GR YARIS: Pondering Reasons For Driving a Sport-Car

On this page, Rikutsu-Kone-Taro with 42 years of driving experience (at 2023) reflects on the reasons for continuing to drive a sports car.

In summary, the reasons Rikutsu-Kone-Taro drives a sports car can be narrowed down to the following two points at this point:

1. Driving a sport car feels like clearing the fog in the mind, allowing complete immersion in the driving experience.
2. Driving a sports car is considered a cool and stylish activity.

The journey to reach these two points was a long and challenging one.

Looking back, at the age of 16, I believed there were only two ways to attract the opposite sex: either play an instrument and form a band or become a cool motorcycle rider.

I had two paths given my average performance in academics, sports, and appearance.

Back then, Rikutsu-Kone-Taro didn’t particularly care whether it was a band or a motorcycle, but a certain movie influenced my decision to choose a motorcycle.

The movie was the 1968 British-French collaboration film “The Girl on a Motorcycle” (click “here” for details). Starring Alain Delon and Marianne Faithfull.

In a post-coital scene where the two characters, in a teacher-student relationship, passionately discuss motorcycles, Faithfull gazes adoringly at Delon.

Rikutsu-Kone-Taro inadvertently took this movie seriously and chose a motorcycle.

So, motorcycles have the power to charm women, I thought. It was a decision influenced by that idea.

The first bike was a Yamaha XJ400.

Equipped with the then-trendy inline 4-cylinder DOHC engine in a double-cradle frame, dual-disc brakes on the front, and a disc brake on the rear.

Was the rear a drum brake?

Anyway, for a 16-year-old, it was an extravagantly luxurious machine.

However, after a while, it became apparent that being a motorcycle rider didn’t necessarily make one more appealing to the opposite sex.

Around that time, the cool kids around me were immersed in the fashion known as “surfer.” It seemed like these people were enjoying romance, and I started to notice this.

But focusing on fashion felt somewhat superficial. After all, it seemed unjust to adopt the title “surfer” without actually surfing.

Moreover, being a newcomer put me at a disadvantage. I had to start learning everything from scratch.

So, while envying those who were popular with the opposite sex, I roamed around on my motorcycle.

It was the era of the anti-motorcycle movement. Due to incidents like motorcycle gangs and frequent accidents, motorcycles were socially stigmatized.

XJ400 accepted my resentment, youthful frustration, and the lack of an outlet for energy.

It took me anywhere I wanted to go and accompanied me on nights when my feelings couldn’t be resolved.

This was before the era of Yutaka Ozaki.

So when Ozaki entered the scene, I teared up at his songs, and even now, they evoke strong emotions.

Rikutsu-Kone-Taro was fortunate at that time to have supportive adults around, teaching me how to ride motorcycles and advising me on the merits and demerits of modifications and customization.

So, just adjusting the handlebars to fit my physique, everything else remained stock. Issues like the motorcycle breaking down or performance deterioration never happened.

XJ400 served me well. It embraced the confusion and explosive impulses of my youth.

At that time, I wasn’t fully aware, but the running machine was clearing the fog in the mind and heart of Rikutsu-Kone-Taro

This experience became the foundation of my lifelong journey with vehicles, continuing to this day.

I feel like I can understand the feelings of motorcycle gangs that are often labeled as outlaws.

They, too, must have unresolved confusion and explosive impulses.

Because the world is full of lies and deception.

Everything the important people say is just positioning talk.

Living in society seems to involve skillfully differentiating between truth and facade, leading everyone to harbor a certain degree of disgust for such a world.

Fortunately, “Logical Connection Taro’s” parents accepted my immersion in vehicles, and there were adults around who guided me. Besides, I was not suited for group activities from the beginning, and since I thought racing on a circuit or being a “Red Pegasus” was cool since elementary school, I was more interested in hanging on to XJ400 than joining a group.

I found a different kind of coolness in figures like Yuya Fujibayashi and Ken Akaba rather than the appeal of being popular with the opposite sex.

After XJ400, I rode various motorcycles and cars to experience the thrill of driving fast and clear the fog in my mind.

At one point, I realized that “Circuit Wolf” and “Red Pegasus” were fictional, created by the author and those around them for commercial success.

The coolness of driving that I had aimed for since childhood turned out to be nothing more than fiction created by someone for commercial gain.

Was the coolness of driving just a fabrication and a product of my own delusion?

Does such a thing really not exist?

But then I quickly remembered, “Wait a minute, when I saw the driving skills of a fast driver from the passenger seat, I thought, ‘Ah, I want to become skilled like that too.'”

Didn’t I actually feel cool driving myself?

The inner voice asked these questions.

Moreover, doesn’t a work stand as a fiction because true coolness exists?

From there, it seemed like the journey to find the coolness of driving for myself began.

I want to drive cool. Therefore, there isn’t much motivation to cut down on lap times.

I want to clear the fog in my mind and heart. Therefore, I’m not particularly interested in competitive sports that require attention to the surroundings.

Yes, astute readers may have already noticed. It’s completely self-indulgent.

Self-indulgence is generally uncool because it often involves self-display and the need for approval. However, self-indulgence becomes cool when it seeks the essence based on the premise of being the only one in the world.

Who evaluates such coolness? Of course, oneself.

For example, consider someone with average office processing skills but who brews delicious tea during breaks and brings in unique, tasty snacks for colleagues.

Upon closer inspection, isn’t that somehow uncool?

Sure, having excellent office processing skills is commendable, but…

Is it perhaps an attraction to the contrast?

However, if the usual office processing skills are low, it’s not cool because it suggests diverting resources for brewing tea and selecting snacks for work.

Furthermore, exuding a sense of superiority like “I have good taste, don’t I?” leads to a genuinely uncool situation.

So, at this point in the journey, my current partner is the GR Yaris.

A machine that functions to explore the coolness of Rikutsu-Kone-Taro without drawing too much attention, effectively clearing the fog in the mind and heart.

Thank you for providing a reliable guide to this lost (albeit middle-aged) soul. I’m incredibly grateful to be born in this time and place.

To all readers, I believe each of you has reasons for driving a sports car. Articulating those reasons at some point might make driving even more enjoyable.

May happiness accompany you in your sports car or motorcycle journey!

That’s all for this time.