Happy 25th Anniversary, Sony Playstation

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Ben Hsu


On September 9, 1995 the original Sony PlayStation went on sale in the US. There were only 10 original games available at launch, and the shining star among of them was Namco’s Ridge Racer.

Sure, it didn’t have any licensed cars (although there was that one car on the cover that looked like a cross between a Mitsubishi Eclipse and FTO), but it as the name implies, it was inspired by the mountain driving popular in Japan at the time. It was a pioneer of drifting physics as well, which became integral to the personality of the game. In other words, the PlayStation and Ridge Racer brought an early form of touge battles to American living rooms long before anyone in the States knew of Initial D (Sega, for its part, went with the 3D Daytona USA).

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Nissan Z Proto: I am manual, hear me roar

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Nissan is really coming on strong with the Z Proto teasers. It was only Monday that they seemed to hint at a manual transmission. Many of you jokesters said that it was probably just the gear selector for a CVT, a not entirely unjustified concern. However, another teaser that dropped just this morning shows definitively that yes, the Z Proto will have an honest-to-god stick shift, with six-speeds and a rev match on/off switch like in the 370Z. We also get a few more glimpses of the exterior and some engine sounds. Continue reading →

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Happy 910 Day from JNC

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The Nissan Bluebird 910, also known as a shorter, four-cylinder version of the original Nissan Maxima, saw no shortage of racing action. Nissan even entered it in the 1981 Safari Rally, equipped with a turbocharged Z18ET said to output 230 horsepower. Sadly, it got stuck on one of the stages and thus timed out of the race. Still, Nissan managed to sweep the podium with other entries, so it was an overall success. Happy 910 Day from JNC!

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Nissan is giving up on the March and handing development over to Renault

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Oh, Nissan. You would not be you if you didn’t follow a week of promising teases of the new Z without some crushing disappointment. Turns out, Nissan is completely giving up on the March, and handing development over to Renault entirely for the next generation. Though it might not seem like a big deal to Z and GT-R fans, the March has been an essential member of the Nissan family since its launch. Continue reading →

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BIKES: The Honda Trail Cub will be available in the US

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The Honda Trail 125 motorcycle, successor to the once popular bike known colloquially as the Hunter Cub, is coming to the US. The stripped down, toughened up version of the Super Cub has been a favorite for outdoorsy types for decades, and went on sale in Japan in March. It is only fitting that the Trail Cub (this thing has many different nicknames around the world) return to the States, as it had its origins here 60 years ago. Continue reading →

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QotW: If you could only own one car from each Japanese marque, what would your garage look like?

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Ben Hsu

We know there are lots of brand loyalists in our readership, but this is a game some of the JNC staff have been playing offline. What if the Honda Heads, Toyotaku, Mazdafarians, and their ilk were forced to consider a garage where you could not own more than one car from each marque? And to make this harder, let’s say that these are all the cars you are allowed to own. We often think of respective sports cars as the “best” from each badge, but do you need a stable full of two-door coupes? Keep in mind that your tow rig, winter beater, and spouse’s daily will all have to come from this pool.

For the purposes of this question, let’s establish that the marques are Toyota/Lexus/Scion, Mazda, Subaru, Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti/Datsun, Mitsubishi, and Isuzu. If you’re going to throw in a Hino or Suzuki in there we won’t complain, but one car per marque.

If you could only own one car from each Japanese marque, what would your garage look like?

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 Tomica story?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 25 Comments

The seventh-generation Nissan Z Proto appears to have a manual transmission

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Ben Hsu

A new teaser trailer for the seventh-generation Z Proto seems to imply that the car will be coming with a manual transmission. Not only does it show a brief clip of a driver’s hand coming to rest on a gear selector, the video ends on that image. Nissan is clearly trying to make a statement, and it’s a statement that matches what sources have hinted to us. Continue reading →

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SHOWA SNAP: Metropolitan Expressway Route 4 at Asakasa Mitsuke in the 1970s

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Ben Hsu

In preparation for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Metropolitan Expressway Route 4 Route at Akasaka Mitsuke was rushed to completion. Below the highway, Aoyama Street (National Route 246) intersects with Sotobori Street. Crossing under the right-most branch is the Benkei Bridge heading toward the wonderfully old school New Otani Hotel. Sadly The building in the center is long gone, along with its Mazda advertising, replaced with new towers obscuring the silhouette of Mt Fuji. Here’s what this area looks like today, and here’s what it would look like as you’re hurtling westward on it today.

 Image: eBay

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For absolutely no reason for it at all, there’s a Datsun 510 is in this Little Caesar’s ad

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Ben Hsu

In a new Little Caesar’s Pizza commercial, the butt of an orange Datsun 510 peeks in from stage left. It is an example of “oddvertising” and the primary thing featured, in this case a combination telephone-saxophone, is not the thing being sold. Instead, you get this pastiche of strange artifacts — a CRT television, a mid-century coffee table, and one of the greatest sports sedans ever made. Continue reading →

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MARKETWATCH: A 1990 Nissan 240SX has sold for $32,750

Posted on September 3, 2020 by Ryan Senensky

While 2020 has been a bust on the car show front, the collector market has not slowed down. From barn finds to first car nostalgia buys, there has been no shortage of record setting sales this summer. Take, for example, this 1990 Nissan 240SX that sold for $32,750. Continue reading →

Posted in marketwatch | 8 Comments

That junkyard-found LHD Prince Skyline is in good hands in Japan

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Ryan Senensky

A few months ago a super-rare left-hand-drive 1960 Prince Skyline was found in an Idaho junkyard waiting to be scrapped. We immediately helped spread the word, and pretty soon the ALSI Skyline was purchased by a buyer in Japan, someone who reportedly had a few other Prince-era Skylines, with plans to restore it. Now, the car has landed on the other side of the Pacific and we are happy to tell you that the story gets even better. Continue reading →

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Is this the rear of the seventh-generation Nissan Z Proto?

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The official reveal of the seventh-generation Nissan Z isn’t until September 15, but here’s a sketch that might reveal a never-before seen rear view of the Z35. The line drawing comes from Nissan Senior VP for Global Design Alfonso Albaisa himself, and appears to take inspiration from the fourth-generation Z32 Nissan 300ZX.  Continue reading →

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Nissan teases next-generation “Z Proto” coming September 15

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Nissan has released another video teasing the next-generation Z sports car. In the video they call it the Z Proto, and say only that it’s “coming soon” without further details. A tweet by Nisssn says the concept will be revealed September 16 in Japan (5:30 Pacific Time, September 15 for the US). In the meantime, the video is peppered with cool old clips of past-generation Zs from both Japanese and American promotional materials while dramatic music swells. Continue reading →

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ART CORNER: These pixel art JNCs are the bee’s knees

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Ben Hsu

There’s probably a pretty big overlap in the Venn diagram of people who are really into Japanese classic cars and people who are really into old video games before the graphics got too realistic. That’s why these pixel art cars strike us straight in the hearts like a Nintendo light gun shooting a 8-bit duck stone cold dead. They are simultaneously beautiful, cute, and cool, and we wish they were in a real game. Continue reading →

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Toyota names its moon rover with the FJ40-inspired grille the “Lunar Cruiser”

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Ben Hsu

With its legendary ruggedness and durability, the Toyota Land Cruiser has already overcome the roughest terrain on all seven continents on Earth. Now, Toyota has set its sights on a new frontier for the Cruiser to conquer: the moon. The Big T, partnering with JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is developing a rover for extraterrestrial expeditions, and they’re calling it the Lunar Cruiser. Continue reading →

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QotW: What’s your favorite Tomica story?

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Last week was the 50th anniversary of Tomica, and for many non-Japanese readers these little cars were the first intro to oddball JDM cars like Skylines, Crowns, Demios, and StepWgns. For me, personally, it was family trip to Asia in the early 90s that I discovered Tomica, at first not even realizing they were the same as the Pocket Cars I loved as a kid. After buying a few at the local Sogo department store, I was hooked. My favorite encounter was probably when, on a later trip to Japan, I found silver Toyota Soarer unmarked police car that mirrored my Lexus SC300. As a fan of Japanese cars, there was no other option but Tomica for me to find “my” car as a diecast back then.

What’s your favorite Tomica story?

The most entertaining comment by next Tuesday (Monday is a US holiday) will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What would be the baddest Nissan-Honda combo?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 21 Comments

After 54 years, Mazda Bongo production ends with a whimper

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Ben Hsu

After half a century in production, the Mazda Bongo has reached the end of the road. For most North American readers this is probably not a big deal, as the Bongo looks like any number of nondescript one-box vans from Asia. In Japan, though, the Bongo was so game-changing, so beloved, that in some areas of the country the word “bongo” became the generic name for these types of vans, like “kleenex” for tissues or “xerox” for photocopies. Continue reading →

Posted in Back Roads | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

A Subaru dealership in Japan is displaying some awesome classics right now

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Fuji Subaru Ota, a Japanese dealership located near Subaru’s R&D facilities in Gunma Prefecture, is hosting a display of some truly historic cars right now. The exhibit is a tie-in for an upcoming enthusiasts’ event held by some local Subaru tuning houses, and it’s a rare opportunity to see some rare Fuji Heavies, including what is essentially a brand new Leone rally car and the world speed record-breaking Legacy. Continue reading →

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Isuzu Plaza museum hosts special Hillman Minx exhibit

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Earlier this month Isuzu opened a new, temporary exhibit at its wonderful Isuzu Plaza museum. The exhibit features Isuzu’s earliest passenger car, the Hillman Minx. There are precious few examples of these cars left, and in fact one of them in this exhibit spent over 20 years under Toyota’s care. Continue reading →

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Kawasaki heritage parts program also creates desk art out of cylinder heads

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Following in the footsteps of Japanese car companies, Earlier this year Kawasaki launched a Heritage Parts program. The first item to be reproduced was the cylinder heads for the 1972-76 Kawasaki 900 Super 4 and the 1973-78 Kawasaki 750RS, also known as the Z1 and Z2, respectively, and considered two of the company’s most iconic bikes. The first run of 1,000 cylinder heads sold out in two hours, but Kawasaki is making more, including 50 limited edition desk art cutaways. Continue reading →

Posted in Motorcycles | Tagged , , | 3 Comments