While tools such as social media are great for seeing photos of kaido racers new and old, this may leave you wanting more. Whether it’s wanting to focus on a specific period, finer details, or finding “deep cuts”, going straight to the source remains one the best options, but where do you even start? You’ve likely heard of most of these magazines but without picking one up and flipping through the pages it isn’t easy to know what to expect. This article aims to help familiarize you with (most) publications that feature kaido racers and make more informed purchases (and prevent potential disappointment).

AutoWorks • The Kaido Racer File/Magazine • Rider Comic • Champ Road • Teens Road • G-Works • Tuning Car Maximum • Holiday Auto • Young Auto(s) • Revived Holiday Auto and Young Auto

AutoWorks (オートワークス)

Starting in 1988, AutoWorks featured a lot of kaido racers in these early years. But by around 1992 they switched their focus to more tuning cars as that was gaining popularity. These early issues covered a lot of the more extreme and creative builds at the time. AutoWorks was later revived as G-Works by publisher San-Ei.

Champ Road (チャンプロード)

Another recognizable magazine that started in the late 80s and ran well into the 2010s, Champ Road features a few pages of kaido racers but often focuses more on zokusha bikes. Special editions such as Champ Road Extreme Car Photo Collections or Grand Champ Road serve as yearbooks for kaido racers with no filler, however, these specific editions often boast a price that reflects how many cars are inside. Being a magazine published through the ’90s and 2000s, you can expect to find a mix of many different styles through different issues. If you are specifically interested in nonsuri cars of the 2000s this is likely your best option for printed media.

Also worth noting that while Champ Road magazine ceased publication, they now operate a digital “magazine” inside of an IOS app, which is viewable here.

G-Works (G-ワークス)

A current publication mainly centered around kyusha cars, G-Works is a good look into how people have been modifying classic Japanese cars in modern times (with some being kaido racers). These will also feature some interesting tutorials (often related to restoring old cars). These can still be purchased through Amazon Japan.

Holiday Auto (ホリデーオート)

Holiday Auto is one of the first publications to showcase kaido racers starting in the late ’70s. Holiday Auto is credited with coining the term “kaido racer” as their reader submission photo column at the end of the monthly magazine was called “Oh MY! Kaido Racer!” (Oh MY! 街道レーサー). This column would only consume about 3-4 pages of each 200+ page magazine, which leaves a lot to be desired but is one of the few places to find examples of early ’70s and ’80s builds. Rather than purchasing multiple monthly issues, special editions such as “Holiday Auto Tuning Car Special 1981” would yield the best “cars to dollars spent”.

The Kaido Racer Magazine / The Kaido Racer File (THE 街道レーサー Magazine // THE 街道レーサーFILE)

The newest in the list, The Kaido Racer Magazine/File started within the last 5 years with the earliest issue I found being dated 2020. Showcasing some of the best kaido racers currently in Japan, these are a great option as these are still readily available via Amazon Japan (2024, 2023, 2022). Another bonus is that these magazines are front-to-back only kaido racers giving you a good bang for your buck as opposed to older magazines such as Young Auto where 75% of the pages may be words/ads.

Rider Comic (ライダーコミック)

Rider Comic was another publication established in 1986. It was a mix of a few kaido racers, motorcycles, articles, and manga. Usually containing 2 manga issues inside, the actual car and motorcycle content was limited, but still pretty good. Once again finding the yearbook compilation issues will be the best car to dollar you can buy.

Teens Road (ティーンズロード)

First published in June 1989,  Teens Road was a magazine that focused on the fashion and lifestyle of bosozoku gangs, it ceased publication with the October 1998 issue. Unlike many other magazines at the time, it was focused on women showcasing fashion and other women in this counterculture.

Tuning Car Maximum / Monthly Auto Maximum Tuning Car (チューニングカー　マキシマム // 月刊 Autoマキシマムチューニングカー)

Spanning the ’80s and focused specifically on kaido racers, Tuning Car Maximum and Monthly Auto Maximum Tuning Car are a great option for seeing some of the best cars the 80s had to offer. With Monthly Auto Maximum being as the title implies, a monthly magazine, “Tuning Car Maximum” is the amalgamation of the best cars showcased in the monthly issues (their version of a yearbook). This is a great way to see when different modifications may have started and what cars were popular throughout the ’80s. These average around 120 pages with the “yearbooks” being only cars, the ratio of cars to filler in the monthly issues is about 50/50. A great choice if you desire touring car inspiration.

Young Auto(s) (ヤングオート // Jr. ヤングオート)

Likely the most recognized in this list, Young Auto and its variant Jr. Young Auto may be one of the longest-running from this list. With issues starting in 1981 and running into the 2010’s these will likely be the easiest to find when browsing YAJ. Despite the large catalog, around 1993 they started to pivot away from kaido racers making anything between then and their special reprint editions (2009-2013) less interesting for enthusiasts. To get the most kaido racers per dollar the special reprint series from 2009-2013 would be a great start. Choosing between Young Auto and Jr. Young Auto from the 80s – 90s, Young Auto will generally have more cars whereas Jr. will feature a mix of cars and scooters (kyu-gentsuki). It is also important to mention that the original YA and Jr. YA has a lot of “filler” content such as ads, advice columns, etc, and average around 200 pages (about 1/4 to 1/3 being cars or scooters).

Revived Holiday Auto and Young Auto

Publisher Motor Magazine and owner of Holiday Auto decided to make a one-off “mook” (magazine book) titled 21st Century Kaido Racer, covering the past and current kaido racers and releasing it in 2018 and 2019. Publisher Geibunsha also brought back Young Auto for two photo collages titled “Showa modified car memories” in 2020 and 2022. All 4 of these releases are great resources for early kaido racer information and are currently available to purchase on Amazon.co.jp (with an amazon.co.jp account and international shipping).

Conclusion

In summary, the best dollar-to-kaido racer photo is with the newer publications on Amazon.co.jp or vintage yearbook/collection issues. It is also important to note that by the mid-90s, most of these publications moved towards VIP cars, tuning cars, and drift cars, with Champ Road being the exception. This might be partially due to the government’s crackdown on kaido racers, pressuring the publications to change the focus.

_{Co-author: Brian Baker}