Tag Archives: nissan

MINICARS: Happy Valentine’s Day from JNC

It’s become a tradition for Tomica to release a series of chocolate cars every year, just in time for Valentine’s Day. In years past we’ve seen chocolate classics like the Toyota 2000GT, S30 Nissan Fairlady Z, hakosuka GT-R, TE72 Corolla Levin, and … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 04 — Shakotan Sleds

The previous installment of our New Year Meeting coverage focused on originality. In Part 04, we travel to the opposite end of the spectrum. But among all of Japan’s customization styles, shakotan is perhaps the most appealing to JNCers. Translated as simply “low,” shakotan cars are … Continue reading →

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VIDEO: A look back at the Chicago Auto Show

The Chicago Auto Show kicks off today. The nation’s oldest car show, it has faded from prominence in recent years, but here’s a look back at what Japan was up to during its 80s heyday. Helpfully, the Chicago Auto Show has uploaded … Continue reading →

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Nissan Fairlady Z432 up for auction

A 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432 is going up for bidding at the RM Amelia Island auctions next month. JNCers know the drill: its namesake 4 valves per cylinder, 3 carbs, and 2 cams stems from the S20 straight six sourced from the Skyline GT-R of … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 03 — Bone Stock Beauties

Japan has been the source of some truly extreme car cultures. Sadly, a “custom car” was the type of vehicle deemed most unseemly by Japanese women in a recent survey. No matter. Despite a western eye that cherry picks the only the most severe … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 02: Sports Coupes and Sports Sedans

In Part 01 of our New Year Meeting coverage, we looked at the early days of Japan’s infatuation with sizzling Sixties sports cars. In Part 02, we look at the Disco Decade’s explosion of new sports coupes and sports sedans. 

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EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 01 – Sixties Sports

The Japanese Classic Car Association is one of the nation’s largest organizations for old car enthusiasts. Each year, the New Year Meeting show draws thousands. This year’s event took place on Sunday, January 26 from 9-4 in the Aomi Parking Area … Continue reading →

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MINICARS: 2015 Hot Wheels X JNC Datsun 510 Wagon

We can probably all agree that there’s nothing cooler than an old Japanese wagon. With that in mind, we’re proud to announce the next Hot Wheels car to bear the JNC inkan is, once again, the 1:64 scale representation of designer Jun Imai’s Datsun … Continue reading →

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JNC RADIO: Sing along to the The Auto Show Song

Originally released in 1964, “The Auto Show Song” was composed by famed Japanese songwriter Tetsuro Hoshino and performed by action movie star/singer Akira Kobayashi (there are a lot of crossover entertainers in Japan). It was an old standard of the Showa Era, and sounded … Continue reading →

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KIDNEYS, ANYONE? Arizona auction roundup

After the record prices for JNCs seen in Monterey last year, all eyes were on the gavel-pounding circus that is Arizona in early January. With no less than six auction houses competing for attention and incessant television coverage, it’s like Superbowl of car … Continue reading →

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? How to sell a Datsun 240Z

This 1973 Datsun 240Z has dings, hasn’t been driven in 15 years, and the dash has more cracks than a plumber’s convention. It’s not even a desirable 1970-72 model. Why, then, with just a little over one day on eBay, it’s been bid … Continue reading →

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MINICARS: Igniton Models 1:18 kenmeri Nissan Skyline GT-R

What you are looking at here is not a kenmeri Skyline. It’s an insanely detailed scale model of a kenmeri Skyline made by a new outfit out of Shizuoka called Ignition Models. They make a variety of 1:43, 1:18 and 1:12 … Continue reading →

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DESIGN: An interview with Nissan designer Ken Lee

It’s not often that you find yourself hurtling down narrow two-lane roads with the guy that designed the very car you’re sitting in. We recently had the rare opportunity to take a ride with Ken Lee, a senior creative manager at Nissan … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: 2014 Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, Part 02

The annual Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival offers something few other shows can claim: the chance to see its cars driving through public streets. It’s not simply witnessing them in motion, though It’s the fact that those public streets are in Tokyo, in some of the … Continue reading →

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JNC‘s top stories of 2014

As we mentioned, 2014 was the Year of the JNC. As it draws to a close, let’s look back at the things that most interested JNCers over the last 365 days.

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VIDEO: Nissan explores pickup history in “Truckumentary”

The next-generation Nissan Titan will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Leading up to it, Nissan has produced a multi-part “Truckumentary” leading up to its reveal. Part one delves into Nissan’s storied truck history. 

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EVENTS: 2014 Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival, Part 01

Unlike last year‘s clear blue skies and balmy weather, this year’s Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival was held on a cool, wet Saturday. The annual event, put on by the Toyota Automobile museum, welcomes all marques and takes place in a … Continue reading →

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MINICARS: 2015 Hot Wheels lineup announced

Mattel has announced the entire 2015 Hot Wheels lineup. Each year, there are a number of brand new castings and this year the one that jumps out to JNCers is surely the 1990 Acura NSX. Yes, by next year, Soichiro’s supercar will officially be a Japanese … Continue reading →

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EVENTS: SevenStock 17

SevenStock is the annual gathering of the Southern California Rotary Club. The combination car show and track day is one of the largest American assemblages Mazdas both old and new, held at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California with official support … Continue reading →

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? 4-door Hakosuka GT-R up for auction

A 1970 Nissan Skyline GT-R sedan will cross the block at RM Auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona in January. After the floodgates opened in Monterey earlier this year, there has been a frenzy of invisible trans-Pacific activity. Moneyed gaijin are trading their dollars for Nihon steel … Continue reading →

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