Tag Archives: toyota

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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NEWS: Final chapter of Initial D to be published Monday

Eighteen years after a tofu delivery Toyota AE86 drifted onto the scene, author Shuichi Shigeno has announced that the hugely popular Initial D manga will come to an end on July 29, 2013. Since 1995, the tale of a teenager with a … Continue reading

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EVENTS: Mooneyes Open House, Mitsubishi Owners’ Day, SpoCom 2013 — Attend All the Shows!

Life is soooo hard in SoCal. Gorgeous women dress too scantily, it’s hard to decide between beautiful roads in the mountains and beautiful roads by the coast, and it barely ever rains. And then we have the horrible inconvenience of … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Kyosho X DMC Limited Edition “Panda” Toyota 86

A while back our friends at DaBox Model Cars decided to make a limited edition car based on Japan’s car of the moment, the Toyota 86. They were looking for a tribute to the original AE86 on which it was … Continue reading

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The return of Intelligent Sport” and a introducing a new member of the JNC family

By the time Nobuaki Katayama began work on the original Lexus IS, he was already a rock star within Toyota. He’d chief engineered all-time greats like the Lexus SC and JZA80 Supra and, in his younger days, worked on the … Continue reading

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KIDNEY, ANYONE? 20,000-mile 1981 Toyota Century

If a Crown is just too common and a 2000GT too small for your old school flossin’ needs, here’s your chance to destroy all comers with a 1981 Toyota Century. The ultimate Japanese VIP sled is now for sale on … Continue reading

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MINICARS: The 1/18 cars of your dreams are now for sale

A few months ago this slammed Toyota 2000GT spread like a gasoline fire across Teh Interwebz. Many thought it was real. Of course, 2000GTs are so rare that anyone who’d really shakotan one would simultaneously be considered a god among men and … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Brian Karasawa’s 1977 Toyota Celica Fastback by Electric Federal

In a new video called “Japan’s Forgotten Fastback,” Electric Federal gets up close and personal with our friend Brian Karasawa‘s and his gorgeous 1977 Toyota Celica Liftback. Of course, JNCers and anyone who’s been to Toyotafest or JCCS knows that the RA29, and … Continue reading

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GRAND TOURING: The Ise Peninsula, Part 02

In Part 01 of our journey to the Ise Peninsula, we crossed Ise Bay by ferry. While our navi plotted the quickest route to our next destination via a number of linking bypasses and expressways, we chose a twisting road designated … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Happy Independence Day from JNC!

Happy July 4th from JNC! Each year, the Aichi Prefecture-based supermarket chain APiTA teams up with Japanese toy car manufacturer Tomica for a series of limited edition cars. Similar to when Hot Wheels teams up with say, Kroger, these cars … Continue reading

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NEWS: The Toyota Camry — 30 years old, 10 million cars sold

The Camry. Much derided punching bag for self-respecting car enthusiasts. Scapegoat for all the world’s automotive ills, its clueless drivers, and the decline of automotive culture as we know it. Where would we be without it? 

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GRAND TOURING: The Ise Peninsula, Part 01

Our destination for this tour was Mie Prefecture, some 250 miles southwest of Tokyo on the far side of Ise-wan (the same wan in Wangan, meaning “bay”). Known for its ancient craft ceramics and as the birthplace of the ninja, … Continue reading

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