Nissan Silvia S14 Looks Ready to Pick a Dog Fight

While not the first World War II fighter jet-themed automobile we've shown you, we can't remember seeing the motif applied to a Nissan Silvia S14 (sold as the 240SX in North America as the 200SX in Europe).

This one in particular is said to be inspired from German jet fighters and is distinguished by the attention to details, right up to a certain sign of an equilateral cross that appears on the rear bumper and front fenders – more commonly known as the Swastika, the most hated and prominent symbol of Nazi Germany.

Something tells us the owner of the car won't be making a lot of friends…

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Subaru Kicks Off Series Production of BRZ and Toyota 86 in Japan

Subaru held a special ceremony today at its Gunma factory in Ota-city, Japan, to mark the series production start of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 (named GT 86 in Europe) rear-wheel drive coupes. The presidents of both companies attended the event.

The factory, which will produce both models as well as the Impreza by March 2013, underwent several changes to cope with the extra capacity.

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Oops…Toyota 86 Coupe Drifts Into a Metal Barrier in Japan

Drifting a lightweight, rear-wheel drive coupe like the Toyota 86, which is Japan's version of the North American Scion FR-S and the European Toyota GT 86, on a wet parking lot can be loads of fun just as long as you accept the increased risk of losing control.

Which is what happened to one of the drivers trying out the 86 at a parking lot in Odaiba, Japan, last Friday on March 9.

Fortunately for the driver, he didn’t hit the metal barrier hard thus reducing the damages to the car. If you want to see what happened, head past the break for the video.

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Mazda CX-5 Orders in Japan Surpass Mazda’s Original Estimates by 8 Times in the First Month

Mazda revealed today that it has received close to 8,000 orders for its brand new CX-5 crossover in Japan since February 16.

Now, either the Hiroshima-based carmaker was extermely conservative in its projection or the locals have really taken to the new crossover because that figure is eight times the original monthly estimate of 1,000 sales.

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eBay Find: 1975 Datsun 620 Pickup Truck with Buick Small Block V8

While not on the radar of most collectors, vintage Japanese automobiles are slowly gaining followers in the States.

Found on eBay is this 1975 Datsun 620 pickup truck that has been restored but not to its original condition - at least not mechanically.

The owner of the relatively rare today 620 fitted the small truck with a 215 c.i. (3.5-liters) Buick small block V8 linked to a new all-wheel drive system, while he also jacked up the suspension.

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Boastful Ferrari 458 Driver in Trouble with the Police after YouTube Video

In yet another case of police using evidence from a YouTube video to warrant an arrest, a Japanese doctor from Japan has been caught and faces possible jail time after posting a clip of his drive in a Ferrari 458 Italia on the video-sharing website.

The 50-year old man placed a camera behind the driver's seat and recorded himself speeding along highways and coastal roads. The clip was filmed on the morning of April 24, 2011.

According to Japanese daily The Mainichi Daily News, in May, some angry YouTube users reported the video to the police who calculated that he was traveling at more than three times the 40km/h (25mph) speed limit at 124km/h (77mph).

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Nissan Plans to Revive Datsun Brand for Emerging Markets Including Russia, Indonesia and India

It's been more than two decades since Nissan Motors phased out its Datsun brand to strengthen its own company name.

But times and circumstances changes and here we are with Nissan now planning to wake up its old Datsun brand from the dead, according to a report from Japanese business daily Nikkei that was forwarded by Reuters.

The newspaper said that Nissan wants to use the Datsun brand name on a new lineup of low cost vehicles tailor made for emerging markets starting from 2014. The move is reminiscent of Renault's decision to buy out the Romanian automaker Dacia in 1999 for the same purpose.

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