This year marks the 70 years since Soichiro Honda’s little venture into motorcycle manufacturing. In 1949, the Dream D-Type became Honda’s first real motorcycle; prior models still had the appearance of a bicycle with an auxiliary motor strapped to them. Now, at the end of its 70th anniversary year Honda has announced it has built its 400 millionth motorcycle, cementing its spot as the world’s biggest manufacturer of two-wheelers. Continue reading
There’s an elephant in the room and it’s a Toyota 2000GT
Pat Goss, the Bob Ross of car repair, has been a staple of Maryland Public Television forever. Their names even kind of sound the same. In a recent episode, Goss is showing off a new parts cleaner while a Toyota 2000GT is just casually parked in the background. Amusingly, Goss and his guest, a rep from the parts cleaner company, don’t even acknowledge that the million-dollar king daddy of Japanese classics is cold chillin’ behind them. Continue reading
This awesome vintage motorcycle event but with cars, please
Even without a ton of knowledge about motorcycles, we can probably all agree that the Legend of Classic is a cool event. Held at Japan’s Tsukuba Circuit and Fuji Speedway, the vintage motorcycle racing event’s self-described philosophy is this: “To reproduce the motor sports scene of the Golden Age before 1972.” We just want one with cars, too. Continue reading
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Circuit Wolf author Satoshi Ikezawa
If you’re wondering why Japan seems to have an inordinate number of Lotus Europas, the answer can be found in Satoshi Ikezawa’s Circuit Wolf. From January 1975 to June 1979, the wildly popular manga was one of the many car-themed comics that originated in Japan during the Showa Era. As popular as Initial D during its time, it has sold 17 million copies. Recently, a special Circuit Wolf exhibit completed its two-city tour in celebration of the 50th anniversary since Ikezawa was first published. Continue reading
Posted in manga
Tagged 2000gt, 240zg, a20, celica, circuit wolf, cosmo sport, europa, fairlady z, Fairlady Z432, ferrari, Lamboghini, lotus, Maserati, mazda, nissan, porsche, rx-2, rx-3, sunny, toyota, toyota 7, ts cup
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Even Honda yearns for its heyday with a 20th Anniversary S2000 and EK9 Civic for the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon
It’s hard to believe but the Honda S2000 is 20 years old (For reference, when JNC started the AE86 was 21 years old, and it felt ancient). At the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon in January, Honda will be revealing a 20th Anniversary Prototype to honor the milestone. The car will come with a newly styled aero kit, suspension, and audio lid. Only one image has been released so far, but it’s a handsome, fresh take that is thankfully subtle enough to complement the S2000’s simple and purposeful design. Beyond the S2000, Honda is also going back to its 90s well with a modified EK9 Civic Type R. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged civic, Civic Type R, EK9, honda, s2000, stepwgn, tokyo auto salon
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NEWS: Rotary engine may race again at Le Mans
Rotaries are returning to Le Mans, at least in the rule books. According to the most recent technical regulations for the Le Mans Hypercar category approved and released by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, rotary engines may power the machines in the new top class of endurance racing for the 2020-21 season. The last time a rotary-powered car raced at 24 Hours of Le Mans was 1991, when the Mazda 787B took overall win. After which rotaries were banned. Now nearly 30 years hence, the thrilling sound of the rotary engine may grace the famed race, as well as the rest of World Endurance Championship, yet again. Continue reading
QotW: If you could own a Japanese race car from any era, what would it be?
Race cars. Purposeful, raw, historic. We recently learned that Subaru WRC rally cars were going to be restored for anyone lucky enough to own one. They seem like a thrill to drive. That would be a completely logical pick from the cars that exist. Sadly, many others have been destroyed or lost to history. But let’s say you have a time machine and can go back to pluck any competition machine from Japan’s history and bring it back to your garage.
If you could own a Japanese race car from any era, what would it be?
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 ultimate SUV restomod project?” Continue reading
How Mazda makes its cars drive so damn good
As car enthusiasts, we are often asked by non-enthusiast friends and relatives what car we would buy. Personally, in the past I often recommended Toyotas or Hondas, but these days the answer is almost always Mazda. It’s not because Mazda routinely tops rankings for safety, reliability, or fuel economy and low emissions, although it does all of those things. It’s not because Mazdas are beautifully designed, even though they are. It all boils down to the one thing that sets Mazdas apart from nearly every other marque right now: the way they drive. Continue reading
JNC THEATER: Shelby American
Ford v. Ferrari might be the biggest car movie out right now, but there’s an even better one currently playing on Netflix — and it’s non-fiction. Shelby American is the latest release by Chassy Media, the production company of Adam Carolla and Nate Adams, who brought you Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman covering the Datsun-centric career of the renowned actor. While Shelby American focuses mainly on the creator of the Cobra, we think there is still plenty of content of interest to JNC readers. Continue reading
Posted in JNC Theater
Tagged 24 Hours of Le Mans, carroll shelby, dan gurney, ferrari, ford, john morton, John Surtees, motosport, peter brock, Shelby Cobra, Shelby Daytona Coupe
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Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Mazda Roadster in Japan
While we were celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Mazda Miata in the US at Laguna Seca, Roadster owners in Japan had their own shindig. Held at Mazda’s Miyoshi Proving Grounds, the event drew 2,200 cars and 3,500 fans of the venerable sports car, from all across Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, the UK, and the US.
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Posted in events
Tagged eunos roadster, mazda, miata, Miata NA, Miata NB, Miata NC, Miata ND, miyoshi proving grounds, mx-5
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VIDEO: And the best Japanese car of 1995 was…
By 2020 the 25-year threshold of what constitutes a classic car will cut off at 1995. What was the best Japanese car of that year? Back then, Japan’s Best Motoring sought the answer in a series of videos pitting several classes of cars around Tsukuba Circuit for the 1995 Car of the Year series. Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged 3000GT, A80, accord, Accord 5g, alto, best motoring, camry, capella, cappuccino, Cefiro, Celica GT-Four, celsior, daihatsu, estima, F20, familia, fd3s, fto, gto, honda, impreza, infiniti, Infiniti I, kei, lancer evolution, mazda, mira, mitsubishi, mr2, nissan, nsx, Odyssey, r32, RAV4, rx-7, s14, silvia, skyline, st205, subaru, supra, suzuki, sw20, toyota, Vivio, wrx
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NEWS: Subaru rally car restoration program announced
In recent years a number of Japanese companies have started up factory restoration programs for their iconic cars. Nissan, Mazda, Honda, and Toyota all have programs in place or in the works. Now, your dreams of creating the ultimate Gran Turismo garage move one step closer because restored Subaru rally cars can be added to that list. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Colin McRae, impreza, legacy, Petter Solberg, Prodrive, rally, Richard Burns, subaru, wrc, wrx, WRX STI
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QotW: What’s your ultimate SUV restomod project?
Last week Acura unveiled a very cool thing: a restomodded SLX with a modern RDX engine and drivetrain. It was clever, challenging, and unexpected — all the hallmarks of a great build. Since SUVs and crossovers outsell sedans these days, maybe it’s time to start souping up these AWD family haulers like how the generation before made hot rods out of Sentras and Accords.
What’s your ultimate SUV restomod project?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What should we do about the manual transmission?” Continue reading
EVENTS: Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mazda’s iconic roadster at the Miata Reunion
There aren’t many cars like the Mazda Miata, and we don’t mean light, two-seat sports cars, even if their scarcity is indeed glaring these days. We’re talking about something even rarer — a machine that transcends the realm of car nerds speaking in chassis codes and enters the mainstream consciousness. Like Corvette or Beetle, Miata is a household name that even non-car people will know. It holds a very special place in motoring history, one that makes its three decades worthy of celebration. Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged Laguna Seca, mazda, miata, Miata NA, Miata NB, Miata NC, Miata ND, Miata Reunion, mx-5
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Acura resto-modded an SLX with 350-horsepower and a modern drivetrain
When one ponders the modified Acura, it’s usually a B18C-swapped Integra or some kind of insane time attack NSX. The SLX is probably pretty far down that list, if one can remember that is exists at all. However, Acura — yes, the actual company — has just built what is certainly the world’s first resto-modded example and will debut at the Radwood SoCal show this Saturday. And dare we say it, the result is actually kind of awesome. Continue reading
They’ve gone to plaid: You can now buy reproduction plaid fabric for the first-gen Mazda RX-7
Design patterns covering kyusha interiors fall into a special category of obsession for us. Who can resist the finely embossed crests in vinyl headrests, or the colorful swirls in 80s upholsteries? Unfortunately, these surfaces tend to be points of major wear, and sourcing replacements range from difficult to impossible. Now, a shop in Saitama Prefecture has risen to this restoration challenge by offering replacement fabric that reproduces the seat design patterns in classic Mazdas. Continue reading
MINICARS: Hot Wheels Japan Historics 3
For 2020, the Japan Historics series returns to Hot Wheels’ premium line with three all-new castings and metal-base versions of two popular models. The beautiful five-car series continues to fill in the gaps of Japan’s automotive history with a distinctively Hot Wheels twist, and if these prototypes are any indication, they will be flying off the pegs. Continue reading
Posted in Hot Wheels, minicars
Tagged b120, city, cosmo sport, csp311, datsun, dr30, honda, hot wheels, Japan Historics, mazda, nissan, r30, silvia, skyline, sunny truck
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TUNE UP: “Toyota Man” is an actual song by Indian Neon
You can imagine our joy when we discovered that there was an actual song called “Toyota Man.” Unfortunately, upon further research, the new release by Neon Indian doesn’t really have much to do with Toyotas at all, even if the video features a snazzy red A70 Supra throughout. Continue reading
The Shoei NXR Zork TC-7 is the raddest helmet
We don’t often write about motorcycle helmets here on JNC, but when one comes along that is this striking, it’s hard to ignore. For 2020, Shoei is releasing a version of their popular NXR helmet slathered with 80s-inspired graphics, and it is called the Zork. Continue reading
VIDEO: How Japan’s best-selling compacts stacked up against the Ford Pinto
Here is a 1977 Ford commercial that is great on several accounts. First, it pits a Pinto against the best-selling Japanese compacts, which include an E30 Toyota Corolla, first-gen Honda Civic, and Datsun B210 (Honey Bee!). Second, it has none other than three-time Formula 1 champion Jackie Stewart shilling for the Pinto. Continue reading
