Those familiar with early-2000s Japanese drifting will undoubtedly know who Atsushi Kuroi is. If you don’t, consider this an important history lesson. It’s always difficult to summarise someone’s achievements without discounting their importance in history. However, I’ll attempt to tell the story Kuroi-san deserves.
Atsushi Kuroi was more than just your average D1GP competitor – he’s often referred to as a pioneer of drifting. Maybe it’s a result of Kuroi-san’s outlandish driving, incredible car styling, unique engine choices or the ever-present combination of the three. Running a tuning shop called River Side in Osaka, Kuroi-san became well-respected off-track too.
Debuting as a privateer driver in the 2001 D1 Grand Prix championship, Kuroi-san competed with minimal external support until the 2003 season when a partnership with Toyo Tires was formed. He competed until 2008, achieving several podium finishes, including an outright victory at Fuji Speedway in 2007.
What these results do not reflect is Kuroi-san’s unmatched style and love for drifting as a hobby and a sport. Despite not dominating Japan’s pro drift competition, Kuroi was incredibly well respected amongst 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 touched the local and international drifting community. At D1GP’s 2010 season opener at Odaiba in Tokyo, a message book was left out in his memorial stand 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 front on a PS13 Silvia) is the final iteration of various S13 chassis that Kuroi drifted throughout the years.
As mentioned earlier, Kuroi-san was well 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 huge Trust T78 turbocharger hanging off the side of it.
Turbo lag? Don’t worry about that – the inline-six is nitrous oxide equipped, helping the turbo spool as fast as possible. At the time, this was quite an advanced setup for a D1GP car.
Up front is a custom-engraved Koyorad radiator and accompanying water sprayers. Remember, this car was developed well before rear-mounted radiators entered the pro drift scene. Sending the power to the Nissan’s rear wheels is a 6-speed sequential transmission.
The interior certainly tells some stories 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 necessary engine telemetry is displayed via an array of Defi gauges, an A’PEXi Power FC’s FC Commander hand controller, and the gear position indicator for the sequential transmission.
The exterior screams ‘2000s drift machine’, a style close to my heart. So many people attempt to replicate this look nowadays, so it’s incredibly cool to see a car that has remained relatively unchanged since its final form in 2009.
I believe the Onevia features a ‘Streamline’ body kit by Origin Labo but I’m happy to be corrected as that’s only a mildly educated guess. A combination of under panels and canards finish off the aggressive look, along with a GT-style rear wing synonymous with early D1GP cars.
As the proverbial cherry on top, 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 realise the simplicity of it. Instead of being merely a 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 appearance goes deeper than surface level. It’s about the aura it exudes, something only a few cars can achieve.
I got to drive this car a very short distance at Ebisu Circuit, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. As a piece of drifting history, I can only hope that it continues to be cherished by the new owner.
We remember and celebrate Atsushi Kuroi as a style king and one of the forefathers of drifting as we know it today.
Alec Pender
Instagram: noplansco