2025 is Over and Done - Will 2026 Be a Better Year?

Fall/Winter tends to be the best time to get shots like this due to the clean air...

Happy New Year to all of you reading this.

2025 was a very busy year for me, and honestly I feel bad about not having much content to post about these days. There are a few more projects I have in mind for the 33, but as you all know with Nissan having its problems and my job there being instrumental in helping to turn the business around, there was not much time for play.

Having no Nismo Festival last year also did not help. That, and in addition to not much free time for simply driving the car around, I am also worried about the lack of spare parts (just like most owners) and so want to keep the mileage minimal until I can feel comfortable drving the 33 around normally, again.

But in making some new friends mainly through my additional work at Nissan Motorsports & Customization (NISMO/Autech company), at the end of the year I DID go for a group drive to Hakone.  It was cold, tires did not grip, but it was nice to just go for a drive and hang out with like minded car guys.

I will let the photos speak for themselves - and note the copyrights belong to the people in the group who were kind enough to allow me to use these photos.  Enjoy!

Getting up early to beat the traffic...

I'm not much into R35s, but damn that is one nice machine!

Yep, this is our group. Right before the tollgate.

These guys too - and Proof of dawn

Miyata-san's Z31 looks mean. Because it is!!

Right before the pedal hit the metal...

Took a short break mid-way up...

Then at the top...

Yes, the local Mazda guys were there too!

The Alfa was one of our guys. Not all Nissan guys drive only Nissans! Really interesting stuff on that car.

Stopping to let someone catch up

Final stop for me (wasn't feeling great and wanted to go home early)

...but not before I join the other car nerds to marvel at how
 Miyata-san squeezed in an RB26 into his Z31!

Was I the fastest? Certainly not. But this car is just so raw and pure compared to what I have been driving lately. SO communicative and honest. I was grinning the entire time I was driving it. A pointed reminder that I need to do this more often! 

I mean, just listen that engine and exhaust sound!

R's Meeting 2025!

So yes folks it has been awhile - sadly no mods to the GT-R really this year, however going to this event DID allow me to meet up with some tuners and shops and yes get some inspiration for at least one project this year.  In additon to a new extra job at Nissan as well as doing most of my driving in the Elgrand, it has been quite a year.

Anyway, some photos...

The banner in front of the stage

My Favorite...

Another angle for you guys.

Then of course I stopped by my friends at Mine's. Only the usual R34 this year.

They were getting ignored so I asked them to open the hood. This attracted a new wave of people!

Can't remember which tuner but those lights are weird.

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Slightly smaller turbo there

Very clean. A rebuild, I heard.

Have to say very well done.

A 400R is a 400R, Rebuilt or not.

Then it was about time to go. So Dino did his walk in the parking lot, the 34s and 32s were boring so of course I checked out the many R33s there...

Why? Just why???

See what I mean? 34s are boring

Even Dino spent more time with the 33s than usual.

Not sure what was interesting but I guess we will find out on his YouTube video

Rear of that Autech is strange too. I guess being a midnight purple R33 4 Door GT-R didn't attract enough attention?

Not sure if this is a hidden code or something...

Super clean. Super OEM. Super Normal

Saw this red one and then...

...then this one. I prefer this one. More sophisticated red? Burgundy?

Damn this one was barely held together...

this was interesting. The color...

camera does not do it justice. a deep grey but a hint of green?

At Ebina PA

We left early to beat the traffic. On the way back at Ebina PA, saw this yellow thing with a Do-Luck body kit.  Reminded Dino and I to recall that neither of us have seen Ito-san of Do-Luck at any of these GT-R events lately. I guess maybe he's no longer in the GT-R scene?

With no Nismo Festival this year, I guess that was THE event to go to, but it really isn't quite the same. With the Nismo Festival, since there are cars other than GT-Rs there the variety of tuners and people are different, and there is more energy. A shame it got cancelled this year. Hopefully, next year?

In the meantime I am looking for an excuse to drive the GT-R. Maybe soon???

Busy Day! ItalDesign Event, Nismo Omori, and Daikoku PA

at Daikanyama T-Site

So since my GT-R normally lives on top of the car lift, and it is somewhat of a hassle to get it out of the garage (move my Elgrand; move my Lexus IS-F; move my Skyline Nismo), lately for me it has to be a special occasion before I can be bothered to do so.

But today was such a day!

My friend Andrea Porta at ItalDesign had invited me to his company's world premier of their newest book which has the theme of engineers with ideas: "ItalDesign Engineers of Ideas"

The event was at the gigantic Tsutaya store/parking lot in Daikanyama, Tokyo, called Daikanyama T-Site.  Longtime readers will recall that I was on hand with my R33 GT-R when ItalDesign launched the GT-R50 in the very same parking lot back in 2018. 

Anyway, this time Andrea reached out to me (probably because he knows I don't drive the R enough) and gently asked if I could make time for this event - but I had to bring the R. A bit confused, as I heard that all the other cars were going to be ones that were actually designed by ItalDesign, but I figured it was a great excuse to get out and hang out with fellow car nerds but of the non JDM variety.

After checking out the cars for a couple of hours, we headed inside for an hour long presentation of the book's contents, as well as an update on what we can expect ItalDesign to be doing going forward.

As I was learning that ItalDesign had been influential in the design of objects other than cars, such as Seiko watches and Nikon cameras, I got a text message from a fellow R33 owner, SHOHEI.  He asked if we could meet up at Daikoku, since last I saw him (at Mine's and then also at Umihotaru) he had been itching to take photos of my car.  I was agreeable, but he proposed meeting up at Daikoku at 1400.  But the ItalDesign event ended at about 1230... what to do, since it was only a quick 30 minute drive from Daikanyama to Daikoku?

Well, why not go to where I always like to go - Nismo Omori? Maybe I could kill some time there...

When I arrived, some kids from Finland saw my car and got excited, so I talked to them for a bit... (Eetu? Sorry...)

Inside Nismo Omori Factory, I found this Tomica display

I need to talk to someone about putting a Tomica of my car in here...

And then a couple of mildly interesting cars:

But sadly nothing R33 related. Luckily, SHOHEI volunteered to stop by Nismo first before Daikoku...

SHOHEI in green about to take some photos of our cars

I think this is the first time I have compared a KL0 v KR4 silver car in daylight!

Both silvers are awesome! Especially as both have the new Veleno LED headlights!

After talking to some guys at Nismo, it was off to Daikoku, finally.  I took this photo of SHOHEI taking some photos but he was also kind enough to later send me some samples of his work as well.

Yeah ok but WOW check out his photos:

I guess he likes using filters, or Photoshop, but heck they look good. Thanks SHOHEI!!

Also thanks to SHOHEI for giving me a couple of new ideas for future mods....!!!!