Tag Archives: toyota

Toyota brought out stock and rally Celica GT-Fours to the GR Yaris debut

The Toyota GR Yaris seems like it will be an insanely awesome hot hatch, even if its connection to the Celica GT-Four is dubious. We said it smelled like a retcon, but we have to admit, when Toyota put all … Continue reading

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The Toyota 86 Black Limited Concept could mark the model’s final edition

At the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota had a pretty killer display that included a trio of Hachiroku. The purpose of the display was to show off a new prototype version of the Toyobaru 86 called the Black Limited Concept. For … Continue reading

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Happy TA22 Day from JNC

Later this year, the original Toyota Celica will celebrate its 50th birthday. Perhaps we should paint one eye of a little red Japanese doll, set it on our shelf, and paint the other one when the Celica joins the 50 … Continue reading

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Stand out from the other CEOs with a TOM’s Racing Toyota Century

You’re wealthy enough to own a Toyota Century, but you don’t want it to look like every other bank CEO’s executive coach. What to do? Well, prior to the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon, the only option was to a.) be … Continue reading

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Civic Type R’s chief engineer’s love for cars began with a toy Toyota Celica

Last week Tomica announced for its 50th anniversary that it would be collaborating with several Japanese carmakers for special edition toy cars. One of them was Honda, represented by the new FK8 Civic Type R. At the press conference Hideki … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Even a shift to front-wheel-drive couldn’t slow down the Toyota Celica GT-S

Looking back now, the Toyota Celica’s switch from rear- to front-wheel-drive may seem like a let-down. Back in 1986, though, FF was seen as modern and the fourth-generation Celica’s performance was affected by the shift. In fact, it continued to … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Stay in this Tomica-themed hotel room in Japan

To coincide with 50th anniversary of Japan’s favorite toy cars, a hotel in Tokyo has created a Tomica-themed room that kids (and presumably adults, too) can stay in. The hotel is the Maihama First Resort overlooking Tokyo Bay and is … Continue reading

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MARKETWATCH: The reason why so many kaido racers run Olio Fiat stickers sold for $319,000

There were several significant classics and performance cars that crossed the auction block at the BH Auctions last week, but there is one more machine worth mentioning. The LM07 Toyota Group C race car wasn’t particularly successful, but it kicked … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Tomica collaborates with carmakers for 50th anniversary

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Tomica, Japan’s favorite diecast metal cars. The childhood toy of almost every car aficionado in Japan, they are as imprinted onto the minds of enthusiasts there as Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars are … Continue reading

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VIDEO: The year 2000 was still a great year for Japanese sports cars

In the US, we often think of the late 1990s as when the good times came to an end. The flagship Japanese sports cars had left the US market, and automakers began building cars to the preferences of local markets, … Continue reading

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Toyota says the GR Yaris is a Celica GT-Four successor

At the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota has debuted a new hot hatch that it says is the spiritual successor to the almighty Celica GT-Four. While that claim does raise an eyebrow, the GR Yaris is a potent machine that could … Continue reading

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Toyota’s Supra Heritage Parts Program will be offered in the US

Last May Toyota became the latest Japanese carmaker to announce a heritage parts program, starting off with items for the Supra. Just hours ago, Toyota announced that not only is the program kicking off this spring, but that it will … Continue reading

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Tan Toyota Corona Liftbacks are the car of choice for broke lawyers trying to do the right thing

Recently Patrick sent me a link to the trailer for Dark Waters and wrote, “The magic happens at 0:08.” That magic, it turns out, was Mark Ruffalo’s character driving a tan T130 Toyota Corona Liftback. I didn’t really think anything … Continue reading

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Toyota has ended 51 years of Mark II, Mark X production

On December 23, Toyota held a farewell ceremony for the beloved Mark II and Mark X sedan. The final example, a white Mark X 250G, rolled off the line at Toyota’s second-oldest plant, the Motomachi factory in Aichi Prefecture, as … Continue reading

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Travis Scott’s new album and videos feature a plethora of Japanese sports cars

When Ryan told me to check out Travis Scott’s new album two days after Christmas, I had to google who he was. A rapper, it turns out. I confess I haven’t actually listened to it, but the cover has caught … Continue reading

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RIP Syd Mead, 1933 — 2019

On December 30, 2019, Syd Mead passed away at the age of 86. The legendary concept artist almost single-handedly shaped our visions of tomorrow, having designed the futures seen in films such as Blade Runner, Alien, Tron, and the Star … Continue reading

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Mazda 4-rotor vs Toyota V10: Which race car sounds better?

At Toyota’s recent Gazoo Racing Festival, fans got the rare opportunity to see — and hear — two vastly different top-level prototype race cars roaring side by side. Both the Mazda 787B’s quad-rotor and the Toyota TS010’s 3.5-liter V10 hailed … Continue reading

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There’s an elephant in the room and it’s a Toyota 2000GT

Pat Goss, the Bob Ross of car repair, has been a staple of Maryland Public Television forever. Their names even kind of sound the same. In a recent episode, Goss is showing off a new parts cleaner while a Toyota … Continue reading

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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

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VIDEO: And the best Japanese car of 1995 was…

By 2020 the 25-year threshold of what constitutes a classic car will cut off at 1995. What was the best Japanese car of that year? Back then, Japan’s Best Motoring sought the answer in a series of videos pitting several … Continue reading

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