Young Version — August 1999
An archive project by Flock MFGNew issue alerts →
About this issue
The August 1999 issue of Young Version explores drift setups versus grip tuning through 22 shop demo cars, including S15 Silvias from Mine’s and Kazama Auto. Features cover front-wheel-drive builds taking on high-powered 4WD rivals, choosing a first drift car, and reviving a used AE86 Trueno on a ¥1 million total budget. Suspension fundamentals, engine-oil selection, rotary maintenance, new-parts tests, and reports from Hiroshima and California round out this look at Japan’s late-1990s tuning scene.
242 available scans from Young Version — August 1999, in right-to-left reading order. Japanese OCR and English translation drafts are available throughout. Drafts have not received exhaustive image proofreading; unreadable source remains recorded in the archival data.
Page 137 — English draft translation
Hello, Young Version editors. I’m “Kaeru no Ko,” who appeared in the August ’99 issue. I finally installed the shock absorbers I’d been wishing for in my AE92 Trueno, so I’m writing to tell you. I borrowed a gas station and did the work with a senior friend who drives an AE86. It took a little while, but when we finished, I was so happy I can hardly put it into words. After installation I pushed it a little on the mountain roads, and was surprised by how different it felt. I drove around until late that night, enjoying the new suspension.
…so I was shocked. It’s true that hardly anyone around me drove a kei car; most drove sports cars. I’d had the Works for three years, and just as I was getting tired of it, I saw the S15 in a magazine. It had a six-speed manual and 250 horsepower, so I knew I had to buy it and ordered one as soon as it went on sale. Since delivery, I think about the S15 every day. I’m looking forward to tuning it little by little. (Ika District, Shiga Prefecture…)
Captions and page details
ED N
RE
Driver’s license
Car lovers
…!
whether you have one or not
make it together…
No connection!! / In a letter…
But when it rains…
I hate this muggy weather!
Wow, it’s hot! That would be fine if it were only the heat, but it’s actually perfect weather for drift practice… Anyway, we’ve received lots of hot letters again this month!
Yes, our new sticker is finally finished!
E
Z
Letters to RED ZONE
Full-throttle mailbag
1
…is
Bumper
I made my own aero parts
I was amazed by the difference after installing shocks!
TOMEKI-SHICIALS
I’ll write again when I get new parts. P.S. I’ll keep working on front-wheel-drive drifting!
Rather than having someone else install it…
(Kaeru no Ko, Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture)
GGGGG
UF-OT OTOMEKI S15
W
Katsushi Hibi
Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture / Matsu’s original aero is amazing. And this front bumper looks so cool!
This month’s artist
FC38RX-7GT-X
I’m in eighth grade.
Naoya Osada, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Maybe it doubles the effect psychologically?
I bought an S15 and it has been delivered. I’m 20 and love FR cars. This March I finally bought the S15 FR car I’d been hoping for. I used to drive an Alto Works, but people around me and my friends said, “At your age, isn’t driving a kei car embarrassing?”
I didn’t think that much of it myself…
Well, it’s not because you had a kei car, but I’m glad you found a car you love. Keep working on the tuning!
ALTEZZA
We look forward to your next update.
-
I live for the Works, but now I have an S15.
E
Please send me a sticker.
Tatsuhito Kuroda
New
I read it every month! / Oita City, Oita Prefecture
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