Japanese Nostalgic Car

It seemed like only yesterday but it was February 28, 2020 when the Geneva Motor Show was canceled. With millions in booth displays already spent and cars shipped from around the globe, the show was axed just four days before doors opened on March 3 due to the pandemic. All major international auto shows have had to cancel at least one (Detroit hasn’t been held in traditional form in almost three years) since then.

This past week the Los Angeles Auto Show opened, but it was a sad affair. Only 16 major brands had booths, compared to 31 in 2019. Many are predicting the death of the auto show. The dealer-run tire-kicking type will probably still exist, but the kind where OEMs flashily unveil breathtaking cars and the let the public view them on rotating turntables — the kind where many of us felt our first pangs of automotive love — is probably over.

What’s your fondest auto show memory?

The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your fondest memory of the Acura Integra?” Continue reading →

Recently, the Daihatsu HiJet received a lifetime achievement award from Japan’s top design institution. There haven’t been many cars to receive this honor. Past recipients have included the Nissan Cube and Toyota HiAce. While these vehicles are surely deserving, they’re just all so, well, practical. Sure, they’ve done a lot for the delivery drivers of Japan, but what about driver drivers? Certainly there is a car that evokes joy, elegance, refinement, or some other form of vehicular excellence. Cars are meant to be driven, and is carving a touge pass or carrying occupants in luxury not just as pure an expression of the automobile as cargo capacity?

For the purposes of this question we’ll adhere to the rules of the HiJet’s prize, the Good Design Long Life award. That means it will have to have been on the market for more than 10 years (multiple generations are okay) and must endure in some way as a marker of Japan.

What JNC should receive a lifetime achievement award for design?

The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Tell us you’re a JNC owner without telling us you own a JNC.” Continue reading →

The JNC life is a hard one. There’s a lot to deal with when you drive an old car, so let’s commiserate with each other by playing the Tell Me Challenge, in which you tell your fellow travelers what it’s like to own an old Japanese car without actually saying that.  For instance, “I have enough parts stashed away to build a second example of my car,” or, “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I look at Bring a Trailer,” or, “People always ask me what year Mustang I’m driving.”

Tell us you’re a JNC owner without telling us you own a JNC.

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 car enthusiast tourist thing you must do before you die?”. Continue reading →