Tag Archives: mazda
SHOWA SNAP: Metropolitan Expressway Route 4 at Asakasa Mitsuke in the 1970s
In preparation for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Metropolitan Expressway Route 4 Route at Akasaka Mitsuke was rushed to completion. Below the highway, Aoyama Street (National Route 246) intersects with Sotobori Street. Crossing under the right-most branch is the Benkei … Continue reading
ART CORNER: These pixel art JNCs are the bee’s knees
There’s probably a pretty big overlap in the Venn diagram of people who are really into Japanese classic cars and people who are really into old video games before the graphics got too realistic. That’s why these pixel art cars … Continue reading
After 54 years, Mazda Bongo production ends with a whimper
After half a century in production, the Mazda Bongo has reached the end of the road. For most North American readers this is probably not a big deal, as the Bongo looks like any number of nondescript one-box vans from … Continue reading
You can now get Mazda RX-7 rotary engine-themed face masks in Japan
The march of car-themed face masks continues as Japan struggles to deal with COVID-19. Though Japan’s coronavirus death rate — a little over 1,000 — is pretty mild compared with that of the US, themed masks are still doing brisk … Continue reading
That new life-size Gundam robot in Japan is basically a Mazda RX-7 from the 22nd century
Giant robots are serious business in Japan. Construction has just finished on a 59-foot Gundam robot in Yokohama, and it’s not even the first. If you’ve been to Odaiba, Tokyo where Toyota’s MegaWeb showroom is located, you have probably seen … Continue reading
Posted in Nihon Life
Tagged gt-r, Gundam, mazda, nissan, r35, rx-7, sa22c, Shiro Nakamura
9 Comments
Here’s what modern cars would look like with their predecessors’ wheels
There’s a new Facebook page that seems to have nothing but photochops of new cars with old wheels. Specifically, the images on the aptly named Unnecessary Wheel Swaps are of modern vehicles wearing the wheels of their predecessors. The ND … Continue reading
VIDEO: Can you identify 100 years’ worth of Mazda interiors?
Mazda has released a video called “The Evolution of Mazda Interiors” as the latest installment of their 100th anniversary celebrations. As you might expect, it’s a series of driver’s-view shots from Mazda cars over the decades. While I can do … Continue reading
NEWS: 2021 Mazda 3 Turbo will destroy all comers with a $29,900 base price
There are few new cars more hotly anticipated around the JNC offices than the Mazda 3 Turbo. The non-turbo is already an absolute hoot, and on paper the forced-induction version looked to be even better, with 250-horses, 320 lb-ft (on … Continue reading
Happy RX-7 Day from JNC
Today is July 7, or 7/7, or Sevens Day, the day we celebrate the indomitable Mazda RX-7. Since this year marks the 100th Anniversary of Mazda let’s honor the day with the very first RX-7, the 1978 SA22C, in its … Continue reading
If you need Mazda RX-3 taillights, you’re in luck
For many older Japanese cars, plastic bits are near impossible to find. Or, if you do find them, they cost a fortune. They’re not like muscle cars, where you can open a Year One catalog and basically rebuild a 1969 … Continue reading
100 YEAR CLUB: Mazda, Part 02
Mazda turned 100 years old earlier this year, and to mark this very special occasion we went in search of what makes this small Hiroshima carmaker so unique. In the previous installment of our retrospective, we examined Mazda’s origin story … Continue reading
Posted in 100 Year Club
Tagged 323, 626, 717C, capella, familia, le mans, mazda, mazdaspeed, rx-3, rx-7, sa22c, savanna, wrc
2 Comments
Mazda’s 100th Anniversary Edition Miata is coming to the US
Back in April, Mazda announced a slew of 100th Anniversary Edition models to commemorate a century of doing business. Now, Mazda North America has announced that at least one of those models — the most important one, arguably — is … Continue reading
Happy 626 Day from JNC
The Mazda 626 was known as the Capella in Japan, and though it had some really trick technology on it, it was mostly remembered as a fairly middle-of-the-road compact in the US. However, if you were in Japan, you could … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: How Ikaten bridged illegal and professional drifting, with silver cephalopods
Drifting went pro in 2000 when the D1 Grand Prix series was founded. But long before D1GP, there was the Ikasu Hashiriya Team Tengoku (roughly translated to Ikasu Racer Team Heaven), an amateur drift series that bridged the era between … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged 180sx, a70, ae86, corolla levin, drifting, fc3s, fd3s, Ikasu Hashiriya Team Tengoku/Ikaten, mazda, nissan, rx-7, s13, s14, S15, silvia, soarer, sprinter trueno, supra, toyota, z20
4 Comments
Mississippi man saves total stranger’s Mazda RX-7 from flooding
Here’s an uplifting story, centered around something we can all agree on: love for the FD3S Mazda RX-7. Mississippi has been hit hard by Tropical Storm Cristobal. During the storm, someone posted on Facebook photos of an orange FD parked … Continue reading
The upcoming Mazda 3 Turbo is essentially a Mazdaspeed 3 without the name
Despite repeated denials by Mazda, about a year ago we predicted that the company would come out with a turbocharged Mazda 3. It looks like that is indeed happening, as indicated by leaked codes from Mazda’s dealership extranet system. Essentially, … Continue reading
VIDEO: Watch an epic battle of 90s sports cars
In a race that looks like a real-life Gran Turismo battle, the best of 1990s sports cars duke it out in this 1995 episode of Best Motoring. The field is a who’s who of Bubble Era machinery, including a Supra … Continue reading
You can now drive the Mazda RX-Vision… in Gran Turismo
One of the most stunning concept cars of the last decade has been the Mazda RX-Vision. No one has been able too drive the supposedly rotary-powered sports car, but that’s about to change — at least in the virtual world … Continue reading
