Jalopnik: Japanese

Dream Factory Blow Papa Rider

Mark Arnold — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:40:00 EDT

The other day we showed you some cute little Japanese Kei cars converted to look like vintage American vans. Turns out they were the creation of a company called Dream Factory Blow. They're sort of an American-style surfing-obsessed customizing shop, but since they're in Japan, they work their magic on JDM rides. While stumbling around their non-English website, we found this thing. Apparently, they call it the Papa Rider, but it may not be what you initially think it is.

Now, this may look much like a vintage Dodge van that some stoner accidentally had shipped to the other side of the Pacific. But give it more than a passing glance, and you'll notice that there appears to be a Toyota Hiace van somewhere in there. Our Japanese skills are limited to what gets translated into English by BableFish, so we're not too sure and what the rationale was behind this, but we do know for certain that this thing is totally awesome.
[Dream Factory Blow]

The Japanese Convert JDM Boxes Into American Iron

Mark Arnold — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Apparently, the custom van fad of the '70s never died in Japan. But what if you want all the style of a vintage American full-size, but you need the efficiency and small size of a Japanese econobox? Well, do what these guys did, and convert the front end to look just like a Dodge or Chevy Van. Auto-Otaku found these custom creations at the Japanese Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, a gathering of all kinds of American iron in the land of the rising sun. Besides the vans, there were also a couple JDM rides transformed into old Chevy Suburbans, as seen above. [via Auto-Otaku]

Ice Cream Drift Super Potential!

Mark Arnold — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:20:00 EDT

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream racing! As you can see, JDM ice cream bars don't have wooden popsicle sticks like our USDM ice cream. Despite the resulting loss of downforce, the frozen treat manages to perform fairly well. We just hope that this is NOS-flavored.

Hoon Of The Day: Japanese Car Soccer

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:15:00 EDT

Japan is just the gift that keeps on giving, from kei cars to lovable but bizarre concepts like the the Toyota i-Real, but it's the extracurriculars which make for today's auto amusement. Sure drifting Previas are sexy, but car soccer is a ballet of crushing metal and gigantic balls. How does it work? Take all the rules of regular soccer and play the game with cars. We'll admit the judges seem pretty lax on handing out penalties, and it looks more like a sneaky way to have a demolition derby, but it does look like a lot of laughs. We took the liberty to clip out a section of footage from a game and the whole game is available below — if you're into that kind of thing.

First Half (~8 minutes)

Second Half (~7 minutes)

[Youtube Part 1 and Youtube Part 2, via About Cars]

What Kind Of Japanese Domestic Madness Is This?

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Our good friends at Japanese Performance Car News are having a little contest we thought we'd hip you to. They're asking you to put your JDM knowledge on the line by identifying cars that, even without snow cover, are great mysteries. The first appears to be some sort of strange Engrish play on the "John Player Special" with the "Japan Buttiguri Special." So, there's us identifying the livery. As for what's underneath it, you'll have to cruise over there to see another picture and make a guess. Err... Silvia? [JPCN]

Japanese Game Show Tests Tight-Parking Skills

Travis Hudson — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:15:00 EDT

Everybody has one of those of friends—you know, the person that seems to think he or she can park their El Suburbamino in places where the sun don't shine. Of course, as with many things, the Japanese have taken this mundane ritual and transformed it into an art form, complete with the obligatory game show. Contestants have to back a car into spot that allows only one centimeter of clearance on each side. One centimeter! Yeah, that would be tricky. I believe in my parking skills, but not enough to challenge the Japanese. [Core77]

Honda Fit Japanese Car of The Year

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:30:00 EST

The second-generation Honda Fit may not be Godzilla, but it's at least a Gamera. The beloved little Honda beat out both the Nissan Skyline and Subaru Impreza for the coveted Japanese Car of The Year award. This is quite the turn around from last year, when the large, Mothra-like Lexus LS was given the award.

The second-gen Fit has been a success, garnering more than 20,000 orders in the first two weeks of sale. Honda plans to sell at least 12,000 a month in Japan, plus an untold amount in Europe and North America. This is the second COTY win for the Honda Fit. [Reuters]

Super Conclusion! More Japanese Classic Car Show

Mike Bumbeck — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:00:00 EDT

We never did see Tony Danza as the day closed on the 3rd Annual Japanese Classic Car Show. We did catch sight of everything from a carbon-fiber Hayabusa powered Honda Z600 to a Toyota Land Cruiser Fire Truck, and said hello to Merciless Ming himself. We also met the crew from Japanese Nostalgic Car, who rolled their Cressida Wagon onto the grass to cover the event. Having taken the Starion to the 1st and 3rd shows and the Starlet to the 2nd, it seems finding a third car for the 4th Annual JCCS may be the answer to our ongoing financial ruin. [Japanesenostalgiccar.com]

Japanese Classic Car Show!

Mike Bumbeck — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 15:00:00 EDT

After a week or two of connecting cylinder head, engine block, and turbo back into a fusty old Mitsubishi Starion, we're back at the 3rd annual Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, California. Skylines and Honda 600 Coupes are mingling with Starlets and ~~Dodge Colts~~ Mitsubishi Lancers. And while Jay Leno rolled into the show in a Mazda Cosmo, we have yet to see Tony Danza even though his Celica is here. [Japanese Classic Car Show]

KAMAZkaze! Tatar Hoon Trucks Galore!

Davey G. Johnson — Sat, 19 May 2007 00:45:00 EDT

Dakar rally trucks never cease to amaze us. Neither do vehicles from the former Soviet Bloc. In that spirit, we present to you footage that involuntarily made us giggle. Seeing a beefcake brick drift a dirt-road corner like that indicates the driver's testes must sport an atomic number somewhere in the transuranic range. That said, given the rigors of Dakar, we're not entirely sure their half-life is exactly within the realm of accurate prediction. Oh, and avoid the soundtrack of this vid. Pick a song of your choice with a high BPM quotient, mute the clip and enjoy. We recommend Black Flag's Nervous Breakdown. Or something by Boyzone. Anything but this. – Davey G. Johnson