Tag Archives: s30

MINICARS: Mysterious “?” Datsun 240Z appears on Hot Wheels official site

A mysterious “?” appeared on the official Hot Wheels Collectors site today with no explanation but a countdown timer to March 31, 2015. Below it are the words “HWC Special Edition Datsun 240Z” and “Spring Race Week.” No images or further details … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Bosozoku Cats and Kyuusha by San Mamiya

San Mamiya is a brilliant artist from Japan that operates mainly on Instagram. With an apparent fondness for old cars, bosozoku cats and the superdeformed style that populates manga, his illustrations exhibit a unique Nihon style that can probably be loosely described as Japanese Ed Roth. 

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EVENTS: 2015 Nostalgic2Days, Part 02

One of the featured marques at this year’s Nostalgic2Days was Isuzu. It’s a brand that usually doesn’t get much love, here or in Japan, so it was a rare opportunity to see some machines from the company’s own collection. 

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EVENTS: 2015 Nostalgic2Days, Part 01

Nostalgic 2 Days, the annual two-day event held by Nostalgic Hero, is as much a car show as it is a trade show. It’s as if the magazine springs to life, particularly the pages in which Japan’s classic car businesses — shops, dealers and … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2015 New Year Meeting, Part 08 — Parking Area Finds

Closing out our coverage of the 2015 New Year Meeting, we make a quick run through the show’s parking area. Thanks to the Japanese protocol of backing into their parking spaces, we were able to get full views of spectators’ rides to the show unobstructed … 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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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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MINICARS: 2015 Hot Wheels Heritage line loaded with nostalgic Nissans

When we called 2014 the Year of the JNC, one of our arguments was that Hot Wheels was using every Japanese nostalgic casting in their lineup for that year. This was the personal goal of the godfather of JNC Hot Wheels, Jun Imai, but … 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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KIDNEY, ANYONE? Hot Wheels Datsun Z prototype for $4,295

This is could be the earliest Hot Wheels Japanese car ever made. The Hot Wheels Datsun “Z-Whiz” 240Z of 1977 is certainly the first Japanese casting, but this is a pre-production prototype of that casting, making it one of the earliest Z-Whizes known to … 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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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: Pacifico

Pacifico is the first show in southern California by Historic J, who have put on events like the Bayline Gathering, Vintage Auto Salon, and Shokuji J-Tin in the San Francisco area. If the show’s name sounds familiar, you might be thinking of … Continue reading

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VIDEO: A Tale of Two Datsuns

It was the best of Zs, it was the worst of Zs. Well, not the worst Z in actuality, but perhaps the worst paint job. But the owner wouldn’t have it any other way. According to this video, there are … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Papercraft nostalgics by Metmania Fan

Got some time to kill? Perhaps the art of papercraft as applied to some JNCs will do the trick. These are the creation of a Japanese artist who goes by the name Metmania Fan, and cover a whole range of … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Skylines, Truenos and Robots by Matt Spangler

We love it when JNCs pop up in unexpected places, especially when they’re obscure models never sold in the US. Last year, a hakosuka Skyline showed up in Adventure Time. More recently, we received an email from a friend that … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show
Part 07 — Taking Stock

As we near the end of our 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show coverage, we delve into the crux of what it means to have a classic car show.  Here are some of the rarest and best preserved Japanese nostalgic cars you’ll see … Continue reading

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Japanese car displays from the Post War Miracle Years

Auto displays are like a magical time travel device. Not only do you get to see cars of the era, but also its prevailing fashion, colors and architecture. Like the old Tokyo street scenes we showed you a few months ago, here … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 04 — Modified Machines

This year the Japanese Classic Car Show began screening entrants. A JNC editorial on the development generated heated debate, with many assuming that the Queen Mary lawn would be filled with identical, bone stock examples that all looked the same. Turns out, … Continue reading

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EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — JDM

As long-time readers know, the Japanese domestic market was stocked with stunning machinery that never made it to our shores. The Japanese Classic Car Show is likely the only place in the western hemisphere where you can see so many of … Continue reading

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