We’ve been very concerned with the Toyota Crown recently. It has been rough times for the nearly 70-year history of Japan’s staple sedan. We recently learned that, at the Shanghai Auto Show, Toyota debuted the Crown Kluger SUV, a lightly disguised Highlander that will succeed the Crown sedan in China. That has been followed up by a second Crown-badged car, a minivan. However, the Crown Vellfire feels like a bit of a salve on the insults and injuries that have been visited on the Crown name. Continue reading
A father-son Datsun 240Z story kicks off Nissan’s “StorieZ” videos
Nissan USA continues to embrace the Z’s heritage, with its new mini webisode series “StorieZ”. The inaugural episode tells the journey one special father-son Datsun 240Z project that has traveled from Southern California to Georgia to Tennessee and spanned four decades. Continue reading
Liberty Walk debuts S15 Silvia widebody with Super Silhouette throwback
The widebody wizards at Liberty Walk have done it again, and this time the subject is the S15 Nissan Silvia. Called the LB-Super Silhouette S15, the name is fitting, as it’s a direct callback to the Nichira Silvia Group 5 race car of the 1980s. Now, it’s aura has been resurrected as a monster drift machine. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged drifting, liberty walk, mazda, nissan, rotary engine, S15, silvia, Tetsuya Hibino
4 Comments
Inside the world of Kimono My House, one of the oldest Japanese hobby shops in the US
Before anime and Japanese sci-fi became mainstream on US shores, a small hobby shop in Emeryville, California filled that niche for those in the know. Kimono My House is probably the oldest Japanese toy store in the United States, its shelves a vast array of who’s who in Japanese pop culture: Astro Boy, Destoroyah, Godzilla, Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Mazinger Z, and Macross, just to name a few. It wasn’t only a kaiju and mecha mecca; it was also one of the very few places outside of Japan where you can find vintage Mach GoGoGo (Speed Racer), Diapet, and Tomica. It’s been thriving despite the coronavirus pandemic, but now it needs help. Continue reading
Posted in minicar, minicars
Tagged diapet, Initial D, Mazinger Z, minicars, tomica, Ultraman, wangan midnight
6 Comments
Gran Turismo officially recognized as an Olympic sport
Polyphony Digital has had its partnership with the FIA since 2018, resulting in FIA-sanctioned Gran Turismo Championships. With the International Olympic Committee’s latest announcement, Gran Turismo will become an official Olympic Sport. Continue reading
QotW: How do you feel about car investors and flippers?
Japanese cars have been rising sharply in price in recent years and that’s attracted all kinds of buyers. That includes those who make a hobby (or living) out of finding nice examples and selling them for profit. On the one hand, it’s getting harder for long-time enthusiasts to afford their dream cars thanks to the aggressive tactics. On the other, higher prices mean cars that might have otherwise been donated for scrap or handed down to a teenager are coming out of the woodwork and hitting the marketplace. Is it all fair game in the land of capitalism, or are investors and flippers a scourge to the community?
How do you feel about car investors and flippers?
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 Honda design?” Continue reading
EVENTS: Ryu Asada Memorial Drive and Fundraiser
Ryu Asada was loved. By his family, by his friends, by his colleagues, and by the 200 people that showed up with a week’s notice to celebrate his life. The venerated Hot Wheels and Matchbox designer was taken from all too soon by stage IV colorectal cancer last month at the age of 42. Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged acura, Cadillac, Corvette, datsun, DeLorean, Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, GMC Typhoon, honda, infiniti, jun imai, mazda, Meyers Manx, mitsubishi, nissan, Pontiac Firebird, Pontiac GTO, porsche, porsche 911, Ryu Asada, subaru, tacoma, toyota
19 Comments
Isuzu once made a J-body with a ceramic diesel hybrid engine for the Tokyo Motor Show
Every Earth Day we highlight a hybrid or alternative fuel concept car from Japan’s past. Back in 1985, long before the Prius was a twinkle in Toyota’s eye, Isuzu revealed a hybrid compact sedan at the Tokyo Motor Show. The Isuzu Ceramic Aska was not only an early hybrid but, like its name implies, powered by an experimental ceramic engine. Continue reading
Transformers to release an updated, more realistic Honda City robot
The character named Skids was not a very memorable one from the original Transformers lineup. We honestly can’t remember anything he did in the cartoon series. But, he was a Honda City hatchback in car mode, something we didn’t really get as kids because he was apparently often depicted as a minivan in the series and comic books. Soon, however, a new and more realistic version is being released in Japan. Continue reading
Subaru Impreza 22B STi sells for $312,555
The GC Impreza turned 25 years old three years ago, and prices have been on the rise ever since. The WRC test car, chassis 97001 sold for under $300,000 that same year. Yesterday, its legendary road-going incarnation, a 25,000-mile 1998 Impreza 22B STi, sold for more than that. Continue reading
The Toyota Crown Kluger SUV is here to replace the Crown sedan
Last year, we learned that 2021 would be final year of the Toyota Crown. The staple of Japan’s streets would, after over six decades of continuous production, come to an end due to lagging sedan sales. Its replacement is not yet known, but a car that debuted at Auto Shanghai 2021 might offer a clue — the Crown Kluger. Continue reading
Toyotafest 2021 registration has opened
The Coronavirus pandemic last year left us with a canceled Toyotafest. It was sad, too, because it was supposed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Celica as well as the 25th anniversary of Toyotafest itself. With lockdown restrictions gradually being lifted in California, the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club is planning to finally hold its 25th show in Long Beach on Saturday, June 5, 2021. Continue reading
QotW: What’s your favorite Honda design?
We just spent the weekend honoring one of the great designers of the automotive industry. Our question this week was inspired by Ryu Asada’s love for Hondas. Of course, Hondas are known for their excellent handling, but what if we take speed and driving feel out of the equation and look at the cars for their design only, purely as a form of art?
What’s your favorite Honda design?
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 non-Japanese car?” Continue reading
Mitsubishi’s Dakar-conquering Pajero and the mods it took to win
Like most carmaker headquarters buildings in Japan, Mitsubishi Motors’ in Tokyo has a small display area, gift shop, and coffee stand in the lobby. Typically, they display whatever new cars the company has on offer (or nothing at all if there’s been a recent scandal). However, Mitsubishi has just brought out its 2002 Paris-Dakar Rally-winning Mitsubishi Pajero for a temporary exhibit. Continue reading
The Mazda rotary is coming back to America as a range extender
It’s official. The long awaited Mazda rotary engine is making a return to the States in the MX-30. It’s not in a turbocharged sports car we have hoped for, but there’s still nothing else like the RERE — rotary engine range extender — in the automotive kingdom. We’ve written at length about why Mazda deserves praise for this. After all, they could’ve just gone with a conventional hybrid or EV setup. Instead, they’ve turned what could’ve been an otherwise unexceptional vehicle into something that carries the company heritage and is unmistakably Mazda. Continue reading
The Nissan van that was one of Japan’s oldest food trucks has closed after 45 years
From the looks of the dilapidated Nissan van that houses Hot Dog Yotsuba, you might assume that it had closed long ago. But, the patina’ed exterior was part of its charm, and the stand looked like an abandoned car even when it was open. Having been in operation for 45 years, it was likely one of the oldest and longest-running mobile food vendors in the world, but on March 31, it closed for good. Continue reading
Nissan Z generations converge in this surreal ad
We’re pretty happy whenever we see heritage acknowledged in a Nissan ad. It’s also pretty cool to to see the Z Proto driving along a track with an S30 Fairlady Z and a Z32. But with footage that looks like it’s from a video game and a voiceover that sounds like it was written by Yoda, there’s something off about the latest Nissan Z video. Continue reading
The Honda S660 has completely sold out the rest of its production run
Honda announced on March 12 that production of its S660 roadster would come to an end, in March of 2022. That gave a year’s notice for anyone who wanted to buy one. Of course, this successor in name to the Honda S800 and in spirit to the Beat had been in production since 2015, so prospective buyers had plenty of time to pull the trigger. Nevertheless, by March 30 the entire remaining one-year run of the S660 had sold out. Continue reading
QotW: What’s your favorite non-Japanese car?
The world of JNCs is wide, but sometimes there are automotive desires that cannot be satisfied with Nihon steel. Among the JNC staff, cars such as a TJ Jeep Wrangler, C3 Corvette, Mini Cooper, W124 Mercedes, S550 Mustang GT, and Porsche 911 have floated in and out of ownership, often to the quizzical looks from each other. But hey, automotive subcultures in Japan are, if anything, diverse. It’s the only place we’ve seen both a Fiat Panda and a Routemaster double-decker bus in the wild.
What’s your favorite non-Japanese car?
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 best road map story?” Continue reading
Ryu Asada Memorial Drive + Fundraiser announcement
Please come out and help us honor a great man and support a great charity. Click here for details. ?
