Japanese Nostalgic Car

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 →

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 →