As most of us tend to stay in our circles amongst the scene, a lot of cars never really come out of hiding for us to be exposed to here at Juicebox. This little B series is stunning.
Being away for a few years I really didn’t know what top expect at Japfest this year, if you were following the nonsense on the Instagram story, we went a little over board but it was with no regrets. Japfest an end of year calendar for most of the stuff we are into and most of the cars either come off of the road or go into hibernation for the winter.
A lot of people made it down regardless of situations that sprang up which either on the day or close to it. Somehow the weather was on our sides which enticed people to make the journey down. I genuinely would not have held the event if there was a monsoon of Irish rain.
A little short video taking a look at a car with a long history. This is the original BNs13 demo car from Japan, the car eventually landed in the hands of someone who wanted to give it a refresh and this is the result. Quite possibly one of the most enjoyable s13’s the emerald isle has ever seen…
Events in Ireland really do bring out the gems, it gives people an excuse to get their pride and joy out for the day. With all the heat being on the IDC event we took a cruise through the paddock to see what was about.
So its been enjoyable recapping when I get the chance, putting together these side stories on where I have been at since I departed Ireland over two years ago. For many longtime readers of the ramblings on here, you are aware that one part of Juicebox (Neil) is living in Canada and sort of taking a break from things. In the last one of these posts I was living in Edmonton, so about this time last year I made my way over to Vancouver, I couldn’t hack the snow. I decided to take the train back across Canada, something I would highly recommend to anyone, the scenery is almost too much to process.
I got a chance to tag along with the Low Brain Drifters and Luke Fink as they headed to the Alps to take on the French 1500 metres above sea level inside the clouds. A pretty unique event.
Another year another Japfest, the time when anything can come out of the woodwork to say hello.
Ive always been a huge fan of Julian and his sense of style when building the Low Brain drift car. The car has always attracted a serious crowd in each of its incarnations over the years and they guys have always had always managed to match the looks with an exciting driver, making a perfect blend of drift display. This year good friend Martin Ffrench has been piloting the car in what I think is the best the car has ever looked.
Ah yes, the Rps13….. a chassis know to pretty much any person who has an interest in Japanese cars, otherwise referred to as the 180sx or the 200sx/240 depending on where you are reading this from. This chassis was made for ten years and has dominated the drift scene for pretty much the same amount of time. I have no doubts that the RPs13 will have as much of a cult following for the next thirty years as the AE86 following has shaped into at the minute, both cars are perfect mascots for the activity we love so much…. The s13 chassis is easily one of the best FR platforms to ever come out of Japan.
Some of the stuff over the last two decades to come out of Japan has left far more of an impact than others. For instance the s13 itself has had such a powerful following pretty much anywhere around the globe that people could get their hands on one. I’ve always been a massive fan of the late 90’s early 00’s drift style, personally I felt that drift car style peaked around this era.. big wheels, over fenders and the perfect stance, if you don’t believe me Google the BN s13 or the 326 power FC that Haraguchi drove or even the works 9 auto salon 13, or even take a look at any of the old D1 option videos on you tube from the turn of the millennium The BN Defend kit was one of those ideas that to quite a few, didn’t sound good on paper, but somehow it ended up being easily one of the best wide body kits for any of the Drift super star cars we know today.
The second round of Prodrift took place at Punchestown. This year all of the elements were very un-Irish. The track was long and fast as hell, and the heat was definitely borrowed from Spain or somewhere warm for the weekend. Getting scorched in the unfamiliar sun was something you couldn’t really complain about as cars did one or two laps of a set of tires. It was a nice sight to behold indeed.