When GT-R Meets Go Wild
Pics and videos from around an underground show that no one saw coming.
Happy Race Day! especially to the 13th annual Little Car Show. Our friend Elana Scherr at Car And Driver delivered this delightful piece recently.
Thanks to everyone who read my book update last week. Getting this project across the finish line has been a beast. But it’s also been a joy, and I can’t wait to show you when it’s ready.
This week’s update is that the book is currently with Editor No. 2 for another round of revisions. That means I’ve got a little time to rest, plan for the launch and prep to make the final changes it needs before publication.
And now, on with our main story this week.
The Underground GT-R Meet to End Them All
Sean Lee told me he was expecting “maybe 100 people.” We both knew that was a lie.
But neither of us expected 400-500 people.
Lee had organized and promoted a recent meet for Nissan enthusiasts at Aerowerkz Motorsport a few weeks back. The show was in an obscure part of the City of Industry. And it was on a weekday evening. Surely it wouldn’t get that big.
But Lee is the head of Purist Group, a leading association of enthusiasts in SoCal with an outsized influence on the scene. The event also included a first look at the new Nissan Nismo Z, making it available to the public just days after its first appearance. And Hiroshi Tamura, the man behind both the Z and the GT-R, was on hand straight from Japan to sign autographs. In hindsight, there was no way it wouldn’t explode.
People took over the tiny Aerowerkz parking lot, and gawking fans took over 3-4 neighboring lots trying to get in.
Fans waited for hours in line to get autographs from Lee and Tamura. They carried diecast cars, photos and posters, or entire parts of their car. One person had removed the entire dashboard from their Nissan and brought it inside for Tamura to sign.
The cars that people brought were also remarkable. Every iteration of the Skyline GT-R, from R32 to R33 and R34, was on hand despite the fact that R34 GT-Rs are largely — not always, but largely — illegal to import into the country for another four months.
This was a celebration of people who were in the know to even find out about it, and in the know to understand why these cars are worth celebrating.
This event and others like it are the type that I hoped to chase when I started my GT-R book. Ones that brought out rare, heavy-hitting cars as well as the people who appreciate them most.
And appreciate them they did. The line remained, bursting outside the doors of the workshop and into the parking lot from 7:00pm to the time I left at 11:45pm. Friends who were parked inside told me later that they weren’t able to leave until 1:00am.
We are currently at a new height of GT-R Fever in this country. The obsession with these cars has never been higher. But it could grow higher still, as the pressure builds until R34 GT-Rs are legal to import in January 2024. And then once they’re legal, increased numbers could lead to more R34-specific celebrations and meets.
The cops showed up at one point, drawn by the massive crowd overflowing into the street, and Lee stepped away from the autograph table to walk them around, showing off the coolest versions and explaining the roots of GT-R culture.
He introduced the officers to some friends and then turned to me and we locked eyes. “One hundred people, huh?” I said. Lee put his hands up to declare his innocence.
“Hey, I had no idea,” he said with a wink.
Culture
Last week I showed you the video I made from the Pit+Paddock GT-R event. That was a much more carefully organized and curated collection.
This week I’ve got a short clip featuring a GT-R owner at the Aerowerkz event. I filmed a couple just like this one with different important GT-R owners and figures so subscribe to the channel below to see those when they go up!
And Finally…
Just to add some additional context to the GT-R meet, check out the photo below. That’s a blue Bugatti, a yellow Lamborghini and a red Ferrari all lined up in a row. But all anyone wanted to talk about was the purple GT-R in front. Speaks volumes.
Drive hard and be safe. Black Lives Matter.
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