If you’re like me, then you probably can’t get enough of seeing the awesomeness that always shows up at events like the idlers Games. As we have seen over the last few days it is very much all about the passion for racing, how people approach it and what they do with their cars. It’s [...]
I’ve decided to kick off this first Spotlight from the idlers Games in Tsukuba with what was physically-speaking the largest car there, and probably also the biggest surprise. I mean, if you asked me to name 50 cars I thought were the best fit for an idlers Club event, I would never, ever, utter the [...]
Japan for some reason manages to do grassroots racing so much better than any country I’ve seen. It might be the incredible mix of cars, the balls-out and skilful driving, the way in which they don’t seem to give a damn about tuning and losing authenticity for the pursuit of speed. Actually, it’s especially this [...]
After a hearty breakfast and a last minute dip into the onsen, the second day of the Marronier Run was going to be all about admiration. I headed out to the front of the Hotel nice and early so that I could make full use of the beautiful morning light that was just breaking over [...]
I’m so glad I decided to go to the Hobby Garage in Kuki the other day. Had I not, I don’t think I would have ever understood what “custom” really means to RC car enthusiasts in Japan. If you thought what you saw in yesterday’s post was impressive, well all I can say is scroll [...]
The Geneva Motor Show wasn’t just about Italian supercars by any means. Covering seven halls, Geneva is as much about the mainstream as the exotics and tuners, with standard city cars, electro-wagons and commute-mobiles with their green credentials vying for people’s attention. Which I will get to. But then you come across something like a [...]
The 2013 Geneva Salon International De L’Auto opened today, and as has been heavily trailed in the weeks leading up to the event there has been a whole slew of new cars and concepts revealed at the show. I’ll be taking a more detailed look across the myriad of manufacturer, styling and tuner displays in [...]
I expected some impressive vintage racing cars for sure at Race Retro, the UK’s big historic racing meet, but not the staggering range and quality of metal that was on show, or the variety of events that were being promoted. In every set of circuit racers, rally machines and single seaters there would be at [...]
It’s often hard to comprehend just how vast and deep automotive culture and passion spans in Japan. Last year I had the chance to help put together a program that attempted to show just this, looking at some of the biggest names out there. It was a pity it was only shown in Japan, but we all knew it wouldn’t be long before it was released online. It’s over forty minutes long so sit back and enjoy the show.
-Dino Dalle Carbonare
More...You just can’t hinder passion. It’s always interesting to see how the love of cars has no borders, you can travel to any country around the world and find enthusiasts willing to share their love of cars with you. That is exactly the position Luke Huxham found himself on his recent trip to Thailand where he crossed paths with Mr. A, who has created a very special garage to store his precious vintage car collection and also create a place for his friends to hang out in. Take a look at the impressive line up of machinery…and wheels…he has collected over the years.
-Dino Dalle Carbonare
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It’s right back at Daikoku PA now for a final look at the other day’s supercar gathering. During the few hours that I was there I literally never stopped walking around, because as cars left, more kept coming in. By around lunch time the lot was so full that a many were forced to park [...]
Japan is such a special place. Its car culture runs so deep and is so widespread it’s almost unbelievable it can keep so detached from the mainstream. If you live your day to day life in Japan your exposure to cars will be very uninspiring, a sea of vans of all sizes, eco cars and the odd import make up the majority of the carscape on the roads. Ads on TV are the same, everything is eco-related, nothing that unleashes even the remotest of emotion. Dig a bit deeper however, and you will be astonished at your findings. That is what Retro Car Kings is all about. This all new program which I worked on earlier in the year will air on Discovery Channel Japan this coming Saturday at 5 pm and will showcase shops that we all know and love, places like RWB, TA-Auto and Rocky Auto as well as others we have yet to cover on Speedhunters. For now the program will only be aired in Japan but maybe will be shown elsewhere in the near future through the power of the internet.
見てください！
-Dino Dalle Carbonare
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I thought I’d start off this second post from this weekend’s Hot Rod & Custom Show with what has to be the most memorable car I saw there. I think it perfectly sums up what the custom car scene is all about in Japan, an obvious ability to not only emulate, interpret and evolve what [...]
The Brooklands Autumn festival wasn’t called Motorsport Day for nothing: the sounds of competition engines echoed off the banking and buildings of the 100-year-old oval track. And what better sound than the scream of a Formula 1 Benetton taking to the Mercedes-Benz World test track in the middle of the oval? It was enough to [...]
Another week down and another eclectic mix of submissions from you! We’ve had a huge response to both of last week’s #IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER stories and the submissions have been flooding in. On one hand this is a good thing for obvious reasons, but on the other there’s just not enough room on the internet for each [...]
