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There is a form of plankton known as Corolla calceola or sea butterfly, that is a truly beautiful gastropod. The turbo 4AGE in today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Toyota Corolla will ensure it's not a snail, but will its price make you want to slug somebody? More »
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Liberty Walk's Wataru Kato runs a tuning shop that specializes in Lamborghinis. He owns a Ferrari F40 LM. He wants to bring the sensations of maximum automotive culture to a distracted youth. What's his favorite car? A four-door that cost around $1000. More »
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Watch as the hosts of Australian online auto show "Mighty Car Mods" take an insider's tour of one of Japan's massive car auctions. How many not for US cars can you spot? (8:00 start skips non car content)[via VwVortex] More »
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If you ask the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, the greatest milestones in their industry range from the ABS system on the '71 Nissan President to the Subaru Impreza WRX STI... and 238 more. More »
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While the North American version of the 1985 Maxima was pretty cool with its "electrically adjustable" suspension, it couldn't possibly measure up to the "Super Sonic Suspension" of its JDM counterpart. More »
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Arizona's controversial new Illegal Immigrant law is gaining national attention. Also drawing attention is today'sNice Price or Crack Pipe Starlet GT that's claimed to be here legally, but looks foreign enough to elicit demands of your papers please. More »
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We're pretty sure that's the late rally monster Ove Andersson getting all sideways in a growling '82 Starlet, although it's possible that Toyota honored the Starlet's utter cheapitude by substituting Joe "Over" Andersson, Wisconsin dirt-track racer, for this ad. More »
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I had never heard of this tiny pre-Minica kei van prior to reading about it on the Japanese Nostalgic Car forums, but now I must have one! More »
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When Japanese gearheads get obsessed with a certain type of vehicle, they tend to go all-out. For example, take your archetypal serial-killer/molester Detroit van- what more could be painted on this canvas? More »
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Even by the standards of Japanese-market car ads, this one for the '84 Mazda Familia (aka 323) seems exceptionally incomprehensible. There's what appears to be a fuzzy Dustbuster. There are oversized backpacks. And, of course, the Familia Gals! More »
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The Charade's ill-considered name didn't help its North American sales any, but perhaps Daihatsu would have moved more of them off the showroom floor if they'd pushed its glorious racing history over here. More »
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Featuring music by Hideki Naoi and Alphaville, this quartet of Japan-market ads for the mid-80s Toyota Corona let potential buyers know that the LASRE 3A engine gave the Corona magical powers! More »
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We love second-gen Toyota Tercel wagons around these parts, so we always enjoy watching hyperkinetic Japanese TV commercials for what JDM buyers knew as the Toyota Sprinter Caribbean. More »
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Subaru's STI Special Edition is essentially an ordinary STI with the suspension of the Japanese-market STI Spec C and the longest vehicle name in all of creation. Details, gallery, and press release below. More »
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Japan's Kei cars are universally cool. So small they fit into a separate tax segment and require no proof of parking, they're a Tokyo urbanite's best friend. Now the new Nissan Roox looks like it's trying to fit in anywhere. More »
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Only recently have U.S. enthusiasts been able to officially take the reins of Nissan's lauded GT-R — Godzilla to some. Today, Nice Price or Crack Pipe has a GT-R wannabe that's been terrorizing Tokyo since 1970. More »
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Want to see a Civic tear Jodie Foster's skirt off? Incomprehensibly Japanese animations? CRX worship? All this and more, after the jump! More »
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What's the best way to sell the 1983 Honda City Hyper Turbo? Honda's Japanese-market admen figured that the ska popmasters of Madness would be just perfect for a series of super-frantic TV spots. More »
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Last week we brought news of a harder-core Mugen-tuned Civic Type-R for the European market. This week we're presented with the fruit of Mugen's labor, the multi-winged and vented UKDM Mugen Civic Type-R 3D. More »
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The wildly-styled UK Civic Type-R is already a phenomenal handling vehicle and with the emergence of a more raw JDM-only Civic Type-RR, the Brits are starting to feel a bit left out. Not for long. More »
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The Ramones used to sing the kei kei kei took my baby away, and if that's true Nice Price or Crack Pipe has the car they might have used. More »
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Nissans as pacifiers, Nissans as stop motion actors. Let’s now turn to a weird little JDM Nissan peppering the streets of London: the Figaro. More »
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Honda’s current Civic Type R is a step back from the previous model made between 2001 and 2005. To get a proper Type R, you have to go to Japan—or the UK. More »
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We think Nissan should drag the admen who made this series of Bluebird commercials out of retirement and put them to work on their current product line. Yes, they're that good! More »
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Get ready to get 2fast and 2furious with a 200MPH+ JDM TIME ATTACK CAR JUN AUTO WORKS GT-R! HA, HA, HA! More »
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We had quite the debate over the value of the '87 AMG "Hammer" Mercedes-Benz 300E, but we mustn't forget that Mercedes-Benz wasn't the only recipient of AMG wizardry in the 1980s. More »
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Sure, you could get a Z with T-tops in North America, but somehow the Japanese-market "T-Bar Roof" just sounds better. More »
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Roll up to the Playboy club in a Mazda Cosmo Big Run Genteel back in '83, and you'd be sure to get some special treatment from the bunnies. More »
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After nearly a year of sales as the Acura TSX here in the states and after teasing us at the Frankfurt Auto Show with the Accord Tourer Concept, Honda of Japan is finally giving the JDM market the controversially-designed new car in both sedan and wagon flavors. While we've seen the sedan before, thanks to these press shots from our friends at TOV, we're able to show you the Tourer — a wagon that's really blowin' our skirts up. More »
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Tomorrow comes a day too soon in Japan as Nissan has already released a load of pictures of both the USDM and JDM Cube, which is to be "unveiled" tomorrow at the LA Auto Show. This eccentric little box is vying for the same niche as the polarizing Scion xB. Japanese Cubes are powered by a 107 Horsepower, 109 lb-feet Torque 1.5L fourbanger fitted to a CVT transmission. Drive setups include front and all-wheel drive. The configurations coming to the States currently remains unknown. Check back tomorrow for the official US specifications and more photos as they roll in from our guys in the City of Angels. More »
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The Honda Life, one of the oldest minicars, dating back to the 1970s, is getting an upgrade. As a Kei car, the Life is limited to a 660 cc inline three-cylinder normally aspirated or turbocharged engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. Both AWD and FWD versions abound, including the base-model Life G-Type, sporty Life Diva and premium-level Life Pastel. In addition to being the first Kei car offered with a backup camera, the Life can also be outfitted with a motorized front seat that can lift passengers with special mobility needs out of the car. As with most Japanese minicars, you'll have to wait ten years and move to Canada to get one of your own. In the meantime, enjoy a nice Pontiac G3 Wave. Press release below the jump. More »
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People give young folks in backwards baseball caps driving tuned Civics a lot of grief. Deserved maybe, but grief nonetheless. Are they really that irritating? Do we really have to call them "Ricers?" Why stereotype? Aren’t they just misguided kids trying to make their mark in life the only way they know how: by dancing bolting big wings to cars that don’t need them? The Daily Interweb came up with “A Ricer’s Guide To Driving,” but we don’t think it differs much from the “How to drive like an average everyday asshole” list that we’ve been putting together for a while now. So let’s take a look at the two side-by-side and determine if there really is a difference between young hoons in modified imports and the rest of our great, big sweaty nation. More »
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So the reveal on the new JDM-only Honda Odyssey happened earlier today, but already those pseudo in-house tuners at Mugen are dropping body kits for a speedier-looking minivan. Available in two flavors, the kits offer revised nose styling, side skirts, rear spoilers, an exhaust kit, new brake pads, apparently new floor mats and snazzier aluminum wheels. We think the US minivan market needs some of this action, don't you? We can just picture the second vannin' craze sweeping grocery store parking lots and day cares across the country. More »
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Honda has unveiled its latest JDM Odyssey and, as is the norm, it's lighter, more nimble and more fuel-efficient than what we get on our shores. Aside from the more pointed, purposeful bodywork, the JDM Odyssey gets a 2.4-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder under the hood with output ranging from 171 to 203 HP, depending on trim level. A four-wheel double-wishbone arrangement holds everything up, with AWD an available option, while inside the Odyssey takes cues from the Fit with its multitude of seat-folding, space-utilizing options. Sounds like just the sort of fuel-efficient people-hauler we could use here in the states right about now. Don't hold your breath. More »
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We know you're not supposed to mess with the Nissan GT-R but despite the possible adverse affects on the aerodynamics, this clean-look GT-R shows just how slick Godzilla looks when he shaves his back. Obviously the large rear wing of has been removed, but to smooth things out even more, the rear reflectors have been tinted black and the Nissan badge in back has been removed. The owner also apparently decided to throw on an aftermarket exhaust from performance tuner Mine's, and a set of BBS LM-DBK wheels, just for good measure. [via GTRblog] More »
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In 1980 Japan, it was possible to get synthesizer keyboards with far more futuristic "whistling echo laser" effects than those used anywhere else in the Free World. Naturally, the Cresta was the machine most deserving of those keyboards. Somewhat similar in appearance to its American cousin, the Cressida, the Cresta was basically a luxury-enhanced Corona Mark II. Nice car, but we'd rather have a Crown Super Saloon. More »
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Suzuki has launched a new Wagon R for the Japanese domestic market: the Wagon R Stingray. Built on a new platform that increases the wheelbase for enhanced stability, the Stingray retains the same 660cc turbocharged engine in order to comply with Kei-class regulations. The Wagon R has historically been the best-selling vehicle in that class, so now with more stability and a claimed decrease in interior noise levels, its sales should be boosted even further. The biggest change looks to be the aggressive new styling, which adapts a Scion xB-style front clip and impossibly huge air dam. More »
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The 2009 Honda Odyssey is due for a refresh in the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) and a teaser for it went up today on their Japanese website. The Japanese market Odyssey diverged from the US market version after the first iteration of the platform in 1995. This new Odyssey seems to go for a sleeker, more expressive look than the current edition with the D-panel glass getting some curvature and the fenders getting a bit of flair. And it's definitely purple. Very purple. No plans to sell it stateside, so you'll have to be content without the sleek tall wagon. [NihonCar] More »
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Paul Newman really did race Nissans and had a longstanding relationship with the company. But how about Diane Lane, star of Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains? In a real test of the whole concept of suspension-of-disbelief, we see Ms. Lane driving a Mondrian-style Hino Ranger delivery truck through a Japanese neighborhood populated by refugees from the suburbs of Des Moines. Was there a rush on Hinos after this ad came out? More »
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Paul Newman did a lot of ads for Nissan in addition to racing their cars, and the association went far beyond the usual "big in Japan" deal in which foreigners make major yen for appearing in car ads, then flee back home. Nissan even came out with a Paul Newman Version R30 Skyline, which is featured in one of the trio of '84 ads here. More »
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