Tag Archives: toyota
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
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 1 of 3 1986 IMSA GTO Toyota Celicas
For Celica fans 1986 is known as the year when the beloved sports coupe was transformed from rear- to a front-wheel-drive. Despite its softening, Toyota was still hell-bent on scoring sales with an aggressive racing program. At the time there … Continue reading
MINICARS: Hot Wheels Toyota 2000GT, now in yellow
Last year Hot Wheels graced us with the Toyota 2000GT, a car JNC readers have been clamoring for ever since the first hints of Mattel venturing into the world of nostalgics. For 2014 two re-colors of the million dollar baby … Continue reading
MINICARS: Japanese Nostalgic Legos
Apparently, building JNCs out of Legos is a thing. After stumbling upon a Toyota Celica built by -Kyusha-, we fell down the rabbit hole and discovered an entire subculture of nostalgics made of plastic blocks. Here are some of our favorites.
One last tour of Toyota’s Amlux showroom as it closes for good
Today marks the end of a Tokyo institution. Toyota‘s Amlux showroom is closing after 23 years of operation. Most residents of Japan’s constantly morphing metropolis probably didn’t even notice, but for die-hard Toyotaku it’s the end of an era.
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Unmolested AE86 Coupe
Your chances of coming across an unmolested AE86 lie somewhere between winning the $600 million Powerball jackpot and spotting Sasquatch riding a unicorn. Being the O.G. drift machine and star of Initial D has its downsides. Namely, legions of aspiring Formula D … Continue reading
EVENTS: Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show
Step into Mooneyes‘ Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show and you might think you’ve stepped through a wormhole to 1960s America. Every style you can imagine, from high-boys to lowriders, is represented, including ones actual Americans no longer care about. Raked … Continue reading
PROFILES: Touring Osaka in a Seibu Keisatsu Skyline
Driving through Japan in a red-on-black DR30 Skyline festooned with emergency lights is akin to prowling rural Georgia in an orange ’69 Dodge Charger. Or Miami in a white Testarossa. Or Los Angeles in a black ’82 Firebird with a … Continue reading
EVENTS: Naniwa Swap Meet
Among the items on our Japan bucket list was checking out a real swap meet. Turns out, automotive-themed ones are not terribly common there, but we were fortunate enough to have Osaka’s Naniwa Swap Meet coincide with our stay.
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Solar Red 1967 Toyota 2000GT sold for $968,000
This is now the fourth Toyota 2000GT to sell for around one million dollars. Sotheby’s and RM Auctions recently collaborated together to throw a live auction extravaganza in Manhattan called “The Art of the Automobile”, bringing together 34 historic cars which … Continue reading
EVENTS: Tokyo Motor Show, Day 02
On Day One of the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show we saw one of the most significant concepts to come out of Japan since the FT-86. With that excitement out of the way, we spent Day Two seeing what Nissan’s major … Continue reading
ART CORNER: So apparently Louis CK was conceived in a Toyota Corona
If you are not yet familiar with comedian Louis CK, do yourself a favor and look up his stuff on YouTube. Artist Jaeil Cho recently drew a comic version of one of CK’s bits about kids asking “why?” ad infinitum. … Continue reading
Please donate to Typhoon Haiyan relief
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Philippines. Earlier this month, Typhoon Haiyan ravaged through the Leyte and Samar islands, causing catastrophic damage and the loss of 3,700 lives. Ninety percent of Tacloban City was destroyed by gusts reaching … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2013 SEMA Show
The SEMA show is a purist’s worst nightmare. Stock is a dirty word to these people. You won’t find a single unmolested car in the whole Death Star-sized convention hall, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Those brave enough … Continue reading
MINICARS: Hot Wheels X JNC 1970 Toyota Celica
We at JNC are proud to share the latest Hot Wheels release to bear our inkan logo. A couple weeks ago the third official color of the popular Hot Wheels 1970 Toyota Celica arrived at the JNC office, but as usual we took … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 1968 Toyota 2000GT for just under $1 million
The 2000GT marketwatch continues with car number 101, which is currently being offered for $995,000 in La Jolla, California. Although this example was originally a US-market model, it has the uniqueness of having lived in Japan for many years. Having … Continue reading
PROFILES: Mooneyes’ 1JZ 1970 Toyota Crown Hardtop
With 14 consecutive generations and counting, the Toyota Crown is the standard of Japanese sedans. In its 58 years of continuous production, it’s inhabited many guises — saloon, wagon, pickup, ambulance, and even police pursuit vehicle — but the most … Continue reading
PRODUCT GUIDE: Hella Vision Plus 7″ Halogen H4 Conversion Headlamp
One of the sacrifices we have to make to drive the cars we love is safety. And while old cars offer great visibility thanks to large greenhouses, that advantage is nullified at night when 30-year-old wiring and outdated bulb technology … Continue reading


