Sonny Chiba, who passed away earlier this month, was synonymous with the Toyota Carina in Japan. For two decades the action star appeared in Carina commercials, and drove Carinas in real life (provided by Toyota, of course). However, there was a brief period in the early 1970s during which Chiba could be found behind the wheel of a Carina competitor, the Mitsubishi Galant GTO. Continue reading
Sonny Chiba gave the Mitsubishi Galant GTO a star turn in Key Hunters
Posted in JNC Theater
Tagged colt galant, crown, datsun, fairlady roadster, galant gto, Key Hunter, mitsubishi, ms51, toyota
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VIDEO: The 1991 Toyota Land Cruiser was ahead of its time
No one could’ve known when the J80 Land Cruiser was released just how insane the SUV market would become. And we’re not talking about the popularity of Toyota 4Runners and Ford Explorers that helped killed off sports cars like the Mazda RX-7 and Toyota Supra. We’re talking about today, when vintage 4x4s are shooting up in price and everyone and their mother is going off-grid to do the overlanding and vanlife thing. Continue reading
QotW: Why do you love (or hate) the Fast & Furious movies?
We have to admit, the car in the photo above, which is featured in the latest Custom Car magazine, is kind of cool. Obviously, it’s a homage to the Supra from the original The Fast & the Furious, which leads us to this week’s question.
We’ve been doing the Japanese car thing for a long time, and one thing that has persistently baffled us is the continued popularity of the Fast & Furious franchise. And we’re not talking about the general public who can’t tell a manifold from a hubcap. Over the years we’ve met a lot of car guys, who can do miraculous things like weld together an entire subframe or set the engine timing by ear, guys who should know better, yet still adore these movies. Personally, it’s hard for me to sit through even 10 minutes of these cringe-fests. Is it a matter of so bad it’s good, just taking it as mindless entertainment, or do people really like the car content?
Why do you love (or hate) the Fast & Furious movies?
The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What would you like to know about the new Z?” Continue reading
Acura files for Integra Type S trademark
Acura has filed for a trademark for the name “Integra Type S”. It’s been just two weeks since they melted the internet by surprise-announcing the return of the Integra nameplate in 2022, and now they’ve taken the additional step of appending the Type S sport performance moniker to it. Continue reading
Happy National Dog Day from JNC
There once was a time when the nose of a Honda was lower than the eye-line of a medium-large dog. Maybe there’s some weird camera angle thing going on here, but the truth is not too far off. It’s no wonder they were known for excellent visibility (the car, that is). Happy National Dog Day from JNC.
Mitsubishi revives Dakar Pajero livery for Rebelle Rally
Mitsubishi has never had great marketing in the US. They never really leaned into their illustrious rally heritage to promote vehicles like the Pajero. Now they’re reviving a historically significant Dakar Rally livery to compete in a modern rally. Well, better late than never, we suppose. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged Dakar Rally, mitsubishi, Outlander, pajero, Rebelle Rally
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Sonny Chiba, actor, action hero, Toyota spokesman, 1939—2021
Legendary Japanese action hero Sonny Chiba died on August 19 of pneumonia resulting from a COVID-19 infection. Known for his on-screen tough-guy persona, he often played martial arts masters, samurai, and yakuza. The actor in such films as The Street Fighter, Hunter in the Dark and, more recently, The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift, had an illustrious career in Japan, where he was also a singer, stuntman trainer, and Toyota spokesman. Continue reading
The Toyota Celica Supra and Mazda RX-7 make amazing transforming robots
You will soon be able to get highly detailed toys of two iconic Japanese sports coupes that transform into robots. Incredibly faithful to the 1980s Transformers they’re paying homage to, these recreations have super realistic automobile likenesses. However, due to licensing reasons, the Mazda RX-7 and Toyota Celica Supra cannot be called Transformers, even though that’s they’re clearly what they are. Continue reading
Posted in minicars
Tagged a60, ferrari, Leonardo Fioravanti, Matasaburo Maeda, mazda, Pininfarina, rx-7, sa22c, supra, toyota, transformers, XTransbots, Yukihiko Yaguchi
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QotW: What would you like to know about the new Z?
Nissan is giving us the opportunity to see the new production Z in person this week. This will be an indoor viewing so we won’t be able to drive the car, but anything else is fair game. Ask a question, and we’ll try to get some answers for you. The earlier you can submit your question in the comments below, the better. We’ll try to answer as many as possible.
What would you like to know about the new Nissan Z?
The best comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What are your hopes for the reborn Acura Integra?” Continue reading
A rare 1941 Kurogane Model 1 fire trike is being restored in Russia
A motorcycle museum in Russia is painstakingly restoring a very rare Kurogane Model 1 fire trike. Believed to be the only surviving example, it was uncovered in decrepit state in Malaysia, where it fought fires after being exported from Japan. Continue reading
Why the 2023 Nissan Z is still a Z34, not a Z35
Before we knew what the newly launched 2023 Nissan Z would be named, we’d been calling it the Z35. That seemed like a natural progression, as Nissan chassis codes have maintained a consistent and logical progression since the big revamp in the early 1980s. However, a Nissan representative has confirmed that the new Z will in fact not have a Z35 chassis code, but continue on as the Z34, the same chassis code as the 370Z. Why? Continue reading
The 2023 Nissan Z might just be the last pure sports car from Japan
Front engined, rear-wheel-drive. Twin turbos. Manual transmission. It’s everything fans of Japanese sports cars have been demanding for years. The Miata and 86 are too underpowered? The Z has 400 horses. Subaru BRZ needs a turbo? The Z has two of ’em. Supra doesn’t come in a manual? The Z has six speeds. Mazda needs to build an RX-9? The Z, despite all odds, actually exists. You might have just watched the launch of the last pure FR, internal-combustion, stick-shift Japanese sports car in history. Continue reading
Watch the Nissan Z35’s big reveal live right here
The production seventh-generation Nissan Z debuts tonight. They’re also streaming it on YouTube, and we’ve embedded link below. The big unveiling starts at 8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific. Continue reading
Nicholas Cage drives a bugeye Celica in this bizarre Japanese movie
There’s a new trailer out for Prisoners of the Ghostland, a bizarre looking movie that takes place in some kind of Japanese Bartertown. It stars Nicholas Cage and, frankly, looks terrible, but there are at least some notable cars in it. Cage, for example, seems to have a bugeye Toyota Celica as his main ride. Continue reading
Posted in JNC Theater
Tagged celica, dekotora, HG50, luce, mazda, nissan, president, toyota
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VIDEO: Your all-Toyota garage in 1989 needs nothing else
Toyota was on a roll in 1989, with three revised or all-new models that are all highly desirable today. If you bought the entire trio of Cressida, Supra, and Truck you’d have a vehicle for every situation right at your fingertips and need nothing else in your garage. They’d all be worth a pretty penny today, too. Continue reading
QotW: What are your hopes for the reborn Acura Integra?
Late last week Acura dropped the news bomb about the rebirth of the Integra. No details about the car were given other than 1.) the name was coming back, and 2.) it would have a debossed logo like the beloved 1994-2001 sport coupe. However, that name carries a lot of weight, and any time such a revered name is invoked expectations will be high. We don’t think Acura is dumb enough to pull a Mitsubishi, but there are still many directions this could go in.
What are your hopes for the reborn Acura Integra?
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 ideal touge weapon?” Continue reading
The Nissan Z Proto looks very promising in person
After what seems like an eternity Nissan is finally giving us a new Z. The Z Proto concept that will was revealed last year has gotten many of us here at JNC excited about the seventh-gen Z, and many fans have expressed to us their excitement as well. A while back Nissan granted us an opportunity to see the Z Proto in person, and what we saw is quite promising. Continue reading
The Acura Integra will return in 2022
Last time we checked, today isn’t April Fool’s, but apparently Acura is going to revive the Integra in 2022. That’s right, the 90s Tuner Era darling, perhaps even the platonic ideal of a sport compact, will be making a comeback next year. Continue reading
VIDEO: The E90 Toyota Corolla offered 16-valve power to the masses
It’s really amazing what we take for granted in cars today. Back in 1988, Toyota extended its market dominance by offering multi-valve technology on a humble four-cylinder Corolla. That doesn’t seem like a big deal now, but was a small revolution in the highly contested compact sedan class of the 80s. Add a roomy cabin and sleek (at least compared to the outgoing E80 Corolla sedan) styling, and it’s no wonder the E90 Corolla was such a sales success. Continue reading
VIDEO: Mazda UK Celebrates MX-5 Special Editions
The Mazda Miata has had a ton of special editions over the years, and we’re talking just the US models. When you account for all the Miatas sold in all the different markets around the world, their numbers are seemingly countless. To help us along, Mazda UK has released a trio of videos celebrating that country’s exclusive special editions of the world’s best selling roadster. Continue reading
