Lexus has announced it is ending the GS nameplate. The Grand Sedan is no more. Sales for the luxury sedan have been slow as people move towards crossovers instead. It also spells doom for the wonderful 467-horsepower, naturally aspirated, V8-powered GS F sports sedan. Pour some 5W-30 out for the fallen. Continue reading
Not only is the Suzuki Jimny is one of the hottest new cars you can buy in Japan right now, but it’s one that’s ripe for modification. From functional off-road equipment to appearance packages, there’s tons of options available in the aftermarket. As it happens, Suzuki offers some of their own accessories, including two packages that make your brand new Jimny look like its predecessor from the 80s and 90s. Continue reading
Carmakers have been coming up with creative ways to keep us occupied during the time of corona. The latest is Mazda’s recent release of papercraft cars marking its 100th anniversary. Specifically, they are the white and red Mazda R360 Coupé and ND Roadster used to commemorate a whole slate of 100th Anniversary Edition cars, but Mazda also has several more paper classics on hand. Continue reading
Here at JNC, we have an Earth Day tradition where we dig deep into the memory banks to highlight an environmentally themed, often bizarre concept. This time around, we’d like to draw your attention to the alien-looking 1991 Honda EP-X. Continue reading
Daihatsu has uploaded more videos continuing the virtual tour of curiously named Humobility World, the company’s museum in Osaka. In part one, we saw the earliest Daihatsu products, a 5,842-pound diesel engine that’s likely the heaviest thing in Humobility World, and the Daihatsu-go three-wheeled truck. In these newly uploaded clips, we get to see some actual cars. Continue reading
While we’re all continuing to shelter from home, it’s a great time to catch up on movies. Going back to watch some of the classics, it can be amazing to see some of the JNCs populating the backgrounds. Take the above scene in the original Back to the Future, for example. The idyllic town of Hill Valley circa 1985 is absolutely packed with mint condition JNCs — B210, Civic, Tercel, Celica, B110, 240Z, Toyota Van, and so on — and that’s not even counting the Toyota pickup that is featured front and center as Marty’s dream car. Forget 1955, we’d love a time machine to take us there.
What’s a great movie or TV show for background JNC spotting?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Daily, Garage, Sell — Flagship Sedans Edition.” Continue reading
A couple of months ago we reported that Forza Horizon 4 is finally getting Toyota back in the game. With the exception of the A80 Supra, these cars are available only by completing weekly challenges. So far the roster has included the AE86, 2000GT, and now the A70 Toyota Supra. Continue reading
The time of coronavirus can be scary and boring, but being forced to quarantine can spawn creativity as well. Case in point. Nissan employees have been working from home for weeks now, and the quarantining designers have used some of that time to create a downloadable coloring book for the rest of us. Continue reading
News about Japanese sports cars just keep on coming this week. First there was the RWD straight-six Mazda 6, then some rumors about the new Nissan Z. Now, there’s been some discoveries about a Mazda rotary-powered hybrid mounted in a longitudinally in a rear-drive layout based on some unearthed patent filings. Continue reading
Health care workers are fighting the good fight on the front lines right now, putting themselves at risk so that the rest of us don’t get sick. To support them, Mazda has announced that they will change their oil and wash their cars for free, a generous move on its own, but even better in this case because the health care workers don’t even have to own a Mazda. Continue reading
Toyota released a Heritage Edition of the J200-series Land Cruiser in the US last year, one with some snazzed up wheels and brightwork, as well as cool old school badges and logos. In the United Arab Emirates, where Land Cruisers are as aspirational as Cadillacs in 1960s America, there’s also a Heritage Edition but it’s quite different. Continue reading
A new report suggests that the seventh-generation Nissan Z is scheduled for an appearance by the end of this year, and that it will boast retro styling. We’ve reported last month on Nissan’s trademark filing of a retro Z logo, though at the time we couldn’t say anything about its styling. We still can’t, but the rumor mill is churning, and here’s what it’s saying. Continue reading
It’s next to impossible to get genuinely excited about a new car these days, but if there’s one that gets our loins burning, it is the next Mazda 6. That’s because it will ride on an all-new FR platform and have a straight-six powering the rear wheels. That’s right, everyone’s favorite underdog company from Hiroshima is going to do what much larger automotive giants are unable — or unwilling — to. Continue reading
This Tokyo street scene shows a variety of vehicles, from sedans like the Toyopet Crown to large trucks like the Toyota Toyoace to three-wheelers like the Daihatsu CO10T. What really makes the shot, though, is the ghostly bones of Tokyo Tower coming together in the background. Based on the vehicles and level of completion of the tower, we’d guess this photo was taken in early 1958. Tokyo Tower was finished that October, serving as a radio broadcast antenna to take the place of hundreds of smaller antennas throughout the city. For a time, it was the tallest freestanding structure in the world. It must have been an awe-inspiring sight as you drove around Tokyo in your Daihatsu Midget. Click through for another photo of the tower nearing completion. Continue reading
Welcome to another edition of Daily, Garage, Sell, JNC‘s version of Bang, Marry, Kill. By the late 1980s, Japanese carmakers were taking on the established luxury brands with guns blazing. Tired of the sales price glass ceiling that names like Toyota, Nissan or Honda could command, they launched marques like Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura and introduced them with deluxe flagship sedans. If presented with prime examples of all three today, which one would you drive into the ground, which would you keep pristine, and which would you unceremoniously throw on Craigslist?
Daily, Garage, Sell — Lexus LS400, Infiniti Q45, or Acura Legend?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s the best JNC for extreme social distancing?” Continue reading
Like Nissan and Isuzu, Daihatsu is now also offering virtual tours of its museum. Though known mainly for kei cars nowadays, Daihatsu is 113 years old and started life making gigantic engines for steamships and industrial diesels. Though shorter than the other carmakers’ tours, the video highlights a couple of important milestone products that the company calls “The Origins of Daihatsu”. Continue reading
In the old days unlicensed toys used to be somewhat janky, but in recent years in China, where manufacturing prowess and the wild west of intelletctual property law intersect, a lot of it has gotten quite good. Case in point: this incredibly detailed non-Lego, non-Initial D Toyota AE86 tofu delivery car. Continue reading
A few years ago Toyota UK created some very cool GT86es to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary in the United Kingdom. While slapping a wrap and putting some wheels on an otherwise stock car can be a half-assed way for automakers to create a “show car”, the fact that these GT86es wore racing liveries of famous Toyotas around the world made them instantly cool. Now, you can build your favorite one, or all six of them, out of paper. Continue reading
Mazda is now 100 years old, and it’s done a lot over the past century. To prove it, the company has dug into its archives to put together some videos, mixed with newer footage, showing their highlights and imparting their carmaking philosophy. Mazda UK just released the English versions of the videos, and if you’re a Mazdafarian (or just a general fan of clever cars) they convey a strong sense of history and surmounting the odds. Continue reading
It looks like this coronavirus social distancing thing is going to last a lot longer than what was initially ordered. In fact, it might be best to take a few months’ supply of food and essentials and escape from civilization altogether.
What’s the best JNC for extreme social distancing?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s the scariest thing you’ve discovered while working on your car?” Continue reading