I like to think that I pick whatever works best regardless of origin but in reality I have an obvious preference for tuner parts from Nihon Koku. My insipiration comes mainly from Road&Ster and HyperRev where RJDM parts are plentiful. Therefore, it is only logical that in my car replicates the stylings of the cars that inspired me. I do find it funny that from the outside it looks like I'm an American tyring to copy what a Japanese person's modern interpretation of what a classic British or Italian roadster might be. But I think the reason for that is my underlying inspiration are the classic roadsters of the 1950's and 1960's. Accordingly, my tuning philosophy is most similar to the majority of Japanese based tuners who were originally inspired by the same vehicles.
When tuning a car I'm trying to create a certain emotion or frame of mind. I think that parts from the vehicle's country of origin almost always look most approprite. For example, Weber carbs look perfect on an Alfa-Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale (and Edelbrock carbs would look equally out of place), and Jaeger or Smiths clocks look perfect in an old Austin-Healey or MG. I think that RS Watanabe wheels look best on a Miata even though I could just as well have gotten Chaparrals for less money. If I had an Austin Mini Cooper S I'd want Minilite wheels but if I had a Triumph TR6 I'd probably want Panasport wheels since that's what the Group44 guys ran on their race cars here in the USA. I guess I'm just a stickler for the details and can appreciate the subtle aesthetic differences. I have Racing Beat and Flyin' Miata parts on my car where all I was concerned about was functionality. But when it comes to items that are routinely seen or felt I like the RJDM items best. So I guess you can say I mix and match to get the desired perfomance while maintaining a classic, simple, elegant roadster style.
When tuning a car I'm trying to create a certain emotion or frame of mind. I think that parts from the vehicle's country of origin almost always look most approprite. For example, Weber carbs look perfect on an Alfa-Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale (and Edelbrock carbs would look equally out of place), and Jaeger or Smiths clocks look perfect in an old Austin-Healey or MG. I think that RS Watanabe wheels look best on a Miata even though I could just as well have gotten Chaparrals for less money. If I had an Austin Mini Cooper S I'd want Minilite wheels but if I had a Triumph TR6 I'd probably want Panasport wheels since that's what the Group44 guys ran on their race cars here in the USA. I guess I'm just a stickler for the details and can appreciate the subtle aesthetic differences. I have Racing Beat and Flyin' Miata parts on my car where all I was concerned about was functionality. But when it comes to items that are routinely seen or felt I like the RJDM items best. So I guess you can say I mix and match to get the desired perfomance while maintaining a classic, simple, elegant roadster style.
