Tag Archives: mazda

Here’s how Mazda celebrated its 100th anniversary

Turning 100 years old is a tremendous milestone for anyone. Mazda celebrated with an understated gathering at their headquarters in Hiroshima. The entrance was arranged with two cars from Mazda’s past, and two from its present. Around them, the lobby … Continue reading

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100 YEAR CLUB: Mazda, Part 01

Exactly 100 years ago today, on January 30, 1920, Toyo Cork Kogyo was founded. This company, whose name translates to Oriental Cork Industries, would go on to build cars under the name Mazda. Thus, today marks the 100th anniversary of … Continue reading

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VIDEO: The year 2000 was still a great year for Japanese sports cars

In the US, we often think of the late 1990s as when the good times came to an end. The flagship Japanese sports cars had left the US market, and automakers began building cars to the preferences of local markets, … Continue reading

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Set an hour aside to watch this truly excellent Mazda Miata documentary

At this point we all know that the Mazda MX-5 Miata is a very special car. Despite four generations and 30 years in the books, it is one of the last enthusiasts’ cars left that remains pure to its original … Continue reading

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Travis Scott’s new album and videos feature a plethora of Japanese sports cars

When Ryan told me to check out Travis Scott’s new album two days after Christmas, I had to google who he was. A rapper, it turns out. I confess I haven’t actually listened to it, but the cover has caught … Continue reading

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Mazda 4-rotor vs Toyota V10: Which race car sounds better?

At Toyota’s recent Gazoo Racing Festival, fans got the rare opportunity to see — and hear — two vastly different top-level prototype race cars roaring side by side. Both the Mazda 787B’s quad-rotor and the Toyota TS010’s 3.5-liter V10 hailed … Continue reading

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Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Circuit Wolf author Satoshi Ikezawa

If you’re wondering why Japan seems to have an inordinate number of Lotus Europas, the answer can be found in Satoshi Ikezawa’s Circuit Wolf. From January 1975 to June 1979, the wildly popular manga was one of the many car-themed … Continue reading

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NEWS: Rotary engine may race again at Le Mans

Rotaries are returning to Le Mans, at least in the rule books. According to the most recent technical regulations for the Le Mans Hypercar category approved and released by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, rotary engines may power the machines in … Continue reading

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How Mazda makes its cars drive so damn good

As car enthusiasts, we are often asked by non-enthusiast friends and relatives what car we would buy. Personally, in the past I often recommended Toyotas or Hondas, but these days the answer is almost always Mazda. It’s not because Mazda … Continue reading

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Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Mazda Roadster in Japan

While we were celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Mazda Miata in the US at Laguna Seca, Roadster owners in Japan had their own shindig. Held at Mazda’s Miyoshi Proving Grounds, the event drew 2,200 cars and 3,500 fans of … Continue reading

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VIDEO: And the best Japanese car of 1995 was…

By 2020 the 25-year threshold of what constitutes a classic car will cut off at 1995. What was the best Japanese car of that year? Back then, Japan’s Best Motoring sought the answer in a series of videos pitting several … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mazda’s iconic roadster at the Miata Reunion

There aren’t many cars like the Mazda Miata, and we don’t mean light, two-seat sports cars, even if their scarcity is indeed glaring these days. We’re talking about something even rarer — a machine that transcends the realm of car … Continue reading

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They’ve gone to plaid: You can now buy reproduction plaid fabric for the first-gen Mazda RX-7

Design patterns covering kyusha interiors fall into a special category of obsession for us. Who can resist the finely embossed crests in vinyl headrests, or the colorful swirls in 80s upholsteries? Unfortunately, these surfaces tend to be points of major … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Hot Wheels Japan Historics 3

For 2020, the Japan Historics series returns to Hot Wheels’ premium line with three all-new castings and metal-base versions of two popular models. The beautiful five-car series continues to fill in the gaps of Japan’s automotive history with a distinctively … Continue reading

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Japanese Classic Car Show 2019: Upping the Game and Best in Show

We are 60 percent of the way to the point where the JCCS itself, if it were a car, would be eligible for classic status. In its 15 years in existence, the Japanese Classic Car Show has grown from a … Continue reading

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See some rare Showa Era trucks at Mega Web right now

If you’ve been to Tokyo you’ve likely visited MegaWeb, Toyota’s showroom in the Odaiba shopping district. The History Garage section has a rotating collection of classics, and typically you’ll be able to see a Toyota Sports 800, Mazda Cosmo Sport, … Continue reading

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Japanese Classic Car Show 2019, Part 09: Trucks, Vans, and Wagons

We have arrived at what could be our favorite part of JCCS, the vans, trucks, SUVs, and wagons. And now, in addition to seeing amazing US-market builds of such cars, their Japan-market counterparts are flooding in. No longer are the … Continue reading

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NEWS: NA Mazda Roadster, Mitsubishi Model A inducted into Japan Automotive Hall of Fame

The 2019 inductees for the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame have been announced. The ceremony took place earlier this month, welcoming four historically significant vehicles and three important individuals for their impact and contributions to Japan’s automotive industry.

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2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 08 — 90s Kids

With 90s cars now eligible for JCCS it is suddenly quite obvious that the cars of the Tuner Era are have arrived at JCCS. This coincides with the Youngtimer movement in the collector car community as a whole catching steam. … Continue reading

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SEMA 2019, Part 04: More Nihon Steel

It’s really hard to capture everything at a show as big as SEMA, but here are a few more slabs of Nihon Steel we found lurking around. There was everything from slammed sleds to off-road heroes, sometimes both in the … Continue reading

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