Tag Archives: Lexus LS
In its 26th year, Toyotafest is still going strong — a brief history of TORC, the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club
We’ve been attending Toyotafest every year since JNC started in 2006, and it’s consistently one of our favorite events. Last year was the 25th Toyotafest, which means the show itself is now old enough to wear historic plates, buy collector … Continue reading
Japan’s Automotive Hall of Fame inductees for 2021 include Toyota Celsior and Nissan Be-1
The Japan Automotive Hall of Fame has announced its 2021 inductees. Each year three vehicles representing milestones in the country’s auto industry are selected for the honor. This year, they include two cars from the Bubble Era and a classic … Continue reading
The Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins trailer gets Japanese cars right
Hollywood movies often get car scenes wrong, but especially when the setting is in Japan. Typically they just sprinkle in some a Nissan Figaro in the background or set up a parking garage drift in Los Angeles that stands in … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 5,400-mile Lexus LS400
As the world creeps towards apocalypse on a daily basis, we are reminded of the necessity of an apocalypse-proof vehicle. As luck would have it, a 1994 LS400 with a scant 5,400 miles on the odometer has appeared on the … Continue reading
Akio Toyoda celebrates Lexus’ 30th anniversary with a champagne glass throwback to the original LS
How does one celebrate a milestone anniversary? If you’re Lexus, it’s with champagne… glasses in the form of a tower on the hood of an LS. One of the most famous car commercials of the 1990s was Balance, the spot … Continue reading
EVENTS: All-Toyotafest, Part 05 — Big Sedans
There’s nothing like a big Toyota sedan, and Toyotafest was full of ’em. Whether you’re talking about the brilliant luxury of a Lexus LS or the deadbolt reliability of a Camry, each one had its fans and fastidious owners. With … Continue reading
NEWS: Japanese Royal Family to get new parade car, Nissan out of the running
The Japanese royal family is about to choose a new car. That’s a big deal, since they haven’t had a fresh whip since about 2006, when Toyota delivered four specially modified Century limousines to the Imperial household. The new car … Continue reading
EVENTS: Nisei Week Car Show, 2018
The annual Nisei Festival in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles is a celebration of Japanese American culture. Nisei means “second generation” in Japanese, but with its 84 years since the inaugural festival, the event has already been passed … Continue reading
EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2018, Part 01 — Sedans
If there’s one thing Toyota is known for, it’s sedans. Yes, the Camry is basically the default car that pops into most brains when the word “sedan” is uttered, but Toyota also has a mean portfolio of old school, rear-wheel-drive mobbers. From Cressida … Continue reading
NIHON LIFE: Stumbling across random car shops in Tokyo
It’s easy to get lost in Tokyo. The streets aren’t laid out in a grid and often have no signs on them, or if they do, they’re in Japanese. As a car otaku, the problem is compounded because rather than looking at … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2017 All-Toyotafest 2017, Part 01 — New Digs
Like RAV4 sales numbers, the number of cars at Toyotafest is ever-expanding. Now in its 22nd year, the country’s most comprehensive Toyota, Lexus and Scion car show has outgrown its home at the Queen Mary. This year, organizers from the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club … Continue reading
PIXELATED: Toyota C-HR ad stars cast of Street Fighter game
The car may not be nostalgic, but the game certainly is. Toyota has enlisted the help of the Street Fighter II cast to promote the new C-HR. In the new ad, Ryu drives the car around the world through some familiar … Continue reading