Drifting and Time Attack
The king of drifting, Keiichi Tsuchiya, introduced Japan to a new sport in the '80s based on technique, and skills, while maintaining absolute car control. Tsuchiya and Option magazine introduced their first drift competition call 'Ikkaten' as rookie competitors like Orido Manabu and Nobuteru Taniguchi honed their drifting skills and gained notoriety at a young age. Today, the D1 Grand Prix has taken the U.S. market by storm as drifting has largely influenced both east and west coast drift enthusiasts to purchase and build their very own Nissan S13 or Toyota AE86 drift machines, complete with robust over fenders, large offset wheels, and intricate body kits that often cost more than the vehicles themselves.Road racing on a sanctioned track isn't a new concept by any means in the U.S., but the term "time attack" is often used by our Japanese friends to describe what we commonly refer to as a "time trial." With JDM street vehicles eclipsing the 500hp marker, Japanese performance tuners were in search of translating power and handling improvments into the fastest qualifying lap around the various courses. Numerous magazine publications such as Super Street and Modified Magazine have taken the "time attack" concept and turned it into a popular event for U.S. and visiting Japan drivers as competitors compete for the fastest lap times and bragging rights across the states.
Front End Conversions
Chances are, at one time or another you either owned or knew of someone who upgraded their cars with a set of clear corner lights. As quickly as the clear corner light trend grew in popularity, it slowly became a dying fad. The more serious JDM enthusiasts stepped things up a notch as they enlisted the help of various companies to ship complete front ends from Honda Type R's or Nissan Silvia's with the goal of replicating their JDM counterpart and authenticate the genuine look.
Magazines
Keeping up with the latest in JDM trends usually meant either spending thousands of dollars in airplane fares to Japan or more simply visiting the local Japanese book store to purchase the newest Option or Rev Speed Magazine. Option magazine has been an invaluable source for U.S. car enthusiasts for the last quarter century as readers catch glimpse of the hottest trends and growing fads from across the sea. While 2NR began researching many of the JDM influences to filter into the U.S., we managed to track down a reprint of the very first Option Magazine dating back to the early '80s. We also took the time to snap shots of various Rev Speed magazines from distributor's more-japan.com, based in Torrance Calif.
Aftermarket Wheels
Today's aftermarket JDM wheels and their eclectic designs have been a major contributing factor among the growth of the aftermarket import market. Today's more popular JDM wheels are more subtle in appearance, with less chrome and more focus on performance. According to JAWA (Japan Light Alloy Wheel Association) records, the first three-piece rim developed in Japan was in 1971 by Speed Star Racing otherwise known as SSR. The Mark -1 (MK-1) which looked similar to America's Centerline rims was proceeded by the next generation of three-piece wheels known as the MK-2 during the same year. In 1972, the MK-3 completed the Mark series as the first-known company to develop a true three-piece wheel within the JDM market. Over thirty years have elapsed since the debut of the MK series, but exciting news has recently developed as all three rims have recently been on the comeback trail after more than three generations. Tanabe USA has begun selling new batches of these once-rare wheels to the general public along with its optional center caps. The image shown above portrays the MK-1 on the left, MK-2 in the center and MK-3 to the right.
Carbon-Fiber Hoods and Aerodynamics
Carbon fiber spawns the dawn of a new era as fiberglass body panels, hoods, and wings have become second best to this lightweight and durable product. Carbon fiber has been available for over fifty years with its earliest history in the aerospace and military industries. Although FORD designed a carbon-fiber composite prototype vehicle in 1977, it was Japan who implemented CF onto their daily drivers and weekend track cars. JDM manufacturers began using carbon-fiber products to decrease weight while other companies sold the CF concept from an aesthetical approach, offering its unique looks and contemporary styling to sport compact enthusiasts. Carbon-fiber GT wings, diffusers and canards made their way onto the JDM market as all three products brought aerodynamics and functionality to vehicles participating in time attack or drifting competitions. The HKS CT230R EVO, shod in a full carbon body is a prime example of sophisticated engineering and lightweight carbon body construction as the vehicle set a new course record at Tsukuba Circuit in 2006 with a time of 53.999 seconds. Amazing indeed! Shown here is the Nagisa Auto R34 Skyline attacking the Tsukuba Circuit.
Turbo Timers
While we can't prove that Japan was the first nation to develop the turbo timer, we found an intriguing piece of history from HKS that dates back to the early 1980's-and by the looks of ancient piece, you know this thing is old school! The turbo timer proved to be an invaluable tool among performance enthusiasts as the engine goes through a cool-down period to prevent premature turbo wear and failure. Today, we find this simple, yet effective electronic device used in every performance turbo vehicle, ranging from mild to wild.
VIP Cars
Perhaps the newest trend to catch U.S. influence is known as the VIP or "bippu" craze. Taking a page from Japans generation of older teens and middle aged adults, U.S. car enthusiasts have turned towards the more upscale and approachable lifestyle when modifying their vehicles. Vehicles slammed on air suspension while retaining an ultra-sleek and stealthy look is a growing trend that has traversed around the globe.