The Lexus SC is probably, to this day, still one of Toyota’s best-looking cars. It was the Supra you could take to the opera, built upon the same chassis that spawned the legendary JZA80, but grander, more civilized, and fitted with a sharper suit. However, the SC presented a vicious buyers’ dilemma. Go with the V8-powered but automatic-only SC400, or the manual-equipped but less powerful 6-cylinder SC300? Continue reading
Forty years ago today, on September 26, 1982 Knight Rider debuted on NBC. As much as I hate to admit it, the show played a seminal role in my love for cars. The reason I hate to admit it is because, well, the show was objectively ridiculous. The screenshot above is from a first season episode in which Michael and KITT enter an alternative fuel race to root out a saboteur. It was a funny episode because the race included an “electric” Porsche, a “solar” Mustang, a “propane-powered” Datsun 200SX as the Japanese entry, and a not-so-subtle jab at that other jumping car show in the form of a “moonshine-powered” orange Charger (which gets blown up, naturally). Despite its terrible writing, what could be cooler to a grade school kid than a talking Firebird Trans-Am that could fly through the air, reach 200 mph, and be your best friend?
What TV series or movie fueled your love for cars?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What will happen to classics after the EV revolution?” Continue reading
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced yesterday that Japan would remove caps on international travelers and visa restrictions on countries such as the US in three weeks’s time. That effectively means Japan will allow tourists back in starting October 11. However, if you can’t wait that long to visit Nissan’s Zama Heritage Collection, the company has conducted another virtual video tour. Continue reading
Monday, September 19, was Respect for the Aged Day in Japan. To mark the occasion Kinto, a car sharing service, held a survey to ask drivers of three generations about their motoring habits, including what their dream cars were when they were in their 20s. It should be no surprise that the Nissan Skyline topped the lists, but here are the detailed results. Continue reading
On September 20 an unveiling ceremony was held at Shibaura Institute of Technology, one of Tokyo’s most prestigious engineering universities, for one of Nissan’s oldest prodcution vehicles. The 1937 Datsun Type 16 sedan is now part of the school’s permanent collection, donated by an alumnus earlier this year. Continue reading
A company in Japan will soon start making brand new SR20 engines. While they’re not technically from Nissan, like the remade Skyline GT-R parts and NISMO gauge clusters are, the motors are being made with Nissan’s blessing. Mercury Enterprise, a used car dealership chain that sponsors a D1 drift team, is the firm behind the project. Continue reading
Automakers, governments, and Elon Musk are all pushing the industry headlong into electric cars. There are pros and cons to EVs, but whether you see them as Betamax or VHS, it doesn’t really matter. The industry seems like it’s headed in that direction and there’s probably no turning back. What we’re here to ask is:
What will happen to classics after the EV revolution?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How have video games affected your passion for cars?” Continue reading
By now JNC readers are probably familiar with large-scale subscription model kits. Iconic cars like the Nissan Skyline GT-R or Toyota AE86 are common subject matter, with a few pieces mailed to you each week over a period of about two years. In the end you’ll have an approximately 2-foot model of a single car. But what if you want a whole collection of tiny historic Japanese cars instead? Well, one of the companies that kicked off the modern subscription model trend has got you covered. Continue reading
When considering the list of 6-figure Japanese cars, the Mazda RX-4 isn’t typically a chart topper. When new it was considered too heavy for its rotary engine, especially compared to its RX-3 and RX-2 stablemates. But man, it was a looker, especially as a 2-door coupe. They’re rare, too, which is perhaps why dealer in Australia is offering an eye-wateringly beautiful original example for the equally eye-watering price of $149,950 AUD ($101,165 USD). Continue reading
Almost exactly 40 years ago, on September 15, 1982, the movie Assassin was released in Japan. The plot was loosely based on the Setouchi Seajack Incident of 1970, one of the country’s most notorious hostage situations at the time. In the dramatized version, a suspect takes a Toyota Corona taxi, leading police cars on a thrilling chase through the narrow streets of Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture. Continue reading
Sixty years ago, the Sprigg family made history as the first to cross Australia’s Simpson Desert in a motorized vehicle. That vehicle was a G60 Nissan Patrol, a four-wheel-drive rival to the Toyota Land Cruiser. The Spriggs made the 12-day trek with no maps, GPS or radio, only a bare minimum of supplies and a 200-liter (53 gal) drum of fuel in the back. Continue reading
Today, September 12, is National Video Game Day. For many car enthusiasts, especially of Japanese machines, the cultural reach of video games has been instrumental to the hobby. Whether you’re into cars we’d otherwise never see on the streets, the world of highway and touge battles, the physics and traditions of customization, or building a dream garage, games have offered those opportunities
How have video games affected your passion for cars?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Which JNC looks best in black?” Continue reading
As iconic as the Nissan Z is, remarkably little is known in English-speaking countries about its motorsports history. In the US, the American-spec Datsun 240Z is best remembered, and deservedly so, for its SCCA victories. But while names like Peter Brock, John Morton, and Bob Sharp were conquering American road racing, the Nissan mothership in Japan was in the midst of an all-out assault on international rallying. Continue reading
You might think that a 1990 Mazda Miata with only 1,500 miles on the odometer would not need a thorough detailing. Especially when that Miata was lovingly cared for by its original owner and is so “new” that even its convertible top had never once been put down. Well, you’d be wrong. Continue reading
In 1969 Shougo Asada, 24 years old at the time, bought his first car. a KE10 Toyota Corolla. Now he’s 77 and still driving that same Corolla. Under Asada-san’s care, the car has traveled 563,632 km, or 350,225 miles. But soon, the one-owner car will have a new home. Continue reading
Today, September 6, is Black Day in Japan. A number of businesses producing black goods promote their wares on this day, so it’s a good day to wear black clothes, eat black Kagoshima pork, or indulge your inner goth. It’s a pun on the Japanese pronunciation of 9 (kyu) and 6 (roku), which together sounds like kuro (black). Black also happens to be a near universal paint option for cars from the Black Limited AE86 to the Toyota Century. For most of the 60s and 70s few non-sedan models came in black, but we would take a 240Z in black over almost any factory color. It instantly transforms the car from a happy, fun sports car into a sinister midnight prowler.
Which JNC looks best in black?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “If you could only drive cars from one marque, what would it be?“. Continue reading
We’ve been attending Toyotafest every year since JNC started in 2006, and it’s consistently one of our favorite events. Last year was the 25th Toyotafest, which means the show itself is now old enough to wear historic plates, buy collector car insurance, and (if it were JDM) could be imported in the US. Not only that, but Toyotafest is the second-oldest continuously running Japanese car show in the US (Z-Con is the first), and the oldest continuously running Toyota show in the world. We thought this would be a good time to speak with some of the original members of TORC, the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club, about how the show got started. Continue reading
Yesterday, August 31, was the final day for the Daikanransha, the 377-foot ferris wheel that was one of the many attractions by Toyota’s MegaWeb showroom. When it opened in headier times in 1999, it was the tallest ferris wheel in the world, a forecast of the good times to come. Now the final vestige of Tokyo’s hub for all things Toyota will close for good just as Toyota announces its plans for MegaWeb’s replacement. Continue reading
The Toyota Automobile Museum has shared some images of one of the rarest and most seldom seen cars from its collection, the 1960 Toyopet Crown Custom Sports. The hand-built car was the first attempt at a coach-built car from Japan. The museum’s example is one of just five built, and the only one known to have survived. Continue reading
NISMO has begun selling reproduction gauge clusters for the Silvia S15, Skyline R34, and Skyline GT-R BNR34 models. Note that these are not the OEM Nissan units, but actual NISMO aftermarket ones that would have been in-period upgrades for these cars. All of them have been out of production for a number of years. This also marks the first time Silvia reproduction parts have been made available. Continue reading
