Those familiar with Japanese drifting in the early 2000s will undoubtedly know who Atsushi Kuroi is. If you don’t, consider this an important history lesson. It’s always difficult to summarize someone’s achievements without underestimating their importance in history. However, I will attempt to tell the story that Kuroi-san deserves.
Atsushi Kuroi was more than just your average D1GP competitor – he is often called a pioneer of drifting. Maybe it’s Kuroi-san’s outlandish driving style, incredible car styling, unique engine choices or the ubiquitous combination of all three. Kuroi-san ran a tuning shop called River Side in Osaka and was well respected off the track as well.
Kuroi-san made his debut as a privateer in the 2001 D1 Grand Prix Championship, racing with minimal outside support until the 2003 season, when a partnership with Toyo Tires was formed. He raced until 2008, taking several podium finishes, including an outright victory at Fuji Speedway in 2007.
What these results don’t reflect is Kuroi-san’s unparalleled style and love for drifting as a hobby and a sport. Despite not dominating Japan’s pro drift competition, Kuroi was incredibly respected by his peers and is still considered a drifting legend in the Kansai region and beyond. Tragically, he passed away in 2010 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
The loss of Kuroi-san affected the local and international drifting community. During the 2010 D1GP season opener in Odaiba, Tokyo, a message book was left at his memorial site for people to sign and leave a few words. The first entry was left by Kuroi-san’s Toyo Tires teammate Masato Kawabata.
This blue Nissan ‘Onevia’ (RPS13 180SX for a PS13 Silvia) is the latest version of the various S13 chassis that Kuroi has used over the years.
As mentioned, Kuroi-san was known for his unique engine choices, originally competing with an RB26 in his yellow Onevia. This car is no exception, featuring a fully built Toyota 2JZ-GTE with a massive Trust T78 turbocharger hanging off the side.
Turbo lag? Don’t worry about it: the straight-six is equipped with nitrous oxide, which helps the turbo spool up as quickly as possible. At the time, this was a pretty advanced setup for a D1GP car.
Up front sits a custom engraved Koyorad radiator and matching water jets. Remember, this car was developed long before rear-mounted radiators made their way onto the professional drifting scene. Power is sent to the Nissan’s rear wheels via a six-speed sequential transmission.
The interior certainly tells a story as well. It has everything you need and nothing you don’t, starting with a 6-point roll cage and a pair of Bride Zeta III bucket seats with HPI harnesses. All the necessary engine telemetry is displayed via a bank of Defi gauges, an A’PEXi Power FC’s FC Commander handheld controller, and the gear position indicator for the sequential transmission.
The exterior screams ‘2000s drift machine’, a style that is very close to my heart. So many people are trying to emulate this look these days, so it’s incredibly cool to see a car that has remained relatively unchanged since its final form in 2009.
I believe the Onevia has a ‘Streamline’ bodykit from Origin Labo, but I’m happy to be corrected as that’s just a loosely educated guess. A combination of underbody panels and canards complete the aggressive look, along with a GT-style rear wing synonymous with early D1GP cars.
To top it all off, the Onevia sits surprisingly low on a spectacular set of early Work Emotion XD9 wheels in a black chrome finish.
When you start listing modifications on a car like this, you quickly realize how simple it is. Rather than it being a simple sum of its parts, it’s the execution that makes it so good. Combine that with the relatively subtle presence of battle scars and it’s clear that the look goes deeper than the surface. It’s all about the aura it radiates something that only a few cars can achieve.
I got to drive this car for a tiny bit on the Ebisu Circuit, and it was an experience I will never forget. As a piece of drift history, I can only hope the new owner will cherish it.
We remember and honor Atsushi Kuroi as a king of style and one of the founders of drifting as we know it today.
Alec Pender
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