He went to see his car without understanding Japanese

Car enthusiasts influenced by the movie “The Fast & Furious” and the anime “Initial D” are not limited to Japanese. Mr. Carlos, an American owner of a Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34), was one such person. After working in the Navy, he got his long-cherished wish to be stationed in Japan and started working at the Sasebo base. He headed to Kanagawa to buy a GT-R before returning to the U.S. “I want to get the GT-R I’ve always wanted in Japan before I go back to the U.S. someday! He was so passionate that he went to Kanagawa to buy the car before returning to the U.S. one day. 

A silver 34 GT-R he saw in an unknown city

“I bought this GT-R in Kanagawa, but to be honest, I don’t really remember what city it was because I didn’t understand Japanese and had to take various trains to the store to see the car.”

Mr. Carlos participated in the Kyushu GT-R Meeting 2023 with a silver Nissan Skyline GT-R N Spec (R34, 2001 model). He is currently stationed at the U.S. Navy base in Sasebo, and has stayed at the Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture for business purposes. However, he was not familiar with Kanagawa, and the fact that he went to see the actual car, even though he did not understand Japanese, just because “the GT-R I was interested in was for sale in Kanagawa,” is a dynamic that is hard to duplicate.

“I wanted a blue 34 GT-R, but blue is very popular and all of them were expensive. So I was fine with a silver car that was a little less expensive. But when I went to see the car, it was not the factory sparkling silver, but a custom-painted silver. I was attracted to this because I thought it was a unique color, and that was one of the reasons I decided to buy it.”

It was about five years ago, in 2019, that he acquired it. The purchase price at that time was not low. That is why he revisited the store two weeks after he first saw it.

“At the time, there was also a Honda NSX in the store. I was a bit worried about buying that one.”

Before he had a change of heart, he reconfirmed his feelings that he wanted this silver R34 GT-R. And finally, he went to sign the contract.

However, this was his first experience purchasing a vehicle in Japan, and there were times during the purchase and registration process when he thought about giving up. However, with the support of the store, he overcame the difficulties over time and finally became the R34 GT-R owner of his dreams. When he took delivery of the car, he drove back to Sasebo from the store by himself. The memories of the half-day drive through the city are captured on video.

“I want to bring my car back with me when I return to the US”

Mr. Carlos’ car has been tuned with a focus on the engine. It includes Nismo air inlet ducts, N1 twin-turbo, Trust radiator, fuel regulator, and intercooler, HKS spark plugs, and ARC cooling panel. The suspension is Öhlins Mi10S1 coilovers. Some of the specifications were inherited from the previous owner, but some of the work was done by the Omori factory in Yokosuka, which is why he likes this part of the car so much as he loves Nissan.

“In the U.S., there is a rule that foreign cars that do not meet local regulations cannot be brought in until 25 years have passed since their production. In other words, my car cannot be imported until 2026. I like Japan very much, but in the future, I would like to have a family and buy a house to store this GT-R, so I am thinking of returning to the U.S. after my stint in Japan is over.”

Car meets are also held on weekends inside the Sasebo base. Carlos also says that by going out to play outside of the base, “I am gradually expanding my interaction with my GT-R friends. Because of this connection, this Kyushu GT-R Meeting was the second year he participated, following 2022. However, due to the deployment of U.S. military vessels and his duties as an engineer, there is a strong possibility that he will not be able to participate next year. Until the time comes when he has to leave one day, we hope he will enjoy to the fullest the experience with his beloved car, which he can only have in Japan.