Racing arcades are not as popular as they used to be, but the technology has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past decade. Sims can tilt, jiggle and shake every which way. And the way things are going, you're soon going to be able to smell burned rubber and have your own Scotish copilot with an unfathomable accent.
However, this arcade that we discovered in Japan takes the absolute cake. It doesn't just have an accurate steering wheel, gearbox and bucket seat. It has the whole freaking car. In fact, three cars are arranged side by side so you and two of your mates can race each other down Mount Fuji.
If you're a fan of drifting, you'll know that these aren't just three ordinary cars. In fact, they are the most famous models for a generation of Japan's comic book readers and cartoon watchers. Did you catch our drift? We're talking about the Fujiwara AE-86 Trueno, the FD Mazda RX-7 of Keisuke Takahashi, and Bunta's Subaru Impreza.
Obviously, the suspension needs to be taken out. Otherwise, the cars would be all wobbly when being thrown around on those hydraulic platforms. But everything else is accurate. People who've used the sim tell us the interior is accurate too.
The only thing wrong with them is that the screens are stuck to the hoods of these cars. So when you drift, your natural instinct to look out the side window is nullified.
Where can you drive these legendary machines? At the Sega Joypolis flagship store in Tokyo.
Getting back to the Initial D part of our story, we have to mention that the classic Toyota known by many as the Tofu Delivery AE86 is the hero car. In fact, without that black and white bucket, Toyota probably wouldn't have built the Scion FR-S and GT 86.
Takumi, the hero of Initial D, develops his racing skills to become one of the fastest drivers in the Kanto prefecture while using his dad's old Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86. At the beginning of the manga comic, everybody learns the main protagonist has been delivering tofu for his father's shop every morning for the past five very boring years.
One night, Bunta Fujiwara, Takumi's father, uses the car to defeat a much more powerful drift car. Shortly after that, Takumi asks his pops if he can borrow the car for the weekend, but gets tricked into making his racing debut. That night, he easily defeats his opponent using one of the more dangerous skills he picked up while delivering tofu. But you guys already knew all that!
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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