Category Archives: Japanese Car Culture

Cars and tuning from the land of the Rising Sun

Honda NSX Tribute by Format67.net

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“The value of life can be measured by how many times your soul has been deeply stirred.” You might think that quote came from some kind of philosopher, artist of philanthropist. In a way it did. That sentiment came from Soichiro Honda, a mechanic who eventually went on to start one of the world’s largest car companies which is also the world’s largest motorcycle maker. He’s a man who knows what i means to speak to the soul of us gear heads. This is a tribute to what is widely considered as the best car that Honda has made and a stalwart of the golden age of Japanese sports car, the NSX. Regular people won’t get it and that’s OK. We love cars because they make us feel this way:


Source: Daniel Michaelis on YouTube

Napa Valley Roadster – Petrolicious

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There’s something about old Datsuns that seem to inspire a cult following. From the full range of Z-cars to the legendary 510 and the humble little Roadster. The Datsun Roadster hit upon the Miata formula long before Mazda got to it: add Japanese reliability to the fun of a classic British roadster. Petrolicious brings us the story of Dandridge Marsh, a roadster owner whose journey began when he moved to Napa Valley. He wanted to pursue the romantic notion of driving a classic car through the wine country. That pursuit eventually led him to this 1.6 liter Datsun Roadster. It’s definitely not hard to see the appeal with a backdrop like that.


Napa Valley Roadster from Petrolicious on Vimeo.

Mazda Fan Festa 2012

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MZ Racing brings us this coverage from the 2012 Mazda Fan Festa that took place this past weekend at the Okayama International Circuit. It was a celebration of all things Mazda including some old RX-3 race cars and modern RX-7 and RX-8 race and drift cars. The 767B and 787B were present and even took to the track together. The guys got on-board footage from both cars. Mazda also debuted their new Sky-Active diesel race car that will be campaigned by Dempsey Racing in the LMP2 class of Le Mans next year.


Source: MZ Racing on YouTube via RotaryNews.com on Facebook

Show or Display Nissan R32 Nismo Skyline

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GT Channel got the scoop on the first R32 Nissan Skyline to legally be imported into the US under the “Show or Display” laws which allow the import of historically or technologically significant cars with National Highway Traffic Safety Association exemption. The cars still have to pass smog tests and can only be driven 2500 miles a year. The “Show or Display” laws were originally written for Bill Gates so he could import a Porsche 959. Cars have to be more than 21 years old and have around 500 or less made to qualify. Here is the interview with Sean Morris who just imported two R32 Nismos. His website, ShowOrDisplay.com, walks through the process of importing cars through the Show or Display exemptions.


Source: GT Channel on YouTube

Under Suzuki’s Tsukuba Obsession

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Under Suzuki made news in the time attack world this past weekend by setting a 53.6 second lap time around Tsukuba Circuit, a personal record. Suzuki is the only privateer (he’s a pharmacist during the day) allowed to compete in the Battle Evome series which is otherwise dominated by full fledged tuning companies. His 800 horsepower Scorch S15 was built by himself with the help and input of his friends over the last 10 years. Suzuki’s 53.6 puts him a tenth of a second off of the all time tuning car record held by Nobuteru Tanaguchi in the Mitsubishi Evo based HKS CT2032R. He is gunning to beat HKS’s record and to be the fastest car at the World Time Attack Challenge. This is an interview he did with Maiham Media earlier this year where he talks about his love for time attack.


Source: Maiham Media via Speedhunters