The 80s were a pivotal time in Japan’s automotive history, and the JCCS did not disappoint with a of turbocharged, retractable-headlight, angular-bodied machines. Continue reading
2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06 — Awesome 80s
Posted in events
Tagged 200sx, 300zx, 910, a60, accord, Accord 3g, ae86, aw11, b310, camry, celica, civic, Civic EA, Civic EF, corolla, corolla levin, cressida, crx, datsun, fc3s, honda, Integra g1, japanese classic car show, kp61, maxima, mazda, mr2, mugen, nissan, Pandem, racing beat, s110, s12, sprinter trueno, starlet, sunny, toyota, V20, x70, z31
5 Comments
After 30 years, Subaru bids farewell to the EJ20 engine
Since the dawn of the modern Subaru era, the venerable EJ20 engine has been a hallmark of the marque. In its various guises the boxer four has powered everything from rally machines to family station wagons. Now, after 30 years on the market — a tremendous lifespan for any motor — the EJ20 is ending production. Continue reading
Japan slammed by worst typhoon in 60 years
Japan is still trying to assess the damage done by Typhoon Hagibis over the weekend. According to the Japan Times, the death toll is up to 68, and rescue crews are working around the clock to find more survivors. The storm was the worst to strike Japan in 60 years, and caused numerous landslides, power outages, and floods. The scope of the devastation is still unknown. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 180sx, altezza, gloria, J70, land cruiser, mark II, nissan, s13, S15, silvia, toyota, x70, y31
5 Comments
Drift back to school with an Initial D AE86 backpack
It’s hard getting up for class but when you’re wearing a snazzy AE86 backpack, you can slide to school in style. Forget your Jansport, a Japanese shop has made a replica of the Initial D Toyota Sprinter Trueno for all your book- (or tofu-) carrying needs. Continue reading
QotW: What car must be saved before they’re all gone?
As much as we love Skylines, Zs, RX-7s, Supras, 2000GTs, and so on, perhaps there really isn’t a need to rescue them all, since there are so many well-preserved examples out there already. Or maybe there is, if it’s a particularly rare version. Then there aree the cars that no one ever thinks to save, which we will sorely miss when they’re extinct.
What car must be saved before they’re all gone?
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 best advice for a JNC road trip?” Continue reading
VIDEO: A first look at the new heritage gallery at Nissan’s Yokohama headquarters
As we reported in September, Nissan has opened a permanent heritage section at its headquarters building in Yokohama. Now, the company has released footage from the grand opening, giving us a first video look at the display. Continue reading
MINICARS: Hot Wheels S13 Nissan Silvia prototype
The hits keep on coming from our friends at Hot Wheels. Having successfully gotten a couple of iconic 90s Hondas into the 2020 lineup, it’s now time for another Nissan. While Skyline GT-Rs were nice, this car was emblematic of not only the everyman’s Nissan, but the larger late 80s and 90s tuning culture as a whole. It is, of course the S13 Nissan Silvia. Continue reading
2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 05 — Toyota fans save the day
Before Toyota moved to Texas, their displays were always a centerpiece of JCCS. A massive enclosed trailer would bring a truck-full of the Toyota USA Museum’s rolling treasures to the show. Now, with the company’s headquarters several states away and, as we found out at Toyotafest, divesting some of its cars, the display has scaled down quite a bit. Continue reading
MINICARS: There’s a Hot Wheels EG Honda Civic coming too
The Hot Wheels Honda hits just keep on coming. The latest diecast incarnation of a quintessential 90s Honda is the EG Civic hatch, a tuner favorite and yet another Japanese icon that was incredibly difficult to come by in miniature form. Continue reading
2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — For Nissan, it’s the fans that make the marque
For Nissan, it was supposed to be a huge year. 2019 marked the 50th birthday of not only two nameplates iconic for Nissan, but for the automotive kingdom as a whole, the GT-R and the Z. However, Nissan is also having a terrible year, with two presidents ousted on financial impropriety, and plunging sales. What should have been a glorious, golden anniversary celebration was just alright. Thank goodness for the fans. Continue reading
Posted in events
6 Comments
MINICARS: At long last, a fifth-gen Honda Prelude is coming to Hot Wheels
The fifth-generation Honda Prelude was a phenomenal car, but until now it was nearly impossible to find one in diecast form. It wasn’t a popular car in Japan and thus doesn’t really exist in diecast form there, and when it was the new new the mainstream American-based diecast companies weren’t terribly interested in Japanese castings. Now, at long last, there is one coming to Hot Wheels. Continue reading
2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 03 — Zoom Zoom
The Mazda booth is always a classy affair at JCCS, and this year they brought a who’s who of classics and late model cars from their North American collection. Right off the bat was one of the first Mazda RX-7s ever built — a replica of the Yoshimi Katayama, Yojiro Terada, and Takashi Yorino-driven GTU class-winning Mazda RX-7 from the 1979 24 Hours of Daytona — and a the only LHD FD3S Spirit R in existence. Continue reading
MINICARS: Get humming with NISMO-tune Hot Wheels R33, R34 Skyline GT-Rs
Those of you who stopped by our booth at the 2019 JCCS may have caught a glimpse of some upcoming Hot Wheels. Here’s the deets on two of the most eye-catching models, an R33 and R34 Skyline GT-Rs in NISMO livery. Continue reading
QotW: What’s your best advice for a JNC road trip?
Driving an old car for any distance can be a challenge. It’s not like hopping into a late model Camry with a cup of coffee and a bag of beef jerky and pointing that Toyota logo where you want to go. There’s aging parts, elevation changes, and comfort to consider.
What’s your best advice for a JNC road trip?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How should Japanese carmakers honor their history?” Continue reading
Toyota has sold its 10 millionth Land Cruiser, celebrates in Japan and Europe but not US
Toyota is celebrating the sale of its 10 millionth worldwide sale of the venerable Land Cruiser. The longest serving nameplate not only in the Toyota lineup, but among all Japanese marques, it has taken 68 years for the go-anywhere truck to reach this notable milestone. Perhaps ominously, both Toyota Japan and Toyota Europe have launched campaigns to celebrate the accomplishment, but Toyota USA has so far remained quiet. Continue reading
2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — JDM, yo
This year marked the 15th anniversary for America’s premier gathering of Nihon steel. To put that in perspective, at the first JCCS in 2005, the newest Japanese cars allowed for import under America’s 25-year import ban were built in 1980. The original Mazda RX-7, Toyota Celica XX (Supra), and S130 Nissan Fairlady Z (280ZX) were barely eligible. Now, the cutoff is 1994, and the spectrum of what’s allowable into the States is staggering. In our previous installment, we saw the rare USDM cars that JCCS had to offer. Here are some JDM ones. Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: A new historic racing group for Datsun 510s and other compact sedans of the 60s and 70s to race this Saturday
This weekend, October 4-6 2019, Classic Sport Racing Group (CSRG)’s Charity Challenge will feature an exhibition of historic sedan racing through its John Morton Cup Series, named after Datsun racing legend John Morton himself. Joining the cars of the John Morton Cup will be the Historic B&C Sedan class, under which the Datsun 510, Alfa Romeo GTV, BMW 2002 and others raced some 40 to 50 years ago. With a grid of about forty cars, paired with the truly legendary Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point), fans are guaranteed a memorable flashback to the days of wheel-to-wheel small bore sedan racing. Continue reading
Watch some classic Acura sports cars get abused for a mediocre ad
For its last several generation cycles, Acura has been trying to find a brand identity. The cancellation of the Integra/RSX, the long hiatus of the NSX, and the adoption of various corporate grilles haven’t done it any favors. More recently, though, Acura’s been trying to integrate (ha!) some classic sports cars into its advertising in the hopes of rekindling that enthusiast flame. Continue reading
Suzuki’s retro concept revives the dream of the Pulsar EXA
Suzuki has released images of its upcoming concepts for the Tokyo Motor Show, and they are pretty much bonkers. The most interesting one to JNCers will no doubt be the WakuSpo Concept, a small retro car that picks up where the Nissan Pulsar EXA left off. It’s a call-back to Japan’s whimsical Bubble Era aspirations, and Suzuki should build this car immediately. Continue reading
2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — USDM Rare
Even in the 15th year of the wonderful and ever-growing Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, California, after so many iterations, there are still new things for the casual Japanese car enthusiast to discover. The phyla of Japanese cars is nothing if not vast, and we’re not talking rare, never-sold-here slabs of Nihon steel (though there is plenty of that too). There are plenty of delightful specimens to be found simply among old, US-spec machines lost to history and memory. Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 626, brat, charade, daihatsu, datsun 710, Dodge Challenger, dodge colt, galant, Galant Lambda, Galant VR-4, impulse, isuzu, jccs, kei, lancer celeste, luce, mazda, mitsubishi, n10, nissan, p30, publica, pulsar, sambar, starlet, subaru, subaru 360, svx, toyota
14 Comments
