Author: Dino Dalle Carbonare
In all my years in Japan I’ve never seen an influx of tourists like I actually have within the last two years because the country opened up post-pandemic. And rightly so, there’s a lot to see, visit, do and naturally eat, oh and if you happen to occur to be a automobile guy or gal, then you definitely’re in luck as there’s never been a greater time to truly see the automobile culture in all its glory. With famed parking areas like Daikoku and Umihotaru having been became popular destinations for the countless corporations and individuals on the market offering…
Six years, six SH Garage updates, and Project 964 is finally getting the most important upgrade yet. Scratch that – this can be a full-on transformation! All of it began with a temporary chat I had with Akira Nakai of RAUH-Welt Begriff just before we were about to board a plane to Malaysia for the opening of the RWB Museum in Johor in January 2018. While the museum is long gone, the agreement made during that conversation has held up through every part that’s happened since, bringing us to this moment. That’s where we decided that my recently acquired, semi-barn-find,…
For me, patience isn’t concerning the ability to attend; it’s about the way you approach the wait. It’s been two years since my last Project 964 update, and quite a bit has happened since. After addressing the water ingress issues that required all the interior carpeting and foam to be pulled out, the 31-year-old 911 had more unwanted surprises for me. Nevertheless it’s how I handled those challenges that allowed me to maintain moving forward. The speedometer, the oil cooler fan, the tail lamps, the symptoms all began playing up, after which, just as I used to be beginning to…
Exclusivity is what sells within the automotive world today. With so many sports and performance cars in the marketplace, you’d think most individuals could be content together with your regular OEM options. Yet, for those craving prestige, there’s all the time that desire for something extra. Enter Novitec and their N-Largo series. Immediately we’re witnessing a revival of bespoke craftsmanship harking back to the Nineteen Thirties, ’40s, and ’50s. Back then, coach builders meticulously hand-formed aluminum panels to skin chassis from Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, and plenty of other high-end manufacturers. Today, we go for wide-body conversions and composite materials…
Last 12 months was my first visit to the large Anime Matsuri event in the guts of Houston, Texas. The allure of hunting out cars at an anime convention drew me back for 2024. Anime Matsuri’s atmosphere is exclusive, mixing subcultures I’m only mildly accustomed to alongside ones I deeply embrace. While, like every Italian of my generation, I grew up watching over-dubbed Japanese anime on Italian TV, I’m nowhere near an anime otaku (nerd). I’m, nevertheless, a licensed automotive otaku, and while I felt like just a little fish out of the water on the 2023 Anime Matsuri this…
Apologies if I start this post off on a rather negative note, but knowing what 7’s Day (7/7) was once like in Japan, it’s hard to not be concerned at the dearth of participants that turned as much as the official unofficial Daikoku PA get-together this past weekend. While it has been a bit quieter lately, the low turnout on Sunday late afternoon/early evening may very well be attributed to the annual 7’s Day event held at Mobara Circuit, which fell on 7/7 this 12 months. Most owners who attended would have skipped dropping by Daikoku PA on the way in which…