On the top of the bubble financial system, Japan was in contrast to anything on the planet – its metropolis skyline gleamed with the promise of limitless prosperity, and its streets pulsed with the electrical vitality of a nation getting ready to an unprecedented future.
For a lot of, Tokyo represents that golden period – a metropolis remodeled by an explosion of inhabitants, infrastructure, and innovation within the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. And nothing embodies the bubble period fairly like Akihabara Electrical City. It’s the essence of Japan’s leap to international dominance in electronics manufacturing.
I’ve needed to shoot on this neon-drenched nook of Akihabara ever since I noticed Mark’s photographs of Junya-san’s WRC Impreza again in 2018. Once I began speaking to the proprietor of this FD3S, Ayato-san, I knew it was the proper automotive for the job.
Sprawling electronics megastores and sport arcades line the Electrical City streets. Exterior, cosplay ladies tout each harmless and questionable companies – a mirrored image of Japan’s outward modesty masking a devilish, behind-closed-doors tradition.
I keep in mind my first go to to Akihabara – stepping out of the JR station was an awesome sensory expertise. The streets buzzed with vitality, and J-Pop pumped from each retailer with an unexplainable politeness. Regardless of dwelling right here for 5 years now, I hadn’t been again to Electrical City since that first go to. This time – at 9:00pm on a Sunday – it felt quieter. Friday nights could also be livelier, however there was one thing about it – it appeared just like the occasion was over. It’s 2024, in spite of everything, and Japan’s financial bubble has been deflated for over 30 years.
So, what automotive might match this location? It has to scream ‘peak Japan.’ A Skyline GT-R? A Toyota Supra? Too apparent. Sure, the GT-R is the epitome of Japanese automotive design and mechanical excellence – however its iconic standing worldwide has made it a bit too… vanilla. It’s nonetheless Japanese at coronary heart, nevertheless it’s now not quintessentially so.
For me, the FD3S Mazda RX-7 is the true Japanese sports activities automotive.
Compact, stunning, with a timeless design and an modern (if barely bonkers) rotary engine – it’s like nothing else on the planet. And Ayato-san’s RX-7 hits the mark. It completely mirrors Japan’s rise and fall as essentially the most futuristic, essentially the most eccentric and superior automotive trade of its time.
The bottom automotive is a Sequence 6 Sort RZ, one in all solely 175 ever made, and Ayato-san is its second proprietor. However what actually units this uncommon FD aside is the physique equipment it wears.
That is the 97GT wide-body equipment designed by RE Amemiya for its 1997 Tokyo Auto Salon FD3S demo automotive (pictured above). Solely two kits had been made earlier than it was deemed too costly for mass manufacturing. We don’t know the whereabouts of the demo automotive – nevertheless it was both repurposed or scrapped – so Ayato-san’s 97GT equipment is prone to be the one surviving instance.
The RE Amemiya 97GT demo automotive featured a naturally aspirated 20B three-rotor peripheral ported engine with MoTeC administration, backed up by a Supra 6-speed transmission. Ayato-san’s automotive continues to be powered by its authentic 13B-REW engine. Nonetheless, it’s now bridge-ported and has traded its twin sequential turbochargers for a giant single HKS GTIII-4R. With 400PS on faucet, it will get alongside very properly, and its titanium exhaust system, made by RE Amemiya in collaboration with Ito Syokai, ensures that its ported pulse is heard loud and clear.
I’m unsure if it was Ayato-san’s neo-goth aesthetic that influenced me, however the second I noticed his automotive parked in Electrical City, I couldn’t assist however consider H.R. Giger’s designs for Alien. The sculpted rear bumper and natural curves of the fender cutaways resemble the armoured physique of an alien insect from a distant galaxy.
So, the place on earth did Ayato-san discover this uncommon piece of Japanese tuning historical past? Yahoo! Auctions Japan, after all. The RX-7 sporting the equipment was coated in moss and prepared for the scrapyard, however Ayato-san took a bet, hoping a storage might efficiently restore and refit the 97GT aero on his freshly acquired Sort RZ.
Finally, the specialist work was carried out by Matsuda Automotive Physique. The equipment required some fibreglass restore, however care was taken to not alter its authentic form.
Initially, Ayato-san ran the equipment’s authentic rear wing and the identical 17-inch RE Amemiya AW-7 wheels seen on the demo automotive, however he’s since modified up the look with just a few modern touches. The FD sits on Desmond RegaMaster EVO II wheels – 18×10-inch +15 throughout – whereas the entrance bumper has been fitted with a carbon fibre splitter and canards. The large rear wing continues to be an RE Amemiya piece, however this time of GT300 design.
I typically marvel what Japan would appear like at this time if its financial system had continued on its futuristic trajectory after 1991. For those who’d requested a vacationer in 1990 what Akihabara Electrical City may appear like in 2024, they’d most likely have described one thing out of Blade Runner 2049. However the reality is, Japan peaked within the ’90s, and issues haven’t modified as drastically as we’d hoped. ASIMO now seems to be like a Tamagotchi in comparison with the humanoids being constructed by Boston Dynamics.
Geoeconomics are past our management, and Japanese automotive giants like Mazda, Subaru, Toyota, and Nissan are at their mercy. We will’t change the previous, however we are able to preserve driving it – simply as Ayato-san is doing along with his 97GT Mazda RX-7.
Toby Thyer
Instagram _tobinsta_
tobythyer.co.uk
