Today, March 9, is “Thanks Day” in Japan, created because three (san) and nine (kyu) sound like “thank you” when said together. These days, saying thanks almost seems like a lost art, what with everyone on social media so obsessed with self-promotion. Back in the forum days, you could ask a question, receive an answer, and actually thank someone for their help. And there are so many people in the auto industry that deserve our thanks.
On one end of the spectrum there’s executives like Akio Toyoda carrying the torch for fun cars, or the nameless engineers that invented the Honda K engine. On the other end there’s the organizer of your local coffee shop meet or the friend who helps you bleed the brakes. There are so many people who help keep car culture alive.
Who in the automotive community would you like to say thank you to?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your favorite automotive miniature of all time?“.
We enjoyed learning about your favorite miniature cars, including some we had never heard of. That only means more things to collect! One thing we’ll never be able to collect is Ross Kellett‘s custom 1/18 Datsun 240Z done by a model maker at Amalgam. Same goes streetspirit‘s 1/18 Kyosho Kenmeri Skylines, at least not for the price he scored them at.
We didn’t know about crank_case‘s Aoshima 1/64 Lightweight Sports blind box, but now that we do we’ll be on the lookout for them. Same goes for jidoshaojisan‘s Dome Zero model of unspecified brand, and if we’re ever in Nagoya we’ll have to time our visit to acquire @ye‘s Toyoda AA phone charm. Micro Machines have also been going up in value in recent years, so if you’re interested in a Micro Machines Toyota MR2 like Kyuusha Corner‘s, the time is now.
By far the most favorited brand of cars was Hot Wheels. From the pre-collector boom era there was Rotor Nutcase‘s Chaparral 2A and Ian G.‘s Toyota MR2 Rally. Then came the first vintage Japanese castings that changed the game, like Michael Jue‘s BRE 240Z, which have been signed by Peter Brock himself. TheJWT‘s game-changing purple Mad Manga, which almost won the prize for its analysis of the kaido racer genre, but this week’s winner is Jacob B for his Japan Historics Hakosuka Skyline:
The Nissan Skyline 2000GT-X released by Hot Wheels in its first Car Culture series, Japan Historics, decorated with the same off-white body and blue striping as the Hakosuka GT-R’s debut on the race track in the early 70s. This set marked a huge moment for Hot Wheels in terms of JDM, and opened the eyes of many people to Japanese motor history. Something about having an important part of JDM history in miniature form on your desk is too cool. I fell in love with the Hakosuka after learning about it, and now I try to collect every version of them that Mattel puts out.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
I realize my answer is somewhat out of the scope of JNC, but for me it has to be Enzo Ferrari.
Why? Because he created dreams, he built cars that sparked passion, on the street and one the track. Also, he never built a car that could be, in any way, compared to a toaster.
He built art, that just happened to be on four wheels.
This is a general thanks.
To anyone who prioritises smiles per gallon over miles per gallon,
To everyone who doesn’t want to make something that is just loud, or announces itself, but something that works and works well.
To anyone who recognises that the mundane can be enjoyable.
To everyone who frowns at a schematic of something generic and cost effective and thinks, “how can I engineer this better?”
It would have been so many people in the annals of automotive history many of whom are no longer around. As far as my first thought it would be Akio Toyoda. There was a time where Toyota went into a bland direction and I had owned the only sports car in their US line-up, the MR-S.
Not only he bring sports cars back to the lineup, he approved the project that became the GR … GR Yaris. Fast forward a few years after, the GR Supra and the rest of the Gazoo Racing as well. His racing background was fully documented here on JNC. The guy brought car enthusiasm back to the masses in the biggest company and the future looks bright esp with those Lexus supercars they debuted last year.
Thank you, Morizo! You are a legend.
It’s rare that a car goes from concept to production unscathed but my thanks goes to all the designers in the various studios for all the drop dead gorgeous cars.
https://media.drive.com.au/obj/tx_q:50,rs:auto:1920:1080:1/driveau/private/ca-s3/2013/11/Nissan-IDx-Nismo-625×422
Mr. K. The enduring community that he created with the Z is unlike any other I have seen. Countless clubs, meets, shows, cruises, magazines, forums, and connections have thrived for over 55 years. The company that seemed to shun him was also quick to capitalize on his popularity over the years with some of the most memorable marketing campaigns in the industry. In a time of hollow AI generated void, Mr. K’s motto of Love cars! Love people! Love life! feels particularly human. As a recent article on ZCarGuide.com just concluded, Thank you, Mr. K!
Thanks to the visionaries/designers/purists within the auto companies. They have to bring the battle to the bean counters on a daily basis. Yes, I recognize it as an essential battle. Some are well fought…Miata/S2000. Others have suboptimal outcomes…you can fill in the blank here.
Thanks, Ben. 🙂
So many people I would like to meet, but my vote would actually go to Soichiro Honda, I would pick his brain about the vehicles he had a hand in creating and his commitment to racing,
Keiichi Tsuchiya for popularizing the concept of total balance for car tuning. Before, car magazines would post stats like 0-60 mph acceleration, top speed, slalom speed, quarter mile time, horsepower, etc. The AE86 wasn’t considered a classic because it had below average stats like 112 hp, 10.5 sec 0-60 mph acceleration, 18.6 sec ¼ mile time, live axle rear suspension. Keiichi showed how the total balance of this car made it such a fun/great handling car, which allowed it to compete with more expensive/higher horsepower cars on tight road courses and downhill canyon runs. Without Keiichi, we would still just be adding horsepower so we can out drag race a Mustang, which is fun… but tuning for total balance is a level above just going fast in a straight line.
There are lots of car-people I would extend my thanks to, but this being JNC, I will thank Mr. K for convincing the mothership to brew up a US-centric sports car that conquered hearts all around the globe over multiple car-generations.