JDM Origins » mazda

What Did You Miss at JCCS 2009?

Chacko Xiong — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:32:45 +0000

For many people in Irvine, California, October 3rd 2009 was just another sunny day in SoCal but for a few thousand fanatics it was a stroll through Japanese classic car heaven. Although St. Peter wasn’t there to greet the crowd, we did come face-to-face with Joji Luz’s smiley yellow #5 Celica at the front gates.

Now if you are not familiar with the Joji Luz and his Celica, might we remind you that it is the oldest known production Celica this side of the Pacific. How fittingly then that it was there to greet everyone. Right along side of it was an early R100, one of the first few models that Mazda shipped over.

After that it was pretty much a blur of ecstasy. There were Honda N600’s that were so clean, if it was put next to your mother’s fine silverware, she would surely be ashamed. A couple of the custom-chopped CRX’s were also on display. These were some of the original few hundred standard CRX’s which were chopped by R. Straman Co. of Costa Mesa, California in the early 80’s.

We could only imagine how quickly we would bury the needle with the updated Silvia motor.

On the Nissan/Datsun block, the SR-swapped Sports Roadsters definitely stole the show. In one of our favorites, a red-top S15 SR20DET was shoe-horned into the sub-2000lb roadster chassis. Considering the factory 2-liter naturally aspirated and carburated motor could already take it over 100mph, we could only imagine how quickly we would bury the needle with the updated Silvia motor.

Across the aisle from the Sports Roadsters were a impressive line dance of the Z-series Fairlady’s. Many of them with more curves and dressed in wheels with fatter lips than Angelina Jolie.

Although there aren’t many Mitsubishi’s that are considered classics yet, next to the line-up of Mitsubishi Starions there were even a few Dodge/Plymouth badged Mitsu’s on the prowl. One of them was an exceptional Plymouth Arrow GT, better known as the Mitsubishi Celeste in Japan.

Although there weren’t as many spectators going far back into the field, most likely because Sevenstock was just the weekend before, Mazda really brought out the big toys. Many people don’t realize the heritage of Mazda’s racing programs both over seas and here in the States.

Down further from the Mazda’s were a “Ken and Mary” Skyline and it’s older brother the Box Skyline. Both very rare to find in pristine condition let alone any condition in the United States.

Toyota spared no expense bringing along not one or two, but THREE 2000GT’s.

In the rest of the Toyota camp there were also some very well equipped Toyota Corolla’s ranging from the TE series to the later AE series. In addition some spectacular Celica’s and Supra’s, one of which was stuffed with a Cobra V8. Close by three generations of the Cressida came in sedans and wagons.

We know most of you are here for the pictures and quite frankly we’re surprised you even made it this far. We definitely saved the best for last though. At JCCS this year, Toyota brought out their trailer and spare no expense bringing along not one or two, but THREE 2000GT’s.

That ends our tour of the 5th Annual Japanese Classic Car Show. For those who weren’t there, you all definitely missed one hell of a show. We’ll keep you posted as soon as the official list of awards gets released.

List of Awards and Winners:
5th Annual Japanese Classic Car Show – Irvine, CA – Oct. 3rd 2009

BEST OF JCCS
1st Place Kyle Ranauro
DATSUN/NISSAN 1959 1000 988cc
2nd Place Glenn Roberts
MAZDA 1967 COSMO SPORT 4M 2.6L
3rd Place Arnel ilog
MAZDA 1972 Rx-3 13brew Turbo

BEST JDM
1st Place Paul Bischoff
DATSUN/NISSAN 1971 Skyline rb25de
2nd Place Mikey Castillo
DATSUN/NISSAN 1971 Skyline L28
3rd Place Oliver Dienzo
TOYOTA 1972 Corolla 2tg

THE OLDEST JCCS
Frenchy Dehoux
TOYOTA 1958 CROWN 3RC

THE FARTHEST DRIVEN
Robert Gallagher
HONDA 1979 Accord B18C5A

BEST ORIGINAL CLASS
1st Place Kyle Ranauro
DATSUN/NISSAN 1959 1000 988cc
2nd Place Glenn Roberts
MAZDA 1964 R360 L24
3rd Place Richard Scharf
DATSUN/NISSAN 1970 240Z 2.4 Litre

BEST MODIFIED CLASS
1st Place James Standridge
DATSUN/NISSAN 1967 Fairlady Roadster SR20DET
2nd Place Eric Straw
DATSUN/NISSAN 1969 Fairlady Roadster SR20DET
3rd Place Jojo Rumbaoa
TOYOTA 1969 Corolla sprinter 2tg

BEST RACE CAR
1st Place Mario Castaneda
MAZDA 1971 R100 13B turbo

BEST WAGON
1st Place Run Calisch
TOYOTA 1978 Cressida I6, 2.6L
2nd Place Audrey Reese
DATSUN/NISSAN 1972 510 L20B-4cyl
3rd Place Martin Valle
DATSUN/NISSAN 1972 510 wagon SR20DET

BEST DATSUN- 240Z –
1st Place William Parks
DATSUN/NISSAN 1972 240z l28et
2nd Place Paul Ajari
DATSUN/NISSAN 1970 240Z L24
3rd Place Scott & Aggie Mount
DATSUN/NISSAN 1971 240Z Small Block Chevy

BEST DATSUN OTHER Z – 260Z-280Z, 280ZX, 300ZX
1st Place Brian Avery
DATSUN/NISSAN 1978 280z L28et
2nd Place Ron Sino-Cruz
DATSUN/NISSAN 1985 200zr rb20det
3rd Place Robert Heckendorf
DATSUN/NISSAN 1975 260Z Stock 2600cc

BEST DATSUN – 510 –
1st Place mark ritchie
DATSUN/NISSAN 1972 510 SR20DET Black Top
2nd Place Matt Gardella
DATSUN/NISSAN 1971 510 KA24DE-T
3rd Place Aole Espy
DATSUN/NISSAN 1969 510 KA24DE-T

BEST DATSUN – PICKUP-
1st Place Robert Laag
DATSUN/NISSAN 1974 620 L18
2nd Place Lawrence Keller
DATSUN/NISSAN 1972 620 LZ22
3rd Place David Krouse
DATSUN/NISSAN 1977 620 L-18

BEST DATSUN – ROADSTER- MODIFIED
1st Place James Standridge
DATSUN/NISSAN 1967 Fairlady Roadster SR20DET
2nd Place Eddie Wu
DATSUN/NISSAN 1966 Fairlady Roadster Nissan S15 SR20DE 2.0L I4
3rd Place Eric Straw
DATSUN/NISSAN 1969 Fairlady Roadster SR20DET

BEST DATSUN – ROADSTER- ORIGINAL sponsored by Deal’s Cosmetics
1st Place Chris Breyer
DATSUN/NISSAN 1966 Fairlady Roadster R16
2nd Place Ralph Rodheim
DATSUN/NISSAN 1967 Fairlady Roadster 1600
3rd Place Christine Rincon
DATSUN/NISSAN 1967 Fairlady Roadster 4 cylinder

BEST DATSUN – 1200-
1st Place Mark Duncan
DATSUN/NISSAN 1971 1200 Sunny A12
2nd Place David Gonzales
DATSUN/NISSAN 1974 1200 Sunny A14 1397cc
3rd Place Jose Serna
DATSUN/NISSAN 1973 1200 stock

BEST DATSUN – OTHER –
1st Place Kyle Ranauro
DATSUN/NISSAN 1959 1000 988cc
2nd Place David Chick
DATSUN/NISSAN 1970 1000 A10

BEST TOYOTA – CELICA/ SUPRA-
1st Place Steven Sego
TOYOTA 1977 Celica 2.2
2nd Place nestor rodriguez
TOYOTA 1985 Supra 6mge
3rd Place Irwin Aquino
TOYOTA 1972 Celica 18RG

BEST TOYOTA – COROLLA- PRE84
1st Place Oliver Dienzo
TOYOTA 1972 Corolla 2tg
2nd Place Erwin Lu
TOYOTA 1971 Corolla 3K Stock
3rd Place P.J Bonifacio
TOYOTA 1980 Corolla PJ

BEST TOYOTA -COROLLA AE86-
1st Place Oliver Sanchez
TOYOTA 1985 Corolla GTS 4AGE
2nd Place Dennis David
TOYOTA 1985 Corolla 4AG
3rd Place Dave Palacios
TOYOTA 1985 Corolla 4AGE

BEST TOYOTA – CRESSIDA –
1st Place Marvin David
TOYOTA 1979 Cressida stock
2nd Place Art Macabuhay
TOYOTA 1984 Cressida 5M-GE
3rd Place Edward Feliciano
TOYOTA 1978 Cressida .

BEST TOYOTA – OTHER –
1st Place Victor Rivilla
TOYOTA 1982 Starlet 4AGE 20V
2nd Place Oscar Ramos
TOYOTA 1967 LAND CRUISER stock
3rd Place Kirk Hubbard
TOYOTA 1974 Century 4VU HEMI V8

BEST MAZDA – RX2-
1st Place Carlos Radriguez
MAZDA 1973 RX-2 13B
2nd Place Edgar Sanchez
MAZDA 1973 RX-2 13B
3rd Place RENE GARAY
MAZDA 1972 RX-2 12A

BEST MAZDA – RX3-
1st Place Arnel ilog MAZDA
1972 Rx-3 13brew Turbo
2nd Place shingo konuma
MAZDA 1973 RX-3 13B
3rd Place Catherine Harrison-Smith
MAZDA 1974 RX-3 12A

BEST MAZDA – RX-7-
1st Place Juan Galindo
MAZDA 1985 RX-7 13B
2nd Place Jim Balderrama
MAZDA 1985 RX-7 13B
3rd Place Sergio Lopez
MAZDA 1979 RX-7 13B

BEST MAZDA – OTHER-
1st Place Glenn Roberts
MAZDA 1967 COSMO SPORT 4M 2.6L
2nd Place Esteban Rodoriguez
MAZDA 1972 R100 13B

BEST HONDA – PRE 1973 –
1st Place Dick Kartozian
HONDA 1970 N600 600cc air cooled
2nd Place Maurice Kleiman
HONDA 1970 N600 600 cc
3rd Place William Yee
HONDA 1970 N600 600cc

BEST HONDA – ‘74-’85 –
1st Place Ken Uk
HONDA 1975 Civic ED1 1500
2nd Place Scott King
HONDA 1979 Prelude original 1600
3rd Place Scott Ngov
HONDA 1979 Civic Wagon CVCC

BEST MITSUBISHI
1st Place James Dean Recto
MITSUBISHI 1978 Dodge Colt 4g32

Brap Brap Brap

Chacko Xiong — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:59:28 +0000

Brap Brap Brap! This is the Mazda 787B that took the win at Le Mans 24-hours in 1991.

Build Your Rotary Engine in Under 5 Minutes

Chacko Xiong — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:52:48 +0000

Ok, so we stretched the truth. You can’t put one together in 5 minutes unless you’re playing it back at fast-forward speeds. But hey, at least it’s cool to watch.

A Rare Rotary Indeed

nickzachman — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:24:08 +0000

If you have had the opportunity to hear a rotary powered RX-series stalking you, you would definitely know it. The motors have a distinct low throaty exhaust note coupled with a high revving scream. Highly ported engines will also have lumpy idles that enthusiasts refer to as the distinct “brap brap brap”.

Side by side, the Honda Fit would be the unattractive, younger friend being a few inches wider and having a smaller trunk.

As one of the first few Mazda’s to make it to the States, the RX-2 was highly differentiated by the Wankel rotary 12A engine. A startling fact is that on the other side of the Pacific, the RX-2 was originally offered as the rotary option to the Mazda Capella, more commonly known to us Americans as the Mazda 6-series. It was not until the car made it to this side of the Pacific that it was sold as the RX-series.

As unbelievable as it may it seem now, during it’s debut the RX-2 was actually considered a mid-size car rather than a sport compact. By today’s standards, if it were sitting next to a Honda Fit, you would be hard pressed to argue that it was not a sub-compact car. In fact, side by side, the Honda Fit would be the unattractive, younger friend being a few inches wider and having a smaller trunk.

The 12A engine displaced a little more than 1.1-liters but made about 120hp and 115ft/lb of torque. In it’s day automotive sources compared it favorably against straight-6’s due to the smooth power range and impressive response. Unfortunately, that same engine was also notoriously plagued with reliability issues. Failed seals, o-rings and worn out rotor tips caused many of the vehicles to be scrapped before they really had a chance. But don’t tell that to Andy who’s had his RX-2 comfortably cruising the roads since 1972.

Andy’s RX-2 is all original from chrome bumper to chrome bumper and he has begun his full restoration, beginning with the exterior of the car. Even after 35 years, the original paint still radiates after a quick buff and shine. The chrome trim pieces were in all the right places and the only modification thus far is the Puerto Rican flag flown proudly on his dashboard.

For the feature, we met him near the warehouse district of the city and after some light sprinkling from the mixture of clouds looming overhead, we headed down to the riverside of the Minneapolis / St. Paul border for a quick run through the curves. Although start-up on these old rotaries are can be a little bit rough especially in such a quick change in weather, the little RX-2 breathed quite well through the carburetors after a good warm-up.

The RX-2 had no problems quickly dancing through each bend with it’s continual smooth purring through all each of the four gears. Unfortunately the fun had to come to an end as the rain started really pouring and Andy became concerned that more harsh weather was on it’s way. (To give him credit, our photography equipment was also a concern.)

In that quick run through the city, we had a chance to feel how exhilarating it must have been to be on the forefront of a revolution in engine technology. As the first platform for the Wankel rotary engines to be widely raced, the RX-2 was the bridge between the first mass-produced Wankel-powered Cosmo Sport and the highly successful, smaller and sportier, RX-3. Back in the early 1970’s, the RX-2 lead some heavy battles against the Skyline GT-R and the 12A engine went on to enable the RX-3 to prevent the GT-R from winning 50 consecutive Japanese Grand Prix races.

To date, Mazda still holds the dual title of the only non-piston powered race car and first and only Japanese manufacturer to ever win Le Mans.

On the international front, Mazda has also proven rotary technology to be highly successful being the first team from Japan to have finished the entire 24-hours of the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race in 1974. Almost twenty years later, in 1991, Mazda further ingrained their rotary technology as reliable and fast as it took the 787B 2.6-liter (rated 4.7-liters by the FIA formula) to claim victory, overtaking Mercedes within the final three hours of the race. To date, Mazda still holds the dual title of the only non-piston powered race car and first and only Japanese manufacturer to ever win Le Mans. The following year, the rules were changed to effectively ban Mazda from entering Le Mans with rotary technology.

Although RX-2’s are quite rare to find these days, it is still possible to get rotary-power in the latest rendition of the RX-series. Mazda continues to be the only car manufacturer that mass-produces vehicles with the Wankel rotary engine. State-side, it all started with the Capella RX-2.

Rumors are floating around that Mazda is looking to introduce a new RX-series in 2010. Will it really happen? No one knows for sure yet… But from what we have heard, keep your eyes on the Tokyo Auto Salon 2010.

Hot Import Nights, Chicago 2009

nickzachman — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:58:28 +0000

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of Soldier Field. The hot sun had baked the tarmac dry and though the weatherman had predicted 85 degree weather, we knew it was going to be much hotter during Hot Import Nights.

We arrived in the mid-afternoon, hours before the general public, and grabbed our press passes from the booth. The other members of the press and models were all anxious to get inside the gates. Like an over-caffeinated mob, everyone waited through the sound of burning rubber and the smell of high octane gasoline as it hung in the air. Only a hundred yards away the Formula D Pro-AM drift racers had already begun their warm up.

Outside the gates the energy coming from the event could already be felt. The music was loud and the cars glittered in all their glory with the afternoon sun beating down on them. The owners finished up the last details on their cars, shined up the tires and gave them one quick final wipe-down.

Getting there early was imperative so that our photographer could snap some clean shots of the cars well before the majority of the crowd began to pile in. After the first run through, it wasn’t hard to see that the true Japanese classic cars were few and far between. Even at an event such as Hot Import Nights where Japanese makes hold reign, it really starts to settle in that prime features of the golden days of Japanese cars are dwindling.

Of the hundreds of vehicles at the show, there were only a handful of cars from the pre-1980’s era, including a couple of Datsun Z’s and a Mazda RX-2, the car with the first rotary ever to come stateside. Their owners were all standing nearby and after a quick talk with each of them it was impressive to find that most of them had owned the cars since they were sixteen! (The owner of the RX-2 actually had a scrap book detailing with pictures the immense amount of work that it took to restore the vehicle.)

An unfortunate part of the search for the classics was the wishful thinking of seeing a few of them in the drifting competition. Although the drift event was quite furious, not even an AE86 made an appearance.

As the day quickly turned to night, it was becoming more obvious that the car scene doesn’t always stop to remember the originals that pushed the scene to where it is today. Those who appreciate the classics are a rare breed indeed. But those that understand where the culture has come from hold a truly unique love for the cars.

Why don’t we feature any of the other cars from HIN? Because you can find all the other cars featured everywhere else on the internet. Here at JDM Origins Magazine we look beyond the big rims and flashy stickers: we focus purely on the classics.

Looking For The Mazda Experience?

Chacko Xiong — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:52:23 +0000

The more we looked, the more we liked. We are definitely feeling the Mazda experience now, you should look too.

The JDM File: 80s

Charles Xiong — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:20:15 +0000

A video showcasing various Japanese Classics cars from the 1980s. Including a Mitsubishi Starion, Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86, Nissan Skyline RS-X, and Maxda Savanna RX7.