While Honda honors the history of the Civic with hidden easter eggs, celebrating it outright would entail driving a brightly colored screamer built by one of the powerhouses of Japan’s tuning world. There’s no better way to start off the month of June, than with possibly owning a Jun-modified Civic. Continue reading
QotW: What JNC concept deserves to be found or restored?
Mazda recently went through great lengths to restore the MX-81 concept, paying respects to the first car to bear the “MX” designation. As you can see, it needed significant reconditioning to bring it back to its former glory as it had been, according to the company, languishing at a warehouse somewhere (we’re imagining a room like at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark). Prior to that, it had not been seen in public in many years and no one would’ve blamed you if you assumed it had been destroyed (the fate of many a concept). It makes us wonder, though, what else might be lurking out there in a forgotten storeroom?
What JNC concept deserves to be found or restored?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What theft prevention measures do you take for your car?” Continue reading
The 2022 Honda Civic has a cool throwback Easter Egg
The 11th-generation Honda Civic makes a departure from the spaceship-like previous generation and leans toward the upscale, its angular lines replaced with a more sophisticated dynamic shape reminiscent of Acura. The new interior is said to “reimagine the clean and uncluttered lines of earlier generations of Civic.” Little did we know, it would give a nod to them as well. Continue reading
The City wasn’t the first Honda with a bike-in-car concept
If you utter the words Honda City to any enthusiast of Japanese cars, the first thing their brains will map to is the foldable Motocompo bike that lived in its trunk. Although it’s the most recognized execution of the bike-in-car concept, it’s apparently not the first. A decade and a half earlier, Honda introduced the same idea in the S600 Coupé. Continue reading
MINICARS: The Kaido House Datsun 510 begins Jun Imai’s next chapter
Jun Imai is a pivotal figure in the diecast world, having transformed the most “hot rod” of diecast brands into a leader in Japanese minicars. For that he became a star in the collectible car world, and ever since he left Hot Wheels in 2018 people have been clamoring for his next project. Now, Kaido House is finally here, we think it’s safe to say it takes the adult collectible 1:64 diecast car into new and exciting realms. Continue reading
Toyota Supra owner selling car to pay for his cat’s medical expenses finds there is still good in the world
The pandemic has been a reset for mankind, with shelter-in-place orders last year giving us time to wrench on our projects and spend time with our loved ones. However, one man in Osaka was posed with a very difficult choice between keeping his A70 Toyota Supra and saving his cat, and the resulting story is one that will completely restore your faith in humanity. Continue reading
QotW: What theft prevention measures do you take for your car?
The theft of a Hakosuka Skyline last week left the JNC world in a bit of a panic. Of course we have been accustomed to bandits wreaking havoc in the select communities, but to target a very specific, 50-year-old car like a custom Hakosuka Skyline signaled that perhaps a new breed of guns for hire were out to capture iconic Japanese classics. It was more akin to an art heist than your typical larcenous behavior. Luckily, this time the car was recovered and the criminals seemed didn’t seem to know what they had, but whether you’re driving a Hako or a Honda, caution must be taken.
What theft prevention measures do you take for your car?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What automotive stuff do you hoard?” Continue reading
Mazda restores a 40-year-old concept that was the first MX car
It appears that Mazda is continuing its streak of restoring works from its 100-plus years of history. The latest car to be restored is the Mazda MX-81, a 40-year-old concept car that also happens to be the first Mazda to wear the MX designation. First shown at the 1981 Tokyo Motor Show, the MX-81 Aria was a 323 wearing a very period-futuristic body designed by Bertone. It’s a beautiful restoration job that also provides Mazda, and us, an excuse to delve into some curious corners of Mazda’s design heritage. Continue reading
Toyotafest is happening but everyone, including spectators, must pre-register
Great news! The City of Long Beach has given Toyotafest the green light, meaning the year-long nightmare of no official car shows may soon be over. However, there will be some major change that will affect everyone who attends, so consider this a JNC public service announcement. Continue reading
Be on the lookout for this stolen Hakosuka Skyline and its trailer
A 1971 Nissan Skyline was stolen earlier this morning out of Vallejo, California. It was inside of a white enclosed trailer with a number “87” on the side and being towed by a cherry red 2001 F-350 dually. If spotted, please contact local authorities or @california_hako on Instagram. Continue reading
Kidney, Anyone? Nissan 300ZX IMSA GTO race cars, one of seven built
While we await the next Nissan Z‘s arrival, and the new era of Nissan is has promised, with engaging, fun to drive cars and bright 90s hues. However, if you want to actually drive the king of 90s Nissans, here’s a 700-horsepower IMSA GTO race car for sale. Continue reading
These Mazda rotary facemask holders are the latest from a Japanese jewelry company that makes car-themed bling
The year-plus-long hell that the COVID-19 pandemic has spawned some interesting products. For example, Japanese jewelry company Jerev has made a facemask holder in the shape of a Mazda rotary engine rotor. Basically, The flat side sticks to your dash, and the curved part gives you a handy little place to hang your mask’s strap. The only hook (no pun intended) is that it costs ¥13,200 ($120 USD). Continue reading
A 93-year-old grandpa driving his Mazda RX-7 in a video game takes internet by storm
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
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
