Here it is, more 2000GTs than you can shake a camshaft at. [LINK]
Civic Minded
We love it whenever a manufacturer celebrates its heritage. Just a few years ago, one would be hard pressed to find official information about models not currently sold. Recently though, many Japanese marques have begun to recognize the importance of their past vehicles and those of us who love them. Honda is the latest to do so with their “History of the Si” page. There’s only a short blurb about each Si model, but at least they’re doing something. We hope to see more pages like this in the future.
Source: [Honda]
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Mazda Releases 40th Anniv RX-8 for the US
A couple of weeks ago, Mazda released a special edition RX-8 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the rotary engine. The only hitch was, the car had to be purchased in Japan. Well, now we Americans can get our hands on our very own 40th Anniversary RX-8 stateside. So there, Japan!
Shown at the Monterey Historics, our very own special RX-8 will come dressed in an exclusive Metropolitan Gray exterior, matched with Cosmo Red on its
insides. Gunmetal finish wheels, a new engine cover, shift knob, and requisite fender badge further differentiate it from the standard RX-8. Performance-wise, urethane was injected into the rear suspension, front crossmember and rocker panels, working with Bilstein dampers to stiffen up the chassis. In other words, the same Japanese package except for the color of its duds.
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Monterey Historics, Part 1
Toyota was the headline presenter of the 34th Annual Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, coinciding with their 50th anniversary both in motorsports and sales in the US. Appropriately, they’ve gathered the biggest assembly of the legendary 2000GTs ever to be found outside of Japan. Our full report will be posted in the Events section later this week.
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Get Your Writing Boots On
Alright folks, we’re on the lookout for another one or two writers (or in my case, “guys who just link to stuff”) to join us here at grandJDM. If you’ve been digging what we’ve been doing and want to be a part of it, now’s your chance!
But, of course, there’s a catch. You’ll have noticed there’s no advertising on grandJDM, and we’re not planning on starting, either. So that means that everything myself, Kev, and Lachy do here is entirely a labour of love. We do grandJDM because we love grandJDM, simple as that. So if you have the same zest for classic Japanese cars, get on board!
I should also ask; if you think there’s a chance you might be the type to be amazingly enthusiastic for the first week and then suddenly drop off the face of the Earth, please don’t apply. We’re looking for genuine committed team members yo!
Shoot me an email if you’re interested. Cheers folks.
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I-5 Drive/Monterey Historics
In case you were wondering what’s been happening with the blog, Ben is at the Monterey Historics in California. Only, there’s a catch. The reason it’s taking him three days to get there is because he’s driving down from Seattle in a newly-purchased, completely untested, 21-year-old Toyota Cressida station wagon that none of us has ever driven, popped the hood of, or sat in before. Stay tuned for either a.) actual coverage of the vintage auto event, or b.) tragedy.
Posted in events, road trip, toyota
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I Could Almost Cry…
JNC forum member Pecx exposed me today to a manga called Restore Garage 251, and I almost wish he hadn’t! It looks amazing, but of course I can’t speak or read a lick of Japanese, so if I want to buy a copy, my options will be fairly limited when it comes to reading it! Nevertheless, on the off chance that any of you can read Japanese, or you have a friend who can, I thought I’d link it up and give you the chance to expand your reading horizons.
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The Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races
My apologies gang; we’re a little late bringing you this info, but there’s still time! According to our good man Michael over at ToyotaGeek, The Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races—presented by Toyota—is on this weekend in Monterey. You can get more info on this event right here. Word is that there’ll be twenty 2000GTs in attendance—so if you can make it, we’d suggest you do.
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Ain’t Nothin Civil About It
If you’re a fan of the old skool Honda Civics and were worried that you might be alone on that one, you can rest easy. Civic 77 has all the information and community you could possibly need. There’s some damn nice examples in the members gallery too, so check it out!
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So. You wanna go to Japan (Part 3: cars, cars, cars!)
Welcome to part 3 of our Going To Japan series! By now you’ll be well sorted for the basics of survival in JDM-land and now we get down to business. Cars.
Let’s face it, when it comes to cars, everyone’s expectations of Japan are pretty damn high. You expect to walk down the street, see schoolbusses drifting and grandmothers pulling burnouts in Supras, you expect to see mint C10 Skyline GT-Rs parked on every street corner, bosozouku car parades on every block, you expect that every corner grocery store will have a special aisle for turbochargers, and they’re on sale, too! Free delivery!
Well….it’s not quite like that. But we can make sure that you get to see some car shows, visit some tuners and buy the cool JDM parts you want. Read on…
Posted in Japan Stuff
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J-Spec goes old school
Every now and then, J-Spec Imports strays from the standard R32s, Soarers, and so forth, and goes mental and lists a pile of awesome JDM classics. Today is such a day. Check out these rides currently on offer. Beats scouring Yahoo! Auctions Japan for them.
Also, you should keep in mind that while J-Spec are located in Australia, these cars are in Japan until someone contacts J-Spec to put in a bid on the car they want. This means that J-Spec can cater to customers around the world, not just in Australia, and it’s something they have a good deal of experience with!
Posted in Businesses
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Back to the Power of Love
Today’s WTF moment comes right out of the 80s, as we bear witness to Michael J. Fox… jumping and somersaulting on a trampoline in a tuxedo and saying “whoa” (I think), before teleporting to the driver’s seat of a Honda Integra and informing us – in brief Japanese – about the all new car. All this to the backing track of Huey Lewis’ Power Of Love, and you’ve got yourself a Highlight of the Day video!
From Winding Road
Posted in honda, Video
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So. You wanna go to Japan (Part 2: where to stay, walkin’ around)
Welcome to the second instalment of our guide on how to survive in Japan. You can find the first instalment here.
So by now you’re a pro at whizzing around Tokyo on a train… but where should you stay, where should you eat, and how do you actually find stuff when you’re on foot? We’ll cover these questions in this instalment.
Posted in Japan Stuff
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The Inaugural Retro Rides Show
Old Japanese Car have put together a gallery of the classic JDM cars that turned out to the inaugural Retro Rides 2007 show, and by all accounts it was a brilliant event. You can check out OJC’s gallery here, and you can head to the Retro Rides forum to check out the various photos taken by members of the forum.
Rain, Hail, or Shine
Nothing will stop the JP Auto Enthusiasts getting through. The boys at JNC have dug out a link to a recent car show in Japan, the likes of which not even a hurricane could hold back. Personally I’m not sure I could stand to bring my pride and joy out in that kind of weather – despite their having been designed to handle that sort of thing just fine. I just don’t think I could do it. Nevertheless, I’m glad these dudes did, because we scored some great classic JDM (and a sport of Euro) eyecandy as a result. Hop to it.
Posted in events, Galleries, Websites
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Back to the Skyline
Auto Otaku has slapped together a quick commemorative post to the glory of the Nissan Skyline, including a couple of the old TV commercials in this post over at his site. This business about the C210 being known in Japan by the nickname “Japan” is news to me, but hey, it’s all one big learning experience! Hit it.
The Boso craze continues
JNC forum member Gamby linked to a couple of absolutely awesome boso/garuchan videos yesterday, and I just have to share them with you. The boso movement, as ridiculous as it is, has really struck a chord with me, as our regular readers are no doubt aware. So put aside about 15 minutes, and get stuck into these vids.
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Once Upon a Time Machine
“If you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” says Doc Brown. Words to live by, except that a brushed stainless bird tainted by cocaine money
and a Renault engine isn’t really our idea of style. Instead, we direct you to the Time Machine Festival, a gathering of nostalgics held at Fuji International Speedway earlier this year in what appears to be the middle of a Class 5 monsoon. But, being the stalwart devotees that they are, these owners not only dared to expose their chariots to the elements, but also ran them on a waterlogged track. See the enormous gallery here.
Source: [Time Machine Festival Blog]
Posted in japan
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The Suzuki Method
Here’s a post about a marque not often discussed in the nostalgic world, Suzuki. Like Toyota, the company started out making automatic looms. Like Honda, their first vehicles were motorized bicycles. And like Mazda, their first mass produced car heeded the call of the government’s mandate for a People’s Car. The 1955 Suzulight (pictured) was one of the first cars in Japan to feature front wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension and rack and pinion steering, and slotted neatly into the kei class with its two-stroke 360cc engine.
More of Suzuki’s history can be found at SuzukiAuto.com.
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The Master and The Apprentice
Magazines come and go—especially car magazines—but from the 1960s to the mid 1980s, Australia had a great magazine in the form of Sports Car World. It was the “right” kind of magazine, written by enthusiasts and never, ever featuring anything as prosaic as family cars and hatchbacks! Sadly defunct since about 1987, SCW had some terrific articles that I’ve never seen anywhere else.
This is one of those articles.
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