Daikoku Futo 1M Sightings

[JP-1M]

Today my Baby Beast made her debut (under my ownership) at the mecca of Tokyo car culture, Daikoku Futo. For those unfamiliar here are some good primers from Speed Hunters and Jalopnik.

Of course I had a great time looking at all of the eye candy, but the highlight for me was making the acquaintance of another 1M owner. I'm attaching a picture of our cars together.

Over time I hope to document all of the 1Ms in Japan. The model was never officially sold by BMW here, so all instances are special imports. My best guess is there are somewhere between 30 ~ 50 in the country at most.

In addition to pictures of our 1Ms I'm also attaching 2 pictures showing the BMW gathering, and 2 pictures of an Aston Martin Vantage GT12. Of all the cars on display, it was the GT12 that resonated with me most. A true testosterone magnet.

[digwm1]

wow didnt realize jp had to special import the 1m, 10-30 is insane! i could only imagine how awesome it would be to drive the 1m around japan👍👍👍 awesome pics and please do keep us updated on your 1m adventures there, im sure with the car culture in japan we could be seeing some of the coolest 1m's around!!

that aston martin is 😲😲😲🔥🔥 by the way, sweet ride

[mrphil]

What country do you guys import from? I see both cars are Left hand drive is that allowed in japan?

[c1pher]

Where can you drive? It seems so crowded there.

[JP-1M]

Originally Posted by digwm1

wow didnt realize jp had to special import the 1m, 10-30 is insane! i could only imagine how awesome it would be to drive the 1m around japan👍👍👍 awesome pics and please do keep us updated on your 1m adventures there, im sure with the car culture in japan we could be seeing some of the coolest 1m's around!!

that aston martin is 😲😲😲🔥🔥 by the way, sweet ride

Thanks for the nice reply and encouragement to share my Japan based adventures. I'll try not to let you down

Indeed the beauty that is the 1M was never officially imported into Japan. Hindsight is 20/20. Apparently they chose not to bother because of:
- ground clearance challenges against regulations due primarily to the diff cooler
- lack of a DCT option

Even though I choose (battle the inner demons?) to keep mine mostly stock I do think I will be able to share some very interesting mods from others. My new 1M friend has been tweaking his, and I have seen one or two other modded examples on the various used car websites around. While not a 1M, I did also make friends with a nice guy with a very cool M4. I might sneak a picture or two of his ride into future posts.

Originally Posted by mrphil

What country do you guys import from? I see both cars are Left hand drive is that allowed in japan?

I'm not exactly clear on the etymology of the word, but the terminology used for imports made by other than the original maker (BMW in this case) is "parallel import (並行輸入)". There is no single country that the various import car specialists parallel import from. By sheer coincidence both my car and my new friend's car were originally manufactured for the Italian market. I have seen other cars on the used car sites that are clearly from other markets. Over time as I get a chance to verify their VINs I will get a better idea of where they are all from.

The norm for Japan is indeed right hand drive, but they have no issue with left hand drive cars. As a matter of fact there are so many left hand drive cars in the country that all of the various infrastructure (toll booths, automated parking ticket gates, etc) have all been updated to accommodate both right and left hand drive. There is no inconvenience to having the non-standard type. This is good for me as I am far more proficient shifting a manual with my right hand as opposed to my left!

Originally Posted by MGM135is

Where can you drive? It seems so crowded there.

You are correct that in the big cities of Japan the people to square foot of real estate ratio is quite high and you can be shoulder to shoulder mosh pit style while walking around certain districts. I'm sure this is primarily what one would see in mainstream media and thus it would be a natural to assume streets might be similarly chaotic.

However you would be pleasantly surprised, if not in automobile heaven, if you ever got a chance to drive the streets. Just like any city/country congestion can be a problem, but if you do your research and avoid the peak times and locations you will have the time of your life. The civil engineering here is top notch and streets are well laid out. On top of good civil engineering the maintenance here is probably the best in the world. The surfaces are pristine. No offense intended to my fellow Americans (I am USA born and raised), but I just came back from a cross country USA road trip. I thought the surfaces there were going to destroy my ride and my body. The return to Japan roads was sorely needed.

Other than just the everyday roads Japan also has amazing spirited driving options. You can find an earlier post from me with info on one of the many private toll roads, and there are multiple race tracks within a 2 hour drive from Tokyo.

[mrphil]

Fantastic to hear no restrictions on having a LHD car, I know how much of a pain it can be with toll booths and parking buildings.

Looking forward to seeing more post from you with all that Japanese goodness

P.s
I've seen a few carspotter on instgram posting 1m in Japan, maybe you can note down their license plates for your record

[digwm1]

Originally Posted by JP-1M

However you would be pleasantly surprised, if not in automobile heaven, if you ever got a chance to drive the streets. Just like any city/country congestion can be a problem, but if you do your research and avoid the peak times and locations you will have the time of your life. The civil engineering here is top notch and streets are well laid out. On top of good civil engineering the maintenance here is probably the best in the world. The surfaces are pristine. No offense intended to my fellow Americans (I am USA born and raised), but I just came back from a cross country USA road trip. I thought the surfaces there were going to destroy my ride and my body. The return to Japan roads was sorely needed.

Other than just the everyday roads Japan also has amazing spirited driving options. You can find an earlier post from me with info on one of the many private toll roads, and there are multiple race tracks within a 2 hour drive from Tokyo.

this, japan has amazing roads and if you venture outside the city at night.. simply, amazingly fun driving

please do keep posting all things bmw 1m-japan, don't think we have too many forum members from/in jp

[JP-1M]

Originally Posted by mrphil

...
P.s
I've seen a few carspotter on instgram posting 1m in Japan, maybe you can note down their license plates for your record

Good point. Thanks! I had already noted a couple from a great Japan based car fanatic instagrammer "kenmsaito". I will look around for more. If you find any yourself I'd appreciate it if you could PM the links to me.

Originally Posted by mrphil

...
Looking forward to seeing more post from you with all that Japanese goodness
...

Originally Posted by digwm1

...
please do keep posting all things bmw-japan, don't think we have too many forum members from/in jp
...

Thanks to you both for expressing an interest. I've been hesitant to post too much about Japan, but will start trickling a little more out over time and see how it is received. I'll keep this thread strictly to Daikoku sightings, and start other threads as appropriate.

[alphagamma]

Originally Posted by digwm1

please do keep posting all things bmw-japan, don't think we have too many forum members from/in jp

+1

I'm definitely interested on what the BMW scene looks like in Japan due to the lack of exposure. Thanks!

[JP-1M]

MGM135is

I came across a decent Motor Trend video with an overview of the type of driving available in Japan.

Subaru BRZ Conquers Japan's Greatest Driving Roads - Epic Drives Episode 6

The narrator is a bit robotic, but the content is OK.