If you want to see what thee latest trends in modified cars are, the SpoCom show is a pretty good place to start. The annual, multi-city show is where the cool kids vie for giant trophies for their whips. Subtlety is not the key here. After all, it’s show cars we’re talking about, and the bass-and-butts atmosphere makes the underground car meet scenes from early Fast and Furious movies look tame. Continue reading
NEWS: Honda releases retro StepVan-inspired N-WGN
At a glance the all-new Honda N-WGN might look like any number of kei vans zipping along the streets of Japan, but the design is actually much more clever. It’s never explicitly mentioned in Honda’s 1800-word press release, but Hondaheads will instantly recognize the shape as a throwback to the 1972 StepVan. Continue reading
VIDEO: That time Gucci used a dekotora to sell overpriced clothes
We somehow missed this, but in 2016 fashion brand Gucci used a dekotora to hawk its ridiculously priced clothing. In a video for their fall/winter line that year some Ziggy Stardust-looking “Gucci kids” (yes, that is a term the company actually uses) climb into a dekotora and hit the streets of Shinjuku. However, the truck isn’t simply any dekotora, it belongs to Kazuya Sekino, the same owner who used his truck to run supplies to the Tohoku region devastated by the 2011 tsunami. Continue reading
VIDEO: Every generation of Toyota Mark II gathered for the final Mark X send-off
After 11 generations and 51 model years, the Toyota Mark II/MarkX line is coming to an end. Toyota announced the cancellation of the decidedly old school, Camry-sized rear-wheel-drive sedan back in April. Now, with the Final Edition coming to showrooms in Japan, Tohoku Toyopet dealers have issued a video commemorating the once evergreen part of Toyota’s lineup. Continue reading
QotW: Where do you like to drive your JNC?
Today is day on which the national holiday Mountain Day in observed in Japan. Technically the holiday falls on August 11 because the kanji for “8” (八) resembles a mountain, and “11” resembles two trees, but everyone gets the day off on Monday the 12th. There is no agreed upon way to celebrate Mountain Day, but with 73 percent of Japan’s land being mountainous, we can probably all agree that taking your JNC to a touge road is a fine a way as any.
Where do you like to drive your JNC?
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 dealbreaker when buying a used JNC?” Continue reading
EVENT: Mazda celebrates Roadster’s 30th anniversary in Turin
People around the world continue to celebrate the 30th birthday of the Mazda Roadster, this time at the home of the Italian automotive industry. In June, over 300 MX-5s gathered in Turin, Italy’s Detroit, for “MX-5 Icon’s Day,” a celebration that included the official Italian debut of the 30th Anniversary Edition MX-5. Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged mazda, miata, Miata NA, Miata NB, Miata NC, Miata ND, mx-5, Tom Matano
3 Comments
NEWS: Acura brings back yellow “heritage color” to the NSX
Acura is bringing back one of the most memorable colors for the NSX: yellow. According to Honda, Spa Yellow, named after the official racing color of Belgium and Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, was the fifth most popular color for the first-generation NSX. Now it’s back, and will appear on the 2020 NSX. Continue reading
VIDEO: These dekotora drivers use their modded trucks for acts of charity
The image of a dekotora driver in Japan typically isn’t a wholly positive one. Much like hard core truckers in the US, they are seen as rough around the edges, people you wouldn’t want to confront alone at a remote highway rest stop. However, at least one dekotora owner wanted to change that image, and has enlisted his fellow drivers into using their trucks to do good. Continue reading
MINICARS: Tomica is coming to Walmart
There’s some great news for fans of Japanese diecast. Tomica cars will soon be available in the United States, at Walmart stores. “Having sold more than a half a billion units around the world, Tomica is known for luxury premium design, stylized details and more moveable parts than other diecast collectibles,” Tomy International’s PR team’s Scott Goldberg said in an email. It’s true Tomicas often have opening doors and great detail, but the for the current generation of collectors, unlike in the 80s, the real draw is the subject matter — Japanese cars. Continue reading
MINICARS: The Hot Wheels Street Tuners set is absolutely stunning
The latest batch of cars from the Hot Wheels’ premium Car Culture pays homage to the paradigm-shifting Gran Turismo generation. It’s almost amazing that it took this long to get a collectors’ series dedicated to icons of the Japanese tuner scene, but it was worth the wait, and here’s why. Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 180sx, brz, fd3s, honda, hot wheels, mazda, Nissan S13, Pandem, rx-7, S15, s2000, silvia, subaru
6 Comments
Happy 86 Day from JNC
As far as we know, 86 Day was the first of the chassis code-based holidays in the JNC community. Toyota even started an official 86 Festival in Japan at Fuji Speedway on August 6. Can you think of any earlier ones? All hail the Hachiroku on this sacred day, the day of 86es.
QotW: What’s your dealbreaker when buying a used JNC?
Buying the JNC of your dreams can be a harrowing task. We all know the heart flutter we get when the proper model, trim level, condition, color, and optional equipment shows up in an ad. We also know the gut-wrenching disappointment that can ensue when the we discover that the car has been repainted, had a “little fender bender,” or a cascade of rust under the wheel well. No matter how great a car is, there are some things that make you walk away.
What’s your dealbreaker when buying a used JNC?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s was the moment you fell in love with JNCs?” Continue reading
VIDEO: The Geo Tracker should be your next overlanding rig
When you think Geo Tracker, your brain typically conjures the image of a convertible top, two-door, cute-ute, maybe in some jaunty color, maybe hanging out at the beach. But the Tracker, and the Suzuki Sidekick it was based on, had actual off-roading chops that should have made it a real competitor in the SUV wars of the mid-90s. With Land Cruiser prices skyrocketing, there’s no reason why the Tracker can’t be your off-grid apocalypse survival machine. Continue reading
NEWS: Toyota’s next supercar could cost $1.8 to $2.7 million
Another reason Toyota might have farmed out the production of the A90 Supra is that it might be coming out with another supercar that will blow the Supra, 2000GT, and Lexus LFA out of the water. Reportedly, Toyota is planning to put the Gazoo Racing Super Sport Concept into limited production, and the price tag could be anywhere from $1.80 to $2.75 million USD. Continue reading
MARKETWATCH: Honda RS1000 sells for nearly $90,000
We recently wrote about Japan’s first-ever high-end motorcycle auction taking place in conjunction with the 42nd running of the Suzuka 8 Hours race. Well, the auction took place July 27, and the results are in. The most expensive bike sold, by a long shot, was the 1982 Honda RS1000 racer for nearly $90,000. Continue reading
BACK ROADS: Mitsubishi Debonair
If asked to conjure the most opulent Japanese cars ever built, the first that come to mind is probably the Toyota Century. A Nissan President may come in a close second, or maybe even a Gloria Turbo Brougham VIP Super Selection Ⅱ, but rarely do we think of Mitsubishi Motors’ offering, the Debonair. It’s time to rectify that. Continue reading
VIDEO: Why Nissan celebrated the 50th anniversary of the GT-R and Z at a rest stop
This year marks momentous anniversaries for several Japanese institutions. The Nissan Skyline GT-R turned 50 in February, and the Nissan Fairlady Z will celebrate its 50th this fall. To commemorate these events, Nissan held a 50th anniversary celebration not at its Yokohama headquarters, its Ginza gallery, or its Zama warehouse, but at an expressway rest stop containing a Starbucks, McDonalds, and udon shop. Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged 370z, datsun, fairlady z, gt-r, Hiroshi Tamura, nissan, r32, r33, r34, r35, skyline, Tomei Expressway, z33
1 Comment
QotW: What’s was the moment you fell in love with JNCs?
There were several moments for me, but the first was a photo of a Toyota 2000GT found in the magazine rack of a Skaggs Alpha Beta in Texas circa 1989. Young me had thought Corvettes and Countaches were the be-all and end-all of performance cars, and if a mainstream carmaker like Toyota had built anything similar, surely I would’ve known about it, I naively believed. And yet, here was this absolutely fantastic machine that had been hidden in plain sight. I had to know more. That chance encounter started me down a long path of digging up every morsel of information I could about Japanese cars, and here we are today.
What’s was the moment you fell in love with JNCs?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What modern car will be a collectible JNC 25 years from now?” Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Original-owner 1988 Nissan Van
Here’s your chance to own perhaps one of the rarest JNCs ever sold in the US. You’ll probably see more Hakosuka Skylines on the road than the second-generation Nissan Vanette, known simply as the Nissan Van in the States, as it was one of the few models in automotive history whose entire production run was recalled by the manufacturer. Continue reading
NEWS: Mazda still testing rotary engine in RX-8 mule
Last year we reported that Mazda appeared to be running an RX-8 test mule in Europe. The RX-8, as you know, has been out of production since 2012, and a rotary engine successor has gone through more cycles of rumor and denial than Half-Life 3. We are happy to report, however, that this test vehicle is still at it. In fact, it has since shown up with a companion at the famed Nürburgring. Continue reading
