After many years away from drifting, I really wanted to get back into it. But with S-chassis prices skyrocketing in Australia, I couldn’t bring myself to try a newer-generation chassis. My heart still belongs to the S-chassis, and I didn’t want to drift the SK15SPL because of its condition, it’s a one-owner car and dead straight.
Over the past six months, I’ve spoken with my good friend Daikichi and his father, Mikami-san, at 3UP about the idea. They suggested buying a car in Japan and experiencing the “drift life” there. With nearly daily access to circuits and strong support for drifting, it seemed like a no-brainer. The challenge, though, was finding the right car. Many were either rusted out or completely destroyed. I didn’t want a missile, I wanted something in reasonable condition but still straight.
When I landed in Japan earlier this month, Mikami-san had already lined up a car for me to check out. We drove through the narrow streets of Saitama to where an AN0 S14 Zenki sat, covered in dust and dirt. At first glance, it had some cool parts, including an old GP Sports front bumper with a few cracks but still intact. The car belonged to a friend of Mikami-san, who had originally tasked him with building it for drifting over a decade ago. He only ever drifted it a handful of times before leaving it to sit at the workshop. Knowing the car’s history gave me peace of mind, but I kept in mind that it was still an old car with an old motor.
After inspecting the car and discussing it with both the owner and Mikami-san, I found out it was running a solid setup: an HKS GT-SS turbo, 550cc injectors, a Z32 AFM, a 3UP tune, an HPI split front pipe, an old thick Blitz intercooler, a three-piece Navan boot spoiler, super old-school JIC Magic wheels, a full roll cage, a Bride Zeta 3 seat, a Nismo cluster, a two-way LSD, Cusco coilovers, Kazama rear arms, tie rods, and tension rods. Basically, the kind of car you’d expect to see at Nikko Circuit.
This car was perfect for me. The body had some faded paint, and the carpet, rear seats, and trims were missing, but those are things I can easily source later. The chassis rails were straight with no damage and most importantly, there was no structural rust. Mikami-san offered to store the car at his yard in Saitama, which is a huge favor and means a lot to me. After checking out the car, we sat down for some shabu-shabu, discussed the price and payment, and it all fit within my budget.
A few weeks later, before heading back to Australia, we stopped by 3UP again to check out the car, to my surprise Mikami-san had given the car a full wash! We had to go over what Mikami-san would do before my next trip. He’ll be handling a lot of maintenance, along with installing a new R35 GTR AFM, a fresh tune, and an M-Sports rear bumper and side skirts to get it looking a little more presentable.
This is a photo of me being photo bombed by Mikami-san and Akemi-san, two legends in their own right.
This is a practice car, so it’ll probably pick up a few bumps and scrapes, but by no means is it a missile. Follow along as I slowly get back into drifting and practice while building my skills with my friends and former D1GP / D1SL driver Mikami-san. In the future, I have some exciting plans for it, including a full paint job, new wheels, a new hood, and more, but you’ll have to stay posted for that. Eventually, it’ll make its way to Australia, but for now, just enjoy the latest Garage Sokudo project: the SK14SPL.
Garage Sokudo 
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