The 1966 Indian movie Love in Tokyo contains this toe-tappin’ Bollywood song and dance number that meanders through the streets of 1960s Tokyo. As a result, cameras inadvertently captured the very beginning of the era of Japanese prosperity in which average citizens started to own and drive cars. And thus we are treated to [...]

There have been examples of J-tin used in non-Japanese advertising before. However, this is the first time we’ve seen a Norwegian anime chick drift an A40 Toyota Celica through a wet obstacle course. These commercials sing the praises of the Q-Milk cartons’ new screw-on cap and plastic window. We can’t stop envying the car’s skinny [...]

We really appreciate and enjoy all the JNC readers out there sharing their projects with us. Occasionally one goes above and beyond in bringing back a car otherwise be destined for the crusher, investing way more time and money than what the market deems worthwhile for the car. But that’s the sign of true J-tin [...]

It may surprise you to know that two nostalgic cars currently reside in museums along Washington DC’s famed National Mall. And why not? Nostalgics have become part of American life and history, just like any other vehicle. First up is the 1977 Honda Civic CVCC on display at the Smithsonian. We expect a first-gen Civic [...]

We know what you’re craving: more Mitsubishi ad campaigns from 1984! Stunned by our mind-reading abilities, aren’t you? Far from an Orwellian nightmare world, that year turned out to be a resounding success for the triple diamond mafia’s marketing department. You might think that getting album cover artist Shusei Nagaoka to draw mind-blowing posters for the [...]

For this week we have another Seibu Keisatsu clip pitting Daimon’s KGC210 Nissan Skyline Japan against a Blue Oval product. This chase is almost too painful to watch, as the ‘71 Ford Torino barrels through a used car parking lot full of J-tin any JNCer would kill to get his hands on. Don’t say we [...]

JNC got a shout out on Enkei Wheels’ official blog! Awesome.

It must be art week here at JNC. Having visited the tranquil papercraft of Ohta Takashi, we shall now blast off in a spaceship shaped like an electric guitar to the world of Shusei Nagaoka. Remember how, in the 70s, it was mandatory bands to release at least one album cover depicting the group in [...]

If you know of or would like to publicize an event, send us a tip at feedback(at)japanesenostalgiccar.com This week: Saturday, November 14 / Corona, California: Empire Z Car Show Sunday, November 15 / San Diego, California: IMG Old School Meet Sunday, November 15 / Victoria, Australia: NDSOC Concourse ‘d Elegance December Friday, December 4 / Torrance, California: South Bay Monthly Meet Saturday, [...]

We know you’re all craving the soothing flavor of carrot shochu, but alas, limited edition bottles of Kimi Kurasu Machi have either sold out or were unavailable in your prefecture to begin with. What now? Calm your nerves with the lovely artwork of Ota Takashi. There was something strangely captivating about the illustrations on the [...]

The SoCal Roasters Owners Club held their annual charity toy drive at the Datsun Heritage Museum last weekend. We’re always looking for an excuse to head down to the DHM, so Dan and I hopped into the Toyota and away we went (we really need a Datsun one of these days). Ron Carter’s race-prepped [...]

The beauty of Kimi Kurasu Machi carrot shochu is that it combines three Japanese crazes — that of regional delicacies, alcohol, and limited edition products — and wraps them all in a label illustrated with nostalgic cars. See, the city of Kiyose is known for its carrots. And yet, if any of these taproots are less [...]

Last week’s contest in honor of the Tokyo Motor Show was a tough one. We got a lot of submissions but only one person got it right. Unprecedented! That person was Mike F. (aka toyotageek), who correctly identified the car as the 1965 Toyota EX Dream Car shown at the 12th Tokyo Motor Show. We mentioned [...]

Behold what has been described as the holy grail for Datsun maniacs, the OS Giken TC24-B1! Imagine the sheer mad scientist insanity that must have flowed through Osamu Okazaki’s brain for him  to conjure up an entire bolt-on twin-cam head, complete with valvetrain, for the Nissan L-series motor. According to the OS Giken rep at the [...]

If you know of or would like to publicize an event, send us a tip at feedback(at)japanesenostalgiccar.com This week: November 3 – 6 / Las Vegas, Nevada: SEMA Friday, November  6 / Torrance, California: South Bay Monthly Meet Saturday, November 7 / Murrieta, California: Show-N-Shine Toy Drive Rest of November: Saturday, November 14 / Corona, California: Empire Z Car Show Sunday, November [...]

Yesterday we showed you some genuine nostalgics from Subaru and Honda. Toyota has been known to bring old school cars to SEMA in the past, but this year they cooked up a bunch of new cars with old school flavor. This is what Toyota is calling the Hot Rod Tundra, an attempt to prove that a [...]

The floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center is much sparser than it has been in recent years, but SEMA 2009 is still several times the size of some Central American nations. We were heartened to see more and more OEM automakers getting in touch with their roots. A newly restored 1969 Subaru 360 Van served [...]

In just a few hours, we’ll be heading out to SEMA in Las Vegas to spread the nostalgic car gospel. We’ll also be reporting on all the wild, wacky and wonderful stuff from the show floor. Honk if you see us on the road!

With all the news of the Tokyo Motor Show last week, we thought we’d start a contest to see who can recognize this concept (Hint: It was never built). The winner will receive a Wonda Choro-Q Hakosuka Skyline GT-R (sans coffee) from our outing to Japan last spring. By the way, we still have the [...]

Did you know that the Grim Reaper’s own personal ride is a sinister S30 Z? JNCer edz280zx was somehow able to both see it and live to draw about it. Have a happy All Hallows’ Eve, everyone! Stay safe and don’t OD on chocolate!