FULFILLING THE SUPERCAR DREAM IN JAPAN

We talk to Dylan about his move from Brisbane to Japan and growing collection of supercars

Recently we spoke with Dylan Bigg, someone who is passionate about cars and is able to indulge in some of the most interesting and peculiar cars of the modern era. Dylan’s living in Japan, where he has business and the ability to enjoy his passion with a little more freedom than we can experience here in Australia. But more on that later.

Originally from Brisbane, and pursuing a career in the corporate world, Dylan made the move to begin angel investing, and pursuing other opportunities. His first car, a Smart Roadster boasting just 95 horsepower and weighing just 650 kg, didn’t turn heads the same way like other cars would sharing the roadster title. Aptly Dylan described it as “Absolutely gutless, but a hell of a lot of fun to throw around”.

And that’s his take on learning to love cars when you’re starting out – if your first car is boring and practical, maybe you don’t get the sense of fun that leads you to explore the world of autos any further.

Dylan’s been back in Japan for about three years now and has managed to get his hands on something that he couldn’t get in Australia: a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. If you’re not envious about that, then you, my friend, have no soul. Dylan believes that the SLR, the “McMerc” he sometimes calls it, is misunderstood when it’s compared to the other hyper-cars which launched around the same

period like the Ferrari Enzo or the Porsche Carrera GT. As he puts it, the SLR is a hyper GT that is best suited for doing 200 mph on the autobahn while you enjoy the 5-speed auto, the stereo system and the sports seats.

Dylan has owned a range of cars that express the fact that he prefers the interesting to the exotic and extravagant. Among his ownerships have been a Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6, an Audi R8 and even a Smart ForFour Brabus, a car that he rates as being a very nice little hatch.

In addition to the SLR, a Ferrari Testarossa, Jaguar XKR GT, Audi R8 LMX, and Ferrari F430 Spider are some of what now forms part of the daily struggle to decide what to drive each day.

In terms of getting out and about and becoming involved in meets and such, there are small tracks near his home in Tokyo, though Fuji is the closest ‘proper’ one at around 150 miles away. ‘Think Phillip Island,’ says Dylan, ‘And you’ve got a pretty good comparison.’

But his favourite track is the Suzuka circuit, which of course, is home to the Japanese Grand Prix. If you have more money than worries, you can rent a pit lane there just for yourself or share with others. And you can even hire a shed on the track to permanently park your car. That’s not for Dylan: “I couldn’t bear the thought of my SLR being stored miles away, I like to drive it, that’s what it’s for.’

For the more static aspect of the car world, the largest regular car meet in Tokyo takes place in the Daikoku car park. On Friday and Saturday nights, the place rocks, but on Sundays, the classic cars are brought out, dads take their kids along for a look, and there is more of a family atmosphere. Exactly what we like to hear.

There are some things about car ownership in Tokyo that seem a little strange to us Australians, not least of which is parking being linked to registration. To register a car in Tokyo, you have to prove that you have the ability to park it - the operative word being prove. And your parking spot mustn’t be more than 2 kilometres from where you are living. In a city of 14 million maybe that’s a necessary evil.

If you aren’t able to do that, the normal cost of parking is about a quarter of that in Brisbane. So maybe they’ve got the right idea in Tokyo.

Perhaps the strangest thing in terms of car culture to us Australians is the fact that up there, the speed limits seem to be more for guidance than observance. Not even for guidance, come to that. Dylan told us that speed limits in different zones are 60 mph and 80 mph. But no-one even pays lip service to the signs, and that includes the police. Handing out speeding tickets as a way of earning revenue is not a thing in Japan. Imagine that. We mentioned at the start that Dylan is involved with Tokyo Supercars, a company which is far more than just

what it says on the label. Yes, you can rent your dream supercar: fancy a day out in an Audi R8 LMX? Or maybe a Porsche Panamera SE? No worries.

But there is also a cultural side to what Dylan and the team have to offer. You can go on a track day or a ride up into the mountains and a whole range of other events. No membership needed, you can just pay for the individual experience. About half of the people who attend these events are inbound tourists, and a lot of these are Australians, in fact, the person who wrote off his R8 GT at one of these events was a true blue Aussie. The driver was fine and dealing with an insurance claim is a good situation compared to the potential alternative. Still painful, but better.

There was a lot, lot more that we chatted to Dylan about – as he said, he loves talking cars, and with his depth of knowledge, we like listening to him talking about them. The top-end car culture in Japan seems to be alive and well and, with people like Dylan being involved, seems likely to stay that way.

Be sure to download our podcast to listen to the full chat where we also talk about his Ferrari Testarossa, track favourite Jaguar XKR GT, and more!

Tokyo Supercars

tokyosupercars.com/en/

Elusive Autos

elusiveautos.com