This Is What It's Like To Live Inside The 'Initial D' Anime

Screenshot: Donut Media

“Initial D” is one of those pieces of media that transcends automotive enthusiasm and has helped inspire a new generation of car folks. I had already descended fully into the madness of gasoline, high-revs, and tire smoke by the time the show debuted in the U.S. in 2002, but it certainly added some octane to the high-rev engine in my heart. Maybe you’ve dreamed about driving Mount Akina, or the show inspired you to buy and build one of the cars featured, but if you were so inclined the show probably infected your system and amped up your love of all things car. If you’ve always wanted to know how each of the cars from the show compared in real life, the folks at Donut have you covered.

We Drove EVERY CAR from Initial D

The authenticity to which the cars featured in this video adhere to the show is wildly impressive. Donut didn’t just settle for any old FD RX-7, they had to find an RE-Amemiya car in yellow with the right wing and hood combination. A nicely tuned black Nissan R32 GT-R stands in for the Takeshi of the night kids, and holy hell does it sound good. What about a fully Spoon’d Honda Civic for the ultimate in lightweight and high revs? There’s the Impact Blue Sleighty, a Red Suns 240SX, the White Comet FC RX-7, and more. But obviously the king of the video, as with the show, is Takumi’s Sprinter Trueno.

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This is some real deep nerd shit, and that’s part of what I love most about the automotive world. Sometimes enthusiasts will see a car on an animated Japanese television program and absolutely have to build one in real life. The dedication to the dream and the effort that went into the build is always an my favorite part. The people who own and drive these cars don’t take themselves, or their cars, too seriously. Just get out there and drive some fast and fun car.

Crank up the Eurobeat and watch the video. Hopefully you’ll love it as much as I did.