Speaking of how some owners go through incredible effort and expense and just for a small, barely noticeable change? Hayato Muramatsu did that with his 1979 Datsun 620 by shaving the bed and combining it with the cab. The resulting “ute” is simply stunning. Happy 620 Day from JNC!
That time a Honda Prelude raced an F1 car at Suzuka Circuit
“How would a 1990s Formula 1 car stack up against a contemporary sports coupe of the era?” is something you were surely pondering over your Corn Flakes this morning. Luckily, a pair of Hondas answered this exact question back in 1992 at Suzuka Circuit. A then-new fourth-gen Prelude, used as a pace car at the Honda-owned track, was pitted against a Tyrrell 020 powered by a RA101E Honda V10, and that was just one of the reasons it was an unfair fight. Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged formula 1, honda, prelude, Prelude 4g, Satoru Nakajima, suzuka circuit, Tyrrell 020
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MOTORSPORT: How Ikaten bridged illegal and professional drifting, with silver cephalopods
Drifting went pro in 2000 when the D1 Grand Prix series was founded. But long before D1GP, there was the Ikasu Hashiriya Team Tengoku (roughly translated to Ikasu Racer Team Heaven), an amateur drift series that bridged the era between completely illegal night-time touge drifting of the 1980s and the professionally sanctioned D1GP of the early 2000s. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 180sx, a70, ae86, corolla levin, drifting, fc3s, fd3s, Ikasu Hashiriya Team Tengoku/Ikaten, mazda, nissan, rx-7, s13, s14, S15, silvia, soarer, sprinter trueno, supra, toyota, z20
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The insane details on this Mugen CR-X Pro shows how hard-core tuners can be
The level of detail on the best Japanese customs can be mind-blowing. Take Kenichi Iizuka’s Mugen CR-X Pro, for instance. The aero kit from the Honda specialists at Mugen is already a Bubble Era aftermarket classic, but it was much more than simple ground effects. Continue reading
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DESIGN: In another dimension, the Mitsubishi 4000GT
In our dimension, the once mighty Mitsubishi Motors has been relegated to just a few unremarkable models for penny pinchers. In an alternate dimension, a futuristic sports car, a true successor to the flagship 3000GT VR-4 of the 1990s, exists. This is one designer’s vision of what could have been. Continue reading
Ultra rare 1960 Prince Skyline found in Idaho scrapyard
A true unicorn has surfaced in a junkyard in Nampa, Idaho when a 1960 Prince Skyline found its way into the inventory at Jalopy Jungle. What’s more, it is an unobtainable left-hand-drive example of an already extremely rare specimen. While this vehicle is far from a prime example of an ALSI-1 Skyline, it is one of only a handful of export models known to exist. Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: An Isuzu escapes a flood of taxis in 1966 Tokyo
With the popularization of the motorcar by the mid 1960s, Tokyo’s pre-war narrow streets could become quite crowded. Even today, there are many side streets where no sidewalks exist and cars simply whiz by as pedestrians side-step street signs and utility poles. Here, a shopping lance is already packed with Toyota Crown taxis as a Kokusai Kogyo bus enters the scene. “Sweet freedom!” the people in the Isuzu Bellett must be thinking as they escape the chaos.
Images: 2ch
Posted in Showa Snap
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QotW: What would you store in a Global JNC Vault?
On this day in 2006, construction began on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, an international bank that stores the building blocks of important plants in case of a global catastrophe. The seeds tell the story of Earth’s flora, and is intended to last 1,000 years. What if there was a similar vault for JNCs? A place to store important items, information, and actual cars that future generations will be able to admire, learn from, and maybe even replicate so they can comprehend this one shining moment in automotive and industrial history.
What would you store in a Global JNC Vault?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC from 1984 would you buy new today?” Continue reading
The history of Toyota’s insane dealer networks, explained
“Why does Toyota have so many dealership chains in Japan?” you may have asked yourself at some point, “And why do certain dealers sell only certain models?” It’s all very confusing. Well, as of last month, if you’re buying a Toyota in Japan, you will no longer have to go through its byzantine network of showrooms to figure out who sells what. Say goodbye to the various Netz, Toyopet, Corolla, and Toyota Store chains. At last, everything is being unified under the Toyota brand, as the last vestiges of Japan’s Bubble Era auto sales traditions dies for good. Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Touring car classes mix it up at the 1973 Japan Grand Prix
While open-wheeled cars were the main event at the 1973 Japan Grand Prix, the supporting Touring Car races were where the action was. Take the TS-a class, for example. Here were racers based on cars that anyone could afford. Nissan Cherrys and Sunnys, Toyota Celicas, Corollas, and Publica Starlets. Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged a20, b110, celica, cherry, corolla levin, e20, nissan, Publica Starlet, sunny, toyota
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MINICARS: Peep this incredible 1:64 scale Japanese parking garage
We’ve mentioned before that the Chinese website AliExpress is great for finding weird gems of miniature car greatness. Take this Japanese-style parking garage for 1:64-scale diecast cars, for example. The two-story playset looks like the type of scene where street racers would gather at night before a blast on the Wangan or Shuto. Continue reading
Happy 610 Day from JNC
You have a Bluebird Wagon. You have a set of Enkei Bajas, turbine-looking wheels with Datsun fitment. Might as well lift the rear end up in the air to get that 70s funny car look! Happy 610 Day from JNC!
SHOWA SNAP: Everyone come see the brand new 1966 Toyota Corolla
The debut of the Toyota Corolla was a big deal in 1966. Though, it’s quite likely that even Toyota didn’t know how big of a deal the new model would be. The idea was a small but sporty compact that would slot between the Publica and Corona, but no one could have predicted that it would by 1974 become the world’s best selling car model and by 1997 break the Guinness world record for sales, outselling the VW Beetle. Did any of the salarymen passing this new Corolla display know the success they were gazing upon? Would they, as old men seeing “Corolla” become a household word around the globe recall, “I saw the first one on the way to work in 1968.”? Continue reading
Mississippi man saves total stranger’s Mazda RX-7 from flooding
Here’s an uplifting story, centered around something we can all agree on: love for the FD3S Mazda RX-7. Mississippi has been hit hard by Tropical Storm Cristobal. During the storm, someone posted on Facebook photos of an orange FD parked on the bottom floor of a flooded parking garage, already up to its rocker panels in water. That’s when Gulfport resident and Japanese car fan Austin Owens leapt into action, even though he had no idea who the owner was. Continue reading
VIDEO: This is why there’s a drift tax
RIP to the fallen.
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QotW: What JNC from 1984 would you buy new today?
On June 8, 1949 George Orwell published his seminal dystopian work 1984. It’s an excellent book everyone should read, even though I don’t recall any cars being in it. Luckily, the real 1984 had quite a few cars, especially a rich selection from Japan in the midst of the Bubble Economy. Let’s say you have a flatbed-sized time machine that can carry one car back to the present.
What JNC from 1984 would you buy new today?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What are your thoughts, hopes, and fears for the new Z?” Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? A Honda Civic Si has sold for $50,000
It was just a few short years ago that two low-mileage EM1 Honda Civic Si coupes sold for a just under $25,000. Turns out, that was an excellent investment because their values have just jumped up quite a bit. Today, another one sold for $50,000, and in fact, when you add on the auction fees, it actually adds up to $52,500. Continue reading
A Honda-themed race track built entirely out of Legos
Honda Australia has created, out of Legos, an entire racetrack populated with Hondas old and new. Called “Mount Hondarama,” it’s a replica of Mount Panorama, also known as Bathurst. While Lego Civic Type Rs race around by radio control, other Hondas dot the landscape, including everything from a Honda lawn mower to a first-gen Civic to the HondaJet. Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: Akihabara, Tokyo, circa 1971
Akihabara, also known as Electric Town, is Tokyo’s epicenter of electronics, old school video arcades, and hobby shops with enough miniature cars to fill an ocean. Back in 1971, it wasn’t quite the otaku paradise yet, with Meiji Era buildings advertising Sanyo color televisions and electrical cables criss-crossing the sky. For comparison, here’s what this area, where the Mansei Bridge crosses the Kanda River, looks like today. The parapet is still there to the left, but everything else is gone. Sadly, that includes the S50 Toyota Crowns, first-gen Mitsubishi Galants, and Hakosuka Skyline Vans rumbling down the street.
Image: 2ch.
Posted in Uncategorized
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Canada’s supply of the limited edition Phoenix Yellow Civic Type R sold out in less than four minutes
Back in February Honda announced that it was bringing back the iconic Phoenix Yellow to the 2021 Honda Civic Type R. The special edition color, along with a 46-pound diet, would be limited to 1,020 worldwide. If pre-orders in Canada are any indication, it will be in pretty high demand. Apparently, our northern neighbors’ allotment of 100 was sold out in less than four minutes. Continue reading
