A 93-year old Japanese man playing racing games on his grandson’s computer has gone viral. YouTuber Olivin Corp created a channel featuring his gearhead grandpa at the helm of various virtual cars four months ago. and the most heartwarming video — of ojisan driving a car that owned in real life decades ago — has garnered 3 million views. Continue reading
A 93-year-old grandpa driving his Mazda RX-7 in a video game takes internet by storm
Posted in Video Games
Tagged fairlady z, mazda, nissan, rx-7, s30 z, sa22c, wangan midnight
3 Comments
The Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins trailer gets Japanese cars right
Hollywood movies often get car scenes wrong, but especially when the setting is in Japan. Typically they just sprinkle in some a Nissan Figaro in the background or set up a parking garage drift in Los Angeles that stands in for Tokyo. However, in the trailer that dropped last night for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, the cars are spot on. Continue reading
Posted in JNC Theater
Tagged 4runner, celsior, century, crown, Hilux Surf, lexus, Lexus LS, Snake Eyes, toyota, vip
6 Comments
QotW: What automotive stuff do you hoard?
Today is National Pack Rat Day, a day to recognize the dreaded hoarder. If you’re into old cars, you probably a stash of parts, memorabilia, or actual vehicles somewhere. Whether it’s out of necessity for backups, reassurance for just-in-case scenarios, investment, speculation, or some kind of compulsion, you’re probably not doing the old car thing right if you don’t have a trove of treasure somewhere.
What automotive stuff do you hoard?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Are JNC prices getting out of control?” Continue reading
VIDEO: A British-built Acura Legend just wasn’t the same
In 1987 the Austin Rover Group embarked on an interesting experiment. They would sell Acura Legend-based luxury sedans with Honda guts. Everything else would be developed in-house, and the result would be unleashed on an unsuspecting American public as the Sterling 825. The results were exactly as you thought they might be. Continue reading
Suzuki surpasses milestone of 25 million kei cars sold
It’s taken 65 years and 7 months, but Suzuki announced on May 11 that it has sold 25 million kei cars. That’s not a huge number compared to, say, the Toyota Corolla, which has sold over 44 million of a single model. However, when you consider the fact that the Corolla is a global model and kei cars are sold almost exclusively inside Japan and a few other Asian countries, that’s a pretty impressive statistic. Continue reading
Mitsubishi Motors announces Ralliart revival
Japanese companies are in the midst of releasing their fiscal year financial reports right now. These are typically pretty boring investor briefs, but on May 11 Mitsubishi Motors divulged an interesting tidbit in theirs — that it plans to revive the Ralliart brand, and is considering a return to motorsports. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged lancer evolution, mitsubishi, Ralliart, rally, starion, Triton
6 Comments
Toyota’s Megaweb garage takes in an MZ11 Soarer
After thoroughly restoring two iconic Nissans, the restoration pit at the Toyota’s MegaWeb showroom in Tokyo has finally taken in a car from the home team. The car in question is an 1981 Toyota Soarer 2800GT, resplendent in a two-tone gold over brown. However, the car isn’t undergoing a full restoration at the hands of Toyota’s expert technicians. It’s really more of a pit stop. Continue reading
QotW: Are JNC prices getting out of control?
We’ve seen JNC prices on the rise for several years now, but within the past year or two there’s been an even sharper uptick. Celica Liftbacks are selling for $62,000. Datsun 240Zs are selling for over $100,000. An AE86 Corolla in nice but far from concours condition sold for $40,000 when a considerably nicer one sold for less than $25,000 just a two years ago. Perhaps people with secure finances are finally able to acquire the dream cars of their adolescence. Perhaps it’s speculation. Perhaps its a last gasp for analog cars in an increasingly electrified world. No matter the reason, prices are going up.
Are JNC prices getting out of control?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What would you do if you were Akio Toyoda?” Continue reading
Happy 510 Day from JNC
On May 31, 1971, it was the dawn of the SCCA Trans-Am 2.5 Challenge, a series which would turn the Datsun 510 into the Goliath-slaying David of the motorsports world. At the race held at Bryar Motorsports Park in New Hampshire, BRE entered John Morton’s No.46 510 for the first time. Morton was the fastest qualifier but his legendary 510 suffered mechanical problems that resulted in a DNF. That gave privateer Lothar Stahlberg of Utica, New York in his No.71 car the very first manufacturer’s championship point for Datsun in the US. The rest, they say, is history. Happy 510 Day from JNC!
Toyota Corolla AE86 sells for $40,000 even with light rust
There are times when a car is found in a state that is neither creampuff nor derelict. It does not beg to be preserved, adding mileage to its already six-figure odometer doesn’t feel like abuse, and parking lot door dings and scratches are of less concern as sections have already been repainted. Examples as such usually go for half the price of their low-mileage, all original, pristine counterparts. In the case of this 1985 Corolla GT-S, however, it set the record at $40,000. Continue reading
Mitsubishi UK’s auction breaks world record for Lancer Evolution sale
We were saddened last month to learn that Mitsubishi UK was selling off its entire heritage fleet, a result of the company pulling out of the UK market altogether. Some of its cars had been part of the collection for 47 years, since Mitsubishi established a UK presence in 1974. It was a rare opportunity to acquire some of the best specimens of the triple diamond marque. The auction results are now in, and one of the cars has set a new world record for its kind. Continue reading
Posted in marketwatch
Tagged 3000GT, galant, gto, lancer, lancer evolution, mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Jeep, mitsubishi type a, pajero, starion, Tommi Mäkinen
4 Comments
EVENTS: The inaugural Kyushu Kei Car Meeting
On Sunday April 25th the inaugural Kyushu Kei Car Meeting was held in Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture. I see a raised hand in the back there. “Inaugural” means, like, the first one? Well, yeah. Due to a glaringly obvious oversight, the year of 2021 marks the first that the island of Kyushu (Japan’s third largest) gets an event dedicated to those dimensionally-limited machines of unlimited quirk and charisma. Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged alto, Autozam AZ-1, B360, beat, Cara, copen, crown, daihatsu, Fellow, fronte, honda, kei, life, Life StepVan, mazda, minica, Minica Dangan, minicab, mitsubishi, NIII 360, nissan, porter cab, R-2, s12, s40, silvia, subaru, subaru 360, suzuki, tn360, toyota, Vivio
14 Comments
Enkei expands selection of Neo-Classic wheels
Enkei has added new variants for two of its iconic wheels in the Neo-Classic line, a selection of wheels that have evolved with modern production processes but still retain their classic form. The Apache 2 Neo and Mesh 4 Neo now come in a two-piece design and in both “lo” and “hi” disc, promoting a wider range of customization. Continue reading
QotW: What would you do if you were Akio Toyoda?
Today is Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda’s 65th birthday. So, first of all, happy birthday, Toyoda-san! It’s a notable age, because in the US it was once the traditional age at which one receives a gold watch and rides off into retirement. Toyoda, however, shows no sign of quitting as head of one of the largest companies in the world. Whatever you believe about Toyota’s cars, it’s one of the most successful corporations in history.
Not only that, but due to its size and strength, Toyota basically defines segments, indirectly sets the prices of materials, and has an outsized say in the direction of the industry. Toyoda himself is also head of the Japan Auto Manufacturer’s Association, which oversees the Tokyo Motor Show, negotiates government policies that affect technology and trade, and affects the livelihoods and careers of about 8 percent of Japan’s working population. It’s a position of tremendous power, and as close as you can get to being a king in modern times. So…
What would you do if you were Akio Toyoda?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How do you feel about car investors and flippers?” Continue reading
Nissan is restoring the beloved Y31 Cima of actress Kazue Itoh
Last October Japanese actress Kazue Itoh caused a bit of a stir among her fans when she posted a photo of her car on Instagram. They were surprised to see the star driving a 30-year-old Nissan Cima that she’s owned since new. After seeing Itoh note some of its imperfections, the fans took to social media, imploring Nissan to restore the car for her. The company agreed, and on April 26 they held a small press conference at Autech headquarters before taking possession of Itoh’s beloved Cima to begin the process. Continue reading
Posted in Restoration
Tagged autech, C33, Cima, Kazue Itoh, laurel, N12, nissan, pulsar exa, r32, skyline, y31
12 Comments
The Toyota Crown Vellfire minivan is slightly less insulting than the Crown SUV
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
