Tag Archives: fronte

The Suzuki Lapin LC brings adorable retro style back to kei cars

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Ben Hsu

If you missed your chance to get a Nissan Figaro, the throwback design of the Suzuki Lapin LC is here to save the day. It’s been a while since a Japanese carmaker has produced something in the retro-cute category. With … Continue reading →

Posted in Next Version | Tagged fronte, kei, Lapin LC, LC10, suzuki | 6 Comments

Suzuki surpasses milestone of 25 million kei cars sold

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Ben Hsu

It’s taken 65 years and 7 months, but Suzuki announced on May 11 that it has sold 25 million kei cars. That’s not a huge number compared to, say, the Toyota Corolla, which has sold over 44 million of a … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged alto, carry, Every, fronte, kei, suzuki, Suzulight, Wagon R | 3 Comments

EVENTS: The inaugural Kyushu Kei Car Meeting

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Daniel O'Grady

On Sunday April 25th the inaugural Kyushu Kei Car Meeting was held in Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture. I see a raised hand in the back there. “Inaugural” means, like, the first one? Well, yeah. Due to a glaringly obvious oversight, … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged alto, Autozam AZ-1, B360, beat, Cara, copen, crown, daihatsu, Fellow, fronte, honda, kei, life, Life StepVan, mazda, minica, Minica Dangan, minicab, mitsubishi, NIII 360, nissan, porter cab, R-2, s12, s40, silvia, subaru, subaru 360, suzuki, tn360, toyota, Vivio | 14 Comments

EVENTS: 2018 New Year Meeting, Part 03 — Seventies and Eighties

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Ricky Silverio

Our first two installments of the 2018 New Year Meeting featured cars from 1960s Japan. Those beautifully crafted machines from the early days of country’s motorization served a specific purpose, but the 1970s is when the modification culture became truly widespread.

Posted in events | Tagged 117, 230, 240rs, 300zx, a20, advan, Autolook, b110, b310, bluebird, c10, c110, cedric, celica, civic, corolla levin, e30, fc3s, fronte, gloria, Hakosuka, honda, isuzu, kenmeri, kp47, mazda, minica, Minica Skipper, mitsubishi, mr2, new year meeting, nissan, r30, r32, s110, silvia, skyline, starlet, sunny, suzuki, sw20, te27, TE55, toyota, ts cup, U12, wagons, z32 | 7 Comments

EVENTS: Kiryu Classic Car Festival, Part 02 — The Parade

Posted on December 16, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

By any standard the Kiryu Classic Car Festival is a memorable and diverse gathering of kyusha with no shortage of charm. Even better, however, is that after the car show part of the event concluded, the cars go for a parade through the streets … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged a20, b120, b310, barikan, bluebird, Bluebird 410/411, butaketsu, c10, c130, c230, Caren, celica, cervo, civic, Civic EG, contessa, corolla, corolla levin, corona, corona mark II, daruma, datsun 320, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, fronte, gloria, Hakosuka, hino, honda, honda z, kgc10, Kiryu Classic Car Festival, laurel, mark II, minica, Minica 70, mitsubishi, nissan, prince, s30 z, S500/S600/S800, sanitora, skyline, subaru, subaru 360, sunny, sunny truck, suzuki, te27, Vespa, wagons | 11 Comments

Paris Motor Show: One of the coolest retro cars on the market is now made by Suzuki

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Ben Hsu

To most of the media at the Paris Motor Show going on right now, the Suzuki Ignis is probably just a small but practical compact crossover. What few probably realize is that its one of the best incarnations of Japanese retro design on … Continue reading →

Posted in Next Version | Tagged cervo, fronte, Ignis, suzuki | 16 Comments

ART CORNER: Beautiful dioramas of model cars from Japan

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Takuji is a Japanese artist who places 1:43 and 1:64 scale minicars into beautifully constructed dioramas. From AE86s on touge roads to Mitsubishis tearing through a rally stage to mechanics tuning Skylines in a garage, each scene is a slice of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Corner, minicars | Tagged 200sx, 323 GTX, 510, a70, ae82, ae86, alto, Art Corner, aw11, az-1, b110, beat, bluebird, c110, carol, carry, colt, corolla fx, fairlady z, familia, fj60, fronte, fto, Galant VR-4, Hakosuka, honda, Honda N-Series, jimny, K10, kei, kenmeri, lancer celeste, land cruiser, march, mazda, miata, minicars, mirage, mitsubishi, mr2, mx-5, nissan, rally, rx-3, s12, s30 z, safari rally, silvia, skyline c10, sprinter trueno, starion, starlet kp61, stepvan, subaru, subaru 360, sunny, supra, suzuki, toyota, violet, Vivio | 14 Comments

NIHON LIFE: How to park your car in Japan, Part 01

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Skorj

Finding public or street parking in Japan’s major cities is sometimes chotto muzukashii — a Japanese saying for “a little difficult,” said through clenched teeth with a trailing “iiiii…” it essentially means, with typical Japanese subtlety, impossible. So there is naturally … Continue reading →

Posted in Nihon Life | Tagged a70, ae86, az-1, c10, corolla levin, fairlady z, fd3s, fj60, fronte, fuji rabbit, Hakosuka, honda, land cruiser, mazda, Nihon Life, nissan, Note, origin, Parking, rx-7, S15, s30 z, s800, silvia, skyline, sprinter trueno, subaru, supra, suzuki, toyota | 19 Comments

EVENTS: Showa Car Preservation Meeting

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Ken Lee

The Old Car Club of Tokyo recently held it’s 3rd annual Showa no Kurma wo Mamoru Tsudoi or “Preserving cars made in the Showa Era” meeting. This is a gathering for cars made during the Showa Era, which ended in 1989 according to the … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 2000gt, a20, ae86, Austin A50, bellett, bosozoku, c10, c30, carina, carol, celica, civic, contessa, corolla, cosmo sport, crown, csp311, daihatsu, datsun, datsun 210, e20, fairlady roadster, fronte, gloria, Hakosuka, hino, honda, Honda N-Series, isuzu, kei, laurel, mazda, Mazda K360, midget, ms51, nissan, prince, s54, s600, Showa Car Preservation Meeting, silvia, skyline, skyline sport, soarer, subaru 360, suzuki, t2000 | 14 Comments

NEWS: Can you spot all the nostalgic styling cues of the Suzuki iM-4 Concept?

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Suzuki may be gone from the US market, but it’s alive and well in the rest of the world. The 85th Geneva Motor Show is going on right now, and its automotive branch unveiled this morning the Suzuki iM-4 Concept, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Next Version | Tagged cervo, escudo, fronte, Geo Tracker, iM-4 Concept, Sidekick, suzuki, swift | 7 Comments

EVENTS: Showa Kinen Park Car Show

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Chris Nicholson

Today’s guest writer is Chris Nicholson, who keeps the cars running at the Lane Motor Museum. Chris recently attended a classic car show in Showa Kinen Park. Every trip to Japan is full of wonder, and every trip to Japan is too … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 117, 510, a30, amg, bluebird, c30, carol, cedric, chantez, civic, corolla, daihatsu, debonair, e10, familia coupe, fronte, gloria, honda, honda 1300, isuzu, kei, laurel, mazda, minica, mitsubishi, nissan, prince, publica, sb1, Showa Kinen Park, skyline, subaru, subaru 360, subaru r-2, suzuki, toyota | 6 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Boso Hanto, Day 02

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Skorj

On Day 01 of our Boso Hanto tour we visited visited hallowed ground, a Skyline specialist shop, and stopped for the night with some curry and a bit of Honda tourism. Welcome to Day 02, where we continued through the peninsula in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 521, beat, Boso Hanto, c110, chaser, dyna, fronte, Grand Touring, honda, Hypermini, jeep, life, mazda, minka, mirage, mitsubishi, nissan, s800, skyline, subaru, suzuki, t2000, Tokyo Bay Aqualine, toyota, wangan, yommeri | 13 Comments

QotW: What’s your favorite JNC tuning style?

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Ben Hsu

From bone stock to bosozoku, there’s a wide range styles for nostalgic cars. Crazed pimp van, Mooneyes hot rod, Fuji racer, high-society VIP, Resto-mod, nisei cruiser, rally racer, it’s a blank canvas out there. What’s your favorite JNC tuning style? … Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week | Tagged carol, fronte, kei, mazda, QotW, Question of the Week, suzuki | 33 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Mobara Twin Circuit

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Skorj

As some of you might know, I own a dark gray Honda S800M Coupe, and it has landed me right in the middle of Tokyo’s S-car scene. When some friends went out for a day of circuit racing, I decided to … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring, honda, motorsport, nissan, suzuki, toyota | Tagged corolla, csp311, fronte, Grand Touring, honda, levin, Mobara Twin Circuit, nissan, s500, s600, s800, silvia, sprinter, suzuki, te27, toyota, trueno | 11 Comments

Nostalgic Hero selects Top 20 Japanese Classics

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Ben Hsu

The 150th volume of Nostalgic Hero just hit the stands as a special edition in which the editors pick the Top 20 Nostalgic Cars of 2012. Back in 2007 they issued a Top 50 list, and some have risen, some have fallen. … Continue reading →

Posted in honda, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, subaru, suzuki, toyota | Tagged 110s, 117, 2000gt, 240z, 240zg, 260z, 280z, 510, b110, bellett, bluebird, c10, c110, c210, celica, colt, contessa, corolla, cosmo sport, daihatsu, datsun, datsun 1200, fairlady, fairlady z, fronte, galant, gt-r, gto, Hakosuka, hino, honda, isuzu, kenmeri, kgc10, kpgc10, kpgc110, levin, liftback, mazda, mf10, midget, mitsubishi, nissan, ra28, roadster, s30, s600, s800, skyline, sp311, spl311, sports 800, sprinter, sr311, srl311, sss, subaru, subaru 360, sunny, suzuki, ta22, te27, trueno | 38 Comments

Your gallery of Superdeformed Nostalgics is here

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Ben Hsu

In case you were wondering where you could get your favorite nostalgic drawn in superdeformed anime style, your prayers have been answered. This unnamed master of Choro-Q style illustrations is a master of the form. Peep the gallery and video … Continue reading →

Posted in honda, isuzu, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, prince, subaru, suzuki, toyota | Tagged 110s, 2000gt, 240z, 240zg, 260z, 280z, 430, a20, anime, axio, b10, b210, barikan, c210, cedric, celica, concept, contessa, corolla, corona, cosmo, cosmo sport, coupe 9, crown, datsun, debonair, dome zero, eunos, ex-7, excellent, fairlady z, fronte, galant gto, gemini, hino, honda, isuzu, kujira, laurel, mazda, mitsubishi, ms65, nissan, nsx, pf50, prince, progres, r30, rt40, rx-3, s30, s60, savanna, skyline, skyline sport, subaru, subaru 360, sunny, suzuki, t40, ta22, toyota | 11 Comments

Suzuki Fronte 550

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Ben Hsu

This here rare brown bird is a Suzuki Fronte 7-S 550. That’s 550cc’s of rear-engined, rear-wheel drive kei car sweetness. It’s difficult to eyeball the scale of this car until you get a look at the fender mirrors, which protrude … Continue reading →

Posted in kei, suzuki | Tagged 550, fronte, kei, suzuki | 5 Comments

EVENTS: New Year Meeting 2011 Part 04: Kei Jidosha

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Dan Hsu

If a flux capacitor equipped kei car from 1960 traveled to the present, it’d be totally jealous of the “massive” 660cc displacement its modern counterparts enjoy. Back then, maximum allowable engine size was a scant 360cc. But as the Mazda … Continue reading →

Posted in events, honda, kei, mazda, mitsubishi, subaru, suzuki | Tagged carol, carol 360, cervo, co10t, daihatsu, fronte, fuji heavy industries, fuji rabbit, honda, jidosha, jimny, kei, lj10, mazda, midget, minica, mitsubishi, MkII, n360, n600, r2, r360, skipper, ssr, subaru, subaru 360, suzuki, z-act, z360, z600 | 12 Comments