Normally the annual Subiefest event in southern California is a cornucopia of stanced WRXes, flat-brimmed hats, and vape smoke. This year, though, Subaru brought something pretty special: a well-camouflaged example of the long-awaited second-generation Subaru BRZ. Continue reading
2020 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 03 — More 70s
Here’s the next installment of the 2020 JCCS, aka World Matsuri Week, sponsored by Nissan. There are a lot of 70s cars to cover, so they’ve been split into multiple episodes. We’ve seen some excellent entries from around the world, so get excited for what comes next. And, if you’re playing along in the JNC x JCCS Trivia Contest, you can find today’s question here.
QotW: Where’s the greatest place for Japanese cars outside of Japan?
All week we will be featuring videos from this year’s virtual Japanese Classic Car Show. Though JCCS 2020 is online only this year due to that whole pandemic thing, they are allowing entries from all over the world. Which brings up an interesting question. What countries or regions are the best for vintage Japanese cars (other than Japan, naturally)? Our neighbors to the north, Canada, have access to an incredible array of imports due to more relaxed import laws. Australia and New Zealand have insane access to Japanese goods due to their proximity. The UK and Ireland seem to really prize authenticity and period correctness. In some areas of southeast Asia and South America, these cars are still daily driven.
Where’s the greatest place for Japanese cars outside of Japan?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What stupid question have you always wanted to ask about Japanese cars?” Continue reading
2020 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — 70s
The JCCS 2020 World Matsuri Week continues in Part 02 of their virtual car show. The theme of this episode, presented by Motul Oil, is more 1970s J-tin. Tune in every day this week for more episodes, and click here if you want to enter the JNC trivia contest. Good luck!
2020 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — 60s and 70s
This year, the Japanese Classic Car Show could not be physically held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the organizers took the opportunity to expand the show into a global virtual event for 2020, allowing entries from all over the world. So, all this week, they will be releasing videos of the best cars, categorized by decade. Today at noon (Pacific Time) we will see the first episode, sponsored by Toyota and covering the 1960s and 1970s. Also, be sure to look for a mention of a special trivia contest held in conjunction with JNC (hey, that’s us!). Enjoy!
VIDEO: The fifth-gen Honda Accord was “the most widely anticipated family sedan ever”
The Honda Accord was the first imported car to hold the crown of best selling car in America. Starting in 1989, the third-generation CA Accord‘s 362,707 in sales held the top spot, and carried it over through the first two years of the fourth-gen. Ford regained the title with the Taurus in 1992, so when Honda debuted of the fifth-gen in 1994 it was indeed looked upon with excitement. Continue reading
The Prince Skyline Sport is an unsung legend of Japan’s motoring history
During the 1960s the upper echelon of car buyers were at a crossroads. For the previous 80 years of automotive history, if you wanted the best car money could buy you would get a car bodied by the great coachbuilders of Europe. Prior to World War II, names like Pourtout, Saoutchik, Touring, or Pinin Farina signified of the finest automobiles of the age, massive cars with equally massive engines. While you would occasionally get a relatively sporty coachbuilt car like a Duesenberg SSJ, the majority were built for decadent luxury. Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Calsonic colors live on, even though the company’s gone
When Calsonic was merged with Magnetti Marelli in September of last year and renamed to just Marelli, the fate of its famed blue livery was uncertain. It would have been sad to see Calsonic go, as they had been a title sponsor of Hoshino Team Impul since 1982, making them the longest-running title sponsor in in the world of motorsports. Turns out, the blue lives on, even though company doesn’t. Continue reading
PIXELATED: Art of Rally looks like a ripping good time
A new driving game, Art of Rally, has been at the top of the upcoming games chart on Steam for a while now and it looks like loads of fun. Described as a stylized game that lets you progress through the “golden age” of rallying, it features dozens of rally machines based on classic icons from the real world. Continue reading
Posted in Video Games
Tagged 222D, ae86, Art of Rally, aw11, celica, group b, impreza, lancer evolution, mazda, mitsubishi, mr2, rally, rx-3, rx-7, sa22c, st185, subaru, toyota, wrc, WRX STI
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KIDNEY, ANYONE? 5,400-mile Lexus LS400
As the world creeps towards apocalypse on a daily basis, we are reminded of the necessity of an apocalypse-proof vehicle. As luck would have it, a 1994 LS400 with a scant 5,400 miles on the odometer has appeared on the market in Long Branch, New Jersey. Given that a first-generation LS400 with a hundred thousand miles is still more reliable than the most vehicles on American roads, one that has only ticked four digits on its odometer since new might just be the right car for the coming cataclysm(s). Continue reading
Happy 929 Day from JNC
The HC-generation Mazda 929 is oft forgotten, but Mazda’s ads at the time positioned it as a luxury sedan that could deliver better performance than the European brands for two-thirds the price. Come to think of it, that’s also their formula today. Happy 929 Day from JNC!
This thing could have been the Nissan Z Proto
Okay, just one more thing about the Z Proto and we’ll shut up about it (for now). In some materials that Nissan shared, alternate designs for the Z Proto can be seen on the wall at the Nissan design studio in Atsugi, Japan. Some are good, others are… not. After seeing them, we’re glad that the Z Proto turned out the way it did. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 240Z/260Z/280Z, 400Z, Alfonso Albaisa, datsun, fairlady z, Hiroshi Tamura, nissan, s30 z, Satoru Tai, Z Proto, Z35
3 Comments
QotW: What stupid question have you always wanted to ask about Japanese cars?
September 28 is Ask a Stupid Question Day, so today’s your chance to ask a stupid question about Japanese cars, no judgements. Why do Japanese cars limit their engine displacements and power? Why do Japanese cars have so many variations of the same model? Why is the 2-t0ne color of the S130 Z called the Manhattan? Make them general or specific. We’ll try to answer them as best we can, and other readers can chime in as well.
What stupid question have you always wanted to ask about Japanese cars?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What pivotal Japanese car made our modern favorites possible?” Continue reading
VIDEO: Here’s every generation of the Honda Trail Cub
Here’s a very informative history lesson on the Honda Trail Cub (or Hunter Cub, or Postie, depending on which continent you live on). Produced by Honda, it goes through every iteration of what started out as a Super Cub modified for off-road use. It starts out with a C105T, developed in 1961 by American Honda thanks to an Idaho dealer of Super Cubs, but it’s a super rare chrome plated version, given in 1963 as a gift to top US dealers. Continue reading
VIDEO: The Isuzu Elf had a cute name but did massive work
The Elf is to Isuzu what the Land Cruiser is to Toyota or the Skyline is to Nissan. At 61 years old it’s the longest running nameplate in Isuzu’s history, and a truck that can be seen in almost every corner of the globe (including the US, where it’s rebadged as a GMC W-series. Unless you’re living in a unabomber cabin in the woods, chances are that something you own has been on an Isuzu Elf. Continue reading
Here are all the references to past Z-cars on the Nissan Z Proto
Now that we’ve had some time to digest the Z Proto, let’s take a look at what Nissan has given us. In the company’s own words, the Z Proto is mostly a design statement. So, we can’t really speculate any more on the chassis or power, but there’s still a lot to unpack. Continue reading
Posted in Design
Tagged 240Z/260Z/280Z, 400Z, Alfonso Albaisa, datsun, fairlady z, Hiroshi Tamura, nissan, s30 z, Z Proto, Z35
9 Comments
Mazda classics take a lap at Tsukuba Circuit during a 4-hour Roadster enduro
Many automotive journalists don’t even own cars. Why do that when you are supplied by a never-ending stream of press loaners that show up in your driveway every week? However, if you were to poll all the journalists, you’d probably find that the car most owned by this strange breed of human is the Mazda Miata. It handles well enough to excite after doing time in a slew of numbing SUVs. It handles well enough to excite after thrills in six-figure luxury sports cars. And, most importantly, it’s reliable enough to own on a scribe’s meager salary. That’s probably why in Japan Mazda has held a yearly 4-hour endurance race for journalists every year since the Roadster’s introduction in 1989. Continue reading
Toyota sees the new Z and would like to remind you about the GR Super Sport
You might have heard that over the weekend, Toyota won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the third time in a row. It’s a tremendous feat, even if it ran largely unopposed by any other automaker. Toyota also took the opportunity to remind the world that it is, in fact, working on a hypercar that will make the Lexus LFA look like a Camry. Sure, Nissan, your Z Proto might be the talk of the town, and the R390 GT1? That’s cute. This is the GR Super Sport, and it’s probably going to have close to 1,000 horsepower. Continue reading
The new Nissan CEO’s first car was a Z32 Fairlady Z
Nissan has been through a tumultuous couple of years. In November 2018 its CEO of nearly 20 years Carlos Ghosn was arrested on charges of misappropriating company funds and has since become an international fugitive. His replacement, Hiroto Saikawa, lasted less than a year before resigning over improper overcompensation. All the while, the company faced falling sales made even worse by the onset of the coronavirus. Makoto Uchida became CEO in October 2019, promising to turn the company around and rebuild the internal structure that made his predecessors’ alleged improprieties possible. It’s won’t be an easy road, but Uchida has at least one thing going for him — his first car was a Z32 Nissan Fairlady Z. Continue reading
QotW: What pivotal Japanese car made our modern favorites possible?
Today is Respect for the Aged Day, a Japanese holiday that honors the elderly. With the introduction of a new Z, one of original models that changed western perceptions of what a Japanese car could be, it seems only fitting to consider the predecessors that have made our hobby what it is today. While the Z might be an obvious choice, one could argue that its little brother, the humble 510, put more Japanese cars in driveways. There’s no right or wrong answer, and it probably depends on what your modern favorites are.
What pivotal Japanese car made our modern favorites possible?
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 fondest Nissan Z-Car memory?” Continue reading
