Before the cars, before the scene… this is where it all began.
Somehow, we bumped into a legend called Jamie at Osaka Auto Messe, and he works at Hayashi racing. He lives and breaths Hayashi and its amazing, he was kind enough to let us in and share the incredibly dense history of the brand with us. Here are the photos from visiting the workshop. visit Hayashi These are photos from the place where the very first aftermarket wheels in Japan came from and the people who started it all.
Visiting Yuasa was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in the car world. When he handed me the window you see above, it became one of those moments that stay with you for life.
I grew up obsessed with this era through old magazines and grainy photos, never imagining that one day I’d become friends with someone who had actually lived it, someone who played a real part in shaping that scene. The fact that Yuasa wanted to share pieces of that history with me made the experience feel even more special.
Meeting the people connected to that world, including Tadakoro, who openly credits Yuasa as a huge influence on where he is today, gave me a deeper appreciation for how much passion and history still live within this world.
I’ll keep the talking to a minimum here and let the photos from the recent video speak for themselves. Here are some of the things that caught my eye during the visit.
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Here are some photos from meeting up with Ryota Yuasa at Osaka Auto Messe. Visiting Messe had been on my list for many, many years, and when the opportunity finally came up, it turned into something even more special.
I picked Reuben up in Osaka, and together we met up with Ryota Yuasa and his partner at the event. It was Ryota’s first time attending a car show in many years, so getting to cruise through the halls with him was a really special experience. Watching him catch up with old friends, hearing his thoughts on different cars, and listening to his perspective on the event made the whole day unforgettable.
These are some of the moments and cars that caught my eye throughout the show. Enjoy the photos. Cheers.
Here are a few photos from my visit to Japfest in Poland. The first proper Japanese car show I ever attended was Japfest in Ireland way back, so it was epic to see how they did it over here. I was shocked because I came in with no expectations, and had mostly seen BMW stuff over the years, so this was a pleasant surprise. I’ll let the photos do the talking with the rest of this. I hope you enjoy a walk through the Polish Japanese car scene. Enjoy.
The world’s biggest AE86 festival at Fuji Speedway, AE86 culture at its absolute peak.
After finishing our road trip through Europe, we somehow ended up in Abu Dhabi.
Working on the KE70 again… I don’t know why I do this to myself, but here we are. Enjoy the chaos.
Tearing into the KE70 and finding a few surprises inside… interior out, wiring chaos, vents confusion, and a bit more progress on the build.
I finally found my dream 180SX… one of the last surviving 326 Power / Car Planner Zone demo cars from the mid-2000s Japanese drift era. And now I have to save it.
I spent seven years building my 86 to perfection… now I’m about to mess around with this KE70 DIY style.
After spending a full year driving my AE86 on the road, I wanted to share the honest truth about what it’s like to actually live with one of these Truenos.
After years of searching, we finally found Reuben at the shed. Working on his C33 Laurel.
A Toyota KE70 Corolla project imported from Bangkok, Thailand. This was an out of the blue machine, Ive always wanted a KE70 so I decided to jump at this.