If you’ve ever thought about pulling out the old horse and dropping in a newer breed, you’ve probably got some idea of the amount of work and expense involved – if only because friends and peers have warned you about it a dozen times. If you’ve already been there and done that, you no doubt already know what I’m talking about! Today’s linked story comes from a bloke who put a lot of sweat into converting a customer’s RA28 from its original mill to a 1G-GTE powered twin turbo monster.
See that billowing cloud of smoke coming from the direction of Altamont, CA? It’s the 2nd annual running of the 24 Hours of LeMons, which, like it’s namesake from Sarthe, has cars. That’s where the similarity ends, however, as the competitors in LeMons cannot cost more than $500, or the price of one 10mm nut on your typical LeMans car. Fortunately for the drivers, that price cap doesn’t include safety equipment, and considering the caliber of their steeds, they’ll need it. Vehicles range from beater Volkswagens to beater BMWs to beater Cadillac hearses to beater beaters. Oh, and the grand prize is $1000. In nickels.
One of the many resultant small tragedies is that a prime source for cheap, sharp-handling and dispoable vehicles is the ever-shrinking pool of old Japanese cars, like this mustard yellow Datsun B210 that ran in LeMons ’06. If you can get past that, then the event just might provide you the weekend of motorized mayhem to fill that gaping void in your life. The event goes from July 7-8, or until the last drop of oil is ejected onto the track, whichever comes first.
Photo courtesy of Evil Engineering.
UPDATE: The wacky guys at Mitsubishi have actually entered a factory effort, albeit one ensconced in fur. First MOD, now this. We are really liking these guys!
Image courtesy of Autoblog, who is live blogging the event and inhaling lungfuls of blue smoke.
While digging through my computer this morning, I stumbled across a folder containing a short interview and some photos of an old friend’s 260Z. Back around 2003, a friend and I decided to try our hand at creating a news site for cars – I think this was before the likes of AutoBlog.com had hit the scene, so it seemed like a good idea! Anyway, the first thing I did was call a friend from school and organise an interview about his 260Z. So now, in its unadulterated, unedited original form, here’s that same crappy interview, and all three photos!
Ken and Mary are just a happy young Japanese couple who love nature, painting, and their Nissan Skyline. They are characters in one of the country’s most famous ad campaigns of all time, and the couple just couldn’t be more thrilled to walk amongst tall grass, prop up an easel to paint a snow-capped mountain, and hawk the C110 Skyline, as seen in this 1972 commercial. Recently, in celebration of the Skyline’s 50th anniversary and release of the latest generation of Skyline (known in the US as the Infiniti G37), Nissan sent an example of just such a sedan from their factory in Yokohama to the exact tree used in many of the Ken and Mary adverts in Hokkaido.
There are different levels of car restoration, I think most folks would agree. You can buy an old beater and, you know, fix the things that have suffered over time. Cut out the rust where you can easily get to it, replace and repair the busted things that stand out like lights and dents in the body. Perhaps respray it in its original colour, so it looks new but doesn’t cost as much as a whole new colour.
Then you’ve got the more hardcore enthusiasts like this guy. They fall into the “As New just isn’t good enough” category, and it really shows in their work. No stone is left unturned – and no component left as it was – in the types of projects these fellas turn their hands to.
Just looking at this Celica, you can tell you’re moments away from mortgaging the house in order to offer this guy whatever he wants for his car. When you see the state this RA29 was in before “1977RA29” got his hands on it, the shock will be even more pronounced.
Jump over to ShorelineRacing.com for his progress blog and a bevy of photos.
Many moons ago, drag racers actually bore a greater resemblance to the street cars they were built off of than a Black & Decker 9.6V Cyclonic Dustbuster, and privateers could compete and win with nothing but self-named machines that bore few, if any, sponsor logos. As Japanese cars gained popularity in the late 70s, some quarter milers gave them the funny car treatment as well. One such racer was Chuck Etchells, who campaigned the “Future Force” Datsun 280ZX, a picture of which we stumbled upon on draglist.com sporting a towering blower whose height is matched only by the ten-gallon hat on the Yosemite Sam impersonator in the background. According to the site, “Chuck was one of the few to escape the little known Datsun curse. Like the Corvette Curse, almost every Datsun bodied funny car crashed.” His best time was a 6.17 at 227 mph.
Click here or a trip down memory lane, or if you wish to see an elongated Plymouth Sapporo. The choice is yours.
Popular Japanese language classic JDM magazine Nostalgic Hero have pulled out their 50 best classic JDM cars, and it’s a list to be proud of. The one thing that surprised me though, was the very conspicuous absence of the RA series Toyota Celicas. What’s up with that? Something that presented no surprise at all though, was the car at the top of the list.
1. Datsun Skyline KPGC10
2. Toyota 2000GT
3. Datsun Fairlady Z S30 Z432
4. Datsun Skyline Ken&Mary GT-R KPGC110
5. Honda S800m
We spent a rainy Independence Day with Dan Banks, Datsun fanatic, Z Car Club of America historian, and owner of a mint ’71 240Z, a 1990 300ZX Turbo, and the oldest known Datsun truck in private hands, which happens to be a 1938 Fire Truck. Dan has an incredible collection of pre-war Datsun memorabilia that ranges from newspaper ads to a leaping rabbit hood ornament. We are also proud to report that the truck’s services weren’t needed during this year’s festivities and all of our fingers remain attached. Look for an article soon.
Happy Fourth of July!
While browsing the JNC forums, I came across a posted Japanese video about the history of the Nissan Skyline. I’m not sure how much detail they go into – it’s tough to say, since it’s all in Japanese – but the one universal language for the car world is as clear in this video as it is in any other: the classic Skyline is a treasure. While I’m sure grandJDM’s Lachy would get a kick out of this video from the very start, the real fun for me begins at about 3:34 when we’re treated to the sound of an L28 revving hard in park. Moving forward to about 4:12, and we see the car flying down the road. The moment it steps out from behind a truck and shoots past the camera is a heavenly scene!
There’s a lot more from there, and newer Skylines too – when you see the boso style C110 (and its crazy gear stick), you’ll laugh and love it all at once – so Jump on over to YouTube to check it out.
In 1970, the Corolla became the second best selling car in the world. Now, 37 years later, it’s the best selling car of all time – no doubt courtesy of the reputation of the Corollas of the 70s. So let’s head back to that classic time, and check out Arnel Ilog’s TE27 Corolla – popularly referred to as a “Mango”!
In our travels around the net today, we stumbled across the Vintage Skyline Owners Club, a Japanese club devoted specifically to the “hakosuka” (ハコスカ) model – the KPGC10. Hakosuka is a popular name for the C10 among its fans, with “Hako” meaning box, while “Suka” is short for the word skyline – its full spelling being スカイライン; Sukairain. Which, when you pronounce it properly, is obviously a transliteration of its English counterpart. And so ends today’s lesson in Japanese (not that we know much of it)!
Of special interest on the Skyline Owners Club website is the gallery, giving a bit of an insight into what your average gathering of classic JDM fans in Japan looks like. Check it out!
The press release about the 2007 Mitsubishi Owner’s Day has dropped, inviting Mitsu owners from all over the continent to converge on their headquarters in Cypress, CA.
Although Evos and Eclipses comprised most of last year’s 700 cars, the organizers (Mitsubishi Research & Design) are bringing out some historic cars from the company’s portfolio this year, including the 1974 Lancer GSR 1600 Safari Rally car, a Mitsubishi 500, and Paris-Dakar winning Pajero (Montero).
The event kicks off at 10:00 AM on July 14. Check out footage from 2006’s event here.
No no, we’re not talking about Japanese porn – though if you shoot us an email, we can point you in the right direction (kidding!). No, our friends over at TheDriftScene.com have dug deep and pulled out five sweet pages of classic JDM photos for your private-time pleasure. From boso style through to faithfully restored gans (“good as new” – I totally just made that acronym up!), there’s a hot selection to get you through the day. Well, at least ten minutes.
Jump on over to TheDriftScene.com to check it out.
Incidentally, the image we’ve used for this post is an illustration by the infamous Dangeruss, one of the best automotive and technical artists you’ve never heard of.
Andy’s first car was a Suzuki Swift “Xtreme”. It was silver with yellow stickers down the side proclaiming the car’s “Xtreme”ness. It was a good little car, but even before he got it home from the dealer he was thinking about what his next car would be. Fast-forward five-odd years and Andy couldn’t be driving a more different car! Ironically, it came from the same car dealership but that is where the similarities end.
No major update today, other than this badass little photochop of a C110 squashed into a chibi version of itself! We’re guessing they simply cut out the wheels and anything else they wanted to keep the same size, then squashed the body and put the wheels back in place. Very cool, very clever! The larger version can be seen by clicking the “Continue” link.
We’re always on the lookout for interesting JDM classics for sale – and today we have an especially unique car for sale in New South Wales, Australia. Steve’s “RB30ZED” is a famously (in Z circles) straight, clean and otherwise simply perfect modified 240Z. Unfortunately it’s time for the car to go after 22 years of ownership.
The price is something of a talking point. Surely a Z so modified & pristine is worth this much – or is it? Yes S30’s are appreciating but this is due to them being more widely seen as a collector car. Modified cars in this case tend not to see the same skyrocketing prices as original, unmolested cars. Do you think this particular car is worth the price? Would you rather an pristine original Z or a modified one?
There are thousands of beautiful old skool JDM cars out there – you only need to look at the photos from the various events and shows around the world. But, of course, getting in touch with the owners is another thing all together.
So, if you own a great example of a classic JDM car – whether it’s a sports car or a saloon, or even a truck! – and would like to see your car featured here at grandJDM, send us an email to discuss it. We’re ideally looking for cars older than 1980, but we’re happy to discuss the possibilities for especially great examples of 80s JDM too.
Old School Toyz, as you’ve no doubt guessed by now, is a website dedicated to old school Toyotas, from the 60s through to the 80s. While we don’t focus as much on the 80s yet here at grandJDM, we’ve got no shortage of love and envy for the bevy of gorgeous classic Toyos featured on this site. Head over and check it out!
Do not adjust your screen. If you’ve been noticing some screwy behavior in the blog, it’s just because we are in the process of tweaking the look and feel of the site right now. We will return to your regularly scheduled website shortly.
Ok, so this warning about various municipalities putting modified cars into the crusher may be only tangentially relevant to owners of Japanese classics, seeing as how many of our cars are not even capable of breaking the speed limit (or even leaving the driveway, for that matter). Still, for those of you rolling old school with a 4AG or SR20 swap, we offer this public service announcement.
Last week, police from inland So-Cal counties crushed six modified cars used for allegedly containing stolen parts. In the LA Times example, Charles Hoang had the receipts to the transmission of his 350hp ’94 Integra, but the fuzz deemed it stolen and examples had to be made, so Hoang’s car was scrapyarded. Ontario (that’s CA (which means California)) Police Cpl. Jeff Higgins and clever punner says, “We’re making a dent” in street racing activity. According to the article this amounts to a roundabout attempt to curb racing, because such cars are run hard, which means they need more frequent repairs, which will more likely result in the use of stolen parts. Rube Goldberg, eat your heart out.
Not to be outdone, Ontario (Canada, this time) Attorney General Michael Bryant has warned that just plain modifying a car with speed parts is cause for a crushing, says the Toronto Star. We’ve heard Canada was socialist, but come on! Says Bryant: “Just on the balance of probabilities if we can establish that a car is being used for the unlawful purpose of street racing, we will seize it and you will never see it again,” which means that if your car even looks like it could be used for illegal racing, it’s toast. He even likened speed shops to bomb factories. Yes folks, fear of death by bomb is the new Nazi comparison.
Source [autoblog.com]
