Of all companies, Toyota just might be the one to save the manuals. The future may look bleak for many enthusiast-oriented automotive technologies, but Toyota has just revealed that it is indeed working on a manual transmission for an upcoming sports car flagship. Perhaps even crazier, it’s actually Lexus that’s working on it, even though the division hasn’t made a stick shift car in 10 years. Continue reading
QotW: What car will go extinct in the next five years?
Stylish. Powerful. Affordable. These are attributes that typically make a very desirable car. Unfortunately, it also transforms them into dirtbag magnets. Once noble motorcars like the Infiniti G35 are now, at least in southern California, most often seen in various states of clappedness weaving through traffic like an Altima on a doughnut spare and steroids. At the current rate of attrition we think it’s unlikely there’ll be any garage-worthy examples left by 2028, but we hope we’re wrong.
What car will go extinct in the next five years?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What does your car cleaning regimen consist of?“. Continue reading
The Subaru Legacy Sport Sedan is a hidden turbocharged gem
It’s hard to believe now, but in the early 1990s Subaru’s formula of turbocharged engines in sharp-handling, all-wheel-drive compact sedans was a strange and novel concept. Among the earliest Subies to fit that mold was the turbo 1991 Legacy Sports Sedan. Yes, that was the official name, and it preceded all the WRXes that ended up overshadowing it. Continue reading
NISMO is planning an electrified Nissan GT-R replacement
Nissan apparently has a GT-R successor in the works, says a new report out of the UK. It has no name yet, but will take the GT-R’s spot as a NISMO-fied top-dog of Nissan’s lineup. The flagship is seen as a necessary step to maintain Nissan’s performance cred in Europe, which has stricter emissions standards that has rendered the new Nissan Z un-sellable there. Continue reading
Cry for what Mitsubishi’s Ralliart division has become
Mitsubishi has rebooted its Ralliart brand, the name once synonymous with Lancer Evolution rally cars and Dakar dominance. As a new video shows, the works team once responsible for world-beating motorsports development has now been demoted to hawking mudflaps, decals and stick-on items straight out of aisle two at Pep Boys. Continue reading
Posted in motorsports, News
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Bruce Canepa’s FJ Company Land Cruiser has nostalgic looks, supercharged Tacoma engine
Bruce Canepa is no stranger to amazing cars. The ex-race car driver owns a literal museum and dealer showroom of Porsches, Nissans, and Trans-Am era race cars. He’s a constant at the Monterey Historics and has raced in everything from IMSA to the Pikes Peak hillclimb. He also happens to be an owner and dealer for the FJ Company’s drool-worthy Toyota Land Cruiser resto-mods. Continue reading
Mazda might be merging the Miata and RX-7 into a single sports car heritage
Mazda surprised the world last week when it snuck images of a sleek sports car into an otherwise mundane briefing about its plans to electrify. At first glance it struck us as a potential design direction for the next Miata, but upon closer inspection it exhibits shades of the RX-7 as well. It seems Mazda is mashing together the Miata and RX-7 into a unified sports car heritage. Continue reading
Posted in News, subaru
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Barn find FD Mazda RX-7 R2 with 8,800 miles washed for the first time in 23 years
Since it’s Car Wash Day in Japan, we thought it was only appropriate to share this video of an amazing barn find FD Mazda RX-7 washed for the first time in over two decades. According to the video by WD Detailing, the owner bought the RX-7 new in 1994 and accrued 8,800 miles on the odometer. Apparently he got spooked by the car after going 140 mph (!). Scared for his life — maybe for what the car would tempt him to do — he parked the twin-turbo rotary and never drove it again. Continue reading
Posted in Video
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QotW: What does your car cleaning regimen consist of?
We hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving long weekend last week. Perhaps you were able to get some quality time with your car because today, November 28, is Car Wash Day in Japan. In fact, it’s one of two Car Wash Days, the other one being April 28. In Japanese, the numbers 1128 and 428 can be read as a homonym for the phrase “high luster” or “high gloss”. Here in southern California, it’s necessary to wash, clay, and wax twice a year to protect the paint, as the harsh sun tends to pulverize the clear coat and discolor plastics. That, and buying a whole ‘nother car that you don’t care about as a daily beater.
What does your car cleaning regimen consist of?
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 childhood road trip memory?“. Continue reading
Art exhibition celebrating Initial D creator Shuichi Shigeno opens in Japan
An art exhibition in Japan has opened to honor 40 years of art by Shuichi Shigeno, the author of Initial D. Long before the tale of a tofu delivery boy street racing his beloved Toyota AE86 hit the newsstands, Shigeno’s first manga was published in 1983. That makes 2023 the 40th anniversary of his illustrious (no pun intended) career, and the retrospective focuses on the three series Shigeno is most known for. Continue reading
Mazda Vision Study Model teases stunning next-gen Miata
Mazda is teasing car enthusiasts with a low-slung sports car design that could portend the next Miata. The Mazda Vision Study Model was buried in a mid-term plan outlining an $11 billion push toward electrification. Reading between the lines it seems almost certain that the next Miata will be a hybrid, but maybe it really will look this good. Continue reading
QotW: What’s your favorite childhood road trip memory?
The holiday season is upon us, and that means a lot of traveling to visit family and friends. Some of our earliest experiences of automotive adventures are sitting in the back of the family station wagon, in the days before seat belt laws, and going on what seemed like never-ending car rides across states to visit relatives. Perhaps the prevalence of screens on such drives might be one reason why the younger generation has less interest in cars, but in the days before smart phones or headrest-mounted screens we looked for cool cars in interstate traffic and alphabets in road signs to keep ourselves occupied. Studying mom and dad operate the controls and buttons on the dash gave us an appreciation for the machinery. These were good times.
What’s your favorite childhood road trip memory?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Why aren’t there more good looking cars?“. Continue reading
Hayashi Racing debuts finned rear drums for classic Nissans
Hayashi Racing has announced a new product that is sure to be of interest to kyusha owners. These gorgeous rear brake drums are now available for Nissans of the late-60s and 1970s era. The aluminum drums are finned to help dissipate heat, but look beautifully period as well. Continue reading
Posted in Product Guide
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Mazda debuts Roadster Brown Top Edition in Japan
Mazda has released a new special edition Roadster in Japan. The Brown Top Edition debuts a new color to the ND, Zircon Sand Metallic, that looks kind of like a modern take on 90s champagne gold. As you can probably guess, the Brown Top Edition has a brown top, along with a few other exclusive bits. Continue reading
Suzuki’s decision to crush its MotoGP bikes explains a lot
Earlier this month Suzuki won the Valencia Grand Prix, the last MotoGP race of 2022, but it was a bittersweet victory. With this win, Suzuki is closing the books on its decades-long participation in MotoGP, the premier motorcycle racing series in the world. And as Suzuki’s racing program draws to a close, it’s going to crush its bikes and associated parts. Continue reading
Mitsubishi Starion’s first wash in 26 years is extremely satisfying
The Mitsubishi Starion might look like a boxy, uncomplicated car to clean from afar. But all those straight lines must intersect in corners, and those many little nooks can be a real pain to keep spotless. Most 80s cars are like that, especially on the inside with the myriad buttons and crevices, and especially when you let one sit for 26 years in a damp garage in the northeast. Continue reading
QotW: Why aren’t there more good looking cars?
One time I was explaining to my non-car guy friend how there are entire schools specializing in automotive design. Car companies spend millions on every visual detail, like picking just the right shade of red. And everyone knows that buying a car is, for many, an emotional decision, and that a beautiful shape can dupe unsuspecting consumers to buy a car that’s otherwise crap. My friend was confused, and it was warranted. His exasperated response:
Why aren’t there more good looking cars?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What automotive dreams would you fulfill with $1.9 billion?” Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
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Japan’s supercar booms, a brief history
Exotic machinery has long been popular in Japan, but the country has had two notable supercar booms in its history. It could now be on the brink of a third, thanks to a perfect storm of unprecedented factors. According to a Bloomberg report, sales of cars with price tags greater than ¥20 million ($136,000 USD) have increased 64 percent this year compared to 2021, and last year sales increased by 75 percent from the year prior. Continue reading
Enkei RPF1RS now available in 18-inch sizes
It’s been 20 years since the release of the Enkei RPF1, a timeless racing wheel for Bubble Era cars. The super lightweight design has its roots in Formula 1 racing, but its consumer version has for two decades been one of the go-to wheels for street cars. The deeper RPF1RS variant, which has an extra step in the lip, has thus far only been available in 15-inch sizes, but Enkei has just released a new variation of the classic in 18-inch diameters. Continue reading
Initial D Toyota AE86 gets schooled by GR86 again, with a different master behind the wheel
In January a series of commercials for the 2022 Toyota GR86 reunited it with the famous Initial D AE86. In those commercials tofu delivery boy Takumi is defeated by none other than the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya (or at least an animated version of him). In a completely different series of ads playing overseas, Takumi is once again schooled, but by a different master. Who else could out-drive our touge prodigy? Continue reading
