Tag Archives: nissan

VIDEO: Battle of the Japanese one-box vans

The sheer variety of Japan’s one-box vans are as mind-melting as their ubiquity. There are so many trims, options, and configurations that we could launch a sister site, JNV, to cover them all. Luckily, during the brief moment that they … Continue reading →

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MARKETWATCH: A mint Datsun 240Z has sold for $310,000

If there is one constant in the collector car market, it’s that the best cars will always find willing buyers for strong money. Exhibit A: A series-1 Datsun 240Z worthy of consideration as possibly the finest original example in the … Continue reading →

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Liberty Walk creates Super Silhouette-inspired R34 Skyline

The Japanese tuning house Liberty Walk has created a what they call the LB-ER34 Super Silhouette Skyline. The red-on-black paint scheme will be instantly recognizable to fans of Skyline race cars of the 1980s. Revealed at the 2020 Tokyo Auto … Continue reading →

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MARKETWATCH: The reason why so many kaido racers run Olio Fiat stickers sold for $319,000

There were several significant classics and performance cars that crossed the auction block at the BH Auctions last week, but there is one more machine worth mentioning. The LM07 Toyota Group C race car wasn’t particularly successful, but it kicked … Continue reading →

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Next Nissan Z design to have heritage cues

There’s some scuttlebutt going around about how the next-generation Nissan Z will have heritage-inspired design cues. First of all, hallelujah! Zed-heads and sports car fans in general should be thrilled that there will be a next-generation Z. Secondly, the heritage … Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Tomica collaborates with carmakers for 50th anniversary

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Tomica, Japan’s favorite diecast metal cars. The childhood toy of almost every car aficionado in Japan, they are as imprinted onto the minds of enthusiasts there as Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars are … Continue reading →

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MARKETWATCH: A Nissan Fairlady Z432-R has sold for over $800,000

Over the weekend a Nissan Fairlady Z432-R sold for ¥88.55 million, or $804,600 or so at current exchange rates. That makes it the most expensive S30 Z — and one of the most expensive Japanese cars, period — ever sold … Continue reading →

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RIP Yoshikazu Sunako, 1932 — 2020

It was announced yesterday that on January 3, 2020, racing driver Yoshikazu Sunako passed away at the age of 87. The former Prince and Nissan works driver was a pioneer during the nascent years of Japan’s motorsports scene, perhaps most … Continue reading →

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Happy Kenmeri Day from JNC

It’s Kenmeri Day, the holiday where you take a road trip with your significant other to a deserted field and frolic through the grass for no reason. Enjoy!

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Happy New Year from JNC

Here’s to another decade, one that saw Japanese cars appreciated by a small cadre of knowledgeable enthusiasts to full-blown mainstream collectibles amid massive changes in the automotive world and corporate changes. To cement their classic status, nearly all the major … Continue reading →

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NEWS: Ex-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn flees Japan ahead of trial

The strange saga of former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn keeps getting weirder. The disgraced executive, accused of misusing Nissan’s funds, has unexpectedly shown up in Lebanon after allegedly skipping bail ahead of his upcoming trial. The image above, of Ghosn … Continue reading →

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Happy Holidays from JNC

Thanks for joining us on our Japanese car journeys. May your garages be filled with all the JDM and NOS car parts that your hearts desire, and may you share these times and joys with your loved ones. Happy Holidays … 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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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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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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VIDEO: How Japan’s best-selling compacts stacked up against the Ford Pinto

Here is a 1977 Ford commercial that is great on several accounts. First, it pits a Pinto against the best-selling Japanese compacts, which include an E30 Toyota Corolla, first-gen Honda Civic, and Datsun B210 (Honey Bee!). Second, it has none … 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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MINICARS: Nissan and Lego team up for an official GT-R set

In a 30-minute press conference in Yokohama this morning, Nissan announced a new licensing partnership with Lego. The first car to appear in the collaboration will be the GT-R NISMO, which will appear in the Lego Speed Champion series. In … Continue reading →

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VIDEO: Nissan gets the whole family together to celebrate 50 years of GT-R and Z

As regular JNC readers know, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Nissan GT-R and the Nissan Fairlady Z. The GT-R debuted on February 21, 1969 and the Fairlady Z debuted on October 18, 1969. Nissan has released two videos … Continue reading →

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