There's an extra level of magic when you meet enthusiasts and owners at events like Japanese car fest. The overcast skies did little to dampen the palpable atmosphere of child-like glee. The sight of so many unusual and highly unique modified vehicles in one place is almost too much to take in.
Genuine Spoon shell, built by Eurotech the previous BTCC winning team. This car was a spare shell during the time that Eurotech were campaigning the DC5 Type Rs and has subsequently never been raced. It was then made into a PR car and made up with new, genuine Honda parts. The build also includes a full T45 International Custom Cages.
2008, the financial crash.. Imagine having no choice but to sell a 1994 NSX-R for £32,000. Thirty.. Two.. Thousand.. Pounds. And not just any NSX-R, an NSX-R that went straight to Mugen in 1994 for just shy of 2,000,000 Yen of upgrades including headers, ECU, 4.4 final drive and LSD. A car that was quite simply; unique. I had spent my year with this car wondering if I had hit the pinnacle of motoring at just 27 years of age..
Launched in Japan in 1983, the Toyota Corolla GT Coupe needs no introduction. Oft-referred to as "AE86" in reference to its chassis code; it's a drifting legend and a keen driver's delight. But there's one AE86 that's more famous than any other; the white-over-black model that appeared in classic Manga series "Initial D" in 1995, and in the live-action remake of 2005.
A lot has changed since the first update.. The RG Coilovers are gone, the Fujitsubo muffler is gone, more FEEL's goodies and Ohlins!
So why keep it NA? Why ITBS? I'm old (school). All motor power may produce lower hp figures but the way they drive I find more rewarding and has longevity. Throttle response is almost instant.Each time you attack a lap your mistakes are highlighted, you don't have 500hp to squirt down the straights to make up for your mistakes in the complex bits of a track. I believe this can give you a longer learning curve and more appreciation for minor adjustments to the setup of a car..
After inspection this FD2 was exactly what I was looking for. Up at USS Nagoya (our preferrd house), Grade 4.5, 65k km, 1 owner in Japan and a few nice goodies including RG coilovers and Fujitsubo Authorize RM cat back. Interior was Grade B but had very little sign of wear, the rear seats still had the delivery stickers on them and I don't think they've been sat in much. A good test is the rear seat belt retraction. Higher km cars tend to not be as smooth going back in.
Being around Japanese imports since the late 90s (over half of my life) I respect the companies that have developed parts for so many of the cars I've owned and admired. From the early days when only the likes of HKS, Apexi and Blitz were freely available here to the internet boom; Hundreds of companies have come and gone and in more recent years the rise of copies, counterfeit and fake shit has spread across the scene like a cancer.
