Having a garage is such a privilege for automotive enthusiasts. For city-dwellers like Edwin and I, we have realized the value of garage space. Especially, when it comes to storing our cars and being able to have space to work on our multitude of projects.What little space we do have, we pay for it through our noses. While the rent can deter most from indulging in this hobby, it is a drawback we have to accept unless we move back with our parents or move out of the city and into the suburbs. I think finding garage space is one of the biggest hurdles to the automotive community in NYC. The other alternative is leaving it on the street for any small time thief to have their pickings.
For P’Lan, who lives half way around the world in Bangkok, he has been blessed with the best of both worlds. Although he lives in the heart of the city, he still has enough space for his obsession passion. Tucked away behind a few rows of buildings in Sukhumvit and encased in glass, P’Lan’s garage is a goldmine for automotive and video game aficionados alike. It’s heaven in the city of angels. 
While I was in Thailand, Nukung from Stickyride scooped me up and brought me to this amazing personal garage owned by P’Lan. If you love cars of the 90’s and video games during that era, this place is the holy grail in so many ways. I’m guilty of holding onto parts from previous cars or saving parts for future cars on my bucket list but P’Lan is a collector and connoisseur. I can’t call him a hoarder because each item has personal meaning and he doesn’t just keep every and anything. When it comes to cars, it’s all about shared experiences and P’Lan openly shared his love for 90’s nostalgia with me and for that, I’m so grateful.
His garage houses not only his cars but also automotive and video game memorabilia. I honestly think both complement the other in design. From rare steering wheels to display-only memorabilia, P’Lan has collected his trophies over the course of 20 years. Most of these items have been exported from Japan through auctions, estate sales, and store liquidations. Within the local automotive community, P’Lan has gained a reputation of attaining the unattainable and that is how he has been able to turn his collection into a small side business for AE86, NSX, and GT-R aficionados.
With rising GT-R prices, this museum quality Vspec II Nür will surely be a collector’s item within a few years. The BNR32 next to it is on the same level of cleanliness. What was most surprising are the complete optional parts that were offered at the time when the BNR32 was sold new. It has the optional kneepads, Nismo Recaros, Alcon big brakes, Enkei’s, and a dozen other things I personally didn’t even know existed for the car.
Another rare gem was this pristine FC3S in convertible form. Interestingly, there are just a handful of convertibles in Thailand since they were import only and were never sold in the domestic market. Fitted with a pair of super rare Recaro A8, he had yet another pair of Recaro A8’s stored for future use.
If you were into MotoGP, then you probably noticed the Rothmans Honda NSR250 with the SP magnesium wheels, adjustable rear suspension and stabilizer. Don’t mind the rag and floor since P’Lan often changes oil on his bike in the garage. One thing I admire about the owner of the garage is that he does all of his own work from converting AP1 NSXs into NSX-Rs to wrenching on rare Nismo parts.
The display cases have a hodge-podge of unique and rare items that compliment his obsession for his cars. Consider for example this individual throttle body setup for the C series NSX engine. It looks to be a Jenvey but in this case, it also looks brand new. The price of those NSX-R shift knobs are about $300 a piece and there were a few that littered that second shelf.
One of P’Lan’s previous cars was the AE86 and while he owned it, he collected a few things. Any Initial D fans?
One of my favorite parts of the garage was the wall of steering wheels, most of which are now super rare and worth quite an amount of money. Mugen, Falcon Racing, Impul, Mazdaspeed, Porsche Martini Racing, ATC, Honda Racing, Nismo, Tom’s, Kei Office, and BBS are just a handful of tuners that were on display. There were quite a few more that were stowed away to prevent them from aging due to light or temperature.
The entire place reminded me of a flea market only that it was filled with expensive things and most aren’t for sale. I love flea markets because it gives you a glimpse into the past and also the interests of others. If you see something that vibes with you, a respectable offer can be made and you might be able to take it home. Classic Astroboy, Popeye, Dragonball Z and model JGTC race cars were at this corner.
Recognize anything? He explained that one of his favorite consoles was the Famicom, the Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System that we got stateside. I also agreed with him and in fact as a kid that was when I realized the Japanese often kept their very best technology for themselves while they produced variations of the superior product for the rest of the world. This concept carried over into cars later on when I discovered the amazing parts that were available for Honda platforms in Japan and not the US. So thus began P’Lan and my obsession with all things JDM.
Tucked away at a corner was his Bavarian mistress, yet another pristine example. This time it’s a 993 C4S in Iris blue and on Work Brombachers.
Out back, there was a project which would have been completed by the time this is published. P’Lan’s NSX-R conversion which would be completed all in-house.
Wheel setups for the future.
It’s comforting to know that there are people who share similar interests as my friends and I. Despite knowing P’Lan for a whole 38 minutes, we already became friends but that’s the commonality within the automotive community. If you would like to share your passion or if you know someone please reach out to us because we’d love to take a look of the space and what you have been able to collect over the years. Once again, thanks to P’Lan and Nukung for giving me a tour.
