D1GP Odaiba - Tokyo Drift Part 3: The Party

As we wrapped up the D1 season in Part 2 and looked at some awesome D1machines in Part 1, many thought that I would leave the event and move on to something else,


but nothing could be further from the truth as things are never that simple in the Land of the Rising Sun, especially when it comes to automotive events.  The organizers made sure that everyone sticks around, gets worn out, but at the same time gets the entertainment they paid for.

To make sure that the audience doesn't get bored with cars going sideways for entire day, D1 has collaborated with Tokyo's resident Car Guy (no, not me), aka Mr. Kimura, who's passion lies with sharing his supercar experience with everyone around.

Creating extraordinary amount of wealth out of successful real estate business Mr. Kimura has no interest in subtlety and conservatism.  He wants none of that; instead he wants supercars -- and what may seem like, he wants all of them.  Yes both of these - Ferrari F40 and F50 are his.

He thus created a group called Car Guy, combining people with same passion and usually wealth, although everybody is welcome to his events,

making them the friendlies group of supercar owners this country has ever seen.

Perhaps it didn't take much effort from D1 organizers to ask Mr. Kimura and his crew to stop by  and "spice things up".  He certainly managed that.

Shooting at motorsport events is never easy, there are things to look after, you are always moving and always concentrating, so most photographers take their breaks very seriously.  However, my breaks were ruined as between D1 runs, instead of that much desired sandwich and soda I was forced to grab my smaller NEX6 camera and go out to shoot more.  Well, who am I to complain, right?


The collection of Supercars was nothing short of sensational.  Just check out this Lamborghini Murcielago fitted with $25K Liberty Walk kit.

And then there was another one, just like it!  Just to remind you, these are privately owned cars, we are not on SEMA Las Vegas event stage!

The rarity and diversity of the supercars continued with the Ferrari F40 LM and Giallo Modena F50,

as well as this Lamborghini Aventador LP 720-4 50 Anniversario edition with only 100 roadsters ever made.

This RUF RS4.0 I have seen before and have posted on the Instagram. I really like what RUF has done with the 997 design and I can't wait to see their versions of the 991.

While this extremely rare 964 3.3 Turbo S IMSA is Mr. Kimura's prized possession.  With only 80 units ever built in 1992, this 381 HP race-tuned road car is one of the most rare Porsches that were ever sold.  With close to $200K price tag  22 years ago, I cannot even begin to imagine what did it cost Mr. Kimura to acquire it.  Rumors say that it's the only one in Japan.

This McLaren 650S has been Mr. Kimura's daily driver for quite some time.  I am not sure whether he sold it yet,




but the new 458 Speciale would seem like a logical replacement for it.

Of course, since it's Japan, no supercar show would be without its oddities.  Yes, we are looking at pink Ferrari Enzo, which we already saw at Import Car Show.  Luckily it was officially confirmed that it was wrapped. 

But I am not so sure about the color-job on this Diablo.  The Italian iconic superbull has been tamed with purple theme, gold rims, lots of LED lights

as well as Lois Vuitton interior.

The good news was that these cars weren't going to just sit around,

as Car Guy group is also managing Vertex D1 drift team,

 
it was time for these cars to hit the track.

What started as a slow parade with loud music and "Car Guy Girls" (no, I am not making this up) greeting the supercars as the owners took kids from the audience around the track,

soon transferred unto a all out million dollar Drift exhibition

With D1 veteran Ueno behind the wheel of this Ferrari Callifornia,

Hibino powering the Speciale,

And Mr. Kimura himself firmly in control of his F40, for which it was certainly not the first time to see the asphalt of a race track.

Hearing the flat-plane crankshaft V8's revving was a welcome change from the tuned 2JZ's and RB's. 

While this was obviously not competitive, it was interesting to see how the professional drivers borderline struggled to keep modern supercars like the Speciale sideways.  Their respective price tags could be a concern, but there is just too much grip in these rear tires.


While Mr. Kimura's F40 has no driver assists the short wheelbase combined with less than ideal surface was a tough nut to crack.  He spun this priceless car during the first run, luckily avoiding hitting any obstacles.

It seemed that the underrated California was the best drift car as Ueno has managed to keep it sideways at highest angles for much longer duration than the other supercars. 

All in all, this was a great break in the middle of D1 event. The whole scene around Car Guy group was like one big party with DJ playing, the perfect tunes for the girls to dance to and everybody having a good time.

For kids who got to ride in supercars this must have been an eye opening experience, quite different from their parents Honda Fit or public transport that they are forced to take.

Members of Car Guy group gave these kids something to dream about while letting everyone let loose and smile.

In a country dominated by conformity, rules and extraordinary low speed limits, this is what everybody needed..

I am truly fascinated by Mr. Kimura's and his contribution to the car life in Japan.  I hope that he keeps going and brings us plenty of supercar entertainment in the future.

Thank you Car Guy group for letting us have a great time, and thank you, dear readers for sharing following, and commenting.

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