Tag Archives: mazda

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

VIDEO: Even when skies are gray in 1970s Tokyo, the cars shine

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Most of us probably try to avoid driving our 1970s JNCs in the rain. But decades ago, in 1970s Tokyo, streets teemed with yet-to-be-nostalgic cars, even during a downpour. Bluebirds, Celicas, Savannas, Crowns, Sambars, Skylines, and even a few examples … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged 610, a20, bluebird, celica, crown, mazda, nissan, rx-3, toyota | 8 Comments

EVENTS: Petersen Museum Cruise-in, Part 01

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Last weekend the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles hosted their annual cruise-in for Japanese cars. J-tin of all eras and styles flocked to the museum’s parking structure at the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire Boulevards on a sweltering LA … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 240sx, 240z, 3000GT, 70, a60, A80, accord, Accord 1G, acura, ae86, aw11, b310, c10, celica, civic, Civic 1G, Civic EF, Civic EG, Civic EK, civic wagon, corolla, corolla fx, cressida, datsun, e80, f10, fc3s, fd3s, fit, Hakosuka, honda, integra, Integra DA, Lexus GS, Lexus LS, mazda, mr2, Mtisubishi, N360/N600, nissan, nsx, pathfinder, Petersen Museum, r32, r33, r34, Rogue, rx-7, s13, s14, S160, s30 z, S500/S600/S800, scion, Scion FRS, silvia, skyline, sti, subaru, sunny, supra, sw20, T200, wrx, x30, x80, Z360/Z600 | 7 Comments

Japan Post celebrates 40th anniversary of Mazda RX-7 with exclusive rotary goods

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Japan’s post offices have unleashed a slew of Mazda RX-7 themed merch to mark the 40th anniversary of the iconic Hiroshima sports car. The goods celebrate all three generations of the RX-7, as well as the rotary engine. The only … Continue reading →

Posted in mazda | Tagged fc3s, fd3s, japan post, mazda, rx-7, sa22 | 3 Comments

EVENTS: Radwood NorCal 2018, the Greatest Hits

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Among the many examples of 80s and 90s Japanese cars that populated Radwood NorCal this year, there were a few that really stood out to us. We hesitate to call them the best; except for the actual “Best Of” voted … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 240sx, 323 GTX, accord, Accord 1G, b13, camry, cressida, cultus, Dodge D50, Eagle Talon, eclipse, f31, fd3s, forte, geo, honda, infiniti, leopard, m30, mazda, metro, miata, Miata NA, Mighty Max, mitsubishi, mx-5, nissan, prelude, Prelude 3g, Radwood, rx-7, s13, sa22, sentra, silvia, suzuki, swift, tacoma, toyota, v10, x70 | 15 Comments

EVENTS: Radwood NorCal 2018

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Ben Hsu

The Radwood phenomenon is spreading faster than hairspray-induced polyester fire. The celebration of 80s and 90s autodom is now on its fourth show in just two years, and the organizers tell us it was the biggest one yet. We attended … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 2.5RS, 240sx, 3000GT, 300zx, A31, a40, a60, a70, A80, accord, acty, acura, ae86, ae92, aw11, az-1, b-series, cappuccino, Cefiro, celica, corolla, crx, delica, fc3s, fd3s, figaro, fj60, GC8, honda, impreza, integra, land cruiser, LC70, LC80, legend, leone, lexus, Lexus LS, lexus sc, Lotus Esprit, mazda, miata, Miata NA, Mighty Max, mitsubishi, montero, motocompo, mr2, mx-5, nissan, nsx, pajero, r32, r34, Radwood, rx-7, s13, skyline, subaru, sunchaser, supra, suzuki, sw20, toyota, Toyota Van, z31 | 14 Comments

SHOWA SNAP: Meiji Jingu, 1967

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Ben Hsu

We’ve covered a few car shows at Meiji Jingu Park in Tokyo, but here is what it looked like as a normal, everyday street in 1967. Look at all the Showa Era cars (Toyota Crown, 411 Bluebird, Prince Gloria, Mazda Familia, etc.) and trucks … Continue reading →

Posted in Showa Snap | Tagged 411, bluebird, crown, datsun, familia, gloria, mazda, miler, minica, mitsubishi, nissan, prince, s40, sports 800, toyoace, toyota | 3 Comments

TRA Kyoto releases Rocket Bunny Pandem kit for FC RX-7

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Dan Hsu

Because we must now widebody all the things, TRA Kyoto has released a Rocket Bunny Pandem body kit for the FC3S Mazda RX-7. The company recently released a video rendering of the proposed kit on its Facebook page. While recent kits … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fc3s, mazda, Pandem, Rocket Bunny, rx-7, TRA Kyoto | 10 Comments

Happy 626 Day from JNC!

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Many forget that the original Mazda 626 came in rear-wheel-drive and pillarless hardtop coupe form. If you can find them, they are typically pretty well preserved and fairly affordable. Perhaps you can adopt one today, this happy 626 Day!

Posted in Holidays | Tagged 626, capella, mazda | 16 Comments

VIDEO: Mazda UK celebrates 40 years of the RX-7

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Ben Hsu

2018 marks 40 years since the debut of the original Mazda RX-7. According to Mazda UK, Mazda has sold 2 million rotary-engined cars, with 850,000 of them being RX-7s. To honor the occasion, they’ve produced a video bringing together three … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged fc3s, fd3s, mazda, rx-7, sa22 | 9 Comments

NEWS: Power to the people — Mazda confirms 181-horsepower Miata for US

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Last week Japanese media confirmed that Mazda was giving the 2019 Miata a significant power bump from 155 to 181 horsepower, and raising the redline from 6,850 to 7,500 rpm. Now Mazda North America has confirmed that the more powerful version of the world’s most affordable … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged mazda, miata, Miata ND, mx-5 | 5 Comments

NEWS: Mazda Miata gets major horsepower increase, high-revving redline

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Mazda is about to give the MX-5 Miata a significant bump in horsepower, and a screaming redline to go with it. The move to increase output from the current 155 horsepower to a reported 181, all the while pushing the redline to … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged mazda, miata, Miata ND, mx-5 | 5 Comments

NEWS: Mazda celebrates production of 50 millionth car

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Ben Hsu

On May 15, Mazda reached a production milestone. The Hiroshima-based company has built 50 million cars since it began making its first road vehicles in October 1931. A small ceremony was held at the Hofu plant in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Posted in News | Tagged mazda | 2 Comments

GALLERIES: The Petersen Automotive Museum opens an unprecedented exhibit honoring Japanese cars

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Perhaps it is only fitting that the Petersen Automotive Museum is now located in what was once the only Seibu department store in the US. Where rows of Japanese home goods resided in 1962, today in 2018 stands this hemisphere’s most comprehensive museum … Continue reading →

Posted in museums | Tagged 2000gt, A80, bosozoku, c110, civic, cosmo sport, cresta, csp311, datsun, Datsun Type 16, drag, ef, EK, Flying Feather, hino, honda, Honda N-Series, Honda S-Series, jimny, kaido racer, kenmeri, lj20, mazda, mitsubishi, Mitsubishi 500, n600, nissan skyline, Petersen Museum, prince, r382, rx-3, s600, silvia, skyline sport, supra, suzuki, Suzulight, toyoda aa, toyota, x80 | 30 Comments

MINICARS: Can you help us identify these Japanese race car toys?

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Ben Hsu

I recently rediscovered these toys of two historic Japanese endurance racing prototypes. They are completely plastic, have no branding underneath, but are extremely well-made examples. Can you help us identify where they came from?

Posted in minicars | Tagged 24 Hours of Daytona, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 787b, mazda, minicars, nissan, R91CP | 16 Comments

VIDEO: How to pronounce Japanese carmaker names properly

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Ben Hsu

A couple of years ago we were at a dinner with several journalists and a Mazda executive. At the other end of the table, a debate broke out about whether the proper pronunciation of the Hiroshima carmaker was the standard issue “MAHZ-dah” or the Australian-accented “MAAZZ-dah.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning Japanese | Tagged datsun, honda, lexus, mazda, mitsubishi, mugen, nissan, subaru, toyota | 7 Comments

50 YEAR CLUB: Hot Wheels celebrates half a century of toy cars

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Fifty years ago today, the world was introduced to what just might be the most influential cars ever made. The automotive world was forever changed on May 18, 1968 when Mattel introduced the Hot Wheels brand of toy cars to … Continue reading →

Posted in 50 Year Club, Hot Wheels, minicars | Tagged 2000gt, 200sx, 240z, 260z, 300zx, 50 Year Club, 510, a60, acura, ae86, Alton Takeyasu, bluebird, corolla, Corvette Stingray, datsun, honda, hot wheels, mazda, nissan, nsx, Odyssey, rx-7, Ryu Asada, s110, s30 z, sa22, silvia, supra, toyota, z31 | 10 Comments

VIDEO: Look at all the great driver’s cars you could get in 1991

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Ben Hsu

At the height of the Bubble Era, every Japanese carmaker had a driver’s car. We’re not talking about high dollar sports cars like the NSX or Supra, either. In this Best Motoring video from 1991, a lineup of enthusiasts’ machines, sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged best motoring, civic, ef, EF9, enfini, eunos, eunos roadster, fc3s, honda, mazda, miata, Miata NA, mx-5, nissan, pulsar, r32, rx-7, s13, silvia, skyline, starlet, toyota | 10 Comments

MINICARS: Tomica Limited Vintage made an FD3S Mazda RX-7 and it looks amazing

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Ben Hsu

We haven’t written about Tomica Limited Vintage in a while, but the collectors’ offshoot of Japan’s most popular diecast cars has been quietly churning out excellent 1:64-scale models of classics for a while. The latest, however, is sure to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fd3s, mazda, rx-7, tomica, tomica limited vintage | 3 Comments

JNC THEATER: Behind the scenes with JDM Legends on the eve of their Velocity Channel premiere

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Until now, the world of automotive-themed television shows has been pretty lackluster when it comes to Japanese cars. That’s all about to change with the Velocity Channel’s JDM Legends, titled after the Utah shop of the same name and premiering tomorrow, April 17. … Continue reading →

Posted in JNC Theater, Video Games | Tagged 240z, datsun, Eric Bizek, fairlady z, jdm legends, mazda, nissan, rx-7, S30Z, sa22, skyline, toyota | 25 Comments