“Everyone calls us crazy, but I don’t think so at all”
“We own racing cars, so we may as well use them in our daily lives, it’s only natural.”
“But… I guess we are a little crazy.”
Mr A – owner of a road legal Jaguar XJ220 LM that raced in Le Mans 24 hours in 1993 and 1995. He uses his LM racer on the road and track in Japan. The Jaguar is a a 550bhp, V6 twin turbo, mid engined racer capable of over 195mph.
“When I sleep, I never dream. I live my dreams, full throttle on the highway.” Mr A, XJ220LM owner
In this video, produced by Maiham Media and Motorhead magazine, three Japanese collectors share their Le Mans machines.
Donning a pair of Sparco race gloves and buckling in to an ex Le Mans car is the stuff of dreams, but for these three car maniacs, its a reality on a regular basis. The footage shows a Porsche 962C being chased by the XJ220LM on the road, which provides a huge rush to both drivers.
The Porsche 962C, owned by Takeshi Moroi, is a road legal 962C made by former works driver Vern Schuppen and has 620bhp that can propel the car to over 215mph. Just like the XJ220LM, the turbo charged mid engined setup is extremely lively to drive at anywhere near full throttle, demonstrated by the sound of the turbos spooling on and off boost. On the road, in traffic, they must really challenge the drivers.
“Circuit or street, I just enjoy driving” Takeshi Moroi, Porsche 962C owner
The third car is another genuine Le Mans car that has a life after its 1989 race where it finished 9th overall. It is a Mazda 767B that has a four rotary engine, normally aspirated, but still manages to produce 630bhp. The owner believes that it is better suited to track running only, unlike the other two cars in the video.
“Real racing machines were built for the track, that is where they belong.” Senji Hoshino, Mazda 767B owner
The video is filmed in 4k, which is 2160 pixels wide, very high quality and best viewed in Chrome. This video perfectly demonstrates the beauty, sound and presence of the cars on the road and circuit. The owners are true car maniacs, passionate about their prized Le Mans racers.
Director : Ko-Hey Takada | Motorhead.jp
Cinematographer / Editor : Luke Huxham | Maiham-Media.com
GFX / Animation : Edward Khoma | Carbonstudiosllc.com
