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Option (car magazine)
Encyclopedia
Option is an automotive magazine
founded by Daijiro Inada in 1981, to meet the demand for enthusiasts of modified Japanese cars in Japan
.
The magazine is published by the Japanese media giant San-Ei Shobo Publishing Co. Ltd., the parent company of Sunpros, a company owned by Inada, who is behind both the D1 Grand Prix
series and Tokyo Auto Salon
.
During the earlier days, the magazines used to cover illegal street races
held in expressways before it became illegal to do so.
Also, it covers the exploits of Inada attempts at driving speed records, whether it was at Bonneville
, at the German Autobahn or at the Silver State Classic, even by members of the magazine editorial team. Nowadays the series features Wangan competitions on closed roads and where it is legalised to do so.
Beside speed tests and modified car features, other regular features includes, a rate-my-car feature where readers send a photo of their car to be judged by Manabu Suzuki
, with a comedic result; a monthly features, where Keiichi Tsuchiya
solves readers' problems that concern with drifting
, a monthly column called Sugoiyo Osaru-chin (すごいよ！ オサルさん) by Ken Nomura
. Also it has a D1GP mini-magazine. Other contributors includes Eiji Yamada and Manabu Orido
. The magazine also covered the build up to his Silver State exploits that he has become known for.
Other magazines in the Option line are Option 2, a similar magazine but less emphasises on feature cars but more on technical bits and DIY modifications; Option Wagon for modified MPV, Drift Tengoku, a magazine and video series dedicated to drifting and Video Option. The Option magazine is known to be very popular amongst JDM
enthusiasts and people who work in the Import industry who use it to gain knowledge on new parts.
Both the magazine's project cars have made appearances in video games, its earlier project car, Option Speed Wagon have appeared in the 1998 Konami
arcade game
Racing Jam as a hidden car and the infamous Option Stream Z have appeared in both installments of the D1 Grand Prix game by Yuke's and the ver.2 in Gran Turismo 4
all as bonus cars.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
founded by Daijiro Inada in 1981, to meet the demand for enthusiasts of modified Japanese cars in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The magazine is published by the Japanese media giant San-Ei Shobo Publishing Co. Ltd., the parent company of Sunpros, a company owned by Inada, who is behind both the D1 Grand Prix
D1 Grand Prix
The , abbreviated as D1GP and subtitled Professional Drift, is a production car drifting series from Japan. After several years of hosting amateur drifting contests, Option magazine & Tokyo Auto Salon founder Daijiro Inada, and drifting legend Keiichi Tsuchiya hosted a professional level drifting...
series and Tokyo Auto Salon
Tokyo Auto Salon
The is an annual auto show held in January at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for Performance and custom dress-up parts and technology display. Hosted by the Nippon Auto Parts Aftermarket Committee ....
.
During the earlier days, the magazines used to cover illegal street races
Street racing
Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal motor racing which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well coordinated races are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio and...
held in expressways before it became illegal to do so.
Also, it covers the exploits of Inada attempts at driving speed records, whether it was at Bonneville
Bonneville
-People:* Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville, a French-born officer in the United States Army, fur trapper, and explorer in the American West* Hugh Bonneville, an English stage, television, and film actor* Nicholas Bonneville, a French writer-Places in the USA:...
, at the German Autobahn or at the Silver State Classic, even by members of the magazine editorial team. Nowadays the series features Wangan competitions on closed roads and where it is legalised to do so.
Beside speed tests and modified car features, other regular features includes, a rate-my-car feature where readers send a photo of their car to be judged by Manabu Suzuki
Manabu Suzuki
is a former racing driver, journalist, sport announcer and radio and TV presenter for the automotive industry. He is a Japanese citizen and is nicknamed Mana-P .Suzuki competed in the Formula Toyota and Saurus Cup until the mid nineties...
, with a comedic result; a monthly features, where Keiichi Tsuchiya
Keiichi Tsuchiya
is a professional race car driver. He is also known as the "Drift King" for his nontraditional use of drifting in non-drifting racing events and his role in popularizing drifting as a motorsport...
solves readers' problems that concern with drifting
Drifting (motorsport)
Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed...
, a monthly column called Sugoiyo Osaru-chin (すごいよ！ オサルさん) by Ken Nomura
Ken Nomura
is a drifting driver from Japan. He made his debut in the D1 Grand Prix in the 3rd round in 2001, driving the Blitz D1 Spec ER34 Skyline which he still drives...
. Also it has a D1GP mini-magazine. Other contributors includes Eiji Yamada and Manabu Orido
Manabu Orido
is a Japanese racing driver who currently competes in the Super GT series for Toyota Team Tsuchiya in a Lexus SC 430 sponsored by Eclipse and AdvanOrido began his racing career as a street racer and then progressed to touge racing...
. The magazine also covered the build up to his Silver State exploits that he has become known for.
Other magazines in the Option line are Option 2, a similar magazine but less emphasises on feature cars but more on technical bits and DIY modifications; Option Wagon for modified MPV, Drift Tengoku, a magazine and video series dedicated to drifting and Video Option. The Option magazine is known to be very popular amongst JDM
Japan domestic market
The term Japanese domestic market refers to the local market in Japan for Japanese-made motor vehicles and components. Within the car and motorcycle hobbyist import scene, this term, and the related term Japanese domestic model, most commonly refer to Japanese-brand automobiles and parts designed...
enthusiasts and people who work in the Import industry who use it to gain knowledge on new parts.
Project cars
- StreamZ (ver.1) (ストリームZ in KatakanaKatakanais a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
) — After one failed attempt to compete in the Silver State Classic held at ElyEly, NevadaEly is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States. Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. Ely's mining boom came later than the other towns along US 50, with the discovery of copper in 1906...
, NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
in 1999 driving a Blitz modified R34 Skyline GT-RNissan Skyline GT-RThe Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
, Inada decided to return in 2003 for an attempt at the overall record which had been recorded into the Guinness Book of Records by a stock car based Chrysler LeBaronChrysler LeBaronThe Chrysler LeBaron was originally a classic luxury car of 1930s manufactured by Chrysler which competed with other luxury cars of the era such as Lincoln and Packard....
. The Stream Z was a Nissan Fairlady Z33Nissan 350ZThe Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan from 2002 to 2009 and marks the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model. The first year there was only a coupe, as the roadster did not debut...
built to compete in the Unlimited category unlike the R34 which had been competing in the 190 mi/h average category and is modified by tuner, JUN Auto. Its VQ35DE engine was enlarged to 3.8 liters and equipped with a GarrettGarrett AiResearchGarrett AiResearch was a manufacturer of turboprop engines and turbochargers, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. It was previously known as Aircraft Tool and Supply Company, Garrett Supply Company, AiResearch Manufacturing Company, or simply AiResearch...
T88-34D turbocharger giving out a total horsepower of 800. During the race, the rear left tire delaminated but did not lose air at 240 km/h; however, when attempting to slow down by dropping into 3rd gear at 240 km/h, the car left the road and rolled over seven times. Inada managed to survive without serious injuries but was to be taken to the nearby hospital. The accident had never been officially investigated, but the in-car camera video was reviewed and it is speculated that a last-minute incorrect rear-end alignment caused the tire to overheat and delaminate, and driver error caused the crash. The wrecked car was shipped back to Japan and, in January the following year at the Tokyo Auto SalonTokyo Auto SalonThe is an annual auto show held in January at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for Performance and custom dress-up parts and technology display. Hosted by the Nippon Auto Parts Aftermarket Committee ....
, was displayed at the magazine’s stand and became one of the show’s attractions that year, attracting more people than many of the show cars displayed.
- Stream Z (ver.2) — After the show ended, the magazine and Dai decided on another attempt at the race, this time they took on another Z33 as a donor car but now with a wide arch kit to allow for wider tires. Whatever was intact in the old car had now been transferred into the newer car including the 3.8 litre engine. Now with the T88-38GK turbocharger giving out 100 extra horsepower to the previous car and for extra safety measures came equipped with a drag chute in the event of a tire failure. The Option crew also hired a helicopter to watch over the car in any event of incident but managed to finish third place overall without incident.
- For the following year, the car was modified at the rear suspension allowing the rear camber to be altered. Unfortunately in 2005, on the day before the race, during a 1 miles (1.6 km) speed run, Inada drove the car off course after not noticing the finishing line (which was a set of cones), misreading co driver Susumu Koyama's (owner of tuner, JUN Auto) signal to slow down, and failing to slow down before a corner 2 km after the finishing line, causing mechanical damages to the car and putting the co-driver in hospital for whiplashWhiplash (medicine)Whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension. The term "whiplash" is a colloquialism...
injuries. As a result they were forced to miss out on the main race, but he was the winner of the 1 miles (1.6 km) shootout race that caused such unintentionally hilarious misfortunes for him.
- During and his attempt at the Nevada Open Road Challenge on May 2006 which he retired with a broken crank pulley after 57 km, Inada announced his retirement and the following event would become his last race. During that September, during a 1 miles (1.6 km) run a day prior to the main race, he blew his engine.
Both the magazine's project cars have made appearances in video games, its earlier project car, Option Speed Wagon have appeared in the 1998 Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
Racing Jam as a hidden car and the infamous Option Stream Z have appeared in both installments of the D1 Grand Prix game by Yuke's and the ver.2 in Gran Turismo 4
Gran Turismo 4
is a racing simulator for the Sony PlayStation 2 which was developed by Polyphony Digital. It was released on December 28, 2004 in Japan and Hong Kong , February 22, 2005 in North America , and March 9, 2005 in Europe , and has since been re-issued under Sony's 'Greatest Hits' line...
all as bonus cars.