Well I’m a rather big fan of cool Honda’s and other Japanese cars from the 90s/00s and today, this all started with my own build, and the learnings that came with it. I found it was a lot more than just a car, it was a journey, a process of discovery and improvement.
So what about the name?
NAMA = Raw, pure, undiluted
ZOKU = Tribe, clan [gang]
What are we doing?
Creating a new website for those who wouldn’t normally get the spotlight shone onto their efforts, creating a permanent place for a build reviews and meet blogs with full screen high quality images, instead of the ever so temporary social media platforms. Not re-inventing the wheel, more turning back the clock in some ways to allow a deeper appreciation of some very cool cars. A kind of online magazine to give a bit more internet to the cool cars the normal people build and drive.
If, like me you love watching others build their dream machine, I would love, with your help, to collate a YouTube channel reference directory with a brief overview of each channel, finding the up-and-coming content creators is usually a total accident, we want to build a list of these channels where the content is matched to the Namazoku ethos! (see below).
What is the Namazoku ETHOS?
In Japan, groups of enthusiasts normally end up being known by just a name or phrase. The Kanjo Racers, Bosuzoku, Kaido racers, Kyusha, Shakotan; you get the idea. In the UK people who enjoy cars of a certain type are normally just bundled together and called boy racers which is generally a negative connotation.
We have various enthusiast genres/scenes such as: Stance / Static / Track spec / Show / Drift / Rat / Dirty diesels / Ricer / JDM/ Classics and more. We have many alternate names for these groups and almost all of them are of a negative nature.
Where is the positivity, togetherness, and appreciation of these DIY heroes who dedicate their lives to learning and improving both themselves and their cars….?
The type of cars that really appeal to us are those built to be the best they can be at delivering an “experience behind the wheel”, it’s all about what it does to the driver whilst driving it, that raw, visceral experience, the sounds, the feelings, the feedback, the connection to the road via machine, the sensory experience in its entirety which YOU BUILT ! Namazoku is just that, those race car inspired builds which see little to no track time, stripped interior, no sound proofing, no door cards, race seats, roll cages, harnesses, Tuned motor, upgraded chassis components, performance brakes and sticky tyres!
Driveway, barn, car park, roadside, fully kitted out workshop, industrial unit, your mates back garden, we don’t care where you built it, all we care about is that “YOU” built it or at least helped build it. Sharing a passion for the “improve or remove” ethos that tends to exist with DIY built cars.
Bringing together like-minded enthusiasts and an appreciation of a certain genre of cars. In this case, cars built up by their owners to “scratch that itch” to get the car they always dreamed of.
As the name probably suggests this is more geared towards Japanese brands, but the ethos and the meaning of the brand applies to all builds which fit the profile.