Tag Archives: toyota
NEWS: Eiji Toyoda, the man who built Toyota, 1913-2013
Eiji Toyoda, the man who led Toyota from its formative years to a worldwide manufacturing empire, has passed away at the age of 100 years and five days. His career at Toyota spans the time from the Toyoda AA to … Continue reading
FUTURE NOSTALGIC: 2014 Toyota Sienna SE
Yes, we put a tsurikawa on a minivan. But not just any minivan. We’re talkin’ bout the baddest baby boomer bus on the block — the Toyota Sienna SE. Call us crazy, but we think this is one of the … Continue reading
VIDEO: KE10 and AE86 shill for 2014 Toyota Corolla
The latest commercial for the 2014 Toyota Corolla will either make you think Toyota is pretty rad or ruin your entire day. The spot titled “Step Up to Style” starts with cool 60s daddy-os groovin’ with a KE10. Flash forward … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? 1968 Toyota 2000GT follow-up
Recently a second Toyota 2000GT went up for auction. When the bidding was over, the gavel fell on $935,000 for the 1968 Belatrix Yellow supercar. While it fell slightly short of the $1.2 million baby from Texas earlier this year, … Continue reading
EVENTS: Nisei Week Stancenation & Showoff
Nisei Week has been a Los Angeles institution for nearly two decades. For years the car show capping off a week of Little Tokyo cultural festivities has been a showcase of nisei automotive culture, but now the torch has been … Continue reading
PRODUCT GUIDE: Koyorad TE27 Corolla Radiator
We know it can be hard to find parts for your nostalgic car, but Koyorad has always been one of the biggest supporters of the old school scene. We all know that old cars could use a bump in the … Continue reading
CRYSTAL, ANYONE? Breaking Bad Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you probably know that a little TV program called Breaking Bad is heading chaotically towards its series finale. Only six episodes of the show remain and filming has already wrapped. That’s why one of its … Continue reading
EVENTS: Vintage Auto Salon, Part 03 – Bayline Cruisers
For the third and final installment of our Vintage Auto Salon coverage, we take a look at cars that aren’t necessarily the rarest or the sportiest. Instead, this motley crew is comprised of bone stock survivors, tough trucks, and wicked … Continue reading
ART CORNER: Makoto Komori’s children’s book illustrations
Makoto Komori is a Japanese children’s book illustrator, and one of his favorite subjects happens to be 1960s nostalgic cars. He often incorporates them into his whimsical stories in which the vehicles, with eyes for headlights, find themselves on brilliantly … Continue reading
QotW: Which JNC will the valet park front and center at the opera?
You’re piloting your dream Japanese classic, its drop dead sexiness outshined only by your spouse in the passenger seat, dressed to the nines in an evening gown (or tuxedo, we don’t discriminate). Lights dance across the gleaming hood as you … Continue reading
EVENTS: Vintage Auto Salon, Part 02 – Light, Quick, Agile
Despite holding three shows in one year’s time, including one just three months ago, the variety of cars that come out of NorCal’s woodwork for Historic J events never disappoints. In Part 02 (Here’s Part 01 if you missed it) … Continue reading
KIDNEY, ANYONE? Million Dollar Baby, Part 02
Two months ago a shockwave was sent through the automotive world when a 1967 Toyota 2000GT became the first Japanese car to break the million dollar barrier. 1,155,000 buckaroos to be exact. But was it a fluke? Well, we shall … Continue reading
EVENTS: Vintage Auto Salon, Part 01 – JDM Machines
Vintage Auto Salon is the third show of its kind held by Historic J, the team that’s quickly becoming the de facto force for nostalgics in the Bay Area. Though co-founders James Vorasane and Ivan Jarmillo are both Americans, their events … Continue reading
NOSTALGIC LIFE: Towing anything, anywhere, anytime.
Oh, the machinery we would put in the JNC dream garage. You cannot even imagine. The rarest twin-cam Toyotas, ex-works Nissan racers, immaculate rotaries, obscure kei cars. It would be downright pornographic, I tell you. No matter what though, our fantasy fleet always has … Continue reading
MINICARS: 2014 Hot Wheels Toyota AE86 Corolla leaked
Just in time for 86 Day festivities, the Lamley Group has leaked that the Toyota Corolla AE86 Hot Wheels casting will be making a return to the pegs in 2014. This time around, the car will be silver with 80s-vintage … Continue reading
NEWS: Happy 86 Day from JNC
2013 is a momentous year for the compact, lively and influential car we know as the hachiroku. With Initial D perhaps getting its final curtain, along with the fact that the first AE86 rolled off the production line in Aichi … Continue reading
QotW: What’s your fondest hachiroku memory?
Tomorrow, August 6, is 86 Day and cities on both sides of the Pacific are gearing up for a celebration of the last FR Corolla. It’s perhaps a special one this year, as the Initial D story has come to … Continue reading
VIDEO: Wheeler Dealers goes to Japan
In Discovery Channel UK’s Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up, campy car trader Mike Brewer journeys across various continents to buy and sell cars for profit. In the fourth episode, he finds himself in Japan and gets a quick lesson in its … Continue reading
JNC GARAGE: Ben’s 1980 Toyota Celica Supra
On Monday Toyota UK posted a history of the Supra. This led at least one major media outlet to wonder aloud whether it had anything to do with rumors of the nameplate’s revival. Sadly, that same major media outlet led … Continue reading
NEWS: After 18 years of touge battles, this is how Initial D ends
The final chapter of the long running manga Initial D was released yesterday in Japan. After 18 years of publication the hugely influential story that introduced touge battles and the glory of RWD Japanese cars to a whole generation of … Continue reading


