Sometimes, there isn’t a story to be told.
Sometimes, there’s no rationale offered. Sometimes, what you see is what you get. Sometimes, there’s no justification required.
Our car community is not a particularly large one in the grand scale of things. There are many studies that suggest we’re reducing in size, which is hardly surprising. Fewer people are taking up driving as they reach the required age as the cost of starting out continues to soar, along with improved public transportation the world over. The rapid development of autonomous cars and the implementation of semi-autonomous systems are slowly taking the freedom of driving away from us.
That’s not to mention that the automobile has become the ultimate scapegoat for the world’s environmental problems, yet show me another industry which has done so much in such a short period of time to try and make a meaningful difference? Stricter laws, increased regulation, harsher penalties, closer monitoring, more traffic and less opportunities to enjoy driving.
It’s no wonder we’re in decline.
But the truth of the matter is that cars are actually pretty fucking great, and car people in particular are the absolute best. You can go anywhere in the world and be from any background, any nationality, any race, creed or ethnicity and strike up a conversation with a fellow enthusiast and instantly bond over these machines on any number of wheels.
Language barriers are irrelevant as the international hand signals for car related matters are in fact universal.
Cars can be enjoyed in so many different ways as well that the list might as well be infinite. There’s joy to be had from the very moment you decide to buy a new car. The thrill of searching through the classifieds and consuming every piece of relevant information possible while refining your criteria. The sale negotiation, the purchase, the collection, the first drive, the plan, the first parts arriving. All of it, fantastic times.
As I’ve involved myself more and more in the online car community over the years, I’ve noticed – and I’m sure you have, too – the increasing disconnect between the real and virtual worlds. It’s got to the stage where I sometimes wonder if the people who comment online even exist in the real world, such is the disparity between the two. Where you find sincerity and friendliness in person, it’s typically all egos and vitriol online. It takes an impressive amount of arrogance to tell someone how to enjoy their own car, but it’s something we see every day.
I don’t want to waste any more energy than necessary on highlighting this negativity, but it shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s a huge problem that the car community faces, and something which we will have to deal with, one way or another. We’re too small and face too many challenges from outside our ranks to not be a completely united front.
Cars are one of the last great freedoms we have. The ability to walk out of your house, get behind the wheel and go wherever you want without prior permission or reservation cannot be underestimated or appreciated enough. That we still have the freedom of choice and the freedom of expression over the vehicle we choose to exercise these freedoms cannot be taken for granted.
I don’t want to live in an era where I look back at photographs like these and think that we never had it so good, or that the days of building a car exactly how you want to are nothing but a distant memory.
If there’s any car that will elicit a series of responses about how they ‘should be done’, it’s almost certainly going to be something within the GT-R family. I would imagine that sitting them on the floor, with an abundance of negative camber, quite likely goes against the typical purist ethos for these cars.
Thankfully, we’re not exactly renowned for being purists around these parts.
R.Junky are a Saitama based collective who bill themselves as a GT-R preservation association, with Hikaru Motoda (white R32 GT-R) and Takumi Shibano (wine R32 GT-R) being two of its most prominent members. There’s an obvious street style to both cars, along with their friend Taka’s white R34 GT-R.
Details are vague, as there’s only so far polite pointing and smiling ultimately gets you but one thing is quite clear; their passion for the GT-R is unquestionable.
While GT-Rs for the most part are still relatively fresh in most parts of the world – particularly in some of the ’25 year’ states in the United States – they’ve had a cult following since day one in Japan. We might admire the history of the GT-R, but the Japanese lived it. They’ve seen the introduction, replacement and ultimate ascendance of the GT-R into the realms of relative unobtanium.
One would be forgiven for trying to protect a rapidly appreciating asset, especially if you bought in when these were still very affordable, but R.Junky does not concern themselves with such issues. These are cars built to be driven and enjoyed.
The only rationale and justification behind these cars is arguably the most important one there is; because they can. It’s the same reason why we’ve chosen to run this story, which isn’t really a story. There could well come a time when all of this could be just a distant memory, and we will curse ourselves for not taking the time to enjoy it while it’s still around.
All things considered, we’re living in a great era of car culture. It’s never been easier to explore the various sub-cultures around the world, and something awesome is usually just a couple of clicks or taps away.
Enjoy it. Appreciate it, but most importantly, play your part in keeping it alive.
Paddy McGrath
Instagram: pmcgphotos
Twitter: pmcgphotos
paddy@speedhunters.com
Photography by Mark Riccioni
Instagram: mark_scenemedia
Twitter: markriccioni
mark@scene-media.com
Hikaru Motoda’s Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R – @mochimo26dett
500hp, RB26 N1, Tomei camshafts, uprated pistons and connecting rods, Trust hard-pipes, NISMO intake, HKS V Pro 3.4, HKS EVC 6 boost controller, NISMO aero, RAYS Volk Racing TE37SL, R35 GT-R Brembo brakes, Roberute lifter system, aftermarket suspension arms, custom cage, ARC Titan strut-tower brace.
Takumi Shibano’s Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R – @takumi_403
RB26 N1, HKS GT-SS turbocharger, HKS hard-pipes, HKS Power Flow intake, HKS V Pro, Trust intercooler, Sard injectors, Tomei camshafts, BNR34 ignition system, Top Secret exhaust, D2 brakes, Aragosta suspension, NISMO clutch, HKS roll-bar, Bride Gias, NISMO shift knob, Key’s Racing steering wheel, Work Meister M1 18×11.5-inches, Nankang 285/30/18
Taka’s Nissan Skyline BNR34 GT-R – @bcnr34.taka
HKS intake, 5Zigen Super Lap exhaust system, Reimax front pipe, RAYS Volk Racing TE37V MKII 18×11-inch, Cusco front & rear upper arms.