Well, it's not Midnight Club, it's Racing Team Midnight. And they didn't form the club to see who was fastest, the big goal was to test aftermarket parts their companies were producing.
Been living in the Tokyo area since 2019 and only twice have I seen a highway street battle late at night. It's a beautiful and terrifying sight to seeing two modified sport cars weaving around traffic at near top speeds.
2018-2019 definitely a lot of c1 loop racing was happening. Buddy took me out around 1-2am and you could just cruise and see cars racing on the c1. Just drive to tatsumi or shibaura pa at the time and everyone would gather. Now it’s been cracked down and they close the pa’s.
Some cities with large highway loops you can sometimes find them. I used to do it in the past so it brings me back to those times. Dangerous yeah, but the younger the more risky.
@@skvltdmedia You know what else is lame? Having your life and that of your family and friends ended by a street racer crashing into you. There's a reason street racing is illegal.
Midnight club, despite all the misgivings, were like knights of fairytales for us JDM nerds. And we can't forget about this very scene giving us the legendary Smokey Nagata and his mythical Supra
There's so much awe in the West over the 80s and 90s Japanese street racing scene. I have to wonder if the Japanese hear stories of Detroit in the 1960s in the same exoticized way. "All the traffic lights were exactly 1/4-mi apart..."
The Japanese did have an American car club in the 60s but in the United States, the MIKADO CAR CLUB. I wouldn't know exactly in Japan, but in the 70s there was an American car club in Japan, don't remember the name sorry.
the difference is that American cars are ridiculous carriages that can only drive straight and Japanese and German cars can also show something in real racing sports
I feel so blessed to have spent a decade of my life 1996-2006 in Japan. I was there during the golden years of tuning. I smile while thinking about it all
@Tayee It was an awesome time to be alive. I met so many people and learned so much about cars from different makers. Plus the street racing and drift scene was so fresh and cool. Words can not express how amazing it was. Seriously
@@kamargee9680 as a boy born in 2007, I can't say it enough : I was born in the wrong generation. I'm a JDM fan, I like old school hip-hop, and I'm always on my own cause people my age don't share my wish to go back in time. It's impressive to miss something I've never experienced...
@Sharpie I completely understand. At least you have us older guys to live through. It's still not the same but at least you have good taste in cars and that era of cars is so amazing and unique. There are so many great cars that never made it to the States. The Stagea, Gloria Gran Turismo, Mitsubishi FTO, Daihatsu Copen, Cefiro, Cederic... all cool cars for the time.
That is so damn awesome dude. What were the drivers like? and what was the atmosphere? was it all smiles and easy going with their cards, or were they somewhat competitive and uptight?
Loved playing Midnight Club when I was a young kid - didn't realize they were an actual racing team until later in life. Loved the mythos behind them, and still do
@@crimsonhawk4912 there's a couple instances of the term "midnight club" being used across the world. For example: back in the 20s, when city streets didn't have consistent streetlights, crime was a lot more rampant. The folks who would go out at night to party and do whatever would also say they were apart of the "midnight club"
This video is a LOT closer to the truth than most videos about the topic I've seen - but some of the "teams" you listed earlier were actually a PART of Mid Night. In fact, a few of them became CEOs of some of the most beloved JDM tuning companies today and their partnerships that were born within this group still live to this day. While the truth is still extremely interesting, the legend that I grew up thinking was the truth gave me so much motivation to be financially stable in life to be just like these members. I owe them a lot for what I have in life right now. I'm impressed with your research and I enjoyed the video. Keep it up~
@@Unmedicated_Moments not here lol There's so much misinformation in this it's not even funny. Do your best to purchase early 90s auto work magazines and translate them with Google.
In real life where the show is based off of. The midnight z that the devil is is partially based off of is a red z31 car. It's also partially based of a Pantera that had a bad history of crashing but the engine being transfered from car to car as each car was destroyed. And also based off the midnight s30z but that wasn't quite as nutso as the 31z. Also none of them are blue. Artist took liberties. But obviously knew alot about the clubs cars.
People know the cars. They don't know the drivers. The secrecy and anonymity wasn't about the team itself, but the drivers. In Japan's "hammer in every nail that's even slightly sticking out" culture if the public found out the exact identities of the drivers, their high positions in the corporate world would be gone and they'd become outcasts
Fun fact. A few weeks or months ago by now (September 2023) there was an article on yet again, Speed Hunters, about a new member with his Cayman(if recalled correctly) Mid Night Club build. Thus, your hypothesis and later confirmation that they never disbanded and just kept up low key, is 100% true.
Almost every single one of your documentaries reveal stories that I probably wouldn't even know about if I didn't watch them here. Keep up the good work
@@Socialjusticewarriorsaretrash lol. That's fair. I believe the entire world is full of infants thinking themselves wise while showing themselves to be fools. Especially the College indoctrinated, uh um, I mean educated. So , what glorious Nation state did your parents screw in?
The hyperbolic lore and legend is really only present outside of Japan. Talking to car guys here in Japan active during their peak there was definitely respect for a lot of their cars but they were never lofted into this unobtainable gods of the car scene status locally as they were in the west. All thanks to the manga and games.
Exactly you need a mix of distance, the Hollywood inspired image of all Japanese living by Samurai codes (🤣), gullible teens with wild imaginations and just 1% of it to be true and this is what = the truth. No doubt, lots of street racing with fast cars...just like in America. But most the rest... The one thing in the ‘80s that made Japan’s car scene extra special was the economy. $$$ everywhere. And, BTW, similar myths existed about clubs or Batman style lone wolves like the dude who would outrun police in Amsterdam (Ghost Rider or something) here. And similar myths existed about the American scene in other countries.
Exactly, its blown way outta proportion lol. But like he says in the video, it helped drum up interest in the west which expanded the subculture. To be honest, it makes me nostalgic for a time before social media clout chasing
This is one of those things that people just assume is exactly how they imagine it to be. Not dissimilar to Germany's Autobahn where people think you can drive as fast as you want for as long as you want. The reality is it's usually loaded with HGV's and you're lucky if you can get a couple of miles of unrestricted running. It's just hearsay and exaggeration that has made it out to be more amazing than it actually is.
It really was because you could just get away with a lot more dumb stuff and there was so much stuff to get excited about tech and car wise.. For example seeing a PS2 game was mind blowing or a flat screen TV, or if you got caught racing or speeding it would be a fine usually as opposed to getting it impounded..
All times are good times if your dad is willing to give you a basically unlimited amount of money. But if you are just standing somewhere along Wangan Bayshore Route waiting for racer to zip by in a few split seconds....well, that's totally unexciting. Yes, in the movies and the press it's always absolutely fabulously glamourous. In real life...not so much. But don't despair. Nowadays, cars which can do 160mph / 256km/h are pretty affordable. And I dare to say, a lot easier to drive than the 1980s cars. So, technically, you could nowadays fulfil the requirement to attain full Mid Night Club membership status. Of course, going 260km/h on the Autobahn 3 still isn't as aesthetic as doing this on the fully illuminated Wangan Bayshore Route.
You should have mentioned the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune arcade games. They’re more alive than Rockstars game series, and still really popular. Just sucks because you don’t really see the machine in America, but elsewhere you can find people still sometimes lining up to play it. I never knew the Wangan series was inspired by a true story.
@@ClydeShaffer I actually have a Round1 about an hour away, but last I checked they weren't selling any Banana Passports. The Wangan Midnight arcade machines thrive when played competitively, and without those cards the arcade is losing money imo. The novelty is being able to save your car data, progress through the story, and also challenge the locals. Wasn't able to do any of that though because I wasn't able to get an NA Banana Passport, and sadly if they aren't selling these that means no competitive Wangan Midnight scene. Everyone basically just races stock cars and can't progress in the story. I had a feeling but I've even tried my Banana Passport I got from the Philippines, and it wouldn't work. The cards are either region locked or the arcade disabled this feature of the game. I can't remember. So yeah sadly I only really have fun with these machines in Asia. I always look for them and play them when I'm over there lol. I also live near Seattle and we have a place called GameWorks. But honestly Round1 is way better. Last I checked as well in GameWorks they didn't sell game cards either, when they had the older Wangan Midnight 3DX+ machines. Aside from that I also have Dave and Busters about an hour away also, but sadly no Wangan Midnight.
@@ClydeShaffer Sadly Round1 in my area turns off the Banana Passport feature, or there’s no cards available. Either way I’ve never seen any kind of competitive scene like I do when I’m in the Philippines. It’s quite boring. I’ve also tried my international banana passport but I think the machines are region locked. Definitely wouldn’t work when I tried it at Round1.
@@Justin-xi6ue tragic. the round1 in my area has the banapass working and i'm told there is a competitive scene but not on the days i have time to go there
This was a huge eye-opener. I've always believed the whole 1999 crash thing and that was it. I never thought they would still be around today, even if it's exclusively track appearances. Great video as always.
This is an okay video for people that just heard the name of the club a few times. Multiple members have IG accounts where they post about their cars and the events they attend. Some others even have youtube channels, car tuning shops and whatnot... The club even has an official IG page and they extended their members circle up to Hawaii. As someone that follows them since a long time I didn't learn anything here. Every single info on here hasn't been kept private or anything, you just have to find them yourself. I guess it's nice to have someone talk about it with a decent audience.
9:04 fun fact; that R33 GTR was set at an auction and the owner didnt get what he asked for, he eventually parted it out completely and now someone in russia has the car restored with the kit and paint and wheels it onced had. the wing is a 1 of 1.
I feel a strong connection to at least the legend of the midnight club as a cannonballer. Many of us feel like we are dinosaurs that can see the meteor coming. All it will take is one crash and it's all over.
The Mid Night Club and the street racing days of the 80’s and 90’s are so wild, and were such a unique period of time. I drive the Tomei, Wangan, and Shutoko expressways on the regular and these days they’re mostly a mess of gridlock traffic and giant delivery trucks, even after hours. Gone are the days of 300kph runs.
Watching Alex from Noriyao YT, he said that a lot of segments of the 'famous' roads have been broken up by checkpoints, dividers, barriers, making it impossible to drive at those speeds or drift the same roads.
"Abflug" has more connotations in German like: lift-off, flying off the road, getting out of there fast,... "departure" seems like the most boring one to pick.
When I argued with my dad as a kid (for whatever, tv time, pc time, icecream, whatever), you could beg as much until you heard that word. You knew there was no progress to be made and not to bug him further.
There is something magical about those air cooled Porsche turbos racing WOT against Japanese FE/RWD inline-6 powered sports cars like Supras & Skylines
This video was actually really interesting. I didn't expect to watch the whole thing, being 22 minutes long. Must have taken a lot of time and effort getting the footage together, it's quite impressive. Good video, I'm glad I watched it through.
Lovin' these videos. I got into your videos with your video on Smokey Nagata, and you make some phenomenal videos, and you have yet to disappoint. Super informative and just entertaining in general.
Hey man, they were heroes in the car community, it's true that its wrong to endanger innocent civilians but in the car community, mid night club did the most.
I just love the way you put this together. It’s hard finding new videos on this of such great quality. I appreciate your take & how you’ve brought it to us here on this platform
Albon, this .... video is pretty smart and dumb at the same time. On one hand, plenty of resources used, but the main logic, they’re a tight knit community. Even tho disbanded or not doesn’t mean the members just died and the cars just burned off, and doesn’t meant they weren’t proud to be in one of the most elite car club in the world. So few sightings or not, disbanded or not it’s their own private thing. How can you be be surprised that the head of an illegal racing car club is a criminal, even if he didn’t defraud the dealership and the car collector, still is the chairman of an illegal street racing club so.... yeah that’s why he’s legendary.
Throughout watching this documentary, I kept thinking what this story would look like as a feature film or mini-series. Imagine a Christopher Nolan directed feature, using IMAX cameras to film a recreation of these infamous races. Would be a sight to behold.
As always, the legend is always bigger than the reality. Exaggeration, and then lies, are inevitable - which is why dates and facts don't line up. But there is a core truth to it - one which will never be fully known. Thanks, Albon.
Bigger then reality? when most of these clubs are now professional car tuner companies with world renown reputation... Still to this day? I wouldnt call it a stretch at all. Compare the racing culture of America to japan in the same time period. We were doing nothing but big engines and nitrous.. maybe the occasional oddball turbo (Looking to you Buick GNX) and could not turn to save the life of the company behind it. Sure some stuff maybe exaggerated a bit for glam, but when you boil it down... They are STILL some of the quickest, fastest, best tuning people on the planet.
I dont believe the story its bigger than the reallity, I actually think its otherwise, this could have been really, really, something else, if you think in the worst scenario possible, they could have killed dozens of people and never get caught, would to believe that to happen be exagerated? When we are talking about a float of cars racing at triple the speed limit? I dont think so
Moving to track only racing is the smart thing to do. When you're young and full of testosterone, you often fail to notice the dangers of racing on public roads. It appears the club got older and wiser.
How ironic, they have very high standards and demands for those who wants to be part of the clan while commit vandalism on other ppl vehicles over a decal with their clan name on it
Well you cant fully blame them for the vandalism bit, blame those impostors for that becuz they were too cowardly on dealing with those rogue bikers since japanese ppl have too much morals even when being pinned down like an idiot I would have run those bikers down to the ground if they to corner me on the road
as sad as knowing the truth that the "accident end" and code of honor was a lie, or the chairman being a phony and his legendary porsche being god knows where... I'm actually glad they have come to the light and are racing professionally now. As a fan of the legends of old and with no real way to go expectate them in person maybe ever, I'd be happy to root for them on TV in whatever events they participate as midnight racing team.
Ab-Flug created by Masamichi Uwabo was a ledgendary tuner who was even apart of the infamous Mid Night Club. He would deny being part of the Mid Night Club despite him rocking the stickers on his famous cars.
Go to dbrand.com/albon and get yourself a skin, case, or screen protector!! And don't forget to subscribe and leave a comment to win $1000! Also, just a reminder that posts by anyone except for "Albon" are SCAMS. Please block and report them if they come across any of your comments. We will never use WhatsApp or telegram or anything outside of our official social media pages to contact you. And our username will have a checkmark next to it indicating that we are a verified channel!
s-130 was nicknamed as the Devil Z the wangan midnight manga's main car including the 930 porsche also known as blackbird and porsche 953 is illegal in tokyo highways
Be careful not to fall in that trap. I feel you, it would be cool to have new and golden content each day of the week, but the quality would not be the same. Imo it's better to have a great vid once in a while, than to have mass/hurriedly produced vids every day
My personal favorite street racing game is "Tokyo Extreme Zero" for PS2. It is in Japanese and about street racing like gang wars based on racing and speeding tickets lol.
Wangan Midnight was the manga that got me interested in cars, specifically Shima's Porsche, so it's crazy to learn that one inspired the other! Loving these documentaries, keep them coming 👍
Not what got me into cars but that porsche is so dialed on the series. I also love z cars and deep blue on classics so devil z is top tier for me as well. Selling my buddy a porsche 911 first gen that needs alot of work. Gonna rwb wide body it. Use some stuff people have done for diy ruf conversions potentially get a few ruf parts or use a ruf as a donor. But flat 6 and pump out a bunch of hp. If I also end up selling my gto I might build an s30 to match the devil z and so I can get some pics of a blue widebody z beside a black widebody 911.
This video was incredible! I never knew the 1999 crash thing was a hoax. I’m happy that they are still around and even though they won’t be on public roads any more it’s good to know that they will still be racing but on tracks.
Been watching you for a couple of weeks now… Very grateful that I found you very informative. You keep me engaged. Even the commercials are tolerable. Thank you. Keep up the great work.
"[...] then why are there no pictures?" Well probably because cameras in the 90's were all film, so they were things you kept at home or carried with you if you were specifically out to take pictures. Film was cheap but not free so you were still aware that the 40 or so frames per roll were something you shouldn't waste taking pictures without thinking. Add to that how film cameras perform terrible in dark conditions so it takes some experience to get an unplanned shot right, and you couldn't see if you messed up until you got the roll developed. If there was a camera crew with them at the time they probably would've been told to cut. Any sensible camera operator won't keep rolling if there is an actual incident with people getting seriously harmed, and even if they did by accident they wouldn't keep the footage. Odds are the only ones who would have the opportunity and motivation to take pictures then would be press photographers. Which means all the police would have to do in order to suppress photos would be to contact the local papers and tell then to kill the story for police interests and out of respect for the involved. This would've made the pictures worthless and they were probably scrapped when those photographers eventually cleaned up their unused collections. Nowadays people have phones with cameras, a wireless internet connection with a place to upload them to, and a sense of morality lacking enough to actually post footage a deadly accident. But the world wasn't always like that.
Taking photos back then was a lot more intentional, especially when illegal activities were involved. Not to mention the possibility that photographs COULD have been taken and simply not scanned + uploaded to the internet for the public's viewing pleasure.
You guys never miss with your videos, I genuinely watch every video multiple times and I never get bored. Keep up the amazing work! We love everything you put out!
Another video about Mid Night with tons of inaccuracies. Have you even ever been to Japan and spoke to the members yourself? Your research is mostly based on info that can be found online. You used a bunch of clips from Video Option, Shutoko Trial etc that have nothing to do with Mid Night. The spotlight on Japanese car culture is greatly appreciated, but telling a story pretending like you got all the facts right? 🤔
There's much better more detailed documentaries about the midnight club so watching this was nothing but pain 😩😂😂 guy was lazy with all his information and be honest you were only captured by the ACTUAL video
Japan changed so much in these kinds of stuff, it was so much relaxed before. Soon every law turned against the yakuzas, bousouzoku were hunted down(this one's a must), and street racing became obsolete for the most part(still exists but not like before). I think the change was a good thing in the grand scheme of things but it feels like we lost something precious together with it. Thanks for the great content.
There is a lot of speculation and hypothetical claims while there are no facts and data to prove those claims. Back in the day wikipedia had a page on the MC story that is taken down. In that story it was reported that a cyclist was killed during a race therefore the club was disbanded by their honour code. There was no multiple collision and no bosozoku involved (at least in that accident). It would be great if someone can dig that page through the internet archives. There was also reports that the MC members would attack other cars and drivers who had a fake MC sticker without being a true member. All in all the author is right, the exact lore doesn't matter.
They still kinda exist but it's not exactly the same and a bunch of members basically just treat it like a private cars and coffee type deal. But there are also some older and new members still racing and doing shit but usually all track day stuff now. Some of the new members are professional racers. But the top speed mentality kinda died out and highway pulls died off other than maybe once in a blue moon.
It's funny all this stuff about mid night lying to everyone after Yoshida was caught up and exposed, suddenly the hate flows (something I figure would have happened much sooner tbh). let's put in perspective alot of the folklore and myths are a symptom of tales travelling out of the country and turning into increasingly tall tales couple that with language barriers and you get a mythical status. just because they drove with a code or ethics doesn't mean they all were saints outside of the cars and there was no dirty practices going on among any members. The automotive realm is unfortunately rife with fraud and scam artists, in the US read almost any post of Hennessy performance, GMMG and several other high end shops and there's all kinds of horror stories of thousands upon thousands of dollars disappearing and worse yet shops folding up and cars being left in disrepair. I still admire what they were able to do and did in their era. The cars they built to an amazing level and to this day hold up.
if youre in luck, find yourself a local track venue and commit to it! it takes discipline to learn the skill and build your car but it will be so rewarding! Frequent drifter of my Alfa 75 Turbo
Don’t listen to all the stick-in-the-asses telling you to do it on a track. It’s expensive and if you’re a beginner it’s almost not worth your time. Look out for an empty lot (even better if you own one) and practice for about 2-3 minutes at a time. Even if anyone called the police for your screeching tires you’d be gone before an officer was even dispatched (unless you’re literally down the street from the police station, which is dumb in the first place). Basic donuts, J-turns, stuff like that. Dry weather and slightly wet weather is the best for both traction and tire wear. Take off your plate or order an old license plate from Etsy or eBay (and check the plate online just in case, but if it’s an older plate it’s likely no longer registered to a vehicle) there are ways to do it) and swap plates whenever you’re drifting in case your spot has cameras. Please don’t try to do it in your mom or dad’s FWD civic. There’s a bit of a niche in regard to eBrake sliding but for the most part “drifting” in a FWD vehicle isn’t very fun (unless you’re doing it in reverse 😉). I digress; get yourself a RWD car with generous power. Bonus points if it’s a manual, but they’re getting scarce. Learn how to drive it, learn how to push it but not to its limit. Do some interstate driving and get comfortable at high speeds. Try to execute (read: safe and reasonable) highway passes within your ability. Then hit the backroads. Take the corners at a good speed. You’ll get comfortable with the pedals. TL;DR learn to _really_ drive first, then find a place to go :)
Your comment about Japan being the Wild West of street racing is beyond insulting to the strong illegal drag racing scene from the South Bay/harbor areas of Los Angeles California that’s been running strong since the 60s. Japan emulated our car culture to the fullest the original skylines have the body lines of a nova
"Two skylines street race in Japan." The exact search term I used, to find that first video over and over. That video, as well as, Skyline top speed on Tokyo bridge. Lingenfelter tt vs 13 second dsm. Lingenfelter corvette vs hayabusa. Goddamn the good old days of street racing videos.
Why does he continue to call the Z30 a Z31? You'd think a UA-cam so into the JDM scene would know that. I tend to be more of a Euro guy and I fckn know that.
Fastest I have ever been in a car was in my CTS-V... 165MPH and no, that was not on a track. Things get pretty scary at those speeds. You can feel gravity and inertia in even the slightest bump or curve and you better hope that every part of your car is functioning perfectly. I held it there for about a mile,. then backed off. these cars are speed limited to 199 MPH and I still had plenty of room to redline. I cannot imagine what those speeds are like. I did take a motorcycle to 145 once on the German autobahn too. When I stopped I was shaking from the adrenaline... What a rush! I have always been an adrenaline junky... always will be.
@@M4MK yeah I mean I've seen plenty of videos based on the same thing & I don't mind it everyone is entitled to make their own version of the story & it's great to see variety that being said those just trynna copy & paste come up short in their videos are obvious & like I said shit just comes off as lazy gimmicky & waaaack 😩😂
I remember my uncle having the video game, like the 2nd or 3rd edition, and asking him the story behind it. Nice job on the deep dive of this street racing lore.
You took me on from the video 'Toyota's bigget secret'. I have litterally repeated that piece over 4 times n cant seem to get over it. How U explain n give non bias, deserved credit to master pieces creators gives me that secret taste to a good recipe. Keep it up keep them coming n keep them as unique.
Insanely well done video as per usual. Great visuals, excellent music choice, and expert commentary - what a window into the past. Bravo once again Guff.
Why can’t most UA-camrs speak like a normal person??? Do some people really find it endearing when someone attempts to wave their hands around as much as possible while making weird faces throughout the video????
Now the equivalent of that is the annual Texas Tx2k meet! Where you see cars like 1900hp c6 twin turbo Vette, or 2000hp Sequential shifting twin turbo Viper, or 1900hp twin turbo Lamborghini, 8sec GTR, etc. You get the idea!! Cars that literally can kill an H2 in excess speed of 215mph on a highway! Pure insanity!
Abflug kind of means departure. Word for word it means fly away. Kind of. It is only used to describe the departure from planes at the airport or the the take off.
He mite not have been a criminal his hole life. If companies are willing to trust him with that cash then he obviously had a reputation for handling such amounts. He mite have been going through a tough time.
I moved to Japan in early 2003 and MidNight Club and the car scene was still big there. I spent many nights in Tokyo on many different car scenes…I left there in 2005 and it was still going then. I’m sure it still is now.
There is this game called Nightrunner. It still in Work in Progress, but for those who like JDM, 80s, 90s Car Culture, you might want to check it out. I bet there will be some Mid Night Club reference.
Man I would love to go to Japan and check out the car scene there. I've always heard you can pick up all of the cars we dream about for like 5k. Like skylines of different gens and itrs and ctrs. There is a bunch of 4 door cars that are really cool also. Cool video!
Used to be able to up until a few years ago. Ever since the 25 year rule in the US kicked in, Americans started buying up everything for resell and the prices have gone through the roof. Still gonna be a bit cheaper than the rest of the world but not by much at all unfortunately. Hopefully this bubble bursts eventually and the rest of us can start having the cars we always wanted for a normal price again someday.
@@james312 The bubble will never burst, at least that hard arguably, since more and more car would destroyed or ruined (for tuning) by anyone nostalgic enough. Yet the same people really wanted that bone stock version
Yoshida wasn’t making that Porsche faster to race, he was trying to find out how fast he needed to go to outrun his debt
The bill collector was chasing him. 😂
6:15 ew look at that arm
@@that_one_reply8805 calling out his arm with that pfp is crazy
@@Z-40 nah, why is it just that one patch tho?😩😭😭
@@Pxket-lm6eyfr 😭
- Lets make a secret club!
- With illegal races!
- And flashy stickers!!
Seems like something I'll say when high.. but these guys follow through
It was a small sticker ??
Was it Yoshida in that Porsche going bye at 210 mph? I don’t know, I couldn’t see the little sticker.
In magazines too
Why....why that sounds DELIGHTFUL!?
Well, it's not Midnight Club, it's Racing Team Midnight. And they didn't form the club to see who was fastest, the big goal was to test aftermarket parts their companies were producing.
If you have nothing but false information that you're basing off of random YT shorts and TikTok videos, then please stfu.
Been living in the Tokyo area since 2019 and only twice have I seen a highway street battle late at night. It's a beautiful and terrifying sight to seeing two modified sport cars weaving around traffic at near top speeds.
is that b'coz only twice your mum let u out late at night🤭
2018-2019 definitely a lot of c1 loop racing was happening. Buddy took me out around 1-2am and you could just cruise and see cars racing on the c1. Just drive to tatsumi or shibaura pa at the time and everyone would gather. Now it’s been cracked down and they close the pa’s.
@@DreEzed Man that's lame, but po-lice gotta po-lice.
Some cities with large highway loops you can sometimes find them. I used to do it in the past so it brings me back to those times. Dangerous yeah, but the younger the more risky.
@@skvltdmedia You know what else is lame?
Having your life and that of your family and friends ended by a street racer crashing into you.
There's a reason street racing is illegal.
Midnight club, despite all the misgivings, were like knights of fairytales for us JDM nerds. And we can't forget about this very scene giving us the legendary Smokey Nagata and his mythical Supra
I still want that Porsche lmao
Smokey was never in Midnight Club, he was kicked for showing off too much
@@digitalcamaro9708 Real
@@joelpun3733 True. Very true man. However I did say that this was the scene that gave us smokey
Like Knights... or like Samurai😏
There's so much awe in the West over the 80s and 90s Japanese street racing scene. I have to wonder if the Japanese hear stories of Detroit in the 1960s in the same exoticized way. "All the traffic lights were exactly 1/4-mi apart..."
Trust, we do over here!
there is a love for American muscle cars there, but not a large one... they really love their nissans 😂
The Japanese did have an American car club in the 60s but in the United States, the MIKADO CAR CLUB. I wouldn't know exactly in Japan, but in the 70s there was an American car club in Japan, don't remember the name sorry.
the difference is that American cars are ridiculous carriages that can only drive straight and Japanese and German cars can also show something in real racing sports
@@20th_Century_Fuchs
You obviously lack the skill-and balls-to drive an American muscle car in the curves.
I feel so blessed to have spent a decade of my life 1996-2006 in Japan. I was there during the golden years of tuning. I smile while thinking about it all
I wish I experienced that 😭😭
@Tayee It was an awesome time to be alive. I met so many people and learned so much about cars from different makers. Plus the street racing and drift scene was so fresh and cool. Words can not express how amazing it was. Seriously
@@kamargee9680 as a boy born in 2007, I can't say it enough : I was born in the wrong generation. I'm a JDM fan, I like old school hip-hop, and I'm always on my own cause people my age don't share my wish to go back in time. It's impressive to miss something I've never experienced...
@Sharpie I completely understand. At least you have us older guys to live through. It's still not the same but at least you have good taste in cars and that era of cars is so amazing and unique. There are so many great cars that never made it to the States. The Stagea, Gloria Gran Turismo, Mitsubishi FTO, Daihatsu Copen, Cefiro, Cederic... all cool cars for the time.
That is so damn awesome dude. What were the drivers like? and what was the atmosphere? was it all smiles and easy going with their cards, or were they somewhat competitive and uptight?
Loved playing Midnight Club when I was a young kid - didn't realize they were an actual racing team until later in life. Loved the mythos behind them, and still do
Just found out today lol
Check out shotoku battle/tolyo xtreme/wangan midnight games if you really wanna play a “midnight club” esque game
I thought the Midnight club was black people hanging around the liquor stores late at night.
@@crimsonhawk4912 there's a couple instances of the term "midnight club" being used across the world. For example: back in the 20s, when city streets didn't have consistent streetlights, crime was a lot more rampant. The folks who would go out at night to party and do whatever would also say they were apart of the "midnight club"
That game holds a special place in my heart. First tuner game I've played and the first game I ever modded.
This video is a LOT closer to the truth than most videos about the topic I've seen - but some of the "teams" you listed earlier were actually a PART of Mid Night. In fact, a few of them became CEOs of some of the most beloved JDM tuning companies today and their partnerships that were born within this group still live to this day. While the truth is still extremely interesting, the legend that I grew up thinking was the truth gave me so much motivation to be financially stable in life to be just like these members. I owe them a lot for what I have in life right now. I'm impressed with your research and I enjoyed the video. Keep it up~
Hiroshi tamura the designer of the GTR r32 to the new Z is a Midnight Club member, theres a book of him called " gtr the journey"
This guy needs to tone his expressions down, would make it easier to watch.
Where can I find the actual real story?
@@Unmedicated_Moments not here lol There's so much misinformation in this it's not even funny. Do your best to purchase early 90s auto work magazines and translate them with Google.
@@Unmedicated_Moments You can't.
Small correction: The Devil Z was an S30 Fairlady Z, not a Z31. Akio's first car was a red Z31.
S30 240Z to be exact.
@@Hinshu85 No, he was right. It's in s30 FairLady z not a Datsun 240z
@@CirocObama.94 -which is the same car just with a different name because nissan was operating under the name datsun in the US and west
The red Z that _Wangan Midnight's_ Devil Z was based on was an S130 280ZX.
In real life where the show is based off of. The midnight z that the devil is is partially based off of is a red z31 car. It's also partially based of a Pantera that had a bad history of crashing but the engine being transfered from car to car as each car was destroyed. And also based off the midnight s30z but that wasn't quite as nutso as the 31z.
Also none of them are blue. Artist took liberties. But obviously knew alot about the clubs cars.
"This club was formed on the basis of secrecy and anonymity"
They had stickers advertising their club all over their cars...
Yes, sticker on a white lambo cruising japan is hardly anonymous.
People know the cars. They don't know the drivers.
The secrecy and anonymity wasn't about the team itself, but the drivers.
In Japan's "hammer in every nail that's even slightly sticking out" culture if the public found out the exact identities of the drivers, their high positions in the corporate world would be gone and they'd become outcasts
Thry probably hid them during normal days and pulled them out on nights on the weekends.
To fast to see
thats.... what any club does lol
doesnt change anything
Fun fact. A few weeks or months ago by now (September 2023) there was an article on yet again, Speed Hunters, about a new member with his Cayman(if recalled correctly) Mid Night Club build. Thus, your hypothesis and later confirmation that they never disbanded and just kept up low key, is 100% true.
Almost every single one of your documentaries reveal stories that I probably wouldn't even know about if I didn't watch them here. Keep up the good work
Would be so funny (and impressive) if it was all made up.
Suck a 🌽 they was real racing 🤣..
You think this is a documentary 😂💀 how simple Americans are
@@Socialjusticewarriorsaretrash lol. That's fair. I believe the entire world is full of infants thinking themselves wise while showing themselves to be fools. Especially the College indoctrinated, uh um, I mean educated. So , what glorious Nation state did your parents screw in?
@@Socialjusticewarriorsaretrash what do u call it?
The hyperbolic lore and legend is really only present outside of Japan. Talking to car guys here in Japan active during their peak there was definitely respect for a lot of their cars but they were never lofted into this unobtainable gods of the car scene status locally as they were in the west. All thanks to the manga and games.
Exactly you need a mix of distance, the Hollywood inspired image of all Japanese living by Samurai codes (🤣), gullible teens with wild imaginations and just 1% of it to be true and this is what = the truth. No doubt, lots of street racing with fast cars...just like in America. But most the rest... The one thing in the ‘80s that made Japan’s car scene extra special was the economy. $$$ everywhere.
And, BTW, similar myths existed about clubs or Batman style lone wolves like the dude who would outrun police in Amsterdam (Ghost Rider or something) here. And similar myths existed about the American scene in other countries.
@@The_ZeroLine Yeah, like that whole British story about the Lotus Carlton used in multiple bank robberies.
Exactly, its blown way outta proportion lol. But like he says in the video, it helped drum up interest in the west which expanded the subculture. To be honest, it makes me nostalgic for a time before social media clout chasing
@@RAPIDSTYLE same thing happened with rap
@@The_ZeroLine the ghost rider videos were legendary
This is one of those things that people just assume is exactly how they imagine it to be. Not dissimilar to Germany's Autobahn where people think you can drive as fast as you want for as long as you want. The reality is it's usually loaded with HGV's and you're lucky if you can get a couple of miles of unrestricted running. It's just hearsay and exaggeration that has made it out to be more amazing than it actually is.
It's wild how Japan was the epicenter of racing in 80's and 90's.
I mean, they were running in the 90's.
probably because a lot of sporty cars were coming out of there that were actually good and not... what american cars are
Because the Japanese manufacturers did amazing car after car
Well, Europe is and always have been the center of motorsport, but at least they have an incredible car culture in Japan
@@Discotechque stop
man this is crazy, the 80s and 90s must have really been a time to be alive. wish i couldve seen it
Today sucks, can't outrun a helicopter and every other car has 600hp+
It really was because you could just get away with a lot more dumb stuff and there was so much stuff to get excited about tech and car wise.. For example seeing a PS2 game was mind blowing or a flat screen TV, or if you got caught racing or speeding it would be a fine usually as opposed to getting it impounded..
@@ka3097 ya technology has been both a blessing and a curse. Love me my OLED tv and 4k content. Not a fan of all the tech police have access too haha
@@PHDInSevereInternetRetardation oh for sure. I meant things in a more lighthearted way such as speed cameras haha
All times are good times if your dad is willing to give you a basically unlimited amount of money. But if you are just standing somewhere along Wangan Bayshore Route waiting for racer to zip by in a few split seconds....well, that's totally unexciting.
Yes, in the movies and the press it's always absolutely fabulously glamourous. In real life...not so much.
But don't despair. Nowadays, cars which can do 160mph / 256km/h are pretty affordable. And I dare to say, a lot easier to drive than the 1980s cars. So, technically, you could nowadays fulfil the requirement to attain full Mid Night Club membership status. Of course, going 260km/h on the Autobahn 3 still isn't as aesthetic as doing this on the fully illuminated Wangan Bayshore Route.
You should have mentioned the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune arcade games. They’re more alive than Rockstars game series, and still really popular. Just sucks because you don’t really see the machine in America, but elsewhere you can find people still sometimes lining up to play it. I never knew the Wangan series was inspired by a true story.
Look for a Round1! They seem to a have it at a few locations
@@ClydeShaffer I actually have a Round1 about an hour away, but last I checked they weren't selling any Banana Passports. The Wangan Midnight arcade machines thrive when played competitively, and without those cards the arcade is losing money imo.
The novelty is being able to save your car data, progress through the story, and also challenge the locals. Wasn't able to do any of that though because I wasn't able to get an NA Banana Passport, and sadly if they aren't selling these that means no competitive Wangan Midnight scene. Everyone basically just races stock cars and can't progress in the story.
I had a feeling but I've even tried my Banana Passport I got from the Philippines, and it wouldn't work. The cards are either region locked or the arcade disabled this feature of the game. I can't remember. So yeah sadly I only really have fun with these machines in Asia. I always look for them and play them when I'm over there lol.
I also live near Seattle and we have a place called GameWorks. But honestly Round1 is way better. Last I checked as well in GameWorks they didn't sell game cards either, when they had the older Wangan Midnight 3DX+ machines. Aside from that I also have Dave and Busters about an hour away also, but sadly no Wangan Midnight.
I play it super often at my local arcade, I even had a friend gift me his WRX lmao.
@@ClydeShaffer Sadly Round1 in my area turns off the Banana Passport feature, or there’s no cards available. Either way I’ve never seen any kind of competitive scene like I do when I’m in the Philippines. It’s quite boring. I’ve also tried my international banana passport but I think the machines are region locked. Definitely wouldn’t work when I tried it at Round1.
@@Justin-xi6ue tragic. the round1 in my area has the banapass working and i'm told there is a competitive scene but not on the days i have time to go there
This was a huge eye-opener. I've always believed the whole 1999 crash thing and that was it. I never thought they would still be around today, even if it's exclusively track appearances.
Great video as always.
If you come to Daikoku PA late at night and talk to the right people, you can still meet some members out for a 'leisurely' drive 😉
And they weren't rich too. Just ordinary guys but with insane amount of passion for cars.
now they have sick cars like an abflug gtr r35, a lbwk 458, and a 991 gt3 iirc
This is an okay video for people that just heard the name of the club a few times. Multiple members have IG accounts where they post about their cars and the events they attend. Some others even have youtube channels, car tuning shops and whatnot... The club even has an official IG page and they extended their members circle up to Hawaii.
As someone that follows them since a long time I didn't learn anything here. Every single info on here hasn't been kept private or anything, you just have to find them yourself. I guess it's nice to have someone talk about it with a decent audience.
@@RacingLagoon8-90 you got any links for proof
9:04 fun fact; that R33 GTR was set at an auction and the owner didnt get what he asked for, he eventually parted it out completely and now someone in russia has the car restored with the kit and paint and wheels it onced had. the wing is a 1 of 1.
I feel a strong connection to at least the legend of the midnight club as a cannonballer. Many of us feel like we are dinosaurs that can see the meteor coming. All it will take is one crash and it's all over.
The Mid Night Club and the street racing days of the 80’s and 90’s are so wild, and were such a unique period of time. I drive the Tomei, Wangan, and Shutoko expressways on the regular and these days they’re mostly a mess of gridlock traffic and giant delivery trucks, even after hours. Gone are the days of 300kph runs.
The future sucks doesn’t it?
@@alexchaput5146 This sure ain’t the future we were promised…
Sounds like my city. 😢
Too many darn people moving here.
good
Watching Alex from Noriyao YT, he said that a lot of segments of the 'famous' roads have been broken up by checkpoints, dividers, barriers, making it impossible to drive at those speeds or drift the same roads.
"Abflug" has more connotations in German like: lift-off, flying off the road, getting out of there fast,... "departure" seems like the most boring one to pick.
When I argued with my dad as a kid (for whatever, tv time, pc time, icecream, whatever), you could beg as much until you heard that word. You knew there was no progress to be made and not to bug him further.
There is something magical about those air cooled Porsche turbos racing WOT against Japanese FE/RWD inline-6 powered sports cars like Supras & Skylines
This video was actually really interesting. I didn't expect to watch the whole thing, being 22 minutes long. Must have taken a lot of time and effort getting the footage together, it's quite impressive. Good video, I'm glad I watched it through.
Not really all the clips are extremely well known and easy to find and the information is just a few legit wesites and a podcast away
Lovin' these videos. I got into your videos with your video on Smokey Nagata, and you make some phenomenal videos, and you have yet to disappoint. Super informative and just entertaining in general.
Hey man, they were heroes in the car community, it's true that its wrong to endanger innocent civilians but in the car community, mid night club did the most.
Honestly, super sick to learn more on such a legendary story thats built up the foundation of what a lot of us know and love today
I just love the way you put this together. It’s hard finding new videos on this of such great quality. I appreciate your take & how you’ve brought it to us here on this platform
Albon, this .... video is pretty smart and dumb at the same time. On one hand, plenty of resources used, but the main logic, they’re a tight knit community. Even tho disbanded or not doesn’t mean the members just died and the cars just burned off, and doesn’t meant they weren’t proud to be in one of the most elite car club in the world. So few sightings or not, disbanded or not it’s their own private thing. How can you be be surprised that the head of an illegal racing car club is a criminal, even if he didn’t defraud the dealership and the car collector, still is the chairman of an illegal street racing club so.... yeah that’s why he’s legendary.
Throughout watching this documentary, I kept thinking what this story would look like as a feature film or mini-series. Imagine a Christopher Nolan directed feature, using IMAX cameras to film a recreation of these infamous races. Would be a sight to behold.
Inb4 Skyline with 32 gears fast & furious style.
Noooooo it's just drag racing more than anything too boring. Wanna Midnight is good enough
As always, the legend is always bigger than the reality. Exaggeration, and then lies, are inevitable - which is why dates and facts don't line up. But there is a core truth to it - one which will never be fully known. Thanks, Albon.
I’d argue that the truth is even more cooler than the made up story lol
Sometimes the truth is stranger and grander than fiction
Bigger then reality? when most of these clubs are now professional car tuner companies with world renown reputation... Still to this day? I wouldnt call it a stretch at all. Compare the racing culture of America to japan in the same time period. We were doing nothing but big engines and nitrous.. maybe the occasional oddball turbo (Looking to you Buick GNX) and could not turn to save the life of the company behind it. Sure some stuff maybe exaggerated a bit for glam, but when you boil it down... They are STILL some of the quickest, fastest, best tuning people on the planet.
NOW APPLY THIS EYE OPENING LOGIC TO "HIS"TORY & BOY WILL YOUR MIND BE BLOWN . GOD SPEED BROTHER'S & SISTER'S 🙏
I dont believe the story its bigger than the reallity, I actually think its otherwise, this could have been really, really, something else, if you think in the worst scenario possible, they could have killed dozens of people and never get caught, would to believe that to happen be exagerated? When we are talking about a float of cars racing at triple the speed limit?
I dont think so
Moving to track only racing is the smart thing to do. When you're young and full of testosterone, you often fail to notice the dangers of racing on public roads. It appears the club got older and wiser.
it's nice that even though they raced at hight speeds, they care more about the safety of others.
How ironic, they have very high standards and demands for those who wants to be part of the clan while commit vandalism on other ppl vehicles over a decal with their clan name on it
It's hypocritical. They were lying to themselves and others.
that's what they want you to think
Well you cant fully blame them for the vandalism bit, blame those impostors for that becuz they were too cowardly on dealing with those rogue bikers since japanese ppl have too much morals even when being pinned down like an idiot
I would have run those bikers down to the ground if they to corner me on the road
They are going 300kph past traffic. No they didnt.
as sad as knowing the truth that the "accident end" and code of honor was a lie, or the chairman being a phony and his legendary porsche being god knows where... I'm actually glad they have come to the light and are racing professionally now. As a fan of the legends of old and with no real way to go expectate them in person maybe ever, I'd be happy to root for them on TV in whatever events they participate as midnight racing team.
Ab-Flug created by Masamichi Uwabo was a ledgendary tuner who was even apart of the infamous Mid Night Club. He would deny being part of the Mid Night Club despite him rocking the stickers on his famous cars.
Just when you thought you knew the story… Love that you keep coming back to Mid Night and keep giving us more quality content.
It’s actually a tragic story about someone who got too full of themselves. A tale as old as time. Icarus’ Flight.
The actual reasoning for lying is at 14:00 after 14 minutes of intro, explanation to who MId NIght is and sponsored advertisements
Go to dbrand.com/albon and get yourself a skin, case, or screen protector!! And don't forget to subscribe and leave a comment to win $1000! Also, just a reminder that posts by anyone except for "Albon" are SCAMS. Please block and report them if they come across any of your comments. We will never use WhatsApp or telegram or anything outside of our official social media pages to contact you. And our username will have a checkmark next to it indicating that we are a verified channel!
DEFINITELY!
$1000 would be awesome keep up awesome videos dude
Mid Night Club forever!
love the video, subbed
s-130 was nicknamed as the Devil Z the wangan midnight manga's main car including the 930 porsche also known as blackbird and porsche 953 is illegal in tokyo highways
Most underrated channel I know. Wish you did daily uploads lol keep up the great work !
literally deserves a million subs lol
Be careful not to fall in that trap. I feel you, it would be cool to have new and golden content each day of the week, but the quality would not be the same.
Imo it's better to have a great vid once in a while, than to have mass/hurriedly produced vids every day
Or they would have to multiply their budget somehow
@@tosehoed123 I understand where you are coming from
My personal favorite street racing game is "Tokyo Extreme Zero" for PS2. It is in Japanese and about street racing like gang wars based on racing and speeding tickets lol.
Thank you I've been looking for this comment, I was shocked that they didn't include the most accurate Midnight Club game Tokyo Xtreme racer zero
Wangan Midnight was the manga that got me interested in cars, specifically Shima's Porsche, so it's crazy to learn that one inspired the other! Loving these documentaries, keep them coming 👍
Not what got me into cars but that porsche is so dialed on the series. I also love z cars and deep blue on classics so devil z is top tier for me as well. Selling my buddy a porsche 911 first gen that needs alot of work.
Gonna rwb wide body it. Use some stuff people have done for diy ruf conversions potentially get a few ruf parts or use a ruf as a donor. But flat 6 and pump out a bunch of hp. If I also end up selling my gto I might build an s30 to match the devil z and so I can get some pics of a blue widebody z beside a black widebody 911.
This video was incredible! I never knew the 1999 crash thing was a hoax. I’m happy that they are still around and even though they won’t be on public roads any more it’s good to know that they will still be racing but on tracks.
Been watching you for a couple of weeks now… Very grateful that I found you very informative. You keep me engaged. Even the commercials are tolerable. Thank you. Keep up the great work.
"[...] then why are there no pictures?"
Well probably because cameras in the 90's were all film, so they were things you kept at home or carried with you if you were specifically out to take pictures. Film was cheap but not free so you were still aware that the 40 or so frames per roll were something you shouldn't waste taking pictures without thinking. Add to that how film cameras perform terrible in dark conditions so it takes some experience to get an unplanned shot right, and you couldn't see if you messed up until you got the roll developed.
If there was a camera crew with them at the time they probably would've been told to cut. Any sensible camera operator won't keep rolling if there is an actual incident with people getting seriously harmed, and even if they did by accident they wouldn't keep the footage.
Odds are the only ones who would have the opportunity and motivation to take pictures then would be press photographers. Which means all the police would have to do in order to suppress photos would be to contact the local papers and tell then to kill the story for police interests and out of respect for the involved. This would've made the pictures worthless and they were probably scrapped when those photographers eventually cleaned up their unused collections.
Nowadays people have phones with cameras, a wireless internet connection with a place to upload them to, and a sense of morality lacking enough to actually post footage a deadly accident. But the world wasn't always like that.
Taking photos back then was a lot more intentional, especially when illegal activities were involved. Not to mention the possibility that photographs COULD have been taken and simply not scanned + uploaded to the internet for the public's viewing pleasure.
This was a really enjoyable documentary! Well done Albon!
Mid night had no influence on drifting. That was something that was born on its own.
You guys never miss with your videos, I genuinely watch every video multiple times and I never get bored. Keep up the amazing work! We love everything you put out!
Another video about Mid Night with tons of inaccuracies. Have you even ever been to Japan and spoke to the members yourself? Your research is mostly based on info that can be found online. You used a bunch of clips from Video Option, Shutoko Trial etc that have nothing to do with Mid Night.
The spotlight on Japanese car culture is greatly appreciated, but telling a story pretending like you got all the facts right? 🤔
Mid Night videos get easy views lol sadly theres way too many videos with misinformation around
From the Wangan, to the Touge.... this was iconic times!!!
I was interested during the entire video, the story is incredible and the way you tell it is really nice. The editing is also godly, keep it up !
There's much better more detailed documentaries about the midnight club so watching this was nothing but pain 😩😂😂 guy was lazy with all his information and be honest you were only captured by the ACTUAL video
Japan changed so much in these kinds of stuff, it was so much relaxed before. Soon every law turned against the yakuzas, bousouzoku were hunted down(this one's a must), and street racing became obsolete for the most part(still exists but not like before). I think the change was a good thing in the grand scheme of things but it feels like we lost something precious together with it. Thanks for the great content.
Yeah, now cops have drones that go to the touge to snap license plates.
There is a lot of speculation and hypothetical claims while there are no facts and data to prove those claims. Back in the day wikipedia had a page on the MC story that is taken down. In that story it was reported that a cyclist was killed during a race therefore the club was disbanded by their honour code. There was no multiple collision and no bosozoku involved (at least in that accident). It would be great if someone can dig that page through the internet archives. There was also reports that the MC members would attack other cars and drivers who had a fake MC sticker without being a true member. All in all the author is right, the exact lore doesn't matter.
The Midnight Club is just legendary and it's a shame that they don't exist anymore like they used too
Love the content :)
They still do with different leader
@@ye4414 Oh I thought they were disbanded but thanks for letting me know
@@madcarman7 you didn’t even watch the video huh?
They still kinda exist but it's not exactly the same and a bunch of members basically just treat it like a private cars and coffee type deal. But there are also some older and new members still racing and doing shit but usually all track day stuff now. Some of the new members are professional racers. But the top speed mentality kinda died out and highway pulls died off other than maybe once in a blue moon.
@@bthegawd8113 I did
good job mate, you have a great way to tell stories and details in 90s japan car culture. midnight club is bustling at the time
It's funny all this stuff about mid night lying to everyone after Yoshida was caught up and exposed, suddenly the hate flows (something I figure would have happened much sooner tbh). let's put in perspective alot of the folklore and myths are a symptom of tales travelling out of the country and turning into increasingly tall tales couple that with language barriers and you get a mythical status. just because they drove with a code or ethics doesn't mean they all were saints outside of the cars and there was no dirty practices going on among any members. The automotive realm is unfortunately rife with fraud and scam artists, in the US read almost any post of Hennessy performance, GMMG and several other high end shops and there's all kinds of horror stories of thousands upon thousands of dollars disappearing and worse yet shops folding up and cars being left in disrepair. I still admire what they were able to do and did in their era. The cars they built to an amazing level and to this day hold up.
Drifting looks so fun, I really want to do it someday
Lol
if youre in luck, find yourself a local track venue and commit to it! it takes discipline to learn the skill and build your car but it will be so rewarding!
Frequent drifter of my Alfa 75 Turbo
As long as it's on a track!
Don’t listen to all the stick-in-the-asses telling you to do it on a track. It’s expensive and if you’re a beginner it’s almost not worth your time.
Look out for an empty lot (even better if you own one) and practice for about 2-3 minutes at a time. Even if anyone called the police for your screeching tires you’d be gone before an officer was even dispatched (unless you’re literally down the street from the police station, which is dumb in the first place). Basic donuts, J-turns, stuff like that.
Dry weather and slightly wet weather is the best for both traction and tire wear. Take off your plate or order an old license plate from Etsy or eBay (and check the plate online just in case, but if it’s an older plate it’s likely no longer registered to a vehicle) there are ways to do it) and swap plates whenever you’re drifting in case your spot has cameras.
Please don’t try to do it in your mom or dad’s FWD civic. There’s a bit of a niche in regard to eBrake sliding but for the most part “drifting” in a FWD vehicle isn’t very fun (unless you’re doing it in reverse 😉). I digress; get yourself a RWD car with generous power. Bonus points if it’s a manual, but they’re getting scarce.
Learn how to drive it, learn how to push it but not to its limit. Do some interstate driving and get comfortable at high speeds. Try to execute (read: safe and reasonable) highway passes within your ability. Then hit the backroads. Take the corners at a good speed. You’ll get comfortable with the pedals.
TL;DR learn to _really_ drive first, then find a place to go :)
@@UniqueHandles for a planet you really have good advice
growing up in the 90's midnight has always been that legendary group of racers that was basically folk tail. we all knew about them and all wondered.
Your comment about Japan being the Wild West of street racing is beyond insulting to the strong illegal drag racing scene from the South Bay/harbor areas of Los Angeles California that’s been running strong since the 60s. Japan emulated our car culture to the fullest the original skylines have the body lines of a nova
The amount of detail you put into your vidoes is just amazing man! Keep up the great content!
"Two skylines street race in Japan." The exact search term I used, to find that first video over and over.
That video, as well as, Skyline top speed on Tokyo bridge.
Lingenfelter tt vs 13 second dsm.
Lingenfelter corvette vs hayabusa.
Goddamn the good old days of street racing videos.
I found something with only 20 seconds of content, a C4 Corvette racing a Hayabusa; is that what you were talking about?
@@STRIDER_503 black c5.
Why does he continue to call the Z30 a Z31? You'd think a UA-cam so into the JDM scene would know that. I tend to be more of a Euro guy and I fckn know that.
Nice to know the real story. In depth and well produced as always.
Fastest I have ever been in a car was in my CTS-V... 165MPH and no, that was not on a track. Things get pretty scary at those speeds. You can feel gravity and inertia in even the slightest bump or curve and you better hope that every part of your car is functioning perfectly. I held it there for about a mile,. then backed off. these cars are speed limited to 199 MPH and I still had plenty of room to redline. I cannot imagine what those speeds are like. I did take a motorcycle to 145 once on the German autobahn too. When I stopped I was shaking from the adrenaline... What a rush! I have always been an adrenaline junky... always will be.
I love that some of the members found a life in the car world outside of racing
Damn, this has to be the most comprehensive Mid Night Club story ever told!
Shit was lazy & D- at best
@@M4MK yeah I mean I've seen plenty of videos based on the same thing & I don't mind it everyone is entitled to make their own version of the story & it's great to see variety that being said those just trynna copy & paste come up short in their videos are obvious & like I said shit just comes off as lazy gimmicky & waaaack 😩😂
I remember my uncle having the video game, like the 2nd or 3rd edition, and asking him the story behind it. Nice job on the deep dive of this street racing lore.
You took me on from the video 'Toyota's bigget secret'. I have litterally repeated that piece over 4 times n cant seem to get over it. How U explain n give non bias, deserved credit to master pieces creators gives me that secret taste to a good recipe. Keep it up keep them coming n keep them as unique.
Insanely well done video as per usual. Great visuals, excellent music choice, and expert commentary - what a window into the past. Bravo once again Guff.
Why can’t most UA-camrs speak like a normal person??? Do some people really find it endearing when someone attempts to wave their hands around as much as possible while making weird faces throughout the video????
He's the son a Scotty kilmer who had an affair with a middle-eastern woman back in the 90s
Why does the 930 have the speedometer and tacho sideways?
Stumbled on this channel. What a well edited and documented piece. Truly enjoyed this content. Gained a subscriber instantly. 🤟
Truly well researched content with an appreciation for the culture. Guff always comes out with bangers.
Now the equivalent of that is the annual Texas Tx2k meet! Where you see cars like 1900hp c6 twin turbo Vette, or 2000hp Sequential shifting twin turbo Viper, or 1900hp twin turbo Lamborghini, 8sec GTR, etc. You get the idea!! Cars that literally can kill an H2 in excess speed of 215mph on a highway! Pure insanity!
So much information and so little dragging on for money, love the content keep it up I know youre putting in lots of effort!🤙🔥
Would love to see more '90s street racing related videos like this!
Abflug kind of means departure. Word for word it means fly away. Kind of. It is only used to describe the departure from planes at the airport or the the take off.
Very interesting story, I had no idea the Japanese car scene was so serious, these guys are on another jdm level
None the less, it's a great story. By knowing the truth it's makes the lore even more exciting.
He mite not have been a criminal his hole life. If companies are willing to trust him with that cash then he obviously had a reputation for handling such amounts.
He mite have been going through a tough time.
I love how dbrand lets creators do their own skit… it makes things interesting enough to actually watch the ad!
Is the hairy arm at 6:27 part of the skit?
Very well documented video, like always. Truly an eye-opener as I always thought the '99 crash brought the end of the club.
I moved to Japan in early 2003 and MidNight Club and the car scene was still big there. I spent many nights in Tokyo on many different car scenes…I left there in 2005 and it was still going then. I’m sure it still is now.
These short documentaries are interesting, definitely one of my favorites, along with Smoky Nagata's story.
You never disappoint with these documentaries. Keep it up!
One thing you didn't mention was a video game called Tokyo Xtreme racer zero. That was the closest game to what they were really doing.
Great narration and story telling as usual! Thanks Albon!
Always have loved this style of videos, keep up the great work king 🙏
The Devil Z is a first generation Fairlady Z S30Z/240Z, not a Z31. The Z31 is the 3rd generation Fairlady Z which was Akio 1st car.
even with the ‘lies’ still a amazing story
I love the quality over quantity approach, amazing videos, keep up the good work!!
There is this game called Nightrunner.
It still in Work in Progress, but for those who like JDM, 80s, 90s Car Culture, you might want to check it out.
I bet there will be some Mid Night Club reference.
this content is great! hope you can keep it up! you are by far the best channel doing this kind of videos
Always a good day when Albon uploads
Description: "Want a Porsche Blackbird of your own?" Me: "Yes". Link: "$1,000,000"
Another fantastic video thanks Albon, full of enthusiasm and information. Great entertainment
great video with good vibes! keep killing it albon!
I would like to find out what sources did use for the making of this video
Man I would love to go to Japan and check out the car scene there. I've always heard you can pick up all of the cars we dream about for like 5k. Like skylines of different gens and itrs and ctrs. There is a bunch of 4 door cars that are really cool also. Cool video!
Used to be able to up until a few years ago. Ever since the 25 year rule in the US kicked in, Americans started buying up everything for resell and the prices have gone through the roof. Still gonna be a bit cheaper than the rest of the world but not by much at all unfortunately. Hopefully this bubble bursts eventually and the rest of us can start having the cars we always wanted for a normal price again someday.
@@james312 The bubble will never burst, at least that hard arguably, since more and more car would destroyed or ruined (for tuning) by anyone nostalgic enough. Yet the same people really wanted that bone stock version
@@james312 If by "a few years ago" you mean the mid 80's, the 25 year rule has been around for quite a while.
At least before the use of Japanese cars in Fast and Furious, they were still relatively cheap to buy. Today, even a Silvia is extremely expensive.