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Tag Archives: soarer
The legendary Toyota plant that built the AE86, Mark II, and Century is now closed
On December 7 Toyota held a closing ceremony for its Higashi Fuji plant. Today, all production lines will be shut down and the factory closed for good. The 53-year-old facility has produced some of Toyota’s most iconic models, including the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged ae86, century, chaser, corolla levin, cressida, cresta, Crown Comfort, Isis, JPN Taxi, lexus sc, mark II, origin, Porte, soarer, sports 800, toyota, x30, x60
6 Comments
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
2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 02 — JDM, yo
This year marked the 15th anniversary for America’s premier gathering of Nihon steel. To put that in perspective, at the first JCCS in 2005, the newest Japanese cars allowed for import under America’s 25-year import ban were built in 1980. … Continue reading
EVENTS: Radwood NorCal 2019
Just a week after my colleagues were at SpoCom in SoCal, Radwood returned to its ancestral home in NorCal. The traveling show of 80s and 90s nostalgia started in the Bay Area in 2017, and has been expanding rapidly. There … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 240sx, 300zx, 4runner, acura, ae86, aw11, cappuccino, celica, corolla, crx, CRX EF, fc3s, fd3s, fj60, honda, impulse, isuzu, kei, land cruiser, lexus, lexus sc, mazda, mr2, N60, nissan, nsx, piazza, rx-7, s13, s14, sa22, silvia, soarer, st185, suzuki, sw20, T180, toyota, z31
9 Comments
VIDEO: Dirt track oval racing in Japan
Dirt track racing is stupid fun, doing with real cars essentially what every kid does with Hot Wheels. That, apparently, is true no matter what country you’re from. Back in the day, with plenty of big, rear-wheel-drive cars available for … Continue reading
Posted in motorsport
Tagged Cima, gloria, mark II, nissan, Option Video, r31, skyline, soarer, supra, toyota, x70
4 Comments
VIDEO: Who did it better, Toyota USA or Toyota UK?
Recently, Toyota subsidiaries on both sides of the pond put out a call to enthusiasts and owners, assembled them at a race track, and filmed the experience. In the US, it was to promote the new Supra at Auto Club … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2019 Osaka Auto Messe
Everyone knows the Tokyo Auto Salon, the massive annual car show where the big brands and tuning houses of Japan’s automotive aftermarket goes all-out to show its wares. But, there’s an equally big show that’s not quite as well known, … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged A90, Beet, bosozoku, c10, c130, c210, carry, century, Century GRMN, civic, Civic EA, crown, crx, ferrari, gt-r, Hakosuka, honda, jimny, jun auto mechanic, kei, Lapin, laurel, lexus, Lexus LC, liberty walk, mark x, motorcycles, NISMO 400R, NISMO Z-Tune, nissan, Osaka Auto Messe, porsche, r32, r33, r34, r35, Rays Wheels, s130, S200, skyline, soarer, supra, suzuki, toyota, vellfire, vip, volkswagen, work wheels, z10
11 Comments
VIDEO: A bosozoku night cruise
Do you like bolted on bubble flares, takeyari shaped like lightning bolts, and blinding dome lights that look like they’re off a 1960s police car except they’re purple? If not, well, maybe avert your eyes so you don’t see the parade of Celicas, Soarers … Continue reading
25 YEAR CLUB: Lexus SC
It was somewhere just west of Omaha that I said to myself, “This car was made for this shit.” I was in the midst of a cross-country drive with nothing but a Lexus SC, a toothbrush, and fewer changes of underwear than days on … Continue reading
Posted in 25 Year Club
Tagged 25 Year Club, calty, Erwin Lui, lexus, lexus sc, soarer, toyota
34 Comments
VIDEO: Ichikawa Parking Area in the Bubble Era
At the height of the Bubble Era, meets stretched deep into the pre-dawn hours. Even at 4 am, parking areas like Ichikawa PA were filled with Savannas, Soarers, and Skylines. Tuning legend Isami Amemiya even shows up with an FC3S and his … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Bubble Era, eunos, fairlady z, fc3s, Ichikawa PA, mazda, miata, nissan, r32, skyline, soarer, toyota, z20, z31, z32
10 Comments
VIDEO: Do any of these Toyotas remind you of the new Camry?
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
VIDEO: The traffic to Tokyo Disneyland in 1985 was JNC heaven
Were you lucky enough to have a four-day Independence Day weekend? In Japan, one of the biggest tourism holidays is Golden Week, which takes place in the spring. So here, for your viewing pleasure, is a home video of what seems … Continue reading
Happy National Doughnut Day from JNC
In Japan, the police don’t like doughnuts. Especially not the kind made by a Toyota Soarer on the pedestrian-dense and high-traffic streets of Shibuya, one of the busiest districts of Tokyo. Don’t try this at home and happy National Doughnut Day, … Continue reading
EVENTS: All-Toyotafest 2017, Part 06 — Straight Sixes
With the passing of time, we are seeing more and more cars pass into 25-year classic status from what is perhaps the most epic era of Toyota history — that of the inline six-cylinder engine. From early Land Cruisers and Crowns … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon, Part 02 — Restomods
Since its inception in 1983, the Tokyo Auto Salon has been Japan’s showcase premier exhibition of automotive trends. Back then, it went by the very literal name of Tokyo Exciting Car Show, but the idea was the same — showcasing what Japanese tuners … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged ae86, c10, c110, c210, corolla, corolla levin, Crown Majesta, dr30, ebbro, fairlady z, fc3s, g-works, GS F, Hakosuka, kenmeri, kp61, lexus, mark II, mazda, mitsubishi, Obayashi Factory, r30, r31, R31 House, r32, r33, r34, r35, radio control, RC F, re amemiya, Rocket Bunny, rx-7, S180, s30 z, skyline, soarer, sprinter trueno, ssr, starion, starlet, Super GT, tokyo auto salon, tom's, Top Secret, toyota, wagons, work wheels, x70, z10
5 Comments
EVENTS: Nostalgic2Days 2016, Part 04 — Odds and Ends
One of the excellent things about a show like Nos2Days is that there are plenty of things for sale. You never know what you’ll come across, which can make browsing the aisles rather dangerous to your wallet. From new-old-stock center … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged a60, alto, Alto Works, aristo, bbs, bridgestone, c10, c130, c230, celica xx, Dampachi, dr30, eunos roadster, Ford F-350, GX70G, Hakosuka, Kusaka Engineering, laurel, lexus, mark II, mazda, Melber, miata, NA Miata, nissan, Nos2Days 2016, Nostalgic 2 Days, r30, rb26, Renoma, s20, SkyActiv, skyline, soarer, supra, suzuki, toyota, utilitas, x70, yokohama
4 Comments
EVENTS: Nostalgic2Days 2016, Part 03 — The Fast & the Fastidious
In this installment, we take a look at two very different types of cars: original barn finds and restorations whose every last nut is factory correct, and those that were treated like instruments of war. In other words, all the stuff that’s prized by predictably … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 610, a20, all-trac, bluebird, bosozoku, capella, Cedric Royal, celica, cherry, csp311, daihatsu, datsun, e10, Fellow Buggy, gt-four, kawasaki, kei, luce, mazda, Motorcycle, nissan, Nos2Days 2016, Nostalgic 2 Days, r130, ra28, rotary engine, rx-2, silvia, soarer, st185, Tein, toyota, wrc, y31, yojiro terada, z10, Z400FX
9 Comments
EVENTS: Nostalgic2Days 2016, Part 01
At this year’s Nostalgic 2 Days show, we were on assignment to meet a very specific person, a towering figure from the golden age of Japan’s automotive history. Before our appointment — which will be covered in the next installment — … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 117, 2000gt, 510, 6M, bellett, bluebird, c10, c130, capella, cosmo sport, dekotora, Endless brakes, fairlady z, familia rotary coupe, Garage Iwasa, gt-r, Hakosuka, honda, isuzu, Isuzu Eagle Sports, kpgc10, Laruel, Lotus Elan, mazda, nissan, nos2days, Nostalgic 2 Days, prince, r100, r30, rocky auto, rx-2, s30 z, s54, s600, skyline, soarer, sports 800, toyota, UnLimited Kustoms, z10
14 Comments
EVENTS: 2016 New Year Meeting, Part 02 — The Parking Area
In Part 02 of our New Year Meeting coverage, we delve into the parking area to unearth gems as good as anything inside the show. Some of them aren’t able to make it simply because of the age cutoff, others perhaps … Continue reading
Posted in events
Tagged 280zx, 510, a20, b110, bluebird, cb400, celica, cressida, cresta, crown, daruma, datsun, dekotora, elf, fairlady z, gemini, Hawk, honda, isuzu, mazda, mirage, mitsubishi, new year meeting, nissan, rally, Rocket Bunny, rx-3, s110, s130, s30 z, Sera, Shakotan Boogie, soarer, sunny, suzuki, today, toyota, Wagon R, x70, z10, z20
15 Comments
