Shane is a reserved character. Like I said in the recent video about this car, he keeps to himself. On social media, the odd post here or there about his car pops up, and he’s never actively posting the cool stuff he’s posting in his shed at home.
When I saw his Levin pop up online, it instantly caught my attention. Inspired by the Young Version / Run free collaboration car that famously graced the pages of Hyper Rev magazine and was done pretty much to perfection, I had to reach out and chat.
Although I love Watanabes, I never felt like they suited this car as much as the other wheels. Maybe a combination of tyre profile and the wrong colour for the wheels themselves, id was a little too plain for the look.
I love when something comes through the inbox that stands out. This lovely 2 door was freshly snapped by an up and coming young chap known as Dylan Walsh who’s just fifteen years of age and already has a great eye for cars and photography.
Almost hidden in the corner of the Toyota gathering a few months back was this AE86. The owner was a little taken back by my interest in it. I tend to obsess over cars with a little character; cars we wish could only speak and share their tales, with faded team stickers, dents holes and scuffs.
Where to begin really? This whole thing started as an idea few weeks back, well a concrete idea that is. This plan literally fell into place in less than ten days.
What I enjoy most about this event is how varied the selection is, not narrowed down to only drift enthusiasts or classic car its a perfect cocktail of car people right across the board and anything, literally anything can make an appearance. Check this KP pickup for example, something I have never seen before. A crazy idea!
We found a nice piece of abandoned road, a perfect location that Takumi himself would be happy with, this car will be completely different soon so we decided it was right to feature the Trueno as it looks now, sporting an Iconic attire. The car is almost looked like a perfect replica of Takumi’s car from the infamous Initial D, a manga cartoon which Takumi Fujiwara, an eighteen year old who helps his father run a tofu shop by making deliveries every morning, the deliveries are made in the AE86 and have spawned an array of stages where illegal street racers challenge Takumi in his humble Trueno. Initial D is one of the reasons why the AE86 has become so popular over the last ten years across the world. The Panda colour scheme of a Zenki Trueno sporting some Watanabe wheels instantly reminds people of Initial D.
What I love about Japfest is the amount of racing and activities that are on throughout the day as well as the show thats inside the paddock. It can be a somewhat overhwleming task to cover everything as you have time attack, Prodrift, drag racing and track time on all at the same time. There’s something for everyone.
The one thing that never gets old about Ireland, is the quality of cars that are hiding in this country. Just when you think you’ve seen most of them you always hear about something new and are amazed and want to know more. I’m glad we could bring you another installment of yes another shed filled with awesomeness. Heading up a back road in the middle of nowhere and then watching the door slide across to reveal an n2 arched 2 door Levin really is something. The iconic look of an 86 wearing a Dunlop sticker up front is the first thing to hit you. Its great to see true enthusiasts and the place where they pretty much spend most of their free time. Here is another peek into a shed packed with more Toyota goodness.
Scrolling through the usual bullshit on Bookface and this magically appeared and made me smile….If it wasn’t for the Irish reg on the Trueno behind this Levin you would probably think its somewhere in Japan because of the infamous petrol station photos we always see. Such a perfectly executed AE86. I know there has been two posted today but whose complaining?
Another example of why we love the land of the rising sun that much, An ER34 and some RS Watanabe Type R’s. A combination you would never think about working this good. Let’s hope that things don’t get any worse over there.
It was only about 20 or so years ago the E70 was a common sight on Irish roads. Finding one these days is as rare as an Irish summer. Lets face it back in the day these cars didn’t look this appealing. In fact they were pretty a pretty basic saloon from Toyota. They got people from A to B and back again in a reliable Toyota fashion. As time went on, general wear and tear accompanied by great Irish weather took its toll on the E70 and many of its old friends. Most of what was left has either been left to return to the soil while the others have been long crushed.
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Seen this a while back but didn’t have the site going to post it. So if you havent seen this enjoy.. and lets hope she drives it hahaha
