Hi everyone, it’s Alistair

This week’s newsletter is a bit different, since I’m writing it at 175 mph on a Shinkansen bullet-train from Tokyo to Osaka. Yes, I downloaded a speedometer app onto my iPhone specially for that stat.

Before I go any further, I urge you to watch The Next Drive’s latest video, where Mark reviews a Ford Mustang. It’s the 5.0-litre V8 one, naturally, and a convertible too. Does such an iconic slab of Americana work in the UK? Mark puts his steed through a very British test to find out.

Since I’m in Japan, this week’s Spotted is a Daikoku special. It was a relatively quiet night at Japan’s most famous informal car meet, but we still saw a wide range of Nissan Skyline GTRs, Miatas, Mazda RX-7s, a GR Yaris and even a pair of Lotus Emeras.

You can read more about my time in Tokyo, including a drive from Shibuya down the expressway to Daikoku, in the TopStory section below.

As an aside, does Japan have the world’s coolest number plate? I think it might.

Are you looking for a new car too? Perhaps you just want to show off your daily drive? Or maybe you’ve simply spotted something cool in the classifieds - get in touch and let me know what you’ve found.

[email protected]

I’ll feature the best spots and stories in future newsletters.

I’m in Japan on holiday, but couldn’t resist soaking up some of the country’s world-famous car culture in-between the temples, shopping and sightseeing. So last night, my partner and I picked up a Nissan R35 GTR heavily modified by Liberty Walk (above), and drove out from Shibuya, through the famous crossing, and down the expressway to Daikoku. Here, at what should be an unassuming truck stop close to Yokohama, car enthusiasts gather, practically all day and night, every day of the year.

Some are calling in for a toilet break and a drink from a vending machine. Others are here to show off their rides and hang out with other petrol heads. You might have seen Lewis Hamilton visit in a Ferrari F40 earlier this year, or visited virtually in Forza Horizon 6.

It’s a seriously cool experience, but one that’s also as calm as you’d expect from Japan. No revving engines, no burnouts, no antisocial behaviour at all. Just polite appreciation for each other’s cars, despite the vehicles in question being so wildly modified. I think I could have slept on the massive rear wing of our GTR, while the extended wheel arches made it supercar-wide and the exhaust tips could accommodate bowling balls.

It’s fascinating how a country known for modesty and politeness is also home to the most extreme examples of modified car culture. Workshops like Liberty Walk are so big they’ve become lifestyle brands all of their own; we visited their Tokyo store to buy a t-shirt and some shiny red valve covers for my MX-5, then called into their JDM Cafe in Kyoto for a coffee and another tee.

I hired the car from a company called Ichioku Tours. Run by a couple of Europeans, including a young British guy called Joseph, the company offers a wide selection of cars, from Japanese market specials like a fleet of Skylines, to replicas from the Fast and The Furious movies, and even supercars from Ferrari and Lamborghini too.

I paid about £400 and the experience lasted 4.5 hours, including Shibuya, a photo op at Tokyo Tower, convoy cruising over Rainbow Bridge and about 45 minutes at Daikoku itself. For car fans who want to recreate a bit of Tokyo Drift – and who aren’t deterred by city traffic, wide arches and a slightly spicy insurance excess – I can’t recommend it enough.

I recently discovered author Peter Grimsdale, who has the wonderful ability of writing history books in a way that makes them feel like a thriller.

Superveloce is the story of how Italy conquered motorsport, and some elements of the wider automotive world, from the dawn of carrying to the present day. It’s a lovely read that kept me entertained on a couple of recent long-haul flights.

I’ll be sure to pick up his Racing In The Dark soon too, an account of when the infamous Bentley Boys dominated Le Mans

Thanks for reading The Next Drive. Catch you here next week!

Until then,

Alistair