REX FRIENDS MEETING: Kei car drifting at Odaiba D1

June 3, 2009 12:30 am Published by

You didn’t think I was just going to post one day of weird kei car drifting and not follow it up, did you?

Now it’s time for some FF Subaru Rex action!

This is Tanaka, the leader of Rex Tomo No Kai (REX友の会), which means “Rex Friends Meeting”. Did you ever see that really old Drift Tengoku video on Youtube of two Rexes drifting at Nikko Circuit? That’s this guy. Search for “subaru rex drifting” and you should find it.

Tanaka was asked to put on a demonstration run during the Odaiba D1GP, and some of their action was closer than the main show!

Old-school D1 driver Hirotaka Hoshino was there too, in one of his Rexes that is usually used for snow drifting in the winter.

“I like snow drifting.” he said.

Riding in cars like this with other people is only possible if everyone is skinny. Even then, it’s pretty cosy.

Take another look. That’s PVC piping from the local home and hardware pretending to be a rollcage. It even has the price stickers still on it.

The guys all had a list of what to do on each demo lap taped inside their cars. They’re not Nazis in case you’re wondering. That first symbol is back-to-front compared to the swastika, and it’s a kanji character that means “manji” (fishtail drifting) in this case

Once again, this just makes you want to giggle.

Even on the big screen, a kei car is still only as big as a regular car.

Might have to see about picking up one of these next time winter rolls around…

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This post was written by Alexi

16 Comments

  • mario-Hrvatska says:

    those kei cars are awesome!

  • Ben Comana says:

    once again, awesome! Love it!

  • mario-Hrvatska says:

    I forgot to mention “CONGRATULATIONS FOR A GREAT SITE” in the previous coment.
    Your fan from Croatia.

    ps. if my english is a bit rough, sorry.

  • N/Aontherun says:

    I’ve been wanting a Rex since last year when I found out that they have a Supercharged model.

    Def. a show of skills

    I <3 Kei cars

    Pure epicsness on the PVC roll cage, had me do a double take.

  • JonnyAE86 says:

    SUPERB once again Alexi!

    K-Car culture at large, thanks for the pics, let us have some Cappuccino, Beat or AZ-1 pics if you spot them 😉

  • Slappy says:

    Thats just neat

  • Isidro says:

    Alexi, heres a video of these funny pocket-sized machines

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGeIX_MTCPw

    they look like oversized RC cars =D

  • Matt says:

    Thanks for covering this awesomeness Alexi. Can we expect a “wait, but there’s more. read about kei cars, get a drift estima blog entry free ?” 😛 Thanks once again.

  • LuKa says:

    Hey great coverage there, that changes from the usual drift scene. I love it!
    I have a Vivio as dailydriver besides an AE86 and a Skyline R34 GTR and I enjoy every minute driving that Go-Kart! Seeing this, I am seriously considering of drifting (or sliding) that little bastard!!! ;D
    Keep that good work up and give me more Kei Car Madness!

  • andylaurel says:

    I went rain drifting with Hoshino in that grey Rex last friday night.
    We found this really tight touge run on an alternate way up Akagi mountain.
    I was gripping downhill behind Hoshino in that car and one of his staff in an NA Subaru Vivio, and I couldn’t keep up with them. He was going 90 degrees into corners on a road so narrow that the overhanging foliage was brushing on his front bumper and his rear bumper simultaneously.
    His front left wheel nearly fell off on the way home.

  • andylaurel says:

    oh yeah, and the total cost of the roll cage…
    500 yen.

  • Fury-S12 says:

    im loving this whole kei car drifting it awesome and funny at the same time

    also think its kool that people have these sitting in the garage to break out when the snow falls would be hilarious to see

  • michael wright says:

    immense! i love FF drift im building a civic eg at the mo which im hoping to slide around, got some steel rims for the rear and a nice high pressure in the tyres 🙂

    may i ask why the subaru rex has such a big fanbase over there almost every FF dirft ive ever seen vids/pics of is just subaru rex’s! is it availability/cost/handling/bit of everything?!

    the nikko circuit vid is insane with the yellow and and 2 white rex’s, bouncing and hopping on the bumpstops and getting mad angle 🙂

  • Aaron says:

    Awsome stuff….did you talk to murayama alexi? i see him in the back ground! his kei cars rock hey!

  • x8slider says:

    Awesome ha ha

  • Jaja Subaga says:

    I love kei car, two thumbs up for your team