RECOGNITION
During JCCS, my buddy Ozzy came up to me and said, “If only people knew how rare the parts on your car were, there would be more recognition”.
I’m not particularly a show car participant, but when I have participated, I’ve always noted that I feel I don’t have anything to match up to popular cars. An M30 can’t outshine a Skyline to the general/casual crowd.
The belief I’ve always held to myself was to build the F31 for myself and if people recognized the work, the history, the passion, the dedication, it would be nice.
But not everyone gets past the usual builds or the obscurity of a car. So many cars fly under the radar unless people are paying attention.
Double Down on obscurity
The M30 is an already an obscure car, that most of the time, there isn’t much done to them.
My Blue M30 isn’t a typical build of just lowering and small wheels or drift car. I decided to build it VIP styled. The biggest piece is having a full Insurance Group’s Diana Kit for the F31. IT IS EXTREMELY RARE. But my M30 visually doesn’t look the same. Most people that don’t know the F31, don’t even know the kit exists.
Another piece I had on my car is the rare, are the Leasing wheels. There isn’t much info on Leasing wheels, but old school VIP guys know the company and wheels. Obviously it isn’t as popular as the 80s small wheels or the cool wheels of today’s market. But my build is trying to be era correct.
The JDM headlights and zenki F31 taillights, especially the latter, changes the back of the car so much. The 3pc wing covers the trunk lock and emblem, making the car even more unrecognizable.
I always said that if I make it to a show, I’d represent F31club and it’s members. You see, F31club started a lot of the M30 stuff in the early 2000s. The forums and conversations, theories and ideas, even the arguments all helped to build the M30 when nobody even thought about the car.
So for me, those guys and gals, plus a lot of the people in Japan that helped me learn more about the F31, were part of the journey.
Conclusion
I never expect recognition. I mean if it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, then its no big deal to me. Whether people understand my build or not, is not for me to interpret. No one else will have a Diana kit on their M30 and even Zenki tail lights are a rarity (only a hand full of sets state side).
Building my M30 to what I have always wanted (a VIP styled car) is my goal and it’s never done to get the “likes” or for clout. It’s always about me building my car properly within what the Japanese would consider their cars.