Tag Archives: kei

VIDEO: Cringe at these old Subaru crash tests

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Do you want to see a bunch of classic Subarus crash into walls? Just a warning, they are doubly horrifying, because it’s always sad to see some now-rare cars get destroyed, but also because of the primitive safety standards of … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged ff-1, kei, subaru, subaru 360 | 3 Comments

EVENTS: Final New Year Meeting, Part 02 — The End of an Era

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Ben Hsu

After 42 years, the New Year Meeting, once the biggest classic car show in Japan, is no more. The Odaiba venue where the event is held will soon be bulldozed, making way for the future. We’ve covered New Year Meetings … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 117, 240rs, 410/411, 510, a30, b10, b110, b120, b210, bluebird, c10, Cabstar, cedric, Cedric 30, civic, Civic EF, clipper, contessa, corolla, crown, crx, CRX EF, csp311, daihatsu, datsun, Domingo, e10, fairlady roadster, familia, Familia BD, Fellow, fellow max, gloria, Hakosuka, hino, honda, honda N, isuzu, kei, mazda, minica, Minica Skipper, mitsubishi, n10, new year meeting, nissan, porter, prince, publica, pulsar, s110, s50, S500/S600/S800, sanitora, silvia, skyline, subaru, sunny, sunny truck, t360, today, vans, wagons | 13 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

VIDEO: Treat your car right, or you might get Freaky Friday’d with it

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Ben Hsu

A new commercial for JMS, a Japanese automotive parts store similar to Pep Boys or Autobacs, asks what happens when a car and its owner switch bodies. As the advert begins an owner displays less than kind behavior towards his … Continue reading →

Posted in cm | Tagged crown, daihatsu, hijet, JMS, kei, s130, toyota | 8 Comments

EVENTS: 2019 Osaka Auto Messe

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Kevin San

Everyone knows the Tokyo Auto Salon, the massive annual car show where the big brands and tuning houses of Japan’s automotive aftermarket goes all-out to show its wares. But, there’s an equally big show that’s not quite as well known, … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged A90, Beet, bosozoku, c10, c130, c210, carry, century, Century GRMN, civic, Civic EA, crown, crx, ferrari, gt-r, Hakosuka, honda, jimny, jun auto mechanic, kei, Lapin, laurel, lexus, Lexus LC, liberty walk, mark x, motorcycles, NISMO 400R, NISMO Z-Tune, nissan, Osaka Auto Messe, porsche, r32, r33, r34, r35, Rays Wheels, s130, S200, skyline, soarer, supra, suzuki, toyota, vellfire, vip, volkswagen, work wheels, z10 | 11 Comments

Tokyo Auto Salon: Japanese tradition in car form

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Ben Hsu

The classics of the chrome era at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon could be split into two camps. Restomods look towards the future, using a nod to the past to incorporate new and modern ideas. Then there are the cars … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged 521, advan, bosozoku, c10, Crown Comfort, daihatsu, datsun, Hakosuka, hiace, hijet, kaido racer, kei, nissan, skyline, tokyo auto salon, toyota | 3 Comments

Tokyo Auto Salon: Japanese Restomods

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Even after 27 years, The Tokyo Auto Salon is still the premier showcase of automotive fashion from a country that has no shortage of them. Many trends have come and gone over the decades, but TAS will probably always have … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged 2000gt, ae86, c10, c110, cherry, Civic Type R, copen, corolla, corolla levin, daihatsu, fairlady z, fc3s, Hakosuka, honda, kei, kenmeri, lexus, Lexus RC, liberty walk, mazda, nissan, r34, r35, Rocket Bunny, rocky auto, rx-7, s13, s14, S15, s30 z, s660, silvia, skyline, Speed Forme, star road, tokyo auto salon, toyota, wagons | 3 Comments

NEWS: Suzuki reveals retro-styled Jimny Pickup

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Suzuki has revealed some of its concepts for the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon, and the most intriguing one is a new take on the just-released Jimny that came out earlier this year. Based on the flared-fender, 1.o-liter version, the retro-look … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged fj40, J70, jimny, kei, land cruiser, suzuki, toyota, trucks | 7 Comments

NEWS: Only 200 of these Daihatsu Copen Coupes will be sold

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

The Daihatsu Copen has been a gem among kei cars since it debuted in 2002. Its cheery face and folding hardtop convertible roof (still novel in those days) livened up any street it occupied, and created yet another branch on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged copen, daihatsu, kei, tokyo auto salon | 4 Comments

NEWS: Honda reveals Neo Classic Racer, Trip Van ahead of Tokyo Auto Salon

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Ben Hsu

The Tokyo Auto Salon isn’t until next January, but Honda has already revealed a few of the cars it plans to display at the aftermarket extravaganza. Both capitalize on nostalgia, and are both are based on kei cars exclusive to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged honda, kei, N-Van, s660, tokyo auto salon | 11 Comments

NEWS: Honda’s latest kei truck marks the 55th anniversary of its first 4-wheeled vehicle

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Fifty-five years ago, Honda entered uncharted waters when it released its first four-wheeled vehicle. The T360 truck launched what was then primarily a motorcycle company into the realm of cars. To commemorate this watershed moment, Honda has released a two … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged acty, honda, kei, t360, trucks | 6 Comments

EVENTS: 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 05 — Trucks

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Trucks are the unsung heroes of the JNC world. While many of us would love to have a Skyline or Supra, the truth is that these rigs did just as much to earn credibility and loyal customers for our favorite … Continue reading →

Posted in jccs | Tagged 4runner, 521, 620, b120, datsun, delica, fj60, fj62, hilux, J80, jccs, jdm legends, jimny, kei, land cruiser, mitsubishi, n10, N20, nissan, R20, Safari, samurai, sunny truck, suzuki, toyota, Toyota Van, U620, van, W-pick | 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

EVENTS: 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 01 — JDM

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Japan-only cars have been making their way into JCCS for a while now, but this year the trickle seemed to turn into a tsunami. You couldn’t swing a fender mirror without coming into contact with a RHD ride from the … Continue reading →

Posted in jccs | Tagged 510, 620, A170, Autozam AZ-1, b120, beat, bluebird, bosozoku, c10, C33, datsun, F30, fairlady z, figaro, Hakosuka, honda, jccs, jdm legends, kaido racer, kei, lancer, Lancer Evolution II, laurel, leopard, Life StepVan, mark II, n360, nissan, pao, r30, r32, r33, s30 z, skyline, sports 800, sunny truck, Tommykaira, Tommykaira ZZ, toyota, U620, vamos, wagons, Wild Cards, x70, x80 | 14 Comments

EVENTS: 2018 Japanese Automotive Invitational

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Ben Hsu

It has been a banner year for Nihon steel at Monterey Car Week. The annual series of ultra-prestigious automotive events have traditionally excluded Japanese cars, but 2018 saw, for example, Nissan become the first carmaker from Japan to be honored … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 117, 2000gt, 240z, 510, acura, az-1, bellett, brat, bre, c10, cherry, Civic 1G, Civic Lady, cosmo sport, datsun, dome, dome zero, f10, f31, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, fj40, galant gto, Hakosuka, honda, honda N, Honda Serial One, infiniti, integra, Integra DA, isuzu, J30, jimny, kei, land cruiser, legend, lj20, m30, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, nsx, patrol, Prototype 9, publica, Q45, r32, r34, r360, s30 z, safari rally, sambar, skyline, sports 800, subaru, subaru 360, suzuki, toyota, z432 | 14 Comments

NEWS: Honda to release retro Neo Classic kit for S660

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Ben Hsu

We first saw the Honda S660 Neo Classic Kit at the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon, but it quickly got lost in the heaps of automotive absurdity the show is known for. Unlike most of the concoctions there, however, Honda will … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged honda, kei, s660 | 7 Comments

JNC LIBRARY: Sam Mitani’s The Prototype is a thriller with Japanese cars at its center

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Ben Hsu

In the world of spy thrillers, full of CIA agents, gunfights, and global power balance-changing secrets that cannot fall into the wrong hands, there typically aren’t a lot of Japanese cars mentioned. However, when the author is former International Editor … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged 370z, beat, brz, cappuccino, Crown Majesta, delica, fuji speedway, honda, kei, lancer evolution, lexus, Lexus GS, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, rx-7, Sam Mitani, silvia, suzuki, The Prototype, toyota | 6 Comments

MINICARS: A beginner’s guide to JNC Legos, Part 03

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Ricky Silverio

In the final installment of our beginner’s guide to Lego JNCs, we are going to focus on the prevailing style of builds in Japan. In Part 01 we admired highly complex creations comprised of hundreds of pieces where the sky’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged a60, a70, ae86, bosozoku, c10, c110, calsonic, carol, cedric, corolla, corolla levin, cosmo sport, crown, Crown Comfort, crx, debonair, dr30, fairlady z, fj cruiser, group 5, gurachan, Hakosuka, Highway Maintenance Corporation, honda, isuzu, kaido racer, kei, kenmeri, le mans, lego, liberty walk, mazda, mitsubishi, nissan, prius, r31, r32, Ramen Truck, rx-7, s360, S500/S600/S800, sa22, skyline, sprinter trueno, starion, subaru, subaru 360, super silhouette, supra, svx, Taxi, toyota, TS050, vamos, vanning, VehiCROSS, vip, y30, z31, zokusha | 7 Comments

VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the Autozam AZ-1

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Ben Hsu

In the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, the car collector gets behind the wheel of another Japanese great, the Autozam AZ-1. The gull-winged, mid-engined, kei-classed sports car seems to charm the host, who actually says he might consider buying … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged autozam, az-1, jay leno, kei, mazda | 4 Comments

EVENTS: Petersen Museum Cruise-in, Part 02

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Ben Hsu

The Petersen Museum in Los Angeles puts on many events throughout the year, each with a theme ranging from hot rods to Porsches. Recently, they hosted their annual cruise-in for Japanese cars, inviting Nihon Steel both old and new to … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 240sx, 240z, 350z, 4runner, 510, 626, a60, a70, acty, acura, ae86, bluebird, bosozoku, celica, civic, Civic EF, Civic EG, corolla, cressida, crx, datsun, datsun 521, datsun 720, F30, f31, fairlady roadster, gloria, gt-r, hilux, honda, infiniti, integra, Integra Type R, kaido racer, kei, leopard, Lexus GS, m30, M45, mark II, mazda, Mazda B-Series, minitrucks, nissan, nsx, Petersen Museum, r32, r35, s14, S160, s30 z, skyline, supra, te27, toyota, vip, wagons, x30, x70, Y34, z32, z33 | 6 Comments