Tag Archives: gemini

Isuzu once made a J-body with a ceramic diesel hybrid engine for the Tokyo Motor Show

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Ben Hsu

Every Earth Day we highlight a hybrid or alternative fuel concept car from Japan’s past. Back in 1985, long before the Prius was a twinkle in Toyota’s eye, Isuzu revealed a hybrid compact sedan at the Tokyo Motor Show. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays | Tagged Aska, Earth Day, gemini, isuzu, Kyocera, tokyo motor show | 7 Comments

VIDEO: The Gemini was Isuzu’s most popular passenger car

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Introduced in 1974, the Isuzu Gemini was known by many names around the world. Depending on the country, it was sold as a Chevy, Buick, Opel, Holden, Vauxhall, Daewoo, Saehan, and probably a few more. In Japan, though, it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged gemini, isuzu, opel, PF50/PF60 | 8 Comments

Check out Isuzu City, the mind-blowing miniature town that is Japan’s largest diorama

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Goodbye forever, readers. We at JNC have decided to move to a place in Japan where there are plenty of nostalgic cars, clean streets, and barely any traffic. It’s Isuzu City, population 3,300, located inside the Isuzu Plaza museum in … Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged 117, 2000gt, bellett, buses, c110, cedric, D-Max, fairlady z, gemini, Giga, isuzu, isuzu Plaza, kenmeri, mazda, r30, rx-7, s130, sa22c, seibu keisatsu, skyline, Sumida, toyota, trucks, VehiCROSS | 6 Comments

GALLERIES: A virtual tour of Japan’s impressive Isuzu museum

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Ben Hsu

Isuzu Plaza, the official Isuzu museum was opened in 2017 in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, next to one of the company’s oldest factories. It’s currently closed through April 30 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but thanks to Isuzu you can still … Continue reading →

Posted in museums | Tagged bellel, Chevy LUV, elf, faster, gemini, Giga, impulse, isuzu, isuzu Plaza, piazza, Sumida, Wolseley | 2 Comments

JNC LIBRARY: A must-have book for the Isuzu aficionado

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Ben Hsu

If you’re a hard-core enthusiast, or even just a casual fan, of Isuzus, the the new book A History of Isuzu Passenger Cars by Setsuo Toma should be in your library. As the title implies, it spans the entire run … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged 117, bellel, bellett, gemini, Holden, impulse, isuzu, piazza, Wolseley | 5 Comments

EVENTS: The Final New Year Meeting, Part 01

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Brandon Kelley

It is with a heavy heart that we bring you this report on 2019’s New Year Meeting, held on the fourth weekend of January, for it is also the very last New Year Meeting. period. Twelve years ago, JNC became … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 1600gt, 521, a20, b110, b310, barikan, c10, c110, carry, celica, cherry, corolla, corolla levin, corona, Corona Pickup, crown, datsun, e10, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, gemini, Hakosuka, honda, isuzu, kei, kenmeri, Life PIckup, mark II, mazda, new year meeting, nissan, p30, porter, publica, r2, rx-7, s130, s30 z, s50, s800, sa22, skyline, sprinter trueno, subaru, sunny, suzuki, t40, t50, te27, TE55, tomei, toyota, ts cup, wagons, x70, z31 | 6 Comments

EVENTS: 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — Subaru and Isuzu

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Ben Hsu

One of the clues that JCCS 2018 was history’s biggest was the presence of Isuzus and Subarus. Not a lot, granted, but in past years we would have said there were a lot if even one car of either marque … Continue reading →

Posted in jccs | Tagged buick, EA71, gemini, isuzu, jccs, kei, leone, opel, subaru, subaru 360, svx, wagons | 9 Comments

VIDEO: The world’s biggest classic Isuzu meet isn’t in Japan

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Ricky Silverio

It is noted somewhere in this video that the Isuzu Car Club of Australia is one of the country’s smallest car clubs, but also one of the oldest. This year it celebrates its 50th anniversary and, despite its size, dwarfs … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged australia, bellett, gemini, isuzu, Shannons | 3 Comments

EVENTS: New Year Meeting 2017, Part 08 — Leaving in Style

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Ben Hsu

The New Year Meeting is an magical festival of vehicular awesomeness, but what happens when the party’s over? Most owners drive their cars home, but sometimes you want to ship your precious cargo. With many areas of Japan more crowded … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 2000gt, b110, cherry, datsun, e10, elf, gemini, isuzu, mazda, minizoku, Mitsubishi Fuso, new year meeting, nissan, rx-7, sa22c, sunny, toyota | 2 Comments

EVENTS: New Year Meeting 2017, Part 03 — Isuzu and Hino take center stage

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Each year the Japanese Classic Car Association celebrates a different featured marque at the New Year Meeting. Cars belonging to the featured marque are gathered for a concours d’elegance competition with awards voted on by judges from various Japanese automotive publications. However, … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 117, bellett, contessa, elf, florian, gemini, hino, isuzu, new year meeting, Renault 4CV | 10 Comments

100 YEAR CLUB: Isuzu Motors

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Ben Hsu

What’s Japan’s oldest automaker? Like most questions, the answer isn’t necessarily a simple one, but there’s one thing that we can guarantee. It’s not Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, or any of the marques you might expect. One candidate, however, is Isuzu, … Continue reading →

Posted in 100 Year Club, isuzu | Tagged 117, Acura SLX, Aska, bellel, bellett, Bighorn, Chevy LUV, faster, gemini, Geo Storm, hillman minx, honda, impulse, isuzu, legacy, Oasis, Odyssey, Passport, piazza, Rodeo, Statesman De Ville, subaru, Sumida, Trooper, VehiCROSS, Wolseley | 15 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Isumi Matsuri

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Skorj

If there’s one thing that gets carriage-loads of people enthused, it’s trains — especially in Japan, where everyone loves trains. So, combining a wide range of Showa Era kyusha with a summer matsuri (festival) and organizing it at the most famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 310, b10, B360, bellett, bluebird, cappuccino, cony, corolla, corolla levin, crown, daihatsu, debonair, e10, Expo '70, gemini, gloria, Hakosuka, hijet, hino, honda, Insight, Isumi Matsuri, isuzu, Kurogane, Leo, mitsubishi, nissan, publica, s120, s40, s800, skyline, sprinter, sunny, Taxi, te27, toyota | 24 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 New Year Meeting, Part 02 — The Parking Area

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

In Part 02 of our New Year Meeting coverage, we delve into the parking area to unearth gems as good as anything inside the show. Some of them aren’t able to make it simply because of the age cutoff, others perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 280zx, 510, a20, b110, bluebird, cb400, celica, cressida, cresta, crown, daruma, datsun, dekotora, elf, fairlady z, gemini, Hawk, honda, isuzu, mazda, mirage, mitsubishi, new year meeting, nissan, rally, Rocket Bunny, rx-3, s110, s130, s30 z, Sera, Shakotan Boogie, soarer, sunny, suzuki, today, toyota, Wagon R, x70, z10, z20 | 15 Comments

VIDEO: Club-level race at Nakayama circuit in 1985

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Kevin San

This video of a club-level race at Nakayama Circuit in 1985 has got everything: AW11, Gemini, Bluebird, R30, SA22, multiple generations of Truenos and Levins, and the smooth jazz of a Gran Turismo menu screen. Watch the video below.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ae86, aw11, bluebird, corolla levin, gemini, isuzu, mr2, Nakayama Circuit, nissan, r30, sa22, skyline, sprinter trueno, toyota | 5 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 08 — Parking Area Finds

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Closing out our coverage of the 2015 New Year Meeting, we make a quick run through the show’s parking area. Thanks to the Japanese protocol of backing into their parking spaces, we were able to get full views of spectators’ rides to the show unobstructed … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 510, 910, ae86, alcyone, bluebird, c10, city, corolla, crown, datsun, fairlady z, familia, gemini, Hakosuka, honda, isuzu, levin, mazda, new year meeting, nissan, prince, r100, r30, r31, s110, s120, s30, s40, silvia, skyline, soarer, sprinter, subaru, svx, toyota, trueno, xt, z10, z432 | 19 Comments

EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 02: Sports Coupes and Sports Sedans

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Ben Hsu

In Part 01 of our New Year Meeting coverage, we looked at the early days of Japan’s infatuation with sizzling Sixties sports cars. In Part 02, we look at the Disco Decade’s explosion of new sports coupes and sports sedans.

Posted in events | Tagged 510, a20, b110, bluebird, c10, c110, celica, corolla, daruma, datsun, e30, E50, e70, fairlady z, fto, galant, gemini, gto, isuzu, levin, mazda, mitsubishi, new year meeting, nissan, r30, rx-3, s130, s30, savanna, skyline, sprinter, sunny, te27, TE55, toyota, trueno | 16 Comments

EVENTS: 2014 Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, Part 01

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Skorj

Unlike last year‘s clear blue skies and balmy weather, this year’s Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival was held on a cool, wet Saturday. The annual event, put on by the Toyota Automobile museum, welcomes all marques and takes place in a … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 110s, 117, 2000gt, 510, bluebird, cedric, Cedric 31, corolla, cosmo sport, datsun, datsun 210, e10, E50, gemini, honda, honda z, isuzu, levin, mazda, Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, nissan, sambar, sprinter, subaru, subaru 360, TE55, toyopet crown, toyota, trueno | 15 Comments

EVENTS: Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival & Parade, Part 02

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Ben Hsu

When Toyota holds a car show in the middle of Tokyo’s equivalent of Central Park, people notice. In Part 01 of our Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival coverage we had the rare opportunity to see the best of Japan’s historic … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 110s, 117, 411, a20, a40, ALSID-2, BLRA-3, bluebird, Bluebird 312, c30, carina, celica, clipper, colt, contessa, corolla, corona, corona mark II, cosmo sport, crown, crown eight, csp311, daruma, e10, e20, fairlady z, gemini, gloria, hino, honda, isuzu, jimny, lancer, laurel, mazda, Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, mitsubishi, nissan, prince, Publica Sports Concept, S-Series, s130, s20, s30, s500, silvia, skyline, skyline sport, Skyline Van, supra, suzuki, T20, toyopet, toyota, Toyota Automobile Museum, x20 | 10 Comments

GARAGE LIFE: A visit with Isuzu Sports Eagle

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Guest Writer

We first met Koji Okane, owner of Isuzu Sports Eagle, in 2009 at the inaugural Nos2Days show. A gracious guy, he invited us to his shop but our time in Japan was too short. We could think of no one … Continue reading →

Posted in isuzu, Shop Life | Tagged 117, bellett, Garage Life, gemini, impulse, isuzu, Koji Okane, piazza | 26 Comments

Friday Video: Seizure-inducing onslaught of vintage photos is an Isuzu ad, surprisingly

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Ben Hsu

Out of all the Japanese automakers we’d vote Isuzu, hands down, as the marque least likely scour the attic for a heritage hyping infodump of family photos in the name of advertising. Sure we’ve seen history-laden campaigns from the likes … Continue reading →

Posted in cm, isuzu, trucks | Tagged 117, bellett, buses, cm, gemini, impulse, isuzu, piazza, trucks | 15 Comments