Tag Archives: wrc

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

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged A90, ae86, celica, corolla, corolla levin, Dakar Rally, GR Yaris, J200, land cruiser, rally, st165, SuperGT, supra, tokyo auto salon, toyota, TS050, wrc, yaris | 8 Comments

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

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Ben Hsu

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 →

Posted in tokyo auto salon | Tagged celica, Celica GT-Four, GR Yaris, homolgation, rally, st165, st185, st205, tokyo auto salon, toyota, wrc, yaris | 10 Comments

NEWS: Subaru rally car restoration program announced

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Ben Hsu

In recent years a number of Japanese companies have started up factory restoration programs for their iconic cars. Nissan, Mazda, Honda, and Toyota all have programs in place or in the works. Now, your dreams of creating the ultimate Gran … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Colin McRae, impreza, legacy, Petter Solberg, Prodrive, rally, Richard Burns, subaru, wrc, wrx, WRX STI | Leave a comment

Watching Subaru EJ20 motors being built is supremely satisfying

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Ben Hsu

After three decades of production, the Subaru EJ20 engine is coming to an end. To mark the occasion, Subaru has released a video of how they assemble the boxer four that has powered everything from speed record Legacys to S-series … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged EJ20, impreza, legacy, subaru, wrc, wrx, WRX STI | 6 Comments

Tokyo Motor Show: The Subaru WRX STI EJ20 Final Edition will have a balanced boxer under the hood

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Ben Hsu

We mentioned last week that Subaru would release an EJ20 Final Edition of its WRX STI sports sedan in order to properly send off its venerable engine. The 2.0-liter boxer motor has served the company for 30 years, helped it … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Motor Show | Tagged impreza, legacy, subaru, wrc, WRX STI | 6 Comments

After 30 years, Subaru bids farewell to the EJ20 engine

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Since the dawn of the modern Subaru era, the venerable EJ20 engine has been a hallmark of the marque. In its various guises the boxer four has powered everything from rally machines to family station wagons. Now, after 30 years … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged impreza, legacy, subaru, wrc, wrx, WRX STI | 6 Comments

Happy 323 Day from JNC

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Ben Hsu

The first Japanese car to win a Group A WRC race wasn’t a Subaru. It wasn’t a Mitsubishi, either, or a Toyota. It was a Mazda. On Valentine’s Day 1987, the humble Mazda 323 4WD (known as the Mazda 323 … Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays | Tagged 323, familia, mazda, wrc | 5 Comments

Tokyo Auto Salon: A rallying cry for WRC’s return to Japan

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Ben Hsu

At the Tokyo Auto Salon this year the carmakers of Japan joined forces for a display of their iconic rally cars. Toyota, Nissan, Subaru and Mitsubishi each brought turbocharged monsters to the halls of Makuhari Messe. For rally fans, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged 240rs, celica, crown, impreza, lancer evolution, Lancer Evolution VI, mitsubishi, mobilgas trial, nissan, s110, s30, silvia, st185, sti, subaru, tokyo auto salon, toyopet, toyota, wrc, wrx | 1 Comment

NEWS: Subaru’s blue and gold livery is back, baby

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Ben Hsu

Subaru announced this morning that it will revive its celebrated blue and yellow livery, which famously graced Impreza WRX STI during the company’s era of dominance in the World Rally Championships. Eagle-eyed Subarists will notice that the graphics aren’t exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged impreza, subaru, wrc, WRX STI | 2 Comments

NEWS: Akio Toyoda checks out a classic Crown in Finland

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Akio Toyoda was recently overseeing his business empire in Finland, when he came upon a vintage Toyota Crown. According to Toyota, the CEO was astounded to come upon the S40 sedan in a rural Finnish village, still looking as if … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged akio toyoda, crown, Gazoo Racing, s40, toyota, wrc | 12 Comments

MINICARS: A beginner’s guide to JNC Legos, Part 01

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Ricky Silverio

The popularity of Legos had exploded in recent years, leading to many fans going beyond off-the-shelf kits and building their own custom creations. We’ve posted about Legos before, starting from back in 2013, and while the Lego renaissance was already underway … Continue reading →

Posted in minicars | Tagged 2000gt, 240z, 280z, 787b, a20, a60, acura, ae86, Autozam AZ-1, aw11, back to the future, c10, camry, Cara, celica, cherry, civic, Civic EF, corolla, crx, daruma, e70, Eagle Talon, eclipse, f10, fairlady z, fj cruiser, fj40, fj60, formula 1, gt-r, GT-R LM NISMO, GT-R NISMO, GTP-ZX, Hakosuka, hilux, honda, impreza, Initial D, isuzu, land cruiser, le mans, lego, mazda, miata, Miata NA, mitsubishi, mr2, mx-5, nissan, nsx, pajero, prelude, r35, R89C, R92CP, RA300, rx-3, s2000, s30 z, skyline, sprinter trueno, subaru, supra, suzuki, sw20, toyota, toyota 86, Toyota Van, wangan midnight, wrc, WRX STI | 10 Comments

MOTORSPORT: Mitsubishi rally cars showcased at Megaweb

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Though owned by Toyota, the Megaweb showcase in Odaiba, Tokyo and the adjacent History Garage offer much more than Aichi steel. Since last year, there has been a rotating exhibit of famous rally cars, often on loan from other automakers. Currently, it is Mitsubishi’s … Continue reading →

Posted in motorsport | Tagged lancer, Lancer Evolution III, Megaweb, mitsubishi, rally, safari rally, wrc | 8 Comments

Tokyo Auto Salon: Subaru Rally Legends

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Subaru’s headline at the Auto Salon was the Viziv STI Concept, a potential preview of its next Impreza WRX STI. To support it, they also brought out a pair of rally legends that spawned a generation of fans who bleed blue and … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged impreza, legacy, subaru, tokyo auto salon, wrc | 5 Comments

Tokyo Auto Salon: Maybe it’s time to stop calling Toyota boring

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Ben Hsu

Modern Toyota often gets a bad rap for not indulging enough in its fun side. At the Tokyo Auto Salon, Japan’s carnival of car customization and tuning, the Big T reminded us that few other Japanese automakers willing to commit this level of far-out … Continue reading →

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged crown, lexus, Lexus LC, nurburgring, S220, tokyo auto salon, toyota, toyota 86, vitz, wrc, yaris | 5 Comments

25 YEAR CLUB: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Posted on December 30, 2017 by Ryan Senensky

Our last inductee to the 25 Year Club for 2017 is arguably the crowning achievement of Mitsubishi Motor Company’s illustrious 100-year history, the Lancer Evolution. Birthed as a pure homologation model for rally racing, it transformed an otherwise innocuous economy … Continue reading →

Posted in 25 Year Club | Tagged Kenjiro Shinozuka, lancer evolution, Lancer Evolution I, Lancer Evolution II, Lancer Evolution III, mitsubishi, rally, Tommi Mäkinen, wrc | 18 Comments

25 YEAR CLUB: GC Subaru Impreza

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Ryan Senensky

In 1991 Subaru had a pretty decent reputation, sort of like a Japanese Volvo. Agricultural, reliable and honest, Subaru wasn’t known for filling their cars to the brim with tech or WRC domination. It wasn’t that they didn’t try; at one … Continue reading →

Posted in 25 Year Club | Tagged 22B, impreza, Impreza GC, subaru, wrc | 16 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? The most complete and original Group B RX-7 on Earth

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Dave Yuan

There have been numerous legendary Japanese rally cars (and trucks) throughout history — Toyota Celica GT-FOUR, Mitsubishi Pajero and Lancer Evolution, Subaru Impreza WRX, to name a few. However, the iconic Group B tends to not be associated with JNCs, … Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | Tagged group b, kidney anyone, mazda, MRTE, rotary engine, rx-7, wrc | 10 Comments

KIDNEY, ANYONE? The Subaru Impreza WRC test car that you can’t have

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Dave Yuan

Above is a press photo from 1997 of the then-newly debuted Subaru Impreza WRC, built to the new World Rally Car specification that replaced Group A rules. Though similar in livery as Subaru’s older works Impreza and Legacy, this model would go on … Continue reading →

Posted in for sale | Tagged impreza, rally, subaru, wrc, wrx | 8 Comments

EVENTS: 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon, Part 01 — Legends of Rally

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Ben Hsu

The Tokyo Auto Salon this year was its usual bacchanal of outrageous VIP luxury sleds, retina burning drift machines, and European exotics dripping money and diamonds out of their exhaust pipes. But in the midst of the madness, some companies actually brought … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 240z, a60, brz, celica, datsun, nissan, S30Z, safari rally, sanitora, st165, st185, subaru, sunny truck, TA64, tokyo auto salon, toyota, wrc, WRX STI | 10 Comments

EVENTS: Nostalgic2Days 2016, Part 03 — The Fast & the Fastidious

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Ricky Silverio

In this installment, we take a look at two very different types of cars: original barn finds and restorations whose every last nut is factory correct, and those that were treated like instruments of war. In other words, all the stuff that’s prized by predictably … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged 610, a20, all-trac, bluebird, bosozoku, capella, Cedric Royal, celica, cherry, csp311, daihatsu, datsun, e10, Fellow Buggy, gt-four, kawasaki, kei, luce, mazda, Motorcycle, nissan, Nos2Days 2016, Nostalgic 2 Days, r130, ra28, rotary engine, rx-2, silvia, soarer, st185, Tein, toyota, wrc, y31, yojiro terada, z10, Z400FX | 9 Comments