Tag Archives: a70
EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 02 — Straight Sixes
As engines go, the Toyota straight-six is one of the best conceived by humankind. Smooth as Suntory whiskey, as long-lived as a mountain, and capable of stupid amounts of horsepower in later iterations, they are a triumph of automotive engineering. It’s no wonder the … Continue reading
RIP Peter Williamson, Aussie Toyota racing legend, 1938-2016
Australia, Toyota, and the world of motorsport has collectively lost a great ambassador with the passing of Peter “Willo” Williamson. For those of us who grew up in southwestern Sydney in the 1970s and 1980s, Willo was a legend and a … Continue reading
VIDEO: Drag racing outside Makuhari Messe circa 1992
Makuahri Messe is the big convention center in Chiba that hosts events the Tokyo Auto Salon and (before its move to Big Sight) the Tokyo Motor Show. If Tokyo city is at the 11 o’clock position of Tokyo Bay, then Makuhari is at … Continue reading
VIDEO: Drifting Hakone in 1992
Imagine a winding touge packed with Japanese drift machines — Silvias, RX-7s, Supras, Fairlady Zs and AE86s. So. Many. AE86s. Last year we showed a video proving that underground drifting was already reaching fever pitch by the late 80s. By 1992, Hakone Pass — one of … Continue reading
SEMA 2015, Day 01: The emergence of old school Japan
SEMA is for cars what Paris fashion week is for clothes. Top companies strut out their latest wares, often outlandishly decked out on stunning models. Most of the time it’s stuff you never see in the real world, but these shows act as barometers for the hottest … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2015 All-Toyotafest, Part 03
In the final installment of our 2015 Toyotafest coverage, we take a look at two types of vehicles Toyota is known for — its compact, rear-wheel-drive sport coupes and its famously indestructible workhorse trucks. The former once dominated the company’s lineup and the latter still … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2015 All-Toyotafest, Part 02
Registration for over 400 Toyotafest spaces sold out in under 24 hours this year, a new record. Perhaps it was the fact that it was the show’s 20th anniversary, or that in Japan it was already May 3, Akio Toyoda‘s birthday, or … Continue reading
VIDEO: Motorweek reviews the Toyota Cressida
The Motorweek archives continues to entertain with another star of the 1980s, the Toyota Cressida. Before it was rediscovered in recent years by those with drift sedan or zokusha aspirations, the X70 Cressy was nearly entirely forgotten by much of the automotive … Continue reading
Hachimaru Hero ranks the top 80s Japanese cars
Hachimaru Hero (80s Hero) is the Bubble Decade’s counterpart to Nostalgic Hero. Both come from the same publisher but nowadays interest in 80s Japanese cars is picking up speed. Recently the magazine put out a reader survey asking for the … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 SpoCom
Google “SpoCom” and you’ll find more photos of bikinied booth babes than actual cars, but occasionally this “automotive lifestyle” show for the dubstep crowd does turn up some JNC gems. To show you, we dodged legions of rehearsing dance crews, suffered loud electronic distortion … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Fujimi’s Touge Series Box Illustrations
Long after earning driver’s licenses and pinkslips to our rides, some of us still find ourselves mired in plastic model cars. Perhaps it reflects the constraint suffered by many of us on budget, space, or sanity (of ourselves and/or family … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 57-mile MA71 Toyota Supra Turbo
Yes, you read that right. 57 miles. 92 kilometers. That’s the odometer reading of this Canadian MA71 Toyota Supra Turbo, likely a dealership showpiece for nearly 25 years. Now it’s being offered by County Hills Toyota-Scion in Calgary after a lifetime of being … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 All-Toyotafest, Part 01— Luxe & GT
Hanging like a cloud over the festivities of the 19th annual All-Toyotafest this year was the news that had been leaked to the press a week prior: Toyota USA was moving its headquarters, which had been a southern California fixture … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2013 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 – Rolling Stock
Purists will be pleased. This year’s JCCS had significantly more bone stock cars on display than any previous show. And they weren’t of the standard variety of, say, a 2000GT or Datsun 312, though those were well represented. We’re talking … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2013 All-Toyotafest, Part 03 — Late 70s Luxe
The Oil Shock of 1973 killed off Japan’s racing programs, and by the later half of that decade emissions regulations were sapping the performance out of factory offerings. With their dreams of buying a Suzuka-ready sports coupe dashed, consumers turned … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2013 Nostalgic2Days, Part 01
The latest dispatch from guest writer David Lovett of Classic Car Nagoya covers Part 01 of the annual Nos2Days event, where we first encountered CCN years ago. —Ben There’s one show every year I absolutely refuse to miss. Nostalgic 2 Days happens every year … Continue reading