QotW: Has anyone tried to buy your JNC?

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Brandon Kelley

My AE86 sits across the ocean from me, tucked under a cover on the side of my folk’s house. From time to time, they tell me they’ve turned away wishful buyers, and it’s understandable. A few times the rejected try again after a few months, likely spotting the rust on the calipers grow. One gentleman comes by every month with new pitches, new ways to “help take the vehicle off their hands.” I admire his perseverance, but that car will be with me to the end. Who’s tried to buy your JNC? I mean really buy it. Any interesting stories, newfound friendships? Especially with prices climbing, surely this kind of thing is becoming more common.

Has anyone tried to buy your JNC?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “How would you spend $1 million on your JNCs?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week, Uncategorized | Tagged | 11 Comments

MINICARS: Hot Wheels is making an EG Honda Civic

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Ricky Silverio

In what is certain to be one of the most earth-shattering bits of diecast news this year, Hot Wheels has revealed that it will be making an EG Honda Civic. Hondas have been the logical go-to for attainable classics as of late, and there has been a strong resurgence in its popularity. We’ve been very pleased with the presence of the EF Civic in the lineup since 2014, but while it was popular in its day, the in terms of tuner culture the EG was ground zero. Continue reading →

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JNC THEATER: Sarah Connor saves the day with an 80-Series Land Cruiser in the new Terminator: Dark Fate trailer

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Ben Hsu

If you’re going to spend your life fighting unstoppable robots from a post-apocalyptic hellscape, there’s probably no better vehicle to drive than a Toyota Land Cruiser. It’s tough as nails, can go anywhere and, most importantly, is dead reliable. There’s nothing worse than suffering some terrible electrical malady as you’re trying to escape a mindless killing machine. And of all the Land Cruisers, the 80-Series might just be the ideal generation. Continue reading →

Posted in JNC Theater | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

JNC THEATER: Hot Version is coming to Amazon Prime with English subtitles, floodly!

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Hot Version, the Best Motoring spinoff about Japan’s top tuner cars, is headed to Amazon Prime with English subtitles. They might not be good subtitles per se, if the promo video in which they promise “Episodes will be added floodly on Amazon Prime” is any indication, but we could all use a few new words in our vocabularies. Continue reading →

Posted in JNC Theater | Tagged , | 6 Comments

CONCEPTS: The Subaru X-100 was designed to cross the US on a single tank of fuel

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Chris Nicholson

One of the big leaps to JNC popularity worldwide came as a result of the 1973 oil embargo. The crisis inspired designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs to think of ways to push the automobile’s fuel efficiency limits. One such person was no less than Alex Tremulis, designer of the Tucker 48, the Gyro-X, and bits and pieces of the Subaru BRAT. With the embargo, the time seemed right for Tremulis to execute an idea he’d long wanted to try: An extremely aerodynamic three-wheeled car. His dream, as he put it, was “eliminating the sadistic torture of innocent air.” With this idea in mind, he approached Subaru of America at their Technical Center in Garden Grove, California. Continue reading →

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NEWS: Toyota will produce parts for the A70, A80 Supra again

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Ben Hsu

There’s some great news coming down the pike for Toyotaku. Toyota will soon make parts again for the A70 and A80 Supra. The news was revealed by none other than Shigeki Tomoyama, head of Gazoo Racing and A80 owner, at the Japanese launch of the new Supra on May 17. Continue reading →

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Happy 521 Day from JNC

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Ben Hsu

The Datsun 520 and 521 were the first real compact pickups to make it big for Nissan, and their endless charm is still readily apparent today. In age where pickups are mostly gigantic and laden with the bells and whistles of the priciest luxury cars, the no-nonsense functionality of these honest little workhorses is quite refreshing. Happy 521 Day from JNC!

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NEWS: It’s the end of the road for Mitsubishi Owners’ Day

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Ben Hsu

For all the hardship Mitsubishi Motors has been going through, it was the only Japanese carmaker to officially welcome its owners and fans to its US headquarters for a big car show and party every year. Sadly, after 15 years, Mitsubishi Owners’ Day is no more. Mitsubishi has announced via a press release that the event has been canceled for 2019, and its is future uncertain. Continue reading →

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QotW: How would you spend $1 million on your JNCs?

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Ben Hsu

It seems strange that someone would mark May 20 as National Be a Millionaire Day because, frankly, every day would seem like a holiday with that much money. Still, we can dream about how we would spend that kind of cash on our four-wheeled hobby. For the purposes of this exercise, your $1 million not only has to pay for your cars, but all the parts, shipping, and storage space they would need. Would you import a boatload of JDM gems? Build a giant barn? Buy every single diecast car ever made?

How would you spend $1 million on your JNCs?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Do you prefer a certain size of JNC?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 18 Comments

SHOWA SNAP: Amago Bridge, Iwaki Prefecture, 1977

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Matt De Mangos

For our first Showa Snap of the Reiwa Era, let’s go back to Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture in August of 1977. The Amago bridge traces its origins back to the times of the samurai. It was part of the Hama Road, which was designated part of Japan’s National Route 6 during the Meiji Era, and until 1951 was still made out of wood. It rebuilt in concrete to accommodate increasing automobile traffic of the times. Initially two lanes, by 1970 it was seeing 30,000 cars per day so the city widened it to four lanes in 1972. Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Don’t underestimate the 1986 Mitsubishi Galant

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Ben Hsu

The 1986 Mitsubishi Galant occupied a strange space in the 1980s Japanese sedan segment. It was only offered with a four-cylinder, so it would have made sense to cross-shop it with an Accord or Camry. But, it was catapulted it into heights shared with cars like the Cressida or Maxima thanks to an insane slew of high-tech options that are only becoming commonplace on cars today. Continue reading →

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NEWS: Arkansas changes historic plate cutoff from 25 to 45 years

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Ben Hsu

We at JNC have always had a rolling 25 year cutoff for what is considered a classic. That’s because 25 years is when the US allows cars to be imported, and when most states allow for historic registration plates. Sadly, that is no longer the case for Arkansas, as the state has passed a new law that moves the cutoff for historic registration from 25 to 45 years. That means the state no longer considers any car made after 1973 to be a classic. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

NEWS: Mazda to offer more 30th Anniversary Miatas to US buyers

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Ben Hsu

The Mazda Miata 30th Anniversary Edition sold out in just four hours after its introduction in February. All 500 allocated to the US market were spoken for during pre-order, but now Mazda is giving 143 buyers who missed out the chance to get one. The company has announced that it will be upping the US allocation of 30th Anniversary Miatas to 643. Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Upcoming AUTOart 1:18 releases

Posted on May 14, 2019 by Patrick Strong

Collectors of scale-model JNCs have come to expect beautifully detailed 1:18 pieces from AUTOart, though new releases can come along with maddening infrequency. Thankfully, news from the 2019 Shizuoka Hobby Show indicates that the coming year will be a veritable boom era for classic Japanese diecast. Continue reading →

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Kidney, Anyone?: 1974 Datsun 710 Race Car

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Ryan Senensky

Did you go to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion this year and feel left out because you didn’t own a classic racer of your own? Did you also wonder if it was possible for the Datsun 710 to be desirable and cool? Well, this 1974 Datsun 710 race car is the answer to both of those questions. You now have a chance to get your own Datsun race car and it proves that the 710 is just as cool as any other Datsun. Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | 4 Comments

QotW: Do you prefer a certain size of JNC?

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Brandon Kelley

Recently we added a little one to our family. After searching for an overly expensive car seat, the question came up on what car we should get to haul around the little guy. I have a Pajero Mini Turbo, but the high ingress height and thinner-than-paper body means we need a new ride in our future.

Problem is, I like smaller cars, always have. JNCs have a great history of small cars, even a few land yachts like the Nissan President and Toyota Century. The wife wants something bigger but I am still resisting. How about you? When getting a JNC, do you like small runners or large beasts á la Land Cruiser? Have you had to give up a JNC for something larger as a family hauler?

Do you prefer a certain size of JNC?

The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What questions do you have for the A90 Supra?” Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged | 16 Comments

Happy 510 Day from JNC!

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Glenn Chiou

Happy 510 day! Forty-eight years ago John Morton and Brock Racing Enterprises took their first of two consecutive SCCA Trans-Am Two-Five Challenge titles. Other worthy competitors included Mike Downs, Bobby Allison, Bob Sharp, Walt Maas, Jim Fitzgerald, Sam Posey, Peter Gregg, Herschel McGriff, Lothar Stahlberg, Dave Madison, John Meskauskas, Corky Bell, George Algerman, Gary Witzenberg, Bob Stevens, Bob Finn (car pictured), and many more. Never again will we see a more worthy line-up of small bore sedans. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

NEWS: Nissan creates a watch for John Morton using his Datsun 510’s chin spoiler

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Nissan has created a watch just for racing legend John Morton in honor of his SCCA championships behind the wheel of Datsun cars. The one-off timepiece incorporates not only design cues, but parts from the actual No. 46 BRE Datsun 510 that Mort0n drove to consecutive SCCA Trans-Am victories in 1971-72 until its class was canceled. Continue reading →

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NEWS: Mazda is building a rear-wheel-drive straight-six platform

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Dave Yuan

Mazda is working on a rear-wheel-drive platform to be powered by an inline-6 engine. An investor presentation posted recently on a Mazda website revealed that inline-6 engines running on diesel and gasoline (in compression-ignition SkyActiv-X guise) will be mounted longitudinally in the company’s upcoming “large architecture” vehicles. Continue reading →

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Toyota brought these classic Supras to the A90 launch

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Ben Hsu

At the test drive of the first 2020 Supras this week at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia, Toyota also brought along several examples of classic Supras to go along with the new kid on the block. Sadly, though we were allowed to flog the A90 all we wanted, they didn’t let us drive (or even touch) these gems. A Toyota spokesperson even told that the A80 was CEO Akio Toyoda’s personal car, and of course we would never dream of risking the big man’s own car, but we feel like we’ve seen this car before. Continue reading →

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