Ben Hsu

1 week ago | japanesenostalgiccar.com | Ben Hsu

The Nissan L-series is one of the most popular engines at any car show for Japanese classics. Installed in everything from Datsun 510s to Z-cars and Skylines, the tried-and-true SOHC motor is  beloved the world over. Earlier this year NISMO showed an experimental head that converted the L-series to a twin-cam. Now it’s officially going into production. Originally called the TLX, which stood for Twin-cam L eXperimental, it was shown at the Nostalgic 2 Days show in February.

1 week ago | japanesenostalgiccar.com | Ben Hsu

Honda has released an image of its upcoming EV concept car ahead of its official debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Honda Super EV Concept is camouflaged and likely digital, but several design cues hint at a shape inspired by the City Turbo II. The most obvious similarity is in the shape of its box flares, a signature styling feature of the 1983 City Turbo II.

1 week ago | japanesenostalgiccar.com | Ben Hsu

Today, June 16, is National Gen X Day, celebrating those born between 1965 and 1980. I was born in the inaugural year of the Celica Liftback but I don’t think I’m biased when I say it’s the best generation. Our parents weren’t helicopters, we had just the right amount of technology, grew up with the best music, and got our driver’s licenses just in time for the golden age of cars. Any vehicle from the 80s and 90s could probably be a Gen X car.

2 weeks ago | japanesenostalgiccar.com | Ben Hsu

Singer and songwriter Brian Wilson has died. Co-founder of the seminal surf-rock band The Beach Boys, Wilson is credited with creating the California sound that defined a era. His musical style created a movement centered around seasides, cars, and carefree summers and brought 1960s California to the masses. Cars were a big part of that and Wilson’s penned many an automotive hit single, but there’s only one whose title called out a marque by name — “Little Honda”.

2 weeks ago | japanesenostalgiccar.com | Ben Hsu

Converting kei cars to look like other vehicles is a tried and true tradition in Japan. Often times the transformations are tongue in cheek, morphing them into something they’re clearly not, like a baroque vintage design or a far more expensive SUV. These can be hit or, more often than not, miss, but a new kit from Japan manages to graft on a nose from an entirely different car while not looking entirely out of place.