We arrived at what looked like a steel fabrication factory, and inside were greeted by Higashitani-san, who graciously accepted a bouquet of orchids from Nakane-san. They both lit the first of many cigarettes and proceeded to catch up, as old mates do.

Nakane-san’s nonchalant manner severely undersold the shop we arrived at. This was in fact Auto Project-D, a retail, tuning and custom body company with some serious European pedigree in Japan. Starting in 1990 as an importer of new Porsche 911s and Mercedes-Benz AMG models, they’ve expanded over time and now import all manner of neo-classical vehicles, from Aston Martins to Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Higashitani-san has a particular taste for the ultra-rare stuff.