NEWS: Nissan’s Z-inspired crossover — “They’re not idiots”
Nissan has unveiled the Gripz, the Safari Rally Z-inspired crossover at Frankfurt. Last week, Z enthusiasts reached for their pitchforks after media-fueled assumptions that it would replace the Z. But...
View ArticleART CORNER: Beautiful dioramas of model cars from Japan
Takuji is a Japanese artist who places 1:43 and 1:64 scale minicars into beautifully constructed dioramas. From AE86s on touge roads to Mitsubishis tearing through a rally stage to mechanics tuning...
View ArticleEVENTS: Old Car Heaven, Part 01
Recently I was invited to accompany the Prince Driver’s Club to Kyuusha Tengoku, or Old Car Heaven, on the outskirts of downtown Tokyo. With many cars expected, we were asked to assemble on site at...
View ArticleMINICARS: 2016 Hot Wheels X JNC Track Day Datsun 510 Bluebird
Of the 26 Hot Wheels cars that have worn the JNC inkan, the latest is one of our favorites. That’s because the Track Day series Datsun Bluebird 510 isn’t just a wicked diecast race car, but one whose...
View ArticleEVENTS: New Year Meeting 2017, Part 05 — Nissan & Mitsubishi
This year was a special milestone for the New Year Meeting, as it was the show’s 40th year. It was quite a milestone for the event, which started in 1977 at the Tokyo Prince Hotel, a much smaller...
View ArticleEVENTS: 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon, Part 01 — Legends of Rally
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...
View ArticleMOTORSPORT: Mitsubishi rally cars showcased at Megaweb
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,...
View ArticleJNC THEATER: The Nissans of Seibu Keisatsu visit the Zama garage
Long-time readers of JNC need no introduction to the cars of Seibu Keisatsu. Japan’s most popular cop show, which aired form 1979-1984, was sponsored by Nissan and starred several customized law...
View ArticleEVENTS: 2018 Japanese Automotive Invitational
It has been a banner year for Nihon steel at Monterey Car Week. The annual series of ultra-prestigious automotive events have traditionally excluded Japanese cars, but 2018 saw, for example, Nissan...
View ArticleVIDEO: The Datsun 240Z was Nissan’s ambassador to the world
While the original Skyline GT-R dominated at home and was largely unknown outside of Japan until the R33 had existed for several years, the S30 Z was Nissan’s halo car, torchbearer, and image-maker...
View ArticleHappy 910 Day from JNC
The Nissan Bluebird 910, also known as a shorter, four-cylinder version of the original Nissan Maxima, saw no shortage of racing action. Nissan even entered it in the 1981 Safari Rally, equipped with a...
View ArticleNissan builds Datsun 240Z Safari Rally tribute from Juke
The Safari Rally kicks off today in Nairobi, Kenya, marking the 50th anniversary of when Nissan won the tortuous desert race overall in a Datsun 240Z. To commemorate the occasion, Nissan Europe has...
View ArticleSung’s Garage’s new wheel pays homage to Z432
Actor and car guy Sung Kang has unveiled a new three-piece wheel destined for his DocZ project, itself an homage to the Datsun 240Z that dominated the 1971 East African Safari Rally. If you are looking...
View ArticleDaihatsu Charade: the “Little Giant Killer” of the Safari Rally
Quick, think of a Japanese car that has won the Safari Rally. A Daihatsu Charade is probably not the the first thing that pops into mind. The 3-cylinder compact is most remembered in the States as the...
View ArticleNissan builds a Datsun 240Z Safari Rally tribute out of a Juke
Last June, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Datsun 240Z’s victory at the 1971 Safari Rally, Nissan Europe imagined a Juke homage to the original. Despite convincing Photoshop renders, the car...
View ArticleRate This Ad: Nissan off-roads through the decades
A new Nissan commercial takes viewers on a ride through the decades. Titled “60 Years in 30 Seconds”, it features spokeswoman Brie Larson time-jumping from the 1959 to present day in various Nissans....
View Article1970 Datsun 240Z Rallye Monte-Carlo: A history lost, now found
As iconic as the Nissan Z is, remarkably little is known in English-speaking countries about its motorsports history. In the US, the American-spec Datsun 240Z is best remembered, and deservedly so, for...
View ArticleMitsubishi Ralliart’s video history still gets our blood pumping
“The desire to elevate motorsports to the realm of art.” That is what Mitsubishi says the name Ralliart is meant to evoke. For decades, it was the banner under which the Triple Diamonds raced. And even...
View ArticleThe Mitsubishi Lancer conquers the Safari Rally to hilariously incongruous music
We’re suckers for good vintage rally footage, especially when the car is an OG Mitsubishi Lancer 1600GSR conquering the Safari Rally. This video has it all — big air jumps, wheels sending plumes of...
View ArticleNissan builds Safari Z tribute to Datsun 240Z rally car
We’ve grown pretty bored of the “safari” build trend that seems, inexplicably, to be still going strong. However, Nissan has built a car that actually deserves to be safari’d due to historical...
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