Tag Archives: sunny
50 YEAR CLUB: How Honda’s CVCC beat its rivals and made the Civic a household name
Fifty years ago today, at the Akasaka Prince Hotel in Tokyo, Honda revealed the CVCC engine to the world. The engine was still over a year off from mass production in a road car, but Honda was eager to get … Continue reading
Nissan Skyline tops Japanese survey about dream cars
Monday, September 19, was Respect for the Aged Day in Japan. To mark the occasion Kinto, a car sharing service, held a survey to ask drivers of three generations about their motoring habits, including what their dream cars were when … Continue reading
Happy Datsun B210 Day from JNC
Everyone’s obsessed with Zs and 510s, but the Datsun B210 is the true hero of the post-oil crisis 70s. This 1977 ad brags about its 50 mpg highway rating, but that didn’t mean the economy car skimped on features. It … Continue reading
VIDEO: Behold, a loop of Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway in 1986
While most people are downing large quantities of Netflix right now, here’s something a bit more relevant to our interests: Home videos of driving through Tokyo in the Showa Era. It’s a clockwise loop of Tokyo’s Shuto, and speaking of … Continue reading
ART CORNER: These pixel art JNCs are the bee’s knees
There’s probably a pretty big overlap in the Venn diagram of people who are really into Japanese classic cars and people who are really into old video games before the graphics got too realistic. That’s why these pixel art cars … Continue reading
Can you identify these classic Nissan-shaped senbei crackers?
Say you’re a hard-core Nissan nut, you’re feeling a bit peckish, and a plain old non-Nissan snack simply won’t do. Fortunately for you, Nissan has officially issued a new line of senbei (rice crackers), one of Japan’s most popular munching options, … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Touring car classes mix it up at the 1973 Japan Grand Prix
While open-wheeled cars were the main event at the 1973 Japan Grand Prix, the supporting Touring Car races were where the action was. Take the TS-a class, for example. Here were racers based on cars that anyone could afford. Nissan … Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: Kawaramachi-Sanjo, Kyoto, 1972
Kawaramachi-Sanjo, a shopping and nightlife district just northeast of the historic Gion section of Kyoto, was a lively spot after the sun went down. Sharp cars would cruise down Kawaramachi street, past a Fujiya Grill. On this particular 1972 evening, … Continue reading
MOTORSPORT: Watch these old Nissans dominate Fuji Speedway
If you’ve ever wondered why Nissan has such a strong following among Japanese enthusiasts, this video snapshot from 1970-71 explains it all. Nissans of all types dominate the field in two major races from those years. Though this was likely … Continue reading
Happy 310 Day from JNC
You know, even though we have been celebrating holidays like 510 Day for years, we’ve been neglecting the poor Sunny. No more. The sub-Bluebird compact deserves some love too. Happy 310 Day from JNC!
The winners and runners up of the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon
The 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon was, like SEMA, largely a big ol’ Supra-fest. However, after the trophies were handed out there were a few highlights from the awards categories that defied convention. Like the teachers said in English class, you … Continue reading
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
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
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
2019 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06 — Awesome 80s
The 80s were a pivotal time in Japan’s automotive history, and the JCCS did not disappoint with a of turbocharged, retractable-headlight, angular-bodied machines.
SHOWA SNAP: Chiyoda, Tokyo, 1972
Tokyo’s subway system is a confounding wonder, but as late as 1972 the metropolis still had streetcars that drove alongside traffic. Here in the Chiyoda district, 510 Bluebirds, Cedrics, Sunnys, Corona Mark IIs, and kujira Crowns teem among the rails. … Continue reading
SHOWA SNAP: Amago Bridge, Iwaki Prefecture, 1977
For our first Showa Snap of the Reiwa Era, let’s go back to Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture in August of 1977. The Amago bridge traces its origins back to the times of the samurai. It was part of the Hama … Continue reading
VIDEO: Nissan celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Tomei Expressway
You are probably sick of hearing about Nissan’s many anniversaries this year, but the company is celebrating one more 50-year milestone — that of the Tomei Expressway. The 215-mile highway traces Japan’s southern coast between Tokyo and Nagoya, following a … Continue reading