QotW: What JNC from 1984 would you buy new today?

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? A Honda Civic Si has sold for $50,000

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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A Honda-themed race track built entirely out of Legos

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Dan Hsu

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 →

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SHOWA SNAP: Akihabara, Tokyo, circa 1971

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Ben Hsu

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.

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Canada’s supply of the limited edition Phoenix Yellow Civic Type R sold out in less than four minutes

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Ben Hsu

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 →

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The upcoming Mazda 3 Turbo is essentially a Mazdaspeed 3 without the name

Posted on June 3, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Despite repeated denials by Mazda, about a year ago we predicted that the company would come out with a turbocharged Mazda 3. It looks like that is indeed happening, as indicated by leaked codes from Mazda’s dealership extranet system. Essentially, it’s a new Mazdaspeed 3 in everything but the name.  Continue reading →

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A Nissan Skyline GT-R has been lovingly restored… by Toyota

Posted on June 3, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The world is utterly divided and in turmoil right now, so this is exactly the kind of story we need. Recently, an R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R was restored by expert mechanics as part of their duties for one of Japan’s largest car companies. Except, the company wasn’t Nissan. It was their age-old rival, Toyota. Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Diecast Racing League is the best sport to watch during quarantine

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Dan Hsu

Actual motorsports might be on hiatus while the coronavirus quarantine is in effect, but that doesn’t mean all auto racing has to grind to a halt. Turns out, there’s a thriving community of drivers who compete in diecast cars. The Diecast Racing League takes place on a variety of 3D-printed courses, all gravity fed and laser-timed. It’s incredibly staged, with March Madness-style brackets, lap records, and even announcers calling the action. Continue reading →

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Happy 86th Birthday, Nissan!

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Dan Hsu

On this day in 1934, Nissan as we know today was founded. To be fair, the companies that combined to form it were established long before. However, it was the 1933 merger of Kwaishinsha Motorcar Works established in 1911, Jitsuyo Jidosha Seizo established in 1919, and Tobata Casting Co. established in 1910, that ushered in the new era as Nissan Motor Company.

We’ve been talking a lot about Nissan’s uncertain future as the company faces financial hardships. But with unveiled a plan to weather the coming years, announced just last week and headlined by a new Z, it certainly feels like there’s another new era is coming. Happy 86th birthday, Nissan; here’s to many more.

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

QotW: What are your thoughts, hopes, and fears for the new Z?

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Ben Hsu

After teasing us for a decade plus, last week Nissan made it official. There will indeed be a seventh generation Z. That’s great news for car enthusiasts, especially in this day and age where sports cars are an endangered species. We should be grateful, but we know that the Z name comes a whole lot of baggage: expectations, fanfare, countless online debates. With what little we know so far:

What are your thoughts, hopes, and fears about the next Z?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s the best inexpensive Japanese off-roader?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments

Happy S30 Day from JNC

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Dan Hsu

We need to take a quick poll, guys. Today is May 30, or 5/30, or S30 in leet speak. So, a day to celebrate the first-generation Nissan Fairlady Z, then? However, in some corners of Z fandom S30 day is celebrated on the last day of September, or “S 30,” which is just as valid! Which day should we celebrate the gloriousness of Nissan’s game-changing sports car?

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OH, KEI! The Jimny Santa Monica was a cute beach cruiser based on Suzuki’s mini-4×4

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Ben Hsu

With summer is upon us, so are dreams of beachside cruising. In the history of kei cars, there was perhaps no vehicle more fitting for that purpose than the Jimny Santa Monica (it’s right there in the name!). Built upon the second-generation (1984-1990) Suzuki Jimny, it replaced the body with a composite, door-less dune buggy-ish body. Sadly, they are also increasingly rare. It’s estimated that surviving Santa Monicas number only in the single digits. Continue reading →

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Here’s your first look at the seventh-generation Nissan Z

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Nissan dropped a video this morning that teases its upcoming lineup in a new, post-Ghosn, post-COVID era. Notably, the it provides the first glimpse of what the seventh-generation Z could look like. The rendering of what we’ll call the Z35 confirms two promising things: 1.) That the Z will indeed live on, and 2.) have the S30-inspired looks that that have been rumored. Continue reading →

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And now for your viewing pleasure, videos of brand new NSXes

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Two NSX videos were released yesterday, one from each side of the Pacific. The first was a retro review of the 1994 Acura NSX from Motorweek, America’s favorite (only) public broadcasting car testing show. However, instead from the regular parade of practical cars reviewed from Owings Mills, Maryland, this time they are at Pocono Raceway hot lapping Japan’s premier 1990s supercar. Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Watch an epic battle of 90s sports cars

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Ben Hsu

In a race that looks like a real-life Gran Turismo battle, the best of 1990s sports cars duke it out in this 1995 episode of Best Motoring. The field is a who’s who of Bubble Era machinery, including a Supra Turbo, R33 Skyline GT-R, FD3S RX-7, SW20 MR2, 993 Porsche Carrera, and not one but two NSXes, one automatic and one manual. The manual NSX even comes in the best 90s color, teal, a paint option Honda didn’t offer in the US. Who will come out on top? Continue reading →

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SHOWA SNAP: A Toyota police car pulls over a Datsun, 1965

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Like many cities around the world, traffic has died down dramatically due to stay-at-home advisories stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway has seen a 60 percent drop in traffic, meaning it probably has not been this traffic-free since its early days in the 1960s. In this 1965 photo it was so traffic-free, in fact, that a Toyota Crown police car was able to pull over a 310 Bluebird driver, blocking off an entire lane during daytime hours on the famously narrow Shuto. Other vehicles include the ubiquitous Crowns and Cedrics, but also a 1960 Chevy Impala.

Image: eBay

Posted in Showa Snap | 5 Comments

QotW: What’s the best inexpensive Japanese off-roader?

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Recently we saw some laudable off-roading conducted by an unexpectedly capable 1978 Subaru station wagon. That has made us yearn for a truck that we can take into the wilderness without worry. To make this question more challenging, let’s add a budget — say, $5,000 or so, or about the blue book value of that Subaru. That effectively eliminates options like the Toyota Land Cruiser and other classic SUVs. Also, because this is JNC, we’ll add the caveat that we don’t want to abuse a mint or rare vehicle just to thrash around on some rocky trails. Aftermarket support would be a nice bonus as well.

What’s the best inexpensive Japanese off-roader?

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 automotive museum experience?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 10 Comments

Here’s a GT-R50 Kenmeri Skyline homage in the proper colors

Posted on May 22, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Earlier this week Nissan released images of the first production GT-R50. It featured a subtle tribute to the Kenmeri Skyline GT-R show car from the 1972 Tokyo Motor Show — one that was in fact too subtle for some. So courtesy of Italdesign, here’s another one that’s a more on the nose. Continue reading →

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You can now drive the Mazda RX-Vision… in Gran Turismo

Posted on May 22, 2020 by Ben Hsu

One of the most stunning concept cars of the last decade has been the Mazda RX-Vision. No one has been able too drive the supposedly rotary-powered sports car, but that’s about to change — at least in the virtual world of Gran Turismo Sport. On May 22, the RX-Vision GT3 race car will be available in the racing sim. Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Watch this 1978 Subaru GL Wagon master Moab

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Ryan Senensky

Moab, Utah is famous of its tough-as-nails off-roading obstacles, and normally one would not think of tackling them with anything less than a Toyota truck or Jeep. One owner of a 1978 Subaru GL, however, took his 42-year-old economy wagon with 67 horsepower way, way off-road. Surprisingly — or perhaps not for Subarites — the old blue workhorse surpassed all expectations. Continue reading →

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