Wangan's infamous "Blackbird" Porsche 930 Turbo

"The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL" (tokyobayaqualine) 02/10/2014 at 18:47 • Filed to: blackbird porsche oppositelock 911 turbo 930 mid night club midnightclub japan tokyo wangan devilz datsun nissan 964

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Forward: What you are about to read is a true story. It’s also almost unbelievable, and a little shocking. Please don’t attempt anything you’ll read about from here on in, in this article. For the sake of this article, names will be withheld.

Strange isn’t it, how one car can change your mindset? Change your entire life? For me, that car is the car pictured above. Well, okay, maybe not the exact car pictured above (more on that later) but a combination of the car, the owner of said car, and the car it is based off of. What you see above you, is a rendering (One that I did, I might add) of the “Blackbird” Porsche 911 Turbo.

The Basis:

In the mid 1980’s, street racing, and highway racing especially, became very prominent in Japan. People who couldn’t afford the rising land prices bought themselves a car to display their personal tastes, and then took that one step further to modify it to suit their needs. In the form of expressway racing, the “Mid Night Club” had just formed (I’ll save that story for another time) and was making its rounds as the up and coming kings of Wangan Bayshore racing, on the venerable C1 Loop of Tokyo’s expressway system. These men were very serious about their races, and indeed remained serious until the end. For a long time, the leader of the pack, and the fastest man in the group, drove an (originally black) 930 Turbo with a full Auto Garage TBK Body kit. This car was later to be known as the “Yoshida Specials” 911.

The owner, originally practicing to become a doctor, had instead chosen the field of car sales to make his money. He took over his fathers family business, and this business remains up until this day. His seriousness about keeping his family name going, as well as his seriousness on the road, gave credence to his nickname behind the wheel:

“Blackbird”.

It was him that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! decided to base his book off of, and his ongoing rivalry with the son of a friends shop, famous for its red Z demo car; Air Breathing Research (ABR) Hosoki.

Their ongoing rivalry transcended the course of years, with both the Blackbird and the Z being tuned and retuned time and time again, in order to keep up with one another. By the time the club had disbanded in 1999, the Z was making 680HP on a L30ETT custom setup, and the Blackbird was making well over 700HP on a stroked 3.6 Liter Turbo flat six. Both cars had gotten rid of almost half their weight through extensive weight savings research and development, and both were capable of not just achieving, but maintaining, a 350km/h speed through the Wangan straight stretch, for well over 15 minutes at a time in the mid 1990’s.

To give you some idea of how impressive this is, take a look at the 1991 Lamborghini Diablo. A fast car, by any means, it topped out at 202MPH or 325KM/H. When it hit that speed, it was really stretching itself to get there, and could only keep that speed for about 3 minutes before the engine overheated.

Even the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 can maintain its top speed of 400KM/H for about 12 minutes before it runs out of gas.

These men were building hyper performance cars, by today’s standards , that were capable (through the use of catch tanks and other methods) of not only achieving the top speeds seen in today’s hypercars, but maintaining them for longer than probably even most cars of today would. They were also doing this reliably, time and again, night after night.

To say that the Mid Night Club was a huge source of innovation in the tuning and development of cars as a whole would be a serious understatement. These were the big dogs, and a game changer for top speed enthusiasts the world over, and they still are.

In any case, this was how the Blackbird story came to be; Through the rivalry of the ABR Hosoki Z, and the Yoshida Special’s 911 Turbo.

The Real Car:

When the time came for Kusonoki-San to make a “Wangan Midnight” movie in 1991, he gave up his own personal car for the lead role: A 1987 Porsche 930 Turbo.

Upon giving it up, it was thoroughly modified by DORF and Promodet (both big names in Japanese Porsche Tuning) to make 400HP. It then raced, side by side, in the movie, with the “Devil Z” (based off the ABR Hosoki S130Z), which was a blue S30Z. This car would see huge fame, which is rather ironic, since it was the Blackbird that would ultimately beat it (as it did in real life) and would also be the more powerful of the two.The character (just as in the real person on whom he was based) was a Surgeon, that of the Cardiac variety, who mourned the loss of his old friend who had died in the blue S30Z. Because the S30Z was incapable of having any owners without killing it, and thus was cursed, it was nicknamed the “Devil Z”. Tatsuya Shima, as the doctor was called, was a cold, vindictive, and reclusive individual, who maintained a very honest, forthright demeanor. This character analysis of him is achingly true to real life, as after having met and spent some very serious talk time with the man responsible for the real Yoshida Porsche, I can attest that he does take life and racing very seriously, and rarely smiles. He himself gave me the urge to pursue medicine, to which I did in later years of University.

When Mr. Kusunoki finished with the 911 Turbo in the movie, he found it too difficult to drive. Scared of its immense (at the time) new power, he sold it to a friend, who’s hands it remains in to this day. Effectively, while the Yoshida Porsche is in fact the original Blackbird, it’s this ‘secondary’ Blackbird from the movie, that is even more awe inspiring and unique then the first.

The Stats:

The 1987 Turbo 930 from the movie was thoroughly reworked in the hands of its new owner (name withheld as well). It was taken apart piece by piece, and built to create an exact replica of the final variation form of the Manga version of the “Blackbird”. It became tube framed, with carbon composite body panels, a full Rauh Welt Begriff Widebody kit (6mm wider than the original and molded in instead of riveted on as per most RWB cars). The owner also attached a full Auto Garage TBK body kit with 964 corner lights and taillights (expensive and very very rare, meant to mimic the 935KR Porsche factory race car), a GruppeM spoiler, a fully built 6 speed adjustable sequential transmission, an uprated 3.6 Liter turbo engine from a 1994 Turbo S, a custom suspension setup with magnesium control arms, and the Pièce de résistance: A single turbocharger taken from Ayrton Senna’s own world championship winning MP4/4.

With these modifications, the car makes 600HP at 8000RPM. The torque and power is built high into the rev range, and the owner does in fact use it for top speed. Power delivery is immediate, with the Turbo building in heavy boost at under 2000RPM. By the time the car reaches its 9000RPM limit, the turbo hasn’t even had time to breathe yet; it was developed for a car capable of 14,000RPM. Because of this, the “secondary” Blackbird has incredible power delivery even at the top of 6th gear, and with the exception of only aerodynamics, can continue to accelerate very viciously over 300KM/H. So much so in fact, that it can push your back into the seat with another wallop as the throttle is stomped on.

Sadly, the owner rarely takes it out on Wangan anymore, and instead prefers to take it to circuit events where he can race with other highly competitive cars. Still, with a theoretical top speed of 400KM/H (under the right gearing) this monster sits, somewhere in the world, waiting for its next pray.

Which is exactly why I think it deserves the title for the most hands down, crazy, street 911 Turbo to date.

Oh and by the way... The owners goal over the next few years?

400km/h.

Let that sink in.

400km/h on the expressway.

Disclaimer: I’m one of the foremost authorities of the Mid Night Club on the internet. If you seek information on them, or any of the cars pictured, feel free to email me, or to check out the 7Tune page on Facebook, which is closely associated with them as well. There are only a few English speaking folks with the connections to the club however. If you have any questions, and would like a serious response with valid proof that I do in fact associate with said group, feel free to email me at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and I’ll get back to you. Please do not inquire about names, addresses, locations, or other such private information on the group. Thank you.

will_kern > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/10/2014 at 19:01

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This. This right here.

No Prius Needed > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/10/2014 at 19:19

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I thought it had these

No Prius Needed > No Prius Needed 02/10/2014 at 19:19

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daender > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/10/2014 at 19:30

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Huh, I didn't know the 930 got a F1 turbo, I thought the Z got it in the story-line. I wonder how many strings were pulled to get that ultra-rare turbine! Could we get a follow-up on the Z next?

NoahthePorscheGuy > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/10/2014 at 19:36

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Awesome article. I hope to see more about the underground of Japanese racing.

Bandit > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/10/2014 at 21:05

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In my opinion, this is the best Porsche ever and of the variety I shall one day own. Nice writeup by the way.

KAZ > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/11/2014 at 06:10

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Wow, a great article by all means Steve, awesome read right there!

The way I see it, as you know, is that the Mid Night Club doesn't nearly get the recognition it deserves. Of course, the people that know of them have very diverse attitudes about their "mischief" on the C1 Loop, Wangan and whatnot, but it's not just the racing that is most fascinating about them. The truly remarkable fact, as mentioned by you, is their means to achieve the goal of "Ultimate Velocity".

When you look at cars these days, and how they are modified, you see a lot of "Specialists" with their laptops, OBD cables and Software, tweaking the car fully electronically and fairly easily with so much soft- and hardware readily available. Getting a fast car these days is fairly easy, as you can basically throw money at some people, and it'll be sorted out. But why is that so?

Of course, car manufacturers themselves have a lot to do with this, as they themselves tend to try and get the most out of their engines, but the real pioneers to this are in fact the old-school tuning shops and persons who had their hearts and souls dedicated to their cars and the Mid Night Club is one of the best examples for such people and shops. When they tuned a car, they didn't have all this easy technology readily available, they had to undergo long and painstaking processes of "trial and error" to achieve their goal. They didn't have that "I want a fast car to show off." attitude either. They didn't want to have just a fast car. They wanted the fastest possible car out there, and were ready to give up a LOT to achieve theirs goals. You wouldn't believe how much was lost in the process, people lost their jobs, their wives and families, their companies and much more pursuing their dream, and to me that is the purest form of dedication.

Arguably, this attitude may seem crass, but without it, things wouldn't be they way they became and we wouldn't talk about them right now. Kudos to these great men on achieving what they did. They are my idols, and that they know.

I am very thankful that you mentioned me in your article Steve, and I hope that more people take an interest in this topic. God knows that Steve and I indeed spend a lot of time with research about this and I have to say, it is a painful road to go down.

Anyway, I am not going to go further into this as I already said too much LOL, many thanks again Steve for your accurate and informative article.

-Dan

RotaryLover > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/11/2014 at 10:44

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Finally I can reply!!! Great article there! I never knew that the wangan midnight story was this real and I now understand the F1 turbine arc (lack of english translated versions of wangan midnight and only had access to the full story from the Wangan midnigh maximum tune arcades). Are you on the Wangan Expressway forum?

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > RotaryLover 02/11/2014 at 12:18

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I used to be, many years ago. My username is Kitami-Jun.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > daender 02/11/2014 at 12:28

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I could work on a little something for next week.

RotaryLover > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/11/2014 at 12:38

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Wait wait wait you were the great Kitami-Jun??? I used to see a lot of posts from you! I think you replied on my post about the Devil Z's MPGs question back then....

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > RotaryLover 02/11/2014 at 12:53

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I didn't realize I was great...?

I do remember going on and clarifying some facts about the MNC and divulging a little bit of info to stir the pot, but other than that, I think I maybe posted, 10 or 15 times.

RotaryLover > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/11/2014 at 13:44

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Hum....maybe it's someone else then. I do remember this name on the forum (I'm not confused with the anime character).

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 14:20

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Why do you want to rebuild a Porsche inspired by a crap manga/animu?

Great write-up, though.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 02/14/2014 at 14:22

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Because the Anime is based on a true story...? And the Porsche in the story is fucking bad ass.

ThinIce-Koe > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 14:25

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So are you Caucasian or Japanese? Perhaps I don't follow your post nearly enough to tell so :P

Plecostomus is a starred commenter > KAZ 02/14/2014 at 14:28

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A few years back, I emailed West Corvettes about West #5. Given the language barrier, I wasn't able to communicate much but did get some amazing, detailed photos of the car -and still have them.

Do you know of the West Racing C4 Corvette's exploits?

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > ThinIce-Koe 02/14/2014 at 14:30

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Caucasian Canadian.

Plecostomus is a starred commenter > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 14:30

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I find it hugely ironic the "real" Devil Z was a HS130 -a 280ZX (and in my color too!) not a S30 240Z. I used to "Wangan" race my 280ZX on the freeways of SoCal at the latest hours of the night on the then-new and empty stretches of the 210 out in the middle of nowhere. since the statute of limitations is long since passed, as a stupid kid I regularly broke 140mph with the car in non-turbo form with a handful of bolt-ons.

loved these cars, the game/manga/movies and the reality they're based in - and understand that "ultimate velocity" goal - worlds different than drag racers.

AmericanMagpie > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 14:34

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As a total outsider to all of this I have to ask, how did they pay for this? Night after night, gallons of fuel, uber-expensive few-off parts, access to Senna's MP4/4, modifications and tuning shops that can not be cheap, etc, etc, etc.

Acidboogie > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 02/14/2014 at 14:36

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because tube-frame and carbon body panels is deliciously insane?

cesariojpn > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 14:37

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If you find information via 7Tune, information via a "Wikidkewl" on Youtube, or through any other means outside of myself, Dan Levkov, or the crew at Speedhunters, chances are quite high that you will be mislead.

Best Motoring lied to me?

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > AmericanMagpie 02/14/2014 at 14:45

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That's for myself and and the team to know, and very few others to find out about, with all due respect.

Great question though. :)

TinFoil Knight > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 14:48

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I wonder how it all began. @tokyobayaqualine I've read and seen enough information that just FEELS solid actual fact from your handle that I take it as gospel.The behind the scenes backstory on how you became an authority on this group , to me sounds like its probably as fascinating as the club itself. I'd really like that story as well. as much as you can within the limitations you have to deal with.

Chris Kowalski (PeachFingers) > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 14:56

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Well done! As an outsider looking into the world of Japanese car culture as well as the rich, complex history of the Mid Night Club, it's always a delight to learn more about the car culture that has fascinated me for well over a decade now. I'd gladly love to learn more if you've published any other articles in this topic!

- Chris

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > No Prius Needed 02/14/2014 at 14:56

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BBS LM's aren't capable of enough strength to run past 320 reliably without breaking, according to what the owner just told me.

satalac > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 14:58

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?????

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > cesariojpn 02/14/2014 at 14:58

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You mean Video Option? They dont't lie. That's because Daijiro Inada is very closely related to the MNC and used to do top speed tests of their cars for record breaking and endurance on Yatabe circuit.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Plecostomus is a starred commenter 02/14/2014 at 14:59

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The white C4?

Not a lot. It wasn't part of the MNC, that's for sure. It did however break some records at Yatabe back in the 1990's.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > satalac 02/14/2014 at 15:00

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DORF, not Dwarf haha.

klurejr > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 15:00

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In the form of expressway racing, the "Mid Night Club" had just formed (I'll save that story for another time) and was making its rounds as the up and coming kings of Wangan Bayshore racing, on the venerable C1 Loop of Tokyo's expressway system.

How long do we have to wait for this?

satalac > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 15:04

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No, that's Dorf....

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > klurejr 02/14/2014 at 15:05

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I have actually been working on solid source material for an entire book about their exploits and accomplishments for awhile now, but as far as I know, a few members of the club are totally against the information going public, while some others proudly display their heritage on their FB, etc.

A couple years back I contacted Pentroof to ask for permission (one of the few companies in the club against the info being leaked) and was told over the phone when I stated who I was that "We know who you are, and respect you greatly, but the MNC remains private until the day the members leave this earth, due to club policy, which will not be bent for anyone outside of the club."

So my contacts remain really close... But since I'm not part of the club, I may never have full permission to write the whole rundown on them, no matter how much information I may have (Which is loads).

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > satalac 02/14/2014 at 15:07

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Now I'm the one who's confused!

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Chris Kowalski (PeachFingers) 02/14/2014 at 15:11

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I did this years ago when I was researching them casually. Now, I'm fully immersed in their culture and the things they do, so thankfully my knowledge has grown a bit. Follow me though, and I'll post more for sure.

I also wrote almost the entire Wiki article on them, so take a look there as well.

http://blog.cardomain.com/2009/01/19/the…

satalac > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 15:11

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Haha, it's an old Tim Conway thing. He'd put shoes on his knees and make horrible videos. Dorf on Fishing, Dorf on Golf etc. But apparently this Blackbird owner is a big fan! ;)

klurejr > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 15:13

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you can certainly write it from a speculative standpoint.

mynameserl > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 15:15

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I enjoyed the article it was a great read. So this is probably one of the main sources of inspiration for the Midnight Club video games? Pardon my ignorance please. I did a little digging and couldn't find anything that verifies it.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > klurejr 02/14/2014 at 15:18

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That's true, but at the same time, people would likely know it's not speculation by knowing how long I've been a part of Jalopnik and how seriously I take Japanese Wangan culture lol.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > mynameserl 02/14/2014 at 15:18

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It most definitely is. The real Mid Night Club influenced the game/manga/anime.

mynameserl > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 15:25

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That's pretty cool I loved Midnight Club II for PS2 it was a really fun game.

klurejr > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 15:27

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If a book appears on the shelves written by a ghost writer I totally wont tell on you.

StudyStudyStudy > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 16:16

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Really enjoyed the article. I too find it strange that people are more infatuated with the S30 then the 911. I do imagine it is more along the lines of rooting for the underdog and all that (with that said, I am working on a 3.0L Turbo S30 at the moment a porsche was just too far out of my price range). I on occasion have looked into the history, but have always run into dead ends, this was a great read, thanks!

Any knowledge to share about the SSS? Speed Shop something or another, I know it was around that time, and a lot of people are interested in it.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > StudyStudyStudy 02/14/2014 at 16:21

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Speed Shop Shinohara?

It was a privately owned shop, owned by a friend of the creator of the anime, who built the Z for the movie. Honestly, they've never done anything truly special in the tuning scene in Japan, and were only open for a small while in the late 1980's to the early 1990's. The S30Z in the movie was turbocharged, but was not built off a standard L28E, but instead swapped with an L28ET from an S130Z. The tuning up to 400HP was pretty simple with an L28ET, even back in the early 90's, so making the car for the film certainly didn't require any special "dreamland" tuning in the part of SSS.

Blue2010SRT > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 16:45

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...not just achieving, but maintaining, a 350km/h speed through the Wangan straight stretch, for well over 15 minutes at a time in the mid 1990's.

Great article and interesting story, but is there really a 87.5+ km long straightaway there?

Wrong wheel drive, best wheel drive > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 16:48

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So, RWB did work with cars of the MNC at some point?

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Blue2010SRT 02/14/2014 at 16:50

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayshore_…

70KM, and the speed of 350KM/h is averaged over the course of a run through the full C1 Loop, which is far more than 70KM in total length.

Blue2010SRT > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 16:51

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Impressive!

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Wrong wheel drive, best wheel drive 02/14/2014 at 16:51

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RWB has never worked with the MNC. They customized the body of the secondary Blackbird, but that is the closest in relation to the MNC that they've ever been, for internal reasons within the club.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 17:07

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It's no different to Initial D, however, WM was close to the Mid Night Club.

Still, I wish a racing animu had some plot.

StudyStudyStudy > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 17:07

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Thanks for the reply,

Yes I believe you are correct, I know a few people like the triple S sticker and the association it had with the Z even if it was all just in a movie frame of reference.

Thanks for the insight, it really was a good read.

alexlam24 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 17:10

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Did Tsuchiya play any part in Wangan or did he just focus with his AE86? Also, who was it that set the record on C1 in a RX-7? RE Amemiya?

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > alexlam24 02/14/2014 at 17:34

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I don't know where you heard that someone set a record in an RX-7? As far as I know, the fastest record on Wangan is still out there by way of a 911 Turbo (964).

Keiichi was never ever part of the MNC. He knew some members, but most certainly did not endorse what they did, as can be seen by his participation in the Shuto Kousoku line of films, which he starred in, centered around Wangan racing.

Plecostomus is a starred commenter > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 17:37

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Not the white car.

The black one.

Plecostomus is a starred commenter > Plecostomus is a starred commenter 02/14/2014 at 17:39

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Plecostomus is a starred commenter > Plecostomus is a starred commenter 02/14/2014 at 17:43

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?v=0

hyperlemon > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 17:48

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Isn't the C1 loop the inner loop, that is relatively short and has a lot of curves? Or do you mean something else with that?And by the way, you wrote in the original article "maintaining, a 350km/h speed through the Wangan straight stretch, for well over 15 minutes at a time"... to me maintaining means 350 and more without dropping below 350, not average. Also, the "Wangan straight stretch" by itself is not long enough for 350kph for 15 minutes, as that indeed would be 87.5km, so I think that is a bit misleading.

Wrong wheel drive, best wheel drive > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 17:52

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Got it!, I can imagine reasons, in fact, I bet they have lot's of one-of parts and their own internal tuners.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > hyperlemon 02/14/2014 at 18:02

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You're absolutely right. I should have changed that to "achieving top speed for well over 15 minutes per race".

The C1 Loop consists of the Bayshore Wangan route. You're thinking of the inner loop, which itself (on a map) would be located on the top right portion of the map where the cars turn around near the Airport. The entire C1 loop is massive however, and encompasses almost all of the expressway from Yokohama to Chiba and back round again.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Plecostomus is a starred commenter 02/14/2014 at 18:03

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Oh, I haven't seen a photo of this car in quite a long time.

This car never was part of the MNC either, but it did break a record for the fastest N/A car on Yatabe.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Wrong wheel drive, best wheel drive 02/14/2014 at 18:04

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It's not just that... but that is a huge portion of it.

SonorousSpeedJoe > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 18:12

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Great write-up! I've been interested in the real-life basis for Blackbird and the Devil Z after watching the Wangan Midnight anime.

Also, unless you'd meant to type it out that way, different tags are separated by commas when you put them in the editor.

Plecostomus is a starred commenter > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 18:28

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damn. i was wondering why it appeared in Wangan Midnight/Tokyo Xtreme Racer

the game car didn't have any of the aero the real car has, much to my disappointment.

Plecostomus is a starred commenter > AmericanMagpie 02/14/2014 at 18:31

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"If you have to ask..."

Consider how much it costs just to run a crappy LeMons car for a weekend.

Ungodly sums of money. Thank you Japanese bubble economy.

chromecarz00 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 18:57

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So you're like that dude from Tokyo Drift.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > chromecarz00 02/14/2014 at 18:59

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What dude? The hick?

chromecarz00 > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 19:04

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Well, a white dude in the midst of a Japanese street racing club...

chromecarz00 > chromecarz00 02/14/2014 at 19:04

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Oh yeah. The hick. lol

vdub_nut: scooter snob > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 20:06

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Excellent read. Incredible what individuals are capable of, when a company won't even try.

E30Drift > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/14/2014 at 21:22

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The Japanese's ability for metal fabrication will always amaze me. God that custom inlet tube to the throttle body is so clean.

samssun > hyperlemon 02/15/2014 at 02:53

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Every inch covered at a lower speed makes it that much harder to hit the average, since you burn so much time...ie dropping to 300 for a mile can't be made up for with a mile at 400 (your average would be 342).

This is also why something like averaging 90mph on a Cannonball Run is so nuts, because when you have to drop to 70 or 60 for a while, even matching that at 110 or 120 won't bring your average back up enough.

Hanzr > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/15/2014 at 05:07

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I suppose they are RSs not LMs... Just FYI :)

OxygenStarvation > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/15/2014 at 08:33

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Great article! I am curious though, how did the racers manage tires at such high speeds?

I_AmDeath > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/15/2014 at 15:24

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Great article. Noob question time. How do you follow someone on Oppo?

thethirdpedal > Plecostomus is a starred commenter 02/15/2014 at 16:45

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That has to be one of, if not the single most-developed C4-chassis Vettes in the world. Impressive.

Corpik > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/15/2014 at 17:11

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please! I would love to learn how much effort was required to extract a turbo from a championship winning McLaren. And when i say effort, i mean money,

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Corpik 02/15/2014 at 17:46

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That's a little intrusive even for me to ask about to them...

Corpik > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/15/2014 at 18:18

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the money part was a joke, sorry

hyperlemon > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 02/16/2014 at 07:41

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No, I actually thought C1 is the inner loop that goes just around the imperial palace, Tokyo and Hamamtsu () and the C2 loop () consisting of part of Wangan, up along Edogawa and round past Shinjuku.

I didn't know there is a bigger loop called C1 as well, or is that more of an inofficial name?

Have to say though I've only driven through Tokyo by car a couple of times as I actually prefer to take the subway every time I'm there, so my knowledge of  in Tokyo is rather limited. But that's why I'm asking ;)

Jeremiah Cuyas > daender 03/11/2014 at 23:40

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Actually, the F1 Turbine was equipped in the Blackbird during the Garage ACE story arc; then it was removed to fit in the S30.

Shinzah > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 03/12/2014 at 12:29

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Strangely in the WM Manga/Anime/Mostgames the Blackbird is not a 930, but a 964T...

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Shinzah 03/12/2014 at 14:37

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That's incorrect. He starts out with a 930 and then gets into a little accident, at which point he's told by Kitami Jun that "You can repair the car but it may never drive straight again" at which point he buys a 3.6 964 Turbo.

davedave1111 > AmericanMagpie 05/05/2014 at 08:06

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How do you think? You've seen The Fast and the Furious, right?

davedave1111 > Corpik 05/05/2014 at 08:08

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I doubt it was money. Midnight, crowbars, wire-cutters, slug the guard...

AmericanMagpie > davedave1111 05/05/2014 at 09:28

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Yeah, I bet those guys were totally selling black-market electronic goods.

davedave1111 > AmericanMagpie 05/05/2014 at 15:47

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OK, not exactly like F&F. But TBAL either glossed over the organised crime on purpose, or is very naive.

In case you weren't aware, the Mid Night Club was the inspiration for F&F in more than one way.

Plecostomus is a starred commenter > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 06/06/2014 at 19:17

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So how about that update on the HS-130? ;)

Plecostomus is a starred commenter > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 06/09/2014 at 11:01

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danke :)

6SpeedTurbo > AmericanMagpie 08/01/2014 at 05:06

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The professions of the Mid Night Club members were apparently kept very secret. But I remember reading somewhere that a member with an RX-7 ran a family-owned car dealership.

I hoon, therefore I am > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 10/01/2014 at 12:53

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This is an incredible read. And the use of Senna's turbo proves that some people have more yen than sense (though admittedly the turbocharger cares not at which speed the engine is turning, only the mass flow rate through the engine).

CoolhandLuke > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 10/01/2014 at 15:04

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This is a fantastic story and thank you for sharing. For your interest I would offer up another 911 from this era as a contender for most crazy. When I was racing in the early 90's I went to a track day with an individual who had purchased the engine from a Porsche 962 LMP car and had it shoehorned into what was also a black 964 Turbo (black is just such the right choice for these cars isn't it?). It had been detuned a bit to be streetable but still had over 600hp and was absurdly fast. There was another gentleman there with what was then a brand new Corvette ZR-1, an incredibly stock street car for the day, and the 911 just absolutely decimated it on the front straight at Roebling Road. These were/are wonderful machines.

toyotasupraman > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 10/01/2014 at 15:45

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How haven't I read this sooner? Let me get this straight:

First, there was the original MNC leader, with the "original" Blackbird (Yoshida Special).

Then Kusonoki-San wrote the Wangan Midnight manga inspired by that scene.

Then he bought himself a 930 Turbo and it was tuned to appear in the movie.

Then he sold it because he thought it was too difficult to drive.

And THEN, the new owner modified it to make a replica of the most extreme version that appears in the manga, including a turbo from a F1 car.

Makes you wonder: if only they had Autobahn-like highways, with unrestricted sections...

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 10/02/2014 at 14:49

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Are you sure that the wide body kit is only 6mm wider? That wouldn't be very much at all? In other words a negligible difference...

I'm also curious, what are catch tanks? Similar to a catch can?

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 10/02/2014 at 18:20

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Yeah, sorry. My Japanese language is seeping through. "Catch can" translated into Japanese comes out as "Catch tank".

Also, 6cm wider on each side. Also my mistake, sorry.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 10/03/2014 at 08:58

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No problem, it's a very well written and fascinating article, I'm glad you shared!

pagkly > Plecostomus is a starred commenter 11/12/2014 at 20:36

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... and they do this in a controlled way; unlike the drag racing cars which obviously cannot be controlled given too much horsepower. How do they even corner??

Plecostomus is a starred commenter > pagkly 11/15/2014 at 16:20

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A drag racer and a wangan racer are totally different machines - whereas a drag car is asked to accelerate hard for 10-15s at a time or less, you're subjecting these engines to their maximum load capacity for minutes at a time, in a different way than you see at nearly any track save Sebring, Nurburgring and old LeMans. It's a whole other animal than drag, that's for sure. The other thing is these cars also feature aerodynamic enhancements to retain control at speed which take away from top speed by creating drag...

NoRotorNoLove > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 12/10/2014 at 12:05

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I LOVE the sotries of these cars and this club. I, being in Canada, have little in the way of direct experience with foreign culture. I would like to know more about these cars, not the owners or the club per say, but the cars. Would you mind if I emailed you for info about the cars, I don't want to be intrusive but want to know more about these wonderful machines.

The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL > NoRotorNoLove 12/10/2014 at 14:56

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Sure. If you're in Toronto, I'll even meet up with you for coffee, as I'm Canadian as well.

NoRotorNoLove > The-Ever-Socially-Apathetic TBAL 12/11/2014 at 21:42

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Sure. I would like to meet for coffee, I just need some time to check my schedule. I will e-mail you for location, date, and time.