Bangkok Sessions: Näräkä Original King (Part 1)

After experiencing car culture in Thailand, I began to see street styles which resonated with circuit racing. Race cars made for the street or street cars made for the track? When it comes to specific off the shelf modifications, there is a sense of repetition. Deviating from the widespread trends was often not found. Maybe that is a reflection of the society at large? When talking about clothing styles, Thais often follow the same brands. Brands are not only a status symbol but it also reflects what style you are trying to attain.

Originality sometimes falls by the wayside. What people are doing has been done countless times over but more particularly in Thailand. For example, the TE37/CE28/RE30 Volk Racing wheels, the Zoom Engineering mirror, Endless brakes, Defi gauges, Craft Square mirrors,  are almost all standard mods, but then you have a group of guys who go beyond the norm and are the real trendsetters. One such group has been Näräkä Original King and it’s rare for people outside the group to see many of the cars. From what I’ve been told group is very close-knit but interact often amongst themselves when it comes to social spaces. I will be honest and say that I can’t think of a group this large of unrelated guys who were so close to each other.

Before I begin, I have to send thanks to Aoun of AoungPhotograf & Stickyride for making the visit wth Näräkä possible. If you haven’t seen his work check him out here or here. His automotive work is amazing and it deserves acclaim outside his home country. One of the reasons I know him was because of the amazing images he was able to capture. For this visit, I told him I wanted to see some heavily modified JDM cars and that was all that was needed. Having previously worked with the crew, he is one of the few that has had access to  Näräkä so he was able to get most of the group to link in Bang Na, roughly 22km from Bangkok.

Aoun just got back from Ayutthaya and scooped me up from my family’s home in Bangkok and we were out. Hearing the weather reports made the situation bleak because the forecast was expecting heavy showers throughout the day. As enthusiasts with heavy engine modifications, water becomes our worst enemy, whether because of traction or water getting into places it doesn’t belong. I had this sick feeling that I could have caused some costly engine malfunction but I hoped that most would brave the weather and show. On the way there, we caught this Voltex CT9A from Näräkä and I could tell this was going to be an amazing day. Driving into the storm, Aoun explained that modding cars in Bangkok require you to do it in such a way that your car can deal with the road conditions, heat, and rain.

We arrived at the space and I could already see a few cars lined up, namely this S15 front 200sx. The craftsmanship of the front end swap was really good. I’ve seen a few craptastic swaps over the years and this has to be one of the better ones.

The ectocooler green FD3S looked perfect alongside the 200sx. This is a team entirely dedicated to grip where loss of traction is not intended. I learned that this green is the team green which many have used on their cars. The FD sports the RE Amemiya Widebody kit with the super aggressive flares at all the corners.

The Nismo spec Z34 looked so unassuming but the R35 brake swap and massive TE37SL are a dead giveaway that this machine was driven hard.

I’m talking to some of the owners and I hear the classic bridgeported brap of the 13b and it was yet another green FD. For a second I thought the first one left and came back but the one that was parked didn’t move whatsoever, this was indeed the second one to appear.

And before I knew it, the entire lot was filled.

I really loved this EF8 done in classic Mugen form. The owner of the CRX also owns Unicar and distributes D2 in Thailand hence the graphics. I never thought green and blue would go together so well. Yes, big brakes all around.

With so many FD’s in the neon green, I kind of lost track of which was which but the one with the RE Amemiya D1 Widebody kit really stood out. Absolutely gorgeous. If I ever get a chance to own an FD this has to be the kit that goes on it. It’s amazing how bright colors work well with the platform. One of my favorite car colors is rubystone red and I’d love an FD just like this in that color.

The other one right next to it wasn’t too shabby either, although it had a slight darker hue. The white gusseted roll cage really pops. I think I prefer the color-matched lip, canard and undertray.

In Thailand, the GTR is still a favorite among the speed junkies and as for this group, there were 3 BNR34 that came out. You’ll see the last one in the next part!

This 200sx was impeccable with the entire Tomei catalog for its engine modification. On the exterior, just an OEM Type X kit.

If you couldn’t figure it out, this Z33 is rocking the Garage Mak kit out of Nagano. The RS05RR has been a wheel that has been slowly growing on me but my favorite still has to be the NT03rr Nur spec.

We were sheltered in this parking facility while we waited for the thunderstorm to subside during the first hour. When it finally stopped raining, I was amazed to learn that there were more, cars outside. That’s it for now but stay tuned to the second part where you get a more intimate look at these cars and many others.