Tag Archives: mr2

EVENTS: The Best of Radwood 2

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Among the, like, totally awesome cars of Radwood were a few that hit us in the face like a blast of Drakkar Noir. This isn’t a scientific polling, because who wouldn’t want to take home the Wolf’s NSX, but just a few cars that we and … Continue reading →

Posted in events, Spotlight | Tagged 280zx, a60, acura, aw11, black gold, celica, crx, datsun, dc2, ea, honda, Integra Type R, leone, mr2, nissan, prelude, subaru, toyota | 15 Comments

EVENTS: Radwood 2 – Electric Boogaloo

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Ben Hsu

From the moment co-organizer Art Cervantes told us the name of the event, we knew it would be incredible. Radwood. It was a car show exclusively for 80s and 90s machines. Like Goodwood but, you know, rad.

Posted in events | Tagged 240sx, 300zx, 4runner, 80-series, 929, a60, a70, A80, acura, ae86, aw11, brat, CBR900RR, celica, charade, chaser, civic, Civic EF, Civic EG, corolla, corona, cr-v, cressida, crx, daihatsu, delica, Dodge Raider, e70, eclipse, fc3s, fd3s, fj60, fj62, galant, Galant VR-4, honda, infiniti, integra, KA4, KA7, land cruiser, legend, lexus, Lexus LS, mazda, miata, Miata NA, Mighty Max, mitsubishi, montero, motocompo, mr2, MX-3, mx-5, N60, nissan, nsx, pajero, prelude, Q45, r33, r34, Radwood, rx-7, s13, sa22, skyline, subaru, supra, sw20, x70, x80, z31, z32 | 11 Comments

SEMA 2017: An unmolested Toyota MR2 gave us the strength to carry on

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Dearest Martha, As I took respite to pen this letter, I wondered if I would return from war the same man I was when I left home. SEMA is hell, my love. It has been just two days, but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Spotlight | Tagged aw11, mr2, sema, SEMA 2017, toyota | 19 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? 34k-mile 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Ben Hsu

At this year’s Toyotafest we were saw an increase in stock (or stock appearing) and period correct examples of the second-generation MR2. Gone were the Invader body kits and intake snorkels from the Tuner Era heyday. Clearly, the unmolested SW20 is something collectable, … Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | Tagged kidney anyone, mr2, sw20, toyota | 13 Comments

VIDEO: Do any of these Toyotas remind you of the new Camry?

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Ben Hsu

Toyota is launching the 2018 Camry in Japan, and pulling out their greatest hits to do so. The newest Camry commercial begins with images of the MR2, Soarer, Altezza, Celica and Supra, a stick-shift X70, and many more — all set … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged a60, altezza, aristo, aw11, camry, celica, mr2, soarer, supra, sw20, toyota, x60 | 25 Comments

VIDEO: Ode to an AW11 Toyota MR2

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Ben Hsu

If you haven’t watched Mr Regular yet, you’ve been missing out on some truly entertaining car reviews. Punctuated with literary references and dick jokes of the highest caliber, they are the exact opposite of the typical driving impression videos. There’s no … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged aw11, mr2, toyota | 9 Comments

NIHON LIFE: Stumbling across random car shops in Tokyo

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged atenza, aw11, b310, celsior, Ciic Type R, Cima, civic, Civic EK, cosmo sport, Countach, datsun, F50, fairlady roadster, fairlady z, honda, infiniti, Infiniti Q45, lamborghini, lexus, Lexus LS, lfa, mazda, mr2, nissan, porsche, prius, r33, RUF, s130, skyline, sports 800, sunny, Sunny California, toyota, vip, W50 | 11 Comments

EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2017, Part 03 — Fun to Drive

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Ben Hsu

“Fun to Drive” was the tagline of Toyota Japan for much of the 1980s, and it was absolutely true. Toyota once had a whole portfolio of stylish, slingable cars that were also — and this is a key component of fun … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged a20, aw11, barikan, celica, corona, kp61, mr2, ST160, ST180, starlet, sw20, t40, t80, toyota, toyotafest, Toyotafest 2017 | 16 Comments

EVENTS: 2017 All-Toyotafest 2017, Part 01 — New Digs

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in events | Tagged 4runner, a20, a40, a60, ae86, avalon, aw11, camry, Camry Coupe, celica, Colin Project, corolla, corolla levin, corona, cressida, e70, e90, focus racing, ke10, lexus, Lexus GS, Lexus LC, Lexus LS, Lexus RC, longchamp xr-4, mr2, s190, scion, Scion xB, star sharks, sunchaser, sw20, t80, toyota, Toyota Van, toyotafest, Toyotafest 2017, UCF20, UCF30, x30, XV10 | 7 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 Classic Japan show in Australia

Posted on December 10, 2016 by Kevin San

One of our favourite nostalgic car shows in any country is Classic Japan, which is held in Melbourne, Australia in December every year. Melbourne is 1000 km away from JNC‘s Australian HQ in Sydney, so it’s also an opportunity to … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 160J, 3000GT, 710, a20, a60, ae86, all-trac, australia, aw11, az-1, c10, c110, cedric, celica, Classic Japan, corolla, cosmo sports, cressida, crown, daruma, datsun, dr30, fj40, galant gto, gto, Hakosuka, Holden, honda, honda N, impulse, isuzu, kenmeri, land cruiser, luce, mark II, mazda, miata, mitsubishi, mr2, mx-5, n360, nissan, patrol, piazza, prince, Project Hakosuka, r130, r30, s54, skyline, sports 800, supra, violet, wagons, x70 | 16 Comments

JNC THEATER: Long before Fast & Furious, there was Jackie Chan’s Thunderbolt

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Ryan Senensky

For many, 2001’s The Fast and the Furious was perhaps a seminal moment in US tuning history. Hollywood movies’ star cars failed to reflect the reality of America’s mall parking lots on a Friday night, but suddenly F&F came about and brought Japanese cars to … Continue reading →

Posted in JNC Theater | Tagged 3000GT, civic, Civic Ferio, fd3s, fto, gt-r, gto, honda, jackie chan, lancer evolution, mazda, mitsubishi, mr2, nissan, pajero, r32, rx-7, skyline, sw20, Thunderbolt | 16 Comments

EVENTS: AE86 Nights 9th Anniversary

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Ben Hsu

What started as a small gathering of enthusiasts of the last RWD Corolla eight years ago has grown into a gathering that attracts hundreds of cars from all over southern California. It all started with the beloved Hachiroku, and the types of … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 280zx, 610, 810, a20, a40, a60, a70, ae86, aw11, celica, Chevy Nova, civic, corolla, corolla levin, cressida, datsun, e20, e70, e80, ef, fj cruiser, fj60, FRS, hilux, honda, impreza, land cruiser, maxima, mazda, miata, mr2, MX5, NA Miata, nissan, s130, sa22, scion, sprinter trueno, subaru, supra, sw20, ta22, te27, toyota, van, wagons, x60, x70 | 10 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 05 — Editors’ Choice

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Ben Hsu

For the final installment of this year’s Toyotafest we share the JNC staff favorites. In a show packed with prime Aichi steel, it wasn’t easy to narrow down the field, making the results probably over-long. But hey, it’s a good problem to have, … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged a20, ae86, all-trac, aw11, celica, corolla, corolla levin, corona, daruma, e10, e20, gt-four, hachiroku, ke10, L10, mr2, publica, sports 800, sprinter trueno, st185, t110, te27, te28, tercel, toyota, toyotafest, up10, wagon, yotahachi | 15 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 03 — Sporty Fours

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Ben Hsu

As we saw in Part 02, Toyota has had no shortage of grand, powerful machines powered by the legendary straight-six. However, the company built its fortunes on millions of inline-fours. Using its vast production reserves, it has over the years been able to bestow … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged a20, a60, ae86, aw11, barikan, bosozoku, celica, corolla, corolla levin, corona, mr2, sprinter trueno, suzuki, t40, toyota, toyotafest | 8 Comments

EVENTS: 2016 All-Toyotafest, Part 01 — A preview of what’s to come

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

Now in its 21st year, the All-Toyotafest has become quite possibly the most popular Japanese car show in southern California. How popular? Online registration for the 2016 gathering — all 450 spots — sold out just eight hours after going … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged avalon, camry, celica, corolla, corona, e20, mr2, prius, Pronard, rt40, scion, sw20, T200, t80, te27, toyota, toyotafest, xb, XV10, xv30, XV40, XV50 | 12 Comments

GRAND TOURING: Driving across Japan in a JNC, Day 08

Posted on April 17, 2016 by David Lovett

In the previous installment of our cross-Japan trip, we began the northeasterly journey back home, but on a different route that would hug the southern coast of Japan. As such, we’d voyage from Kyushu to Shikoku, two of the four islands that … Continue reading →

Posted in Grand Touring | Tagged 117, 280zx, all-trac, b120, celica, Celica GT-Four, corona, daihatsu, datsun, fairlady z, Fellow, ferry, Grand Touring, isuzu, kei, mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Jeep, mr2, nissan, r30, s130, s30, sanitora, skyline, st165, sunny truck, sw20, T120, toyota | 6 Comments

ART CORNER: Beautiful dioramas of model cars from Japan

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Takuji is a Japanese artist who places 1:43 and 1:64 scale minicars into beautifully constructed dioramas. From AE86s on touge roads to Mitsubishis tearing through a rally stage to mechanics tuning Skylines in a garage, each scene is a slice of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Corner, minicars | Tagged 200sx, 323 GTX, 510, a70, ae82, ae86, alto, Art Corner, aw11, az-1, b110, beat, bluebird, c110, carol, carry, colt, corolla fx, fairlady z, familia, fj60, fronte, fto, Galant VR-4, Hakosuka, honda, Honda N-Series, jimny, K10, kei, kenmeri, lancer celeste, land cruiser, march, mazda, miata, minicars, mirage, mitsubishi, mr2, mx-5, nissan, rally, rx-3, s12, s30 z, safari rally, silvia, skyline c10, sprinter trueno, starion, starlet kp61, stepvan, subaru, subaru 360, sunny, supra, suzuki, toyota, violet, Vivio | 14 Comments

VIDEO: 40th Anniversary of TRD

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Ben Hsu

Founded in 1976, Toyota Racing Development is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. At the Tokyo Auto Salon a video played on loop, showing highlights of the last four decades. From Starlets to AE86s to Celicas to Supras, this is … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged ae86, altezza, aw11, celica, corolla, corolla levin, JGTC, mr2, sprinter trueno, starlet, supra, toyota, trd, wrc | 4 Comments

VIDEO: Club-level race at Nakayama circuit in 1985

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Kevin San

This video of a club-level race at Nakayama Circuit in 1985 has got everything: AW11, Gemini, Bluebird, R30, SA22, multiple generations of Truenos and Levins, and the smooth jazz of a Gran Turismo menu screen. Watch the video below.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ae86, aw11, bluebird, corolla levin, gemini, isuzu, mr2, Nakayama Circuit, nissan, r30, sa22, skyline, sprinter trueno, toyota | 5 Comments

VIDEO: Cruising and drifting Hakone in 1989

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Ben Hsu

Talk about time travel. What were you doing in 1989? In Japan, car enthusiasts were lining up at Hakone Nanamagari Touge like it was a playground slide. A notoriously twisty section of mountain road, it is part of the most famous of Japan’s touge, the birthplaces … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged 180sx, 240sx, ae86, aw11, corolla, corolla levin, fc3s, hakone, mazda, mr2, nissan, rx-7, s13, silvia, sprinter trueno, touge, toyota | 10 Comments