The Forgotten Man of Chiba's Shop

By Steve Neill

Steve Neill

As I stood among the group of cars, the smell of strained oil and engine heat climbed up my nostrils, searching for the road to my brain. Instead, I felt the smell go deep into my soul and through my heart. I’d only been to this establishment, what, two or three times before? Something about the owner kept me coming back. His mysteriousness, his silence and his poise all made me think that he knew something, that he had a secret. His cars sat in front of his shop, some of them in not the greatest of shape, but it wasn’t so much how they looked, but what they stood for. They stood for strength, and soul, and with each one, I found a small story. All it took was a simple look and a glance to figure out that they all had a history.

Continue reading after the jump!

The man who I spoke to first invited me into the shop with a hush hush attitude, and pointed me towards the owner’s office. In the office, the owner sat. He wasn’t doing paperwork, although there were many folders strewn across his desk. He wasn’t mapping out sales or counting inventory either. On the screen of his computer, I saw a Blue Silvia S15, shining like the summer sun. He just sat there staring at it, until I made it known that I was at his door. He looked up. “Yes?” he said with a relaxed smile that pinched his cheeks only barely, showing some weak enthusiasm. There must be young guys like me coming into his shop everyday, to make exaggerated offers to him all the time, I thought.

“I’m a writer, my name is Steve, and I’d like to take some pictures of your cars if you don’t mind.”

In a confused manner, he tilted his head, and didn’t say anything. He was your standard quiet mid 30s to early 40s Japanese man. As I looked down, I could see the grime on his fingertips.

“I write for CarDomain. I could show you a piece of my work if you have an internet connection.”

He sighed heavily, and nodded, and asked me to repeat the site. I showed him an article, and he scrolled quickly through it.

“You just want to take picture of the cars?” he said, while he strummed his fingers on his desk.

“Yes,” I responded, a little nervous.

He looked back at the article on the screen. “I know this street… I live here. Chiba. I live right past this place. You go down about two blocks, and my apartment complex is right there. Just North of TOP SECRET Co.’s headquarters.”

A few more words were shared, and he granted me permission to go outside and take the pictures of his stock. Some were in not so good shape, but as I’ve always said, a scruffed up car shows character, and I was happy just to take pictures.

The first car I saw was this JZA80 Mk IV Supra. I couldn’t quite tell if it was a 2JZ-GTE equipped car, or a 2JZ-GE model, but it was obviously broken in well. It wore RAYS Engineering Volk Racing Wheels, but within them you could see massive chunks ripped from their centers. I could only think of one thing that broke steel wheels like this, and that was rocks flung into the center of the cap at high speed. The aero kit was scratched and torn in a few places as well, but as an Invader kit, it looked good on the car nonetheless. The car had been shined, and was detailed nicely, and it also had to have been recently driven, judging by the heat emitting from the hood. I could still hear the engine wheezing, so I knew it had only been parked a few minutes before my arrival. Something about it screamed “I had a life, and now I’m looking to find it again.” I couldn’t feel too much from the car, but I did feel remorse. It looked like it was going to be sold as a “Supra” and not as a piece of automotive expression, if you know what I mean.

The quiet man walked me out to the back of the shop, where there sat another white JZA80, this time clearly a non turbo model, a Toyota Starlet, a Nissan Silvia RPS13, a Mazda FD3S RX-7, a Toyota Aristo, and a Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R.

I was immediately drawn to the FD3S, as it was cramped beside the Silvia, and facing the building. As I walked out, I had to get a picture of it right away. I could see nothing from this car. I saw it had an upgraded exhaust, and some custom wheels, if which the origin I couldn’t tell, and it wore the Efini badge proudly on it’s rear end. I don’t think this particular FD has ever been driven hard, although it did sport a C-West sticker on the side and a GReddy sticker as well, and a few more white tuner decals. I saw no brake dust, and the suspension mounts, visible from the inside of the wheels, showed no signs of wear and tear. It looked like a good starter FD, something someone could turn into something nice. I just had to get a picture.

As a finale of sorts, I wandered out towards the BNR32 resting in front of an EK Carcass, and snapped some pictures. I had met with the owner before, a really relaxed guy who had been working in the shop. He asked for me to take pictures of the car, and remember that it was his baby. I promised him I would, and that I understood the importance of owning your dream car. He shook my hand, and that’s when I had gone out and seen the FD. But here I stood now, in front of this BNR32. Right away, my head shot down towards the brakes, and I couldn’t really see clearly through the BBS wheels, but I did see the dust on the wheels themselves. I also smelled the stench of heated steel, the kind of smell that could only come from turbos that had been warmed to the extreme. It wasn’t the block—the block would have a more oily smell. It had to have been the turbos. I was careful to take some pictures, and be kind to his car, and these are some snap shots.

As I left the shop, the Japanese man stopped me and asked if I had everything I needed. I said yes, and smiled, and shook his hand. The owner of the BNR32 walked over, and asked to see the pictures. He smiled, and said that they looked great. The Japanese man turned to me and said I was welcome to come over again and take pictures, and I walked away with a smile on my face.

I didn’t get his name, but there would be time again to get it. Something told me that he had a lot that he wasn’t telling people, and it bares down on me, as I type this, because I want to know more then anything. I hope to go back again and get more pictures and details soon.