Tag Archives: toyopet
How Toyota recreated its long-lost first race car from scratch after 70 years
At long last Toyota has revealed the full story of how they recreated their first race car, the 1951 Toyopet Racer. News of the car’s existence was only made public last year, and after 71 years lost to history no … Continue reading
This 1960 Toyopet Crown Custom Sports is the only known survivor from Japan’s first coachbuilder
The Toyota Automobile Museum has shared some images of one of the rarest and most seldom seen cars from its collection, the 1960 Toyopet Crown Custom Sports. The hand-built car was the first attempt at a coach-built car from Japan. … Continue reading
Toyota’s first race car, the Toyopet Racer, was nearly lost to history
For decades in the western world, the origins of Toyota’s motorsports history lay at the foot of the 1957 Toyopet Crown, which competed in that year’s 10,563-mile running of the Mobilgas Around-Australia rally. Many of Toyota’s own materials have reinforced … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? The oldest known Japanese car officially imported to America needs a new home – UPDATE
About ten and a half years ago, we told you about the oldest known Japanese car officially imported to the US. That car was a 1958 Toyopet Crown, which was then auctioned on eBay and purchased in part by the … Continue reading
NEWS: Kiichiro Toyoda inducted into Automotive Hall of Fame
Toyota Motor Corporation founder Kiichiro Toyoda has been inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. When he was born in 1894, his father Sakichi was already on his way to becoming one of Japan’s most famous inventors, by devising an … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 425,708-mile 1962 Toyopet Crown Wagon
The S30 Toyota Crown Station Wagon is so rare, Toyota USA doesn’t even have one in their museum. They have two Toyopet Crown sedans, which are already exceedingly rare in the States. Wagons? They make 2000GTs seem as common as Camrys. … Continue reading
EVENTS: 1st Touge California, 2015
This past Saturday a group of select cars and their drivers gathered in Thousand Oaks, California for the inaugural running of JNC‘s Touge California. Named for the hallowed Japanese roads where racing heroes honed their skills and where drifting was born, the event was … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2015 All-Toyotafest, Part 02
Registration for over 400 Toyotafest spaces sold out in under 24 hours this year, a new record. Perhaps it was the fact that it was the show’s 20th anniversary, or that in Japan it was already May 3, Akio Toyoda‘s birthday, or … Continue reading
LOST CARS: 1962 Toyopet Stout world honeymoon truck
Ivan Shkirev knew that the 1962 Toyopet Stout he had purchased was unique, but not how unique. Upon receiving delivery to his home in New Mexico, Shkirev found the faded declaration “Tokyo, Japan to Chicago, Illinois” painted across the Stout’s tailgate, along with the names of … Continue reading
FAUX-STALGICS: 2000 Toyota Origin
On the heels of another Toyotafest, let us return to the series where we check out some examples of modern retro-inspired cars along with the JNCs they mimic. In this post, we turn to a quintessential classic Toyota, the Crown, … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 Nostalgic2Days, Part 02
Welcome to Part 02 of our Nostalgic2Days coverage, as we make our way across the Pacifico Convention Center on Yokohama’s historic waterfront. In this installment we’ll see the displays kyuusha tuning houses, some of the famous cars that have graced Nostalgic … Continue reading
EVENTS: Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival & Parade, Part 02
When Toyota holds a car show in the middle of Tokyo’s equivalent of Central Park, people notice. In Part 01 of our Meiji Jingu Classic Car Festival coverage we had the rare opportunity to see the best of Japan’s historic … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2013 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 06 —Gladiators and Flagships
For the final installment of our 2013 JCCS tour, we present a rarefied selection of automobiles. Some have been sent into battle for their respective marques. Others were made to be proud standard bearers.