Today is the first day of the Year of the Ox according to the lunar calendar. If this were Italian Nostalgic Car we’d be on easy street, but Japan doesn’t really have any cars named after cow-esque animals. The closest thing we can think of is another member of the bovidae family, the bison, as in the 1970 Kawasaki 250TR Bison. Continue reading
A train station in Japan now plays the Seibu Keisatsu theme song
Starting February 20 of this year, Kokuryo Station, located in Chōfu, Tokyo, will adopt the Seibu Keisatsu theme song as one of its platform jingles. The change is a tribute to Ishihara Pro, the production company responsible for some of Japan’s most beloved action series. The location is no coincidence; Ishihara Pro’s head offices are located near the station. Continue reading
Get an Okayama Circuit license as a reward for paying taxes
The city of Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture, is offering one of the best citizenship benefits we’ve ever seen. The hometown of Okayama Circuit has begun offering residents a circuit license to drive on the famed race track as a reward for paying their taxes. It’s a great way to get precious track time for enthusiasts, but it’s an even better way for the prefecture to get people into motorsports and driving. Continue reading
Happy Datsun B210 Day from JNC
Everyone’s obsessed with Zs and 510s, but the Datsun B210 is the true hero of the post-oil crisis 70s. This 1977 ad brags about its 50 mpg highway rating, but that didn’t mean the economy car skimped on features. It was available with decadent luxuries like tinted glass, front disc brakes, and a rear defogger in so your panting dog didn’t cloud up the hatch window on your way to your tennis match. Happy B210 Day from JNC!
R31 House now sells inexpensive tires for vintage Japanese cars
The seventh-generation Skyline specialty shop R31 House has entered the tire business. Sales have begun on Shiba Tire, a line of performance rubber for older cars. The company campaigns cars in Japan’s D1GP and D1GP Lights drift series, and was motivated by the sheer expense of their tires to make Shibas with an eye toward affordability. Continue reading
VIDEO: Chip Foose draws an FJ40 Land Cruiser
Custom car designer Chip Foose is famous for his amazing takes on American cars from Detroit’s the golden age. He’s not typically drawing Japanese cars, but in a series produced for Hagerty, Foose takes his pen to one of the blue chip classics that’s transcended enthusiast scenes and generations, the FJ40 Land Cruiser. Continue reading
QotW: What JNC would you take for a race around the world?
Today, February 8, is the birthday of Jules Verne, one of the first science fiction authors, born in 1828. One of his most famous works is Around the World in Eighty Days, in which a Londoner takes a bet of £20,000 that he can circumnavigate the world in under 11 and a half weeks. Keep in mind, the book was published in 1872, so air travel was not yet possible.
So, let’s say for the purposes of this exercise, that as was the case with Phineas Fogg, air travel is also off limits. You have to start and end with the same vehicle, and you will have to traverse every continent except Antarctica and over varied terrain. A truck with plenty of parts support in remote regions might be the obvious choice, but Fogg was quite well off. That wager would be worth $3.2 million today, so you might want to travel in luxury and stay in nice hotels, or with speed accompanied by an army of support vehicles.
What JNC would you take for a race around the world?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What should Toyota do with the Celica name?” Continue reading
Here are all the new Nissan Pathfinder’s design cues from the 1986 original
A few days ago we predicted that the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder would take some design cues from the beloved original from 1986. Well, the new model has just been revealed, giving us a clear look at its new sheetmetal, and indeed there are. Here are all the homages to the 1986 Pathfinder on the 2022. Continue reading
Infiniti Red Sport twin-turbo V6 confirmed for Nissan Z Proto
What has long been suspected has now been confirmed. The Nissan Z Proto has the VR30DDTT under the hood. Nissan hasn’t popped the hood of the Z concept for press, but a fan was able to snap a few shots of the 400-horsepower, twin-turbo V6 during a display setup at Nissan Crossing in Ginza. Continue reading
JNC THEATER: There’s an animated Mitsubishi Delica in The Great North
There’s a new animated show on Fox called The Great North, and the family car is none other than a Mitsubishi Delica. There’s only two episodes so far and the van appears in both. To be clear the car is never explicitly identified as a Delica, but given the general profile, two-tone paint job, and 4×4 stance, what else could it be? Continue reading
Toyota might build a Century-esque ultra-luxury SUV
According to a new report out of Japan, Toyota is planning to launch an ultra-luxury vehicle on par with the Century, except it will be an SUV. Spurred by a global shift from sedans to crossovers and sport utility vehicles, it will be Toyota’s highest priced SUV and a flagship for the brand. Continue reading
VIDEO: The post-bubble 1993 Tokyo Motor Show was subdued but still awesome
By 1993 Japan was in a deep economic slump. As a result, the mood at the Tokyo Motor Show was a bit more sober, according to this Motorweek video. There were still lots of funky concepts, but fewer were geared towards sport, luxury, and off-roading. However, compared to what’s offered these days the cars were still a bonanza of funkiness and creative design. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Motor Show
Tagged 3000GT, celica, gto, honda, isuzu, legacy, mazda, Mega Cruiser, mitsubishi, nissan, Rasheen, RAV4, subaru, T200, tokyo motor show, toyota, VehiCROSS
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Happy Daruma Celica Day from JNC
Today is February 2, or 2/2, as in TA22. As it happens, it’s a pretty good year to Celica-brate the Daruma. We just marked the 50th anniversary of the Celica a couple of months ago, and learned last week that Toyota has filed for a trademark for the Celica name. There’s not much more to say today, except that hopefully Celica is a nameplate that endures for many more years to come. Happy Daruma Celica Day from JNC!
The next Nissan Pathfinder could have retro design cues
A new Nissan Pathfinder will be revealed later this week, and we’re going to make a prediction. It will have retro design cues taken from the first-generation. It’s not a complete shot in the dark, but it’s close. In this case, we have no insider information; just some circumstantial evidence. Continue reading
QotW: What should Toyota do with the Celica name?
Last week we learned that Toyota has filed for a trademark for the Celica name. As readers have pointed out, the most likely reason is that they just want to hang onto the name to prevent others from using it. Sorry for the second Toyota QotW in a row, but what if you called the shots at ToMoCo? Would you build an all-new sports coupe? Use the name on an existing car? Turn it into an SUV? Let’s say you have free reign to alter the entire lineup. Bonus points for reality.
What should Toyota do with the Celica name?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What should Toyota do with the Land Cruiser?” Continue reading
VIDEO: Here’s a Nissan 240SX that doesn’t go sideways
This should be a fun one. You utter the words “Nissan 240SX” to anyone even marginally knowledgeable about cars today, and the first thing they’ll think is “drift missile.” But when the S14 debuted in 1995, that wasn’t even remotely the case. This review was aired in June 1994, a full year before Initial D began its 18-year run. Continue reading
This collection of 1,200 motorcycles proves it’s better to hoard bikes than cars
It would probably be inaccurate to call Brad Boyle’s warehouse of motorcycles a collection. It’s more of an obsession. Boyle owns 1,200 motorcycles, and estimates that 300 to 400 of them are Hondas. When you’re asked how many Hondas you have and the count can be off by 100, you might have too many. Continue reading
The Toyopet SA was Toyota’s first post-war passenger car
Introduced in 1947, the Toyopet SA was Toyota’s first all-new post-war passenger car design. It was advanced for a Japanese car of its time, but due to limitations on automobile production and Japan’s market conditions at the time, only 215 were built. The Toyota Automobile Museum has probably the nicest remaining example in existence, and it actually runs. Continue reading
BIKES: After 43 years, it’s the end of the road for the Yamaha SR400
After over four decades of production, the Yamaha SR series is coming to an end. These days, Japanese motorcycle manufacturers are rapidly churning out throwback bikes that hearken back to their heydays, but the Yamaha SR400 and SR500 actually existed in that heyday. It’s progressed largely unchanged for over four decades, cementing its position as an icon of the Yamaha brand. Continue reading
Toyota has filed for a trademark of the Celica name
Toyota has filed for a ownership of the name “Celica” with the US Patent and Trademark Office. While this might indicate nothing more than a desire to hold on to the rights to that name, there’s been some speculation that Toyota could bring the model back. Continue reading
