Bōsōzoku, the craziness of Japan POP RACE FEATURETTE
Welcome to the Bōsōzoku subculture of Japan!
暴走族! Literally, it means "brutal running tribe", which already says the essentials about this subculture:
it's all about tuning cars and motorbikes to generate a brutal look.
Originally, the Bōsōzoku gangs were pure motorbike clubs, but gradually migrated into the car scene.
These gangs experienced their heyday at the beginning of the 1980s.
They were recognisable by their tokko-fuku (特攻服), the "special attack uniform" based on the uniform of kamikaze pilots with slogans in kanji characters.
Later, the influence of the actual gangs faded, but the subculture remained and shifted to cars. Bōsōzoku style was born!
Group 5 racing series as a source of inspiration...
The touring cars of the Japanese Group 5 racing series, such as the legendary Nissan Skyline Super Silhouette KDR30 from 1982 and 1983, served as the styling model: a pimped-out road car on the outside, pure Formula 1 philosophy on the inside. For example, the LZ20B turbo engine produced an incredible 570 hp and was responsible for 2 victories in 1982 and no less than 5 victories in 1983. Thanks to Tomica and its Tomica Premium models, collectors can now add this historic vehicle to their collection in 1:64 scale.
The spoilers and rear wings were taken from the motorsport model...and of course they exaggerated! Spoilers and wings aside, the Bōsōzoku style is not about road holding and wind resistance. No, here form takes precedence over function! The extra-long exhaust pipes are explicitly there to generate noise. The visual finesse is a nice touch!
Pop Race Style
The model car manufacturer Pop Race has now made a name for itself! Their goal: to capture iconic automobiles across the eras through their model car collection. Pop Race's goal is to create a brand that combines the worlds of the real car and the miniature version, giving us something that is uniquely designed and of the best quality. And they are right about that. Pop Race has never disappointed, neither with its racing cars, nor with its Singer Porsches, Toyota GR 86s, Nissan Stageas and the like! Pop Race is particularly proud of its partnerships with premium brands such as Bathing Ape, AAPE, Evisu and Eva Racing.
Bōsōzoku made by Pop Race
Which brings us to the actual subject of this article: the Nissan Skyline C210 Kaido Racer Bosozoku Style. In a nutshell, how awesome is this thing please!!! The detail work is just phenomenal! The bonnet opens to reveal the interior, the chassis sits low, the ventilation hoses go straight through the headlight into the engine compartment! The boot opens to reveal a hidden fuel injector bottle inside, and of course not forgetting the endless tailpipes. All of this makes Pop Race's model stand out so much compared to the regular C210 from Tomica Premium!
Bape Collab
A Bathing Ape (Japanese ア・ベイシング・エイプ, A Beishingu Eipu) or BAPE is a Japanese fashion label founded in 1993 by designer Nigo in Ura-Harajuku. The label specialises in lifestyle and streetwear for men, women and children. The first time we've spotted it on a car model was about 3 years ago on a gold Audi R8 LMS by Tarmacworks. This was the time when model car manufacturers were particularly keen to attract new potential customers with lifestyle brands. Bape, Illest and Supreme were well-known examples.
The C210 Kaido Racer in the Bape-typical camouflage design is already the second collaboration with the fashion brand. The first collaboration was made possible by 3 differently coloured Aston Martin GT3 AMR. One thing is clear: the Kaido Racer Bosozoku will not be cheap at just under $50, especially since Pop Race is known for good quality at a reasonable price. However, this model stands out so strongly from the 0815 model car scene that you really don't have to think twice before buying this exceptional piece for the showcase at home!
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