The Toyota AE86 is finally getting immortalized in a highly detailed 1:8-scale model kit. Specifically, it’s a weekly subscription kit by DeAgostini in which parts will be mailed to the subscriber every seven days for over two years. At the end of that patience-testing run, they’ll be treated to a replica of a 1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno that measures over 20 inches long. Continue reading
The Toyota GR Corolla debuted in Japan today, but the event was perhaps imbued with a different meaning than the US launch. Turns out, it’s the culmination of a years-long effort by company President Akio Toyoda to make the Corolla interesting again. “Because it is a beloved car by so many people,” Toyoda said, “I don’t want it to become a commodity.” Continue reading
Recently we got the chance to manhandle the 2023 Nissan Z. Nissan provided a base version, now called Sport, and an enthusiast’s version, called Performance. Most reviews have focused on the Performance trim, and rightly so. While the Performance is definitely the one to get, we couldn’t help noticing that the Sport had one of the best OEM wheel designs we’ve seen in the last decade. Continue reading
It has now been 90 years since the first vehicle to wear the Mitsubishi Fuso brand was built. The sub-brand’s lineup of heavy-duty trucks and buses has been part of Japan’s automotive landscape for nearly a century. While perhaps not as alluring as rally racers or turbocharged sports cars, countless Japanese had their first rides to school in a Fuso Rosa kindergarten bus, or have had their apartment towers built with the help of Fuso Super Great dump trucks. Continue reading
EXT. TRIAL MOUNTAIN CIRCUIT — DAY
The world’s best drivers are gathered at the track, prepping their machines for the bout. It’s an eclectic mix of cars: Toyota GT-One, NISMO Skyline GT-R LM GT1, TVR Cerbera LM, Vector M12 GT2, Renault Espace F1, and so on. The TEAM OWNER approaches the DRIVER in a panic.
TEAM OWNER: How can you be so calm!? Unless we place first, our season is done!
DRIVER: Don’t worry, I got this.
TEAM OWNER: Look, I took a chance on you. A week ago you were hopping hills in Seattle in a 1982 Toyota Starlet. What makes you think you can—
DRIVER: Three words.
The DRIVER swings open the door to an enclosed trailer. Gasps echo throughout the paddock. Sunlight falls on a bright red spoiler the size of picnic table.
DRIVER: Pikes Peak Escudo.
Last week it was revealed that Sony is developing a Gran Turismo TV show. This has the potential to be all sorts of bad. Or maybe really great. Whatever your take is, tell us what you think we’ll see in the serialized adaptation of “the real driving simulator”.
What should the plot of the Gran Turismo TV show be?
The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What is the ultimate Japanese car?“. Continue reading
It’s really hard to make a good video game movie. It’s also really hard to make a good car movie. None of this is going to stop Sony from trying to make a Gran Turismo TV show, though. Apparently, it’s one of several adaptations from popular PlayStation titles in the works as films or television series. Continue reading
Here comes Jerry with a new car! The Subaru Justy started out as a Subaru Rex kei car, enlarged in all dimensions and fitted with a bigger engine to compete in the 1-liter class in Japan. In America, it gave Subaru a fuel-efficient compact to fill out their slim portfolio. However, the Justy was probably most well-known for introducing to Americans the dreaded CVT, or continuously variable transmission. Continue reading
Prodrive has announced information on the mysterious car teased last week. Prodrive chairman David Richards described the impetus: “The original 22B Impreza is considered the most iconic of Subarus and highly sought after. We wanted to enhance everything that made that car so special by applying the very latest technology to create our own modern interpretation of a car that’s established a place in motoring history.” Continue reading
The Toyota 4Runner, or HiLux Surf as it’s known as in Japan, debuted in October 1983. In simplest terms, it was a a HiLux pickup with an extra row of seats and a fiberglass bed canopy on it. Now, for the 2023 model year, Toyota is celebrating four decades and over 4 million in sales of one of the most popular SUVs in history. Continue reading
For 55 years, a 1966 Isuzu BXD30 “bonnet” bus faithfully served the Iya Valley area of Tokushima Prefecture. The green and blue coach was a regular sight among locals as it snaked through the scenic mountain roads loaded with tourists. Sadly, in November 2021 its need for repairs became too overwhelming for its owners and the bus was finally retired. However, a crowdfunding campaign will soon launch so that the Isuzu can be restored. Continue reading
On May 23, 2002 Honda launched the NSX-R. It was the ultimate manifestation of Japan’s ultimate car at the time. It offered true racing technology in a production road car — carbon fiber body panels, flow-through aero creating negative lift downforce, and fully balanced crankshaft assembly from pulley to clutch. Despite its engineering accomplishments, there are faster, more expensive, more beautiful cars that can also claim the title of “ultimate”. Feel free to define the term however you wish, but…
What is the ultimate Japanese car?
The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Where do you want to travel, and with which car?“. Continue reading
Electric cars are all the rage today, but are by no means a new phenomenon. Electric Car Day in Japan was started by Yuasa, the Kyoto-based battery company. In the US, you might be familiar with Yuasa batteries if you own a motorcycle. Yuasa was founded 105 years ago, in 1917, when founder Genzo Shimazu developed the first lead-acid batteries in Japan. According to the company, during the Meiji Era (1868–1912) cars powered by electricity were the most popular type in Japan, outnumbering all other types of propulsion. Continue reading
What you’re looking at is one of the rarest Nissan compact trucks ever sold. The Datsun 520 debuted in May 1965 with a two-headlight design beneath its sculpted fenders and hood. This generation was facelifted to a flat hood, quad headlight design in 1967, a look that remained for 5 years until the 620 arrived in 1972. We’ve seen far more 320s than 520s, and LHD ones are even rarer. So if you should ever come across one, just know that it’s a rare beast. Happy 520 Day from JNC!
Motorsport engineering firm Prodrive has issued a mysterious teaser on social media. The UK firm, known for their specialty and rally prepped Subarus, posted a simple image on Instagram yesterday showing the unmistakable silhouette of a GC Impreza with the code “P25” beneath it. Could this mean Prodrive is gearing up to launch a revived GC Impreza WRX STi? Continue reading
Last June, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Datsun 240Z’s victory at the 1971 Safari Rally, Nissan Europe imagined a Juke homage to the original. Despite convincing Photoshop renders, the car was not actually built. However, due to “overwhelmingly positive reaction” to the concept images, they went ahead and actually built it. Continue reading
Singer Khalid’s latest single, “Skyline” sounds just like the kind of hit that was tailor made to qualify for “song of the summer” status. It’s probably going to get a lot of radio play in the next few months. Turns out, it’s actually about Nissan’s all-wheel-drive supercar slayer. Continue reading
In 1991, while the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R was busy at home winning every single race in the All-Japan Touring Car Championships in a four-year span, it also took the time to win the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Built to N1 specifications and putting out an estimated 400 horsepower, the Zexel-liveried car beat a field of Porsche 911, BMW M3 Evo, and Ford Sierra Cosworth rivals to claim overall victory in the Belgian enduro. Now, Nissan is giving that Godzilla a thorough refresh. Continue reading
Today is Travel Day in Japan. The commemoration was started by the Tabi Pen Club of Japan, founded in 1962 to promote travel (members include inns, restaurants, and travel writers). The date was chosen because on May 16, 1689 the poet Matsuo Basho embarked on the journey that became his masterwork Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North), considered today one of Japan’s greatest pieces of literature. It’s inspired many to follow in his footsteps. In honor of that odyssey 333 years ago, describe your ultimate road trip, and the car you’d do it with.
Where do you want to travel, and with which car?
The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s the one tool you can’t live without?“. Continue reading
In 1969 Nissan forever changed the automotive world when it unleashed the Datsun 240Z. It upset the established performance machine order with a new breed of automobile — the everyday sports car. It offered better handling than muscle cars, more power than its rivals from Britain, and cost far less than the European exotics that were closest in spec. And as a bonus, it let the owner enjoy the act of driving on a daily basis if they wished, because it didn’t germinate a new mechanical or electrical malady every month. Now, just over 50 years later, as the internal combustion engine rides off into the sunset, Nissan has done it again with the new 2023 Z. Continue reading
Suzuka Circuit is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and still going strong as one of Japan’s premier tracks. Later this month, Round 3 of the 2022 SuperGT Championships will be held at there. To celebrate its birthday, Suzuka is bringing back three legendary racers from the JGTC heyday to run its 3.6 miles of twists and turns. Continue reading
