Among automotive journalists, including many of us here at JNC, Mazda has long occupied a special place in our hearts. To this day, their cars just tick for us. Why? As we near the end of the year that marks Mazda’s 100th anniversary, let us embark on the final leg of our journey through the company’s history, in search of what makes this small carmaker from Hiroshima so unique. When we last left off, we had surveyed some iconic sporting rotaries, including the beginnings of Mazda’s Le Mans efforts, as well as the innovative FWD era. We continue with what is one of the greatest product developments in automotive history. Continue reading
100 YEAR CLUB: Mazda, Part 03
Posted in 100 Year Club
Tagged 24 Hours of Daytona, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 787b, autozam, az-1, cosmo, Cosmo JC, eunos roadster, fd3s, kei, mazda, mazda 3, miata, Miata NA, Miata ND, Millenia, mx-5, rotary engine, rx-7, rx-8, RX-Vision
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Daihatsu’s 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon lineup includes 60th anniversary Hijet camper, Copen speedster
The 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon has been canceled due to the recent COVID-19 spike, but carmakers will be showing their builds in an upcoming virtual event. Ahead of that, Daihatsu has revealed its lineup of five kei jidosha, including a wonderful little camper inspired by the second generation Hijet. Continue reading
QotW: What are you trying to forget about 2020 or looking forward to in 2021?
In Japan, the end of the year brings bounenkai, or get-togethers with friends or colleagues for the purposes of forgetting the past year’s ills. Typically that involves lots of alcohol, but 2020 is the type of the year demands boatloads of it. Even sadder, 2020 is also a year in which many of us can’t get together with our friends at all. However, bounenkai is also an opportunity to look ahead to the coming year with optimism. We’ve all been on a roller coaster journey together this year, with plenty good news countering the avalanche of sad, and we couldn’t have made it with you, the readers that comprise our little corner of the web. So let this QotW be your virtual bounenkai, whether it’s something car-related or not.
What are you trying to forget about 2020 or looking forward to in 2021?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What are you asking Japanese Santa Claus for this year?” Continue reading
Happy Holidays from JNC
The black and white shot of Mr K standing with his personal G-nose 240Z in front of the old Datsun USA headquarters in Gardena, California is one of the most famous pictures of his car. Rarely mentioned, however, is the fact that it’s also a holiday photo, with the company’s giant Christmas tree looming behind the car. We will have more on the car and its post-Mr K owner soon, but for now let this photo be a reminder of what’s really important during the holidays — friends, family, and the great community that cars can build. Happy Holidays from JNC.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 240z, 240Z/260Z/280Z, datsun, nissan, s30 z, yutaka katayama
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MINICARS: This 1:150-scale Toyota Crown is one of the smallest R/C cars we’ve ever seen
There are minicars and then there are minicars. A Japanese radio controlled car builder has constructed one of the smallest R/C cars we’ve ever seen. It’s based off of a 1:150-scale Tomytec Toyota Crown, but all its guts have been replaced with a custom motor and steering mechanism. The work, much of it done with needle-nose pliers assembling custom-fabbed parts, is incredibly creative and requires painstaking patience. Continue reading
GALLERIES: The Honda Collection Hall’s “Civic World” exhibit
The Honda Collection Hall in Japan is currently holding a special exhibit called “Civic World” that spans every generation of the ubiquitous everycar. The 17-car display includes both bone stock and race cars, covering five decades of Civics since the model’s inception in 1972. Americans won’t be able to go see it in person due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, which is a real shame, but these photos are the next best thing. Continue reading
Toyota shows one-off Heritage Edition Supra Sport Roof
Officially revealed this morning, Toyota has brought back a feature of the legendary A80 Supra: the Sport Roof. The removable roof panel was a Supra trademark, having been a feature of both A70 and A80 generations (so in Japan, where the first two generations were called Celica XX, all Supras had this feature). Toyota calls this the GR Supra Heritage Edition, but it’s only a one-off. Continue reading
QotW: What are you asking Japanese Santa Claus for this year?
After a grueling year, the year-end holidays are hopefully a time when we can all wind down and relax. It’s also a time for hope, and a time when we traditionally ask what you’d request from a magical man who can conjure up any present your heart desires. After all, Japanese Santa Claus rides around on a sleigh that looks like a flying Honda S800 but has a Tardis-like trunk that’s bigger on the inside than the outside. Contained within are any JDM car part you can think of, the rarest diecasts, entire classic automobiles, and even abstract concepts such as world peace.
What are you asking Japanese Santa Claus for this year?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Which car should receive the factory restoration treatment next?” Continue reading
Dedicated enthusiasts have restored an 1966 Isuzu city bus
According to a recent post on the official Isuzu blog, one of the company’s 1966 BXD30 city buses has been restored to its original glory. The bus had served various organizations for over 50 years, and was only decommissioned in June 2019 due to a collision. Thankfully, some Isuzu enthusiasts took it upon themselves to keep the bus from getting scrapped. Continue reading
Mazda launches heritage parts program for FC and FD RX-7
Mazdafarians, rejoice! Mazda announced today that it will begin remanufacturing parts for both the second- and third-generation RX-7. Ever since Mazda launched the Roadster Restore program in 2017 for the first-generation Miata, enthusiasts have been clamoring for Mazda to add its rotary flagships to the mix. It seems Mazda has been listening to its fans. Continue reading
Subaru’s Online Museum offers odd concept cars, coloring sheets, and papercraft
Car companies have helped keep us occupied while at home during the pandemic by releasing a number of online activities. The latest is Subaru, which opened the Subaru Online Museum. It’s filled with photos and specs of rare and classic cars, like the 1962 Subaru A-5 concept that was never produced. It also includes fun activities for kids and young-at-heart adults alike, such as coloring pages and papercraft, as well. Continue reading
MINICARS: The Hot Wheels FC Mazda RX-7 will be recolored in white
The Hot Wheels Mazda RX-7 FC3S was already one of our favorite new castings of the year, but the next recolor really cements it in our list of all-time greats. As revealed by the Hot Wheels Dream Team of Mattel’s designers, Pure white will be the color of choice, unencumbered by graphics and matched with white split-spoke wheels. It really looks era correct, and is the perfect toy for living out your fantasies of being as cool as Ryosuke Takahashi. Continue reading
The MX-5 Miata’s new 2021 color scheme evokes one of the most exclusive Mazdas ever
Mazda just announced the specs for the 2021 model year Miata, with updated colors being the key change. In particular, the new Deep Crystal Blue exterior and white leather interior are nice nostalgic callbacks to the heritage of the iconic roadster. In fact, they evoke one of the most exclusive Miata variants in Mazda history. Continue reading
QotW: Which car should receive the factory restoration treatment next?
We recently learned that Nissan is offering an unparalleled nut-and-bolt restoration program for the Skyline GT-R. The ¥45 million ($433,000 USD) restoration ain’t cheap, but it’s far more thorough than the 240Z restoration program from the 1990s, and everything is handled by NISMO technicians at NISMO facilities. The treatment leaves you with a car that is like new or better, and makes a statement that Nissan believes that the Skyline GT-R is worthy of such effort. But, not all cars are.
Which car should receive the factory restoration treatment next?
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 playlist for the year your car was made?” Continue reading
VIDEO: A bunch of kaido racers accidentally caught on video circa 1987
The Tomei Expressway stretches from Nagoya to Tokyo, and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. It’s a beautiful stretch of road, and when heading east you can see the flat outskirts give way to the tall buildings of the capital city. However, in this footage of a drive from the Kohoku Parking Area outside of Yokohama to the Shibuya line of the Shuto in 1987, a crew of kaido racers is spotted in the wild. Continue reading
Posted in Video
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TUNE UP: J Cole’s “Fire Squad” video features the sweet sound of AE86s revving and drifting
Rapper J Cole’s triple-platinum album 2014 Forest Hills Drive came out six years ago, but a previously unseen music video for the track “Fire Squad” was just released. It prominently features a pair of drifting Toyota AE86 coupes sending up roostertails, and their high-revving 4A-GE motors can be heard throughout the video. Cole himself rides in one of them, caged and stripped of most of its interior trim. Continue reading
The legendary Toyota plant that built the AE86, Mark II, and Century is now closed
On December 7 Toyota held a closing ceremony for its Higashi Fuji plant. Today, all production lines will be shut down and the factory closed for good. The 53-year-old facility has produced some of Toyota’s most iconic models, including the Sports 800, Mark II, AE86, and Century. On the site next February, construction begins on an experimental city of tomorrow to test and develop technologies such as autonomy, robotics, personal mobility, smart homes and artificial intelligence. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged ae86, century, chaser, corolla levin, cressida, cresta, Crown Comfort, Isis, JPN Taxi, lexus sc, mark II, origin, Porte, soarer, sports 800, toyota, x30, x60
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The Nissan Skyline wins Japan Naming Award despite controversy about name origins
Naming a car can be difficult. Just ask the folks who came up with the Mitsubishi Pajero or the Buick Lacrosse (both of which turned out to mean wanker in other languages). There are also the unintentionally funny ones given by English dictionary-adverse marketers like Suzuki Every Joy Pop Turbo or the Hino Dolphin Dump. Thankfully, when Prince Motor named its premium Skyline sedan, it chose a word that had lasting resonance and helped the car gain international acclaim even though it was never intended to be sold overseas. It has now won an award for naming excellence, but the origins of the name have always been controversial. Continue reading
VIDEO: Was the Camry really that boring?
The Toyota Camry often gets a bad rap for being boring, but it’s really not a bad car. That is especially true when talking about the XV10 chassis, sold in the US from 1991-96, and we’re not even talking about its stone cold reliability. The steering isn’t sharp, but it actually holds the road surprisingly well for something that passes over every bump in the road like a puffy cloud. That goes doubly so for the sporty SE trim. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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QotW: What’s your playlist for the year your car was made?
One of the many charms of an old car is its ability to transport us back in time, whether it’s in the way they drive, sound, or smell. To truly immerse yourself in the motoring experience that your classic offers, though, we’d argue that you should include a soundtrack befitting of your car’s age. Imagine if you had bought your JNC new. What would you be listening to on its factory deck? I’ll share my playlist in the comments below, but for the purposes of this QotW anything from your car’s model year or older is eligible.
What’s your playlist for the year your car was made?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How would you build your $10,000 JNC garage?” Continue reading
