California Dreamin’ With A GT-R, 911 And More: Members’ Rides

Last week, we met TriangleRad and got to explore a localized Radwood style group along with a fantastic classic Nissan. My best friend almost bought an S12 way back when. It’s the only car I still hear him talk about as one he wishes he had bought so it was fun to hear about that one.

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Lehan (Autopian name LH) is a software engineer living in the bay area who has an impressive collection that caught my eye. Now you are lucky enough to see it too! I love all kinds of cars, but while I venture to others occasionally, for most of the last 6 years, I have had JDM imports. Among imports, there is unquestionably one car that reigns supreme in the minds of most. A car so impressive in racing that it earned the nickname of Godzilla. That’s right! Today we get to drool over the legendary Nissan GT-R and so much more!

How did you get into cars?

Like many others, my brother and I collected a bunch of Hot Wheels and Tomica (I lived in Asia as a child) and is how I got interested in cars. I really only had a passing interest until grade school. That’s when my dad would ask us to help him in the garage. I quickly learned that I liked to tinker and learn about the mechanicals. Later on, Initial D and F&F pulled me fully back into the culture, but didn’t own an interesting car myself until after college. I learned how to drive in a 1989 Plymouth Voyager (great family car), and my friend taught me manual in a Toyota truck. In college, my uncle took me to an autoX event and that got me hooked on HPDE.

What’s in the garage now?

• 2014 Subaru Impreza WRX
• 1991 Nissan Skyline
• 2022 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo
• 1980 Porsche 911 Targa

What’s your favorite thing about the WRX?

The Subaru brap! Even after 10 years and being fortunate enough to experience different cars, I love the sound, and it is still a joy to drive. Overall, it’s just a great daily driver, and being my first new car, a comfortable place to be. I get very attached to my cars, and this one especially. It has taken me and a bunch of friends on different ski trips, and it also brought our son home from the hospital, and carried him around for 6 months until we got a van. Minivans are great, by the way.

How did you decide to get this?

My brother and I are big fans of 90s and 2000s rally cars, especially of the STIs and Evos. I couldn’t afford either, so I looked at the WRX. At the time the new WRX was already announced, but no hatchback/wagon planned, so this model made sense. The BRZ/FRS was on my radar as well, but in the end my friend convinced me that a turbocharged car was more tunable. He was correct.

Have you modified it at all?

With mods I did typical Subaru bro mods without considering if I could even make full use of the car stock, and is a lesson I carried with my subsequent cars. The car wasn’t ever heavily modded, but it’s back to more stock now. It retains a catback exhaust, rear sway bars, and a remote tune.

What’s your favorite track you’ve had it on?

I’ve only been to the two nearby, Sonoma and Laguna Seca, and they are both great, but Laguna Seca takes the cake. The only hairy moment I had on a track was in this car on turn 9 at Laguna, from a too abrupt throttle lift and spin.

What are the plans for it?

It’s still being driven by family members, and running costs are low so I may keep it for the time being. No more mods though, just want to keep it clean. My son is also very into cars, and soon can tell me, as meaningful as a child can, if he wants to drive this car. If that is the case, then it will probably stay with the family forever.

Is there anything that you like about this more than the GT-R?

In my probably uncommon opinion, the shifter feels much better. It’s also just better at being a car. I can carry a mountain bike and a bunch of gear in the WRX. The clutch engagement range in the GT-R is so small I still stall it sometimes.

What made you want to pick up the GT-R?

I had always wanted one, I mean it’s a GT-R! Like many JDM fans I’ve been watching the 90s treasures years before they reached 25 years old for import. As soon as I found out some could be CARB compliant, I started searching. I jumped on it once I found one I liked.

How hard is it to do that?

There are good write ups online in detail about this, but the gist of it is you need a good car to start with, patience, and be willing to pay for it. There is only one shop in California that can perform the smog compliance conversion, and it’s not cheap ($10k in 2018). The car must be in good running condition with its stock smog equipment working flawlessly, then I heard it takes a couple of months.

Do you find RHD to be difficult in a LHD world?

No, not once I am used to it. The real only annoyances are drive thrus and parking garage booths.

Did you import it or was it already here?

I was fortunate to find one that the previous owner did all the modifications via the importer he bought the car from. The first US owner bought it from the importer and owned it for a couple of months, and decided it wasn’t for him. I had been looking for at least 6 months at the time and he lived nearby, so I checked out the car, had it inspected, and bought it right away when the report came back clean. I had driven two GTRs previously in Japan but those were… not great examples, so in comparison this one was good.

It wasn’t until I really drove the car that some problems surfaced. The car had a slight misfire, and the clutch was slipping under full load. Either I didn’t specify to the PPI shop well on what to look for, or it just wasn’t a thorough PPI. But it has been very reliable for the 10k miles I’ve driven it once those two issues were addressed.

Is this one modified at all?

The car has an aftermarket ECU and tune, but mainly because I wanted it tuned for California gas and have engine safety checks. Otherwise, the mods (big brake kit, clutch, oil cooler, suspension bushings and tires) were either for reliability or to replace worn stuff. The car came from Japan with some basic Tein coilovers. They are harsh on the road but good enough for me on the track.

Any plan for additional mods?

I am constantly worried about the turbo turbines exploding, so that might be the next big mod. The regular R32 GT-Rs have ceramic turbines that don’t take additional boost well (mine is at stock boost levels), plus they are now almost 35 years old.

What’s your favorite thing about this?

The steering feel – the on-center feel is very precise, and it just feels good in a corner. Also, the engine note. Of course, I am biased but I think this is one of the best sounding engines.

What does this do better than the WRX?

Contrary to what I learned in Initial D this car can dance in the corners. Even though both are AWD, the rear-biased GTR can easily slide into and out of a corner. Most owners remove their HICAS rear steer, but I like and want to learn to drive with the slightly squirrely rear end.

Do you mostly just track this or what’s the typical day of driving look like in this?

I try to track this car a few times a year, otherwise just weekend cruises up the local roads. Norcal also has a pretty active Skyline club, so I take it out to our events.

What made you pick this over the regular Taycan?

I really fell in love with the Mission E design, then when I saw the Cross Turismo I made it a goal to save up to buy one someday. Then I found a used one that had almost all of the options I would’ve specced, plus the color I wanted.

Did you always want a Porsche or what led you to this over the other options on the market?

I’ve wanted a Porsche ever since seeing the Blackbird in the Wangan Midnight arcade game. When we were in the market for a newer daily driver to replace the WRX, I thought an EV made sense, and the most (and only, really) exciting EV at the time was the Taycan.

What’s the best thing about this one?

If your living situation supports it, EVs are just the right tool for a daily driver. I can do short drives without worrying about getting the engine up to temp, it’s quiet, etc. Besides the climate control screen, Porsche interiors are just top notch. I love the wagon body style and the practicality. But honestly everything is great – it can be a calm daily driver and hustle in the mountains, while carrying 4 passengers and groceries.

Have you ever had issues with charging it?

The very first public charger I used was not able to recognize the car. I just charge at home and work most of the time, though. Another time, I had parked in an EV-only spot at a mall, as I stepped out a random patron angrily told me this is an EV-only parking spot. She was flabbergasted when I showed her the charge port.

Have you had any issues with it?

Nothing major, but twice the driver assist “take over steering” warning kept going off even though cruise control was not on. It freaked us out the first time it happened. I plan to keep it during the warranty period. As mostly trouble-free it has been, I’m not sure how it will be in 5 years.

Would you go EV again?

I haven’t decided yet. I’ve yet to own a V8 car, and there may not be many choices in the future of one in a sedan/wagon. Like the writers, I’m also a fan of extended-range EVs, so hopefully there will be more driver-oriented options in the future.

When did you pick up the 911?

I picked this up in July 2024. It has less than 60k miles, father and son owner before myself. Body is in great shape but because it was from the East coast and had sat for 20 years, it needed some work. Recently finished said work and just drove it 200 miles over Labor Day weekend. Strange feeling to swing the weight around in the back. I’ve added some interior touches like a Momo steering wheel and chrome gauge rings, but plan to keep it mostly stock. I looked for a 911 of this era for cruising, hence the targa, but they are surprisingly quick and can keep up with modern sports cars on the twisties.

What work did it need after sitting for 20 years?

The previous owner’s son replaced the fuel system to get it to run, plus some small trim pieces. I did a valve adjustment, all fluids changed, a misfire fixed from a leaky injector, and leaky hoses replaced. After that it ran well, but somehow leaked more oil. The shop found a leaking rear main seal, so out goes the engine. While the engine was out the clutch, engine/transmission mounts and other small things were replaced. Besides the mechanical stuff, I replaced the shifter bushings and interior bits as some were falling apart after 45 years.

Were you looking for any air-cooled 911 or what did the search criteria look like for this one?

Targa only! I had a NA Miata and missed the open top feeling, plus I actually like the Targa look most. I absolutely love the 964/930 and widebody look because of that Blackbird, so those are my dream cars, but the prices have gone to the stratosphere. Early last year I did the fabulous Fun2Drive rental in Japan, and drove their 964 Turbo and fell in love with the driving experience. After some research I found that only 1978-86s were within my budget, plus they’re still old school while having some modern amenities.

What’s the best thing about this one?

It sounds lame, but just the joy of operating the very direct controls (steering, shifting, weight transfer) of this car with an open top.

Any complaints about it?

Not really, maybe just wish they hadn’t gotten so expensive.

How much have you been able to drive it so far?

I’ve driven it less than 1000 miles so far, but have some longer rallies planned this year. These cars if they sit too long, the oil seeps through to the combustion chamber and then it is a smokeshow when you start it again, so I try to drive it every 2 weeks at least.

I know you said you want to keep it mostly stock, but are there any upgrade plans?

Definitely a bluetooth stereo. I am on the fence about upgrading the shifter, since the goal of this car for me was to enjoy it the way it is.

Does it live up to the hype surrounding these beauties?

I think so! Every time on the way home in it I wish the drive was just a bit longer. It brings a smile not just to me but many people seeing it on the road.

Thanks Lehan!

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