Like other aspects of society, car culture is built on myths and legends, with two of the most influential to the world of car modification coming from practically the same place.
Many people are aware of Keiichi Tsuchiya, the Drift King and star of Pluspy, the video that started the drifting craze in earnest, as well as the inspiration for Initial D, with both him and it creating the immortal legend of the Toyota Corolla GT/AE86, better known simply as Hachi Roku.
However, not long after this, another group of more mysterious and far more controversial drivers started to make themselves known with cars that could reach 200 miles per hour, often hid their identities even from each other and eventually inspired the phenomenally popular Wangan Midnight series of books, films and arcade games.
They are now known as the Midnight Racing Team, but before they left street racing they were known simply as Mid Night Club.
Until its return in 2019, a consistent history was hard to find and even to this day, several major sources are wildly incorrect. The team was claimed to have formed in 1987, when in practice it was formed in 1982 by an unknown group but included the likes of Eichii Yoshida, driving an extensively modified Porsche 930 (better known as the 911 Turbo).
This car, along with several others, even received specialist tuning from the manufacturers themselves.
There were many differences with the Mid Night Club, chief among which was that whilst they themselves remained anonymous they did not shy away from the public eye whatsoever, with cars such as the feared 930 Special, as well as Toyota Supras, Mazda RX-7s and Nissan Fairlady Z-cars (later replaced by Nissan Skylines) all getting pictures and write-ups.
There was also the membership process. Drivers had to have a car that could do 160mph, and they needed to pass an apprenticeship of up to five years to get their pink sticker replaced with a silver one.
They also, despite the inherent illegality and irresponsibility of street racing, emphasised a code of not putting other innocent drivers in harm’s way and would take stickers away from drivers who acted recklessly.
Despite this, racers on the Bayshore route (Wangan-sen) knew it was dangerous, as did the police, which led to increased crackdowns.
Many of the drivers were ordinary people and businessmen and women with enough income to fund these vastly expensive modified cars as well as pay for repairs if (and in some cases when) there’s a crash.
Speaking of which, the story of how the club “ended” was also a persistent rumour. In a race in 1999, a Bosozoku (biker) gang intercepted a high-speed race and it led to up to six deaths and a handful of injuries. Allegedly the Club disbanded but this was later confirmed to be false.
Regardless, their legend has endured in the import scene and the still popular trend of modifying cars.
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