Option (magazine)
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| description | japanese automobile magazine |
| Area of Expertise | Modifications of cars, lifestyle |
| language | Japanese |
| publishing company | San'ei Shobo |
| First edition | 1981 |
| Frequency of publication | per month |
| Editor-in-chief | Fuyuhiko Yoshimura (since 2001) |
| Web link | www.sun-a.com |
Option , subtitled Exciting Car Magazine, is a Japanese automotive magazine founded by Daijiro Inada in 1981. This was done to meet the growing demand from enthusiasts of modified Japanese vehicles in Japan.
The magazine is published by the Japanese publisher San'ei Shobō , which is the parent company of Sunpros , a company owned by Inada. Inada himself is the founder of the D1 Professional Drift Grand Prix and the Tokyo Auto Salon .
structure
In the earlier days of the option, it was primarily illegal street races that were reported to give them a certain legality. But this was soon banned. In addition, reports are made of the attempts by Inada and members of the editorial team to set speed records, regardless of whether it is on the Bonneville Speedway , the German Autobahn or at the Silver State Classic Challenge . Nowadays, the option reports on Touge races, drift races on mountain roads and Wangan races, for example on the Tokyo city highway , but also on those that take place on closed roads and are legal.
In addition to speed tests and tests of parts for modifying vehicles, there are other columns that appear regularly. One of these columns is called the Hot Car Contest , photos of their cars sent in by readers are judged with a certain humor by Manabu Suzuki . In addition, Keiichi Tsuchiya deals with various problems faced by readers, for example when they cannot decide which car to buy. The problems that occur when drifting are reported in a monthly column called Sugoi yo! Osaru-san ( す ご い よ！ オ サ ル さ ん ), Ken Nomura .
There is also a regular D1GP mini magazine, the D1 Grandprix Times. Eiji Yamada and Manabu Orido , among others, are involved there. Other offshoots of the option include option 2 , a magazine that is very similar to the option, but with an emphasis on more modified cars and detailed technical knowledge, such as making modifications in a DIY style. There is also the wagon option , which specifically deals with the issues of station wagons and vans . It is a mixture of option and option 2. The Drift Tengoku is a magazine which also has DVDs that deal exclusively with drifting. Recordings of the D1GP competitions and their full-length offshoots are sold on DVD by the video option . This also contains reports on various racing events, as well as driver potrais, the various project vehicles of the magazine and various tuning companies.
Project vehicles
Option Stream Z (Version 1) ( ス ト リ ー ム Z, Sutorīmu Z )
After an unsuccessful attempt in 1999 to take part in the Silver State Classic Challenge in Ely , Nevada, with a Nissan Skyline GT-R (Blitz R348) modified by Blitz , Inada decided in 2003 to try to set the speed record of a Chrysler LeBaron in Breaking the production vehicle category of the Guinness Book of Records . The Stream Z with the starting number 143 is a Nissan 350Z (MY 2002), called Nissan Fairlady in Japan, which was modified by the company JUN Auto for the Unlimited class. The displacement of the 3.5 liter VQ35DE engine has been increased to 3.8 liters. In addition, the unit was equipped with a T88-34D turbocharger from Greddy . After further modifications to the engine, chassis as well as exterior and interior, the vehicle had an output of approx. 800 PS / 593 kW. During the race, rubber peeled off on the left rear tire, which also lost air at a speed of 240 km / h. When Inada tried to slow the vehicle down from 4th to 3rd gear, the car got off the track and overturned seven times. Inada survived the accident without major injuries, but had to be taken to the nearby hospital due to a back injury. The accident was never officially investigated, but the recording of a camera in the vehicle was checked. It is believed that the tire was overheating and peeling in layers. Furthermore, an error on the part of the driver is said to have caused the accident. The destroyed car was brought back to Japan and displayed in the magazine's booth at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January of the following year.
Option Stream Z (Version 2)
After the show ended, The Option and Inada decided to try again. A 350Z was used again, but now with a flared fender so that wider tires can be fitted. The same 3.8 liter engine was built again, but this time with a Greddy T88-38GK turbocharger. This ensured that the output increased by 100 HP to approx. 900 HP / 667 kW. As a result of the accident, a braking parachute was installed on the vehicle and the team rented a helicopter on site so that they could be close to the vehicle during the race. For the following year the rear suspension and suspension were modified.
But the team was out of luck. In 2005, the day before the race, the vehicle was damaged during a 1-mile speed run. Daijiro Inada was the driver and the co-driver Susumu Koyama (owner of the tuning company JUN Auto) misunderstood the signal to slow down after crossing the finish line. 2 km after the finish line came a curve and the vehicle went off the road. There was mechanical damage to the car and the passenger was hospitalized with a torn calf muscle. As a result, they could not take part in the main race. However, they won the 1 mile race with a top speed of 180 mph.
During the Nevada Open Road Challenge in May 2006, Indada announced that he was retiring from active racing and that the Silver State Classic Challenge in September would be his last race. There was a change to the Stream Z, the paintwork was changed. But this did not help, during the race he had to give up after the crankshaft broke after driving 57 km. When he took part in the 1-mile shootout at the Silver State Classic in September, the engine destroyed itself and, as in 2005, he was unable to take part in the main race.
The version of Stream Z from 2005 is in the game Grand Turismo 4 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Company profile of San'ei Shobō on virtualjapan.com (eng.)
- ↑ Report on www.d1gp.com (eng.)
- ↑ Website of Drift Tengoku ( Memento of the original from May 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (jap.)
- ↑ Video Option website (Japanese)
- ↑ Results of the SSC 2003 ( Memento of the original dated November 9, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ List of turbochargers on the Greddy website
- ↑ Video of the crash of Option Stream Z (Version 1) on Youtube ( Memento from December 14, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Results SSC 1 Mile Shootout 2005 ( Memento of the original from July 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Results of NORC 2006 ( Memento of the original from July 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Results 1 Mile Shootout SSC 2006 ( Memento of the original from November 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Video on Youtube
