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. ?
A 510 Nissan Bluebird SSS Coupé has been restored… by Toyota
The 510 Nissan Bluebird is one of the most important cars in Japan’s motoring history. So it should come as no surprise that an automaker would want to restore this important automotive legacy and put it in a museum. Recently, just such an undertaking was completed, but the company behind the nut and bolt restoration wasn’t Nissan. It was Toyota. Continue reading
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Tagged 510, bluebird, datsun, Megaweb, nissan, toyota, Toyota Automobile Museum
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Honda’s first F1 prototype appears in found footage
The photo of the boss man sitting on a Formula 1 prototype racer is one of the most famous images of Soichiro Honda. The car itself is long gone, and any media of the car, in motion or not, is extremely rare. However, Honda has put some archival footage of the prototype online, giving us a rare glimpse into the nascent days of what would become a world-class F1 program. Continue reading
Watching a Toyota Crown get lavishly detailed is extremely satisfying
Owning a black car can be a blessing and a curse. A sleek, perfectly paint-corrected and waxed example can give an elegant car such as this MS60 Crown a menacing yakuza vibe. On the other hand, it’s also one wrong wipe away from swirls and spiderwebs to interrupt the gleaming finish. The painstaking level of hard work and attention to to detail that goes into restoring such a finish is captured in this video by Hong Kong detailing shop Contempo Concept. Continue reading
Nissan Z35’s retro blue interior color option leaked
Nissan’s latest commercial promised things such as bright colored sports cars with three pedals, and the fact that we deserve cars that “thrill us”. Well, one of the things that is moving us closer to being thrilled is the fact that Nissan will apparently offer the Z35’s interior in blue. Continue reading
Hino’s radio program for long-haul truckers ends after 52 years
For over half a century, a Hino-sponosored a radio program has kept long-haul truckers company in Japan as they drove through the night. Imitators came and went, but Hino Midnight Graffiti Hashire! Kayōkyoku wasn’t just the longest-running radio program for truckers, it was one of Japan’s longest-running radio programs, period. Sadly, on March 27, the series came to a close. Continue reading
2022 Toyota 86 revealed alongside Subaru BRZ in Japan
Toyota has lifted the covers on the second-generation Toyota 86, now renamed the GR 86. As expected, it has been co-developed with Subaru and is largely the same as the Subaru BRZ twin, though there are (very) slight variations between the two. Interestingly, Toyota and Subaru decided to hold a joint reveal globally, the first time the two companies have shared such a big stage together, under the slogan “Let’s make a good car together!”. Continue reading
QotW: What’s your best road map story?
Today, April 5, is National Read a Road Map Day. We know there’s plenty of JNC owners who began driving after GPS, and we’re not total Luddites that eschew navigation by smartphone. but there’s something romantic and fitting about using paper maps when driving an older car. Plus, it’s a good skill to have for when Skynet or the zombies take over.
What’s your best road map story?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s the story behind your first car?” Continue reading
This “This is the New Nissan” Nissan ad better mean something
“This is the New Nissan” is the best Nissan commercial since GI Joe drove off with Barbie in a 300ZX. It stars a whole mess of Nissans, both classic and new, and promises to usher in a new era for Nissan. We are very much here for it. Continue reading
