QotW: What shot of a JNC will be forever seared into your brain?

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Today is the birthday of one of the greatest humans ever to work behind a camera, director Akira Kurosawa. If he were alive today, Kurosawa would be 110 years old. Film (and digital) shots, whether still or moving, can make the mundane beautiful, and make the beautiful breathtaking.

One of my personal favorites of all time is the one that introduced to the world the 1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport and its baby brother, the Familia Rotary Coupé,. Angling skyward on a banked curve during testing, the brightness in the image of the cars, the sky, the unblemished track surface, perfectly captured the optimism and seemingly unlimited potential of not just the new type of engine under the hood, but of Japan’s coming industrial boom.

What shot of a JNC will be forever seared into your brain?

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 JNC project until this whole coronavirus thing blows over?” Continue reading →

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Happy Familia Day from JNC

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Dan Hsu

Being cooped up at home under COVID-19 quarantine is a great way to spend some quality time with your family. It’s fitting, then, that today is Familia Day, also known as 323 Day. Be sure to tell your loved ones what good little kids they are (before you go insane arguing over what to watch on Netflix).

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Nissan has trademarked a retro logo for the next Z; could it be electrified?

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Nissan has filed trademark applications in at least three countries for a new Z logo. For Zed heads waiting for a new Z, this alone would cast a ray of hope for a next-generation Z, but there’s one aspect that’s even better. The Z logo is a throwback to those found on the original 240Z. Continue reading →

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VIDEO: There’s no need for austerity measures when you’re driving the T12 Nissan Stanza

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The T12 Nissan Stanza was called the Nissan Auster in Japan, but even if you owned this sub-Maxima compact it didn’t necessarily mean you were living in austerity. It offered styling and features above its station in the Nissan lineup, and provided excellent value — as long as you weren’t expecting it to do everything its big brother Maxima could. Continue reading →

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Good guy Nissan offers virtual tour of Zama warehouse during corona virus quarantine

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Nissan knows people are staying home to prevent the spread of the corona virus. So, to keep us occupied, it’s going to offer a live two-hour virtual tour of its heritage collection, otherwise known as the Zama warehouse, of 400-plus classic, racing, and concept cars. For those who have never had the opportunity to visit Nissan nirvana in person, this will be the next best thing. Continue reading →

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The Subaru BRZ Final Edition has launched, in Germany

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Well, it’s happening. Production of the Subaru BRZ is coming to an end, and the Toyota 86 is likely to follow. After eight years on the market, the last of the lightweight, RWD, Japanese sport coupes will soon bid us sayonara. Germany is the first country to get a farewell edition, called, appropriately, the BRZ Final Edition. Continue reading →

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ART CORNER: Stuck at home because of the corona virus? Download a papercraft diorama for your Toyota Corona race car

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The Japanese website of Brother, the printer company, has an astounding array of things you can do with paper. There are coloring books, greeting cards, forms, business card templates, and a whole lot more. Naturally, there is also an insane amount of papercraft, including a diorama set for a Toyota RTX race car, based on the T50 Corona. It’s one way to kill some time with while you’re stuck at home because of the corona virus. Continue reading →

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Happy St Patrick’s Day from JNC

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Patrick Strong

We are members of the green car fan club around here, and the Kyoseki Nissan Skyline GT-R Group A race car is one of our favorites. Stay safe and Happy St. Patrick’s Day from JNC!

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VIDEO: The Ford Probe was a more futuristic looking Mazda MX-6

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The Ford Probe is now largely forgotten, but even at the height of its popularity it was mostly known as the butt of jokes about its orifice-seeking name. Developed during Ford’s ownership of Mazda, it shared a platform with the MX-6, but boasted styling more futuristic — it was used in the 2015 scenes from Back to the Future II — that was different enough to not simply be a badge-engineered renaming. Continue reading →

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QotW: What’s your JNC project until this whole coronavirus thing blows over?

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Many places around the world are shutting down because of the COVID-19, a.k.a. the coronavirus. Though the virus has nothing to do with vintage Toyotas, this is an excellent time to get some work done on your JNC project if your workplace has shut down or your area is under home isolation advisement. Those circumstances may cause some people to go stir crazy, but luckily we are Car Enthusiasts. Social isolation? That sounds like wonderful hours of uninterrupted time in the garage, whether its swapping in a new transmission, claying your paint job, or redecorating the ol’ shed. Hell, since no one else is on the roads, it’s a great time to go for a drive.

What’s your JNC project until this whole coronavirus thing blows over?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Which JNC model deserves its own museum?” Continue reading →

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Toyota revives the Black Limited 86

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Ben Hsu

At the Tokyo Auto Salon in January, Toyota unveiled a close-to-production concept of a special edition 86 called the Black Limited. A throwback to one of the most desirable AE86 special editions of all time, it seemed to signal an upcoming model. Now it’s here, in all its midnight glory. Continue reading →

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MINICARS: The second color of the Hot Wheels Prelude is a tribute to Electron Blue Pearl

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Ricky Silverio

One of the most anticipated Hot Wheels castings of this year has been the fifth-generation Honda Prelude. We showed you the prototype last October, and Hot Wheels’ design team has revealed the first color, silver. Now, they’ve given us some exclusive photos of the second color, and it’s a tribute to one of the most memorable Honda colors of the 90s. Continue reading →

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JNC LIBRARY: A must-have book for the Isuzu aficionado

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Ben Hsu

If you’re a hard-core enthusiast, or even just a casual fan, of Isuzus, the the new book A History of Isuzu Passenger Cars by Setsuo Toma should be in your library. As the title implies, it spans the entire run of non-commercial Isuzus, from the company’s founding in 1916 as the oldest automaker in Japan to the end of its passenger car production in 2002. Continue reading →

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Akio Toyoda celebrates Lexus’ 30th anniversary with a champagne glass throwback to the original LS

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Ben Hsu

How does one celebrate a milestone anniversary? If you’re Lexus, it’s with champagne… glasses in the form of a tower on the hood of an LS. One of the most famous car commercials of the 1990s was Balance, the spot where a pyramid of champagne glasses was stacked on the hood of a then-brand new Lexus LS400. Now, Lexus has recreated the ad with CEO Akio Toyoda himself.  Continue reading →

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Happy 310 Day from JNC

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Dan Hsu

You know, even though we have been celebrating holidays like 510 Day for years, we’ve been neglecting the poor Sunny. No more. The sub-Bluebird compact deserves some love too. Happy 310 Day from JNC!

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Toyota closes museums, Megaweb, for coronavirus

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Ben Hsu

COVID-19 is no laughing matter, but sometimes the jokes write themselves. Toyota has closed several of its facilities in Japan, including the Toyota Automobile Museum and Megaweb showroom, due to the coronavirus. Continue reading →

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Mazda brings back the 93LE Miata’s black and red for a limited Eunos Edition ND

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The Mazda MX-5 Miata has had many, many limited and special editions, but one of the most beloved is the 93LE. As the enthusiast-coined name implies, it came out in 1993 (1992 for Japan) and wore a distinctive black-with-red-interior color scheme. Now, Mazda is bringing it back for the fourth-generation MX-5. Not only that, but they’re reviving the Eunos name, just for the occasion. Continue reading →

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QotW: Which JNC model deserves its own museum?

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Most automakers have their own museums that showcase the history of the entire marque, but last week we wrote about an entire museum dedicated to one model, the Suzuki Jimny. Typically, to warrant its own museum the model would have to be something special and widely, like a Skyline or Miata, but there are plenty more models that we’re honestly surprised don’t have a museum of their own. The ways to outfit the museum would be endless — one of every variation ever built, mountains of literature, promotional materials, scale models in dioramas, or all of the above. The possibilities are endless!

Which JNC model deserves its own museum?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What JNC would you pick if you had to charge through a snowy mountain?” Continue reading →

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BIKES: Now the Yamaha XSR700’s paint finally matches its retro looks

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Dan Hsu

When Yamaha introduced the XSR700 in 2016, its goal was to combine modern technology with classic styling. The naked twin used the MT-07’s frame, suspension, and the crossplane crank parallel twin, but wore the retro look of famous Yamahas of old like the XS 650. Now, for 2020, Yamaha is finally introducing a throwback livery to go along with the look. Continue reading →

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COLLECTIONS: By opening the Jimny Museum, Shigeru Onoue achieved his dream

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Ben Hsu

The Jimny Museum in Japan was not officially established by Suzuki. Instead, the two story shrine to the country’s favorite mini 4WD truck was the obsession of one 72-year-old man, Shigeru Onoue, who has devoted his life to this single model. Continue reading →

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