It was 1998 when Kenya-born, London-raised Jas Sehmbi first visited Tokyo, as the fashion designer’s brand was thriving in the land of the rising sun. That also happened to be the year that Jas purchased his first Porsche, a 2.2-litre 911T.
He could hear the street racers from his hotel room, and when he went out to see the action for himself, in person, he was hooked.
Over the next near-30 years, Jas bought and sold 35 Porsches, ranging from a trio of 356Cs to a 997.2 GT3. So long as it was rear-engined and fun to drive, Jas had to have it.
It was in 2020 that Jas would finally get a chance to maybe, just maybe, scratch the itch that he’d had since the turn of the century. Through the grapevine, Jas caught wind of an eccentric German car collector who had managed to acquire a 930 Turbo that had seen real action on the Bayshore highway - but had no interest in parting ways with his prize.
Culture Shock
Author: Mario Christou
Photographer: Mario Christou
A 90s Japanese street racer lands on the roads of East London.
Whether you’re a flat-six, inline-six or vee-eight enthusiast, you’ll have heard tales of Japan’s infamous street racers throughout the 1990s. Some are more revered than others, but there were numerous groups which raced the Shuto Expressway at night, flooding the Tokyo air with the sounds of heavily-tuned engines.
