On the peak of the bubble financial system, Japan was not like anything on the planet—its metropolis skyline sparkled with the promise of limitless prosperity, and its streets pulsed with the electrical power of a nation on the point of an unprecedented future.

For a lot of, Tokyo represents that golden age—a metropolis reworked by an explosion of inhabitants, infrastructure, and innovation within the 70s, 80s, and 90s. And nothing embodies the bubble period like Akihabara Electrical City. It’s at the coronary heart of Japan’s leap to international dominance in electronics manufacturing.

I have been eager to shoot on this neon-drenched nook of Akihabara ever since I noticed Mark’s photographs of Junya-san’s WRC Impreza in 2018. After I began speaking to the proprietor of this FD3S, Ayato-san, I knew it was the right automotive for the job.

Sprawling digital mega-stores and gaming arcades line the Electrical City streets. Exterior, cosplay ladies flaunt providers each harmless and doubtful—a mirrored image of Japan’s outward modesty masking a diabolical, behind-the-doors tradition.

I keep in mind my first trip to Akihabara—stretching out of the JR station was an awesome sensory expertise. The streets had been buzzing with power, and J-Pop pumped out of each retailer with an inexplicable politeness. Regardless of residing right here for 5 years now, I have never been again to Electrical City since that first go to. This time, at 9pm on a Sunday, it felt quieter. Friday nights may be livelier; however, there was one thing about it: it appeared just like the occasion was over. In any case, it’s 2024, and Japan’s financial bubble has been deflated for greater than 30 years.

So, what automotive can match this location? It ought to scream ‘peak Japan’. A Skyline GT-R? A Toyota Supra? Too clear. Sure, the GT-R is the epitome of Japanese automotive design and mechanical excellence; however, its iconic standing worldwide has left it a bit too… vanilla. It is nonetheless Japanese at coronary heart, but it surely’s probably not that method anymore.

To me, the FD3S is the Mazda RX-7, the true Japanese sports automotive.

Compact, lovely, with a timeless design and a modern (if barely bonky) rotary engine—it is like nothing else on the planet. And Ayato-san’s RX-7 hits the mark. It completely displays Japan’s rise and fall as essentially the most futuristic, essentially the most eccentric and superior automotive business of its time.

The bottom automotive is a Collection 6 Sort RZ, certainly one of solely 175 ever made, and Ayato-san is its second proprietor. However, what actually sets this uncommon FD aside is the physique package it wears.

That is the 97GT extensive physique package designed by RE Amemiya for his 1997 Tokyo Auto Salon FD3S demo automotive (pictured above). Solely two units had been made earlier than they had been deemed too costly for mass manufacturing. We do not know the place the demo automotive is, but it surely was both reused or scrapped, so Ayato-san’s 97GT package will doubtless be the one surviving instance.

The RE Amemiya 97GT demo automotive ran a naturally aspirated 20B tri-rotor peripheral port engine with MoTeC, backed by a Supra 6-speed transmission. Ayato-san’s automotive remains to be powered by its unique 13B-REW engine. Nonetheless, it has now been bridged and swapped its two sequential turbochargers for a giant single HKS GTIII-4R. With 400 PS on the faucet, it handles very properly, and its titanium exhaust system, crafted by RE Amemiya in collaboration with Ito Syokai, ensures its ported pulse is heard loud and clear.

I am undecided if it was Ayato-san’s neo-goth aesthetic that influenced me; however, the second I noticed his automotive parked in Electrical City, I could not assist; however, I relate to HR Giger’s designs for Stranger. The sculpted rear bumper and natural curves of the fender cutouts resemble the armored physique of an alien insect from a distant galaxy.

So where on earth did Ayato-san discover this uncommon piece of Japanese historical past? Yahoo! Auctions Japan, pure. The RX-7 that carried the package was lined in moss and prepared for the scrap yard; however, Ayato-san took a bet and hoped {that a} storage may efficiently restore and adapt the 97GT aero on his newly acquired Sort RZ.

Lastly, the specialist work was carried out by Matsuda Automotive Physique. The set wants some fiberglass restoration; however, care has been taken to not change its unique form.

Initially, Ayato-san used the package’s unique rear wing and the identical 17-inch RE Amemiya AW-7 wheels seen on the demo automotive; however, he has since modified the look with some modern touches. The FD sits on Desmond RegaMaster EVO II wheels (18×10-inch +15 throughout), whereas the entrance bumper is fitted with a carbon fiber splitter and canards. The enormous rear wing remains to be an RE Amemiya piece, however, this time of GT300 design.

I typically surprise what Japan would appear like in the present day if its financial system had continued on its futuristic trajectory after 1991. If you happen to have 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 that Japan peaked within the 90s, and issues have not modified as drastically as we would have hoped. ASIMO now appears like a Tamagotchi in comparison with the humanoids being constructed by Boston Dynamics.

Geo-economics is past our management, and Japanese automotive giants resembling Mazda, Subaru, Toyota, and Nissan are at their mercy. We will not change the previous; however, we are able to hold driving—similar to what Ayato-san does along with his 97 GT Mazda RX-7.

Toby Thyer
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