We flew to Japan to find out if Tokyo Auto Salon is worth the hype. Here’s an in-depth walk around to see if it’s still worth visiting.
Experience the wild world of Japan’s tiniest race cars at Fuji Speedway.
In this deep dive, we uncover the incredible story of this S13 180sx, the origins of Mitsuru Haruguchi, 326 Power and a shop called Car Planner Zone.
In this deep dive, we uncover the incredible story of this S13 180sx, the origins of Mitsuru Haruguchi, 326 Power and a shop called Car Planner Zone.
After 18 years, I finally own my dream 180SX! Built by Zone and Designed by 326 Power in Japan, this car survived Europe and returned to Ireland. Now, it’s time to share its wild history!
After 18 years of chasing this 326 Power RPS13 180SX from the peak of the JDM import boom to today, it’s finally mine. This Auto Salon demo car has spent almost 15 years in Ireland, surviving the highs and lows of the import scene and the recession. Let’s look closer at what a high-end JDM import looks like after two decades on Irish soil.
This is the story of Ireland’s top 40 + famous cars from the Forgotten JDM Car Boom. We deep dive into why so many famous Japanese icons ended up in Ireland and what happened to them.
An Irish car show, especially when it’s not raining, is always a good time. Here are some photos from Japfest, a year ago, where a wide variety of the finest cars in Ireland made an appearance. These events bring a lot of cool machines out of the woodwork, from classic to modern, and it’s a gentle reminder as to just how much interesting stuff exists in this tiny country. Enjoy this little photoset from that event.
There’s a unique camaraderie that comes with hunting for car parts in an old farm barn, perched on the side of a mountain in rural Ireland, especially in the midst of a storm. Conor’s old Corolla brought us endless entertainment that night as we managed to get it fired up for some E36 vision bits. These shared adventures are always my favourite, and perhaps the most rewarding part of chasing car parts around Ireland. The interesting guys we meet and the funny stories we share at the end of it all strengthen our bond and make these experiences even more memorable.
Exploring a shed on a Mountain with a collection of BMWs, an RX7 and much more!
A flash back to my time owning a BMW. From the drift car to the road car I had hoped to reshell some of the good parts from. Eventually, I made the tough decision to pull the plug on the BMW life. I was in search of a new challenge, and that’s when I stumbled upon the allure of crusty Japanese misery, which came in the form of the 180sx and the KE70. Regardless, here are some photos as a little trip down memory lane on what could have been. The E36 is in good hands now and I feel it deserves an update video over the next few months.
We buy an abandoned BMW E36 Project that’s been sitting since 2008!
Drifting pioneer Ryota Yuasa shares stories from the early days of the sport that have remained untold for over two decades.
Part two of our Final bout photo dump consists of Saturday and Sunday of the event; I blended both days into the video we just did as it made for a better watch. I was surprised these videos didn’t do well on the channel, but what can you do? Either way, the drifting is nonstop all day Saturday and goes on into the night until about 11 PM, which is so cool.
Tunes are blaring through the system, and they have a best team drift event, followed by a tandem battle where the top guy battles against the Japanese driver over the ship. It’s such a cool even as you are also judged on the style of the car, which aids for points at the end of the day. Here is a sizable photo set from the two days of action. I hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions, drop a comment below. Cheers.
I’ve split the Final bout photos into two posts because there are many. I enjoy photos, and this blog has become a place for pictures and little writing, which is good as my images are better than how I construct a sentence. I will start here on Friday evening when we arrive at USAir in Shawano. Being Irish, the first thing I have to comment on is the weather; that perfect midwest summer sun was working wonders for anything I pointed the camera at. I wish we got more of those golden hour days in Ireland; regardless, please enjoy the selection of photos from the first night we got to FinalBout, as I feel some of these photos will be a good inspiration for others on how to approach a chassis, a lot of these guys have it figured out. It was great to see this stuff all packed into one venue.