, we haven’t forgotten about you. We’ve received your inquires, and we’ll open up international orders as soon as we get a quote from the printers, who are mailing straight from the press since they have access to bulk mailing rates. Otherwise, shipping can get expensive real fast. Sorry for the wait, but it’ll be worth it, we promise!

Posted in jnc | 3 Comments

Tokyo Autosalon ‘08: GrandJDM reports…

Posted on January 13, 2008 by Kevin San

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Saturday: it was a very, very cold and drizzly day today (so no carpark pics, sorry) but it was a great day at TAS08. Maybe the lousy weather kept the crowds away, but it was considerably less crowded than last year, which made it a much more relaxed experience than TAS07.  But even so, TAS is as always, a sensory overload, an overdose of the kind of JDM cars which we like best.  Often you have to pinch yourself that all of this is really in one spot. 

Japanese fashions change in a hearbeat, and so TAS is always a barometer of where JDM automotive trends are heading.  So where is the JDM scene going in 2008?

Continue reading →

Posted in events, Japan Stuff | 9 Comments

Nostalgic Luxury

Posted on January 12, 2008 by Ben Hsu

For those of us who grew up in the 80’s, it’s hard to imagine a time when Acura did not exist. According to some, planning for Honda’s luxury brand started as early as 1976 (imagine an Acura based off of the 1st gen Civic or Accord).

Although not quite as soul-stirring as Honda’s Impossible Dream commercial, it’s still a pretty good ad, and it’s nice to see Acura paying tribute to its old models, even if it’s only a brief 2 seconds.

Posted in cm, honda | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday Mr. Shelby

Posted on January 11, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Today (January 11) is racing legend Carroll Shelby’s 85th birthday. Although mostly known for his hopped up Mustangs, AC Cobras and cowboy hat, his racing contract with Ford ended in 1967. For the 1968 season, he helped prepare three Toyota 2000GTs for competition in SCCA C-production class.

Unfortunately, Toyota discontinued the program after just one year. In that year, however, the cars Toyotas racked up a slew of podium finishes and ended the season second in points only to long-established Porsche.

We will be featuring the #23 car in the Spring 2008 premiere issue of Japanese Nostalgic Car magazine. Click here for more images from our Monterey Historics gallery. Happy birthday, Mr. Shelby!

Posted in racing, toyota | Leave a comment

Subscription Now Open

Posted on January 11, 2008 by Ben Hsu

Hi all, just a quick note to say that subscriptions for our American and Canadian readers are now available. International subscriptions will be available soon.

From our humble beginning almost exactly one year ago, to our exciting venture into print, it’s indeed been one helluva strange trip in 2007 and we just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who’s been along for the journey.

More to come…

Posted in jnc | 5 Comments