My First Car Was a Yellow BMW

Tanaka-san says he's always loved cars, even working part-time at a gas station. What was his car history like before he acquired his current Aston Martin DB7?

It was around 2002 when Tanaka-san started thinking about buying a car again and began his search.

“I actually think a taxi is the best way to get around Tokyo. You don’t have to drive yourself, and you don’t have to worry about parking. But I wanted to drive a car that I could only drive when I was young. It was fun searching for the right car.”

A Car Found After Half a Year's Search

Since he lived in Shibuya Ward, he figured it would be difficult to find parking, so he secured a parking space first and paid rent for about six months while he searched for a car. He looked for cars nationwide, and his candidates included a Jaguar E-Type, a Maserati 3200GT, and a Jaguar XK. He even considered a 1965 C2 Corvette. From these options, he chose an Aston Martin DB7 he found in Nagoya.

“What decided it was the balance between its classic appeal and its niche status. In the ‘007’ series, Aston Martin had been a dream manufacturer for me for a long time, but for models before the DB7, you needed patience, effort, and financial stability to own one. Around that time, the new Aston Martin was starting to appear on the streets of Japan, but not everyone was driving one. When I talked to women at bars, they’d mistake it for a March, so it wasn’t recognized by the general public. But my car-enthusiast friends loved it. It was a 1997 model, and I felt the price was at its lowest, so I decided. It cost around 6 million yen in total, but since there are only about a dozen DB7s of dealer origin in Japan, I think it’s only depreciated by about 1 million yen since then.”

The Car Needs to Be Exciting

The DB7 was delivered in 2003, and he’s been driving it for almost eight years. What are the reasons he likes it so much that he’s kept it for so long?

“It hasn’t had any major breakdowns, and it starts up perfectly every time with a good engine. And while the 3200cc V6 engine isn’t incredibly powerful, it drives well. Honestly, I also love the understated design. It’s not muscular like the Vanquish, but has a sleek impression. The exterior color, Aston Green, changes appearance with the light, and the front grille sometimes looks like a catfish, and other times like a cool feline, like an Abyssinian. I like that its expression changes in various ways.”

His praise then moved from the hardware to the exterior, and then to the interior.

Driving Itself Is a Leisurely Pursuit

“And, above all, the interior is wonderful. The leather used is from Connolly, just before the company went bankrupt. The headliner is also lined with smooth suede. The smell of the leather when you get in the car is superb. Whether it’s clothes, shoes, or a watch, the important thing is, ‘Can I still feel excited about it after I get it?’ In that sense, this car still excites me thanks to the scent of the Connolly leather. Well, regarding the leather color matching the exterior green, it was so foolproof that at first I thought, ‘Huh?’ but I got used to it. The only complaint is the C-pillar, which is too thick. You really can’t see out the back.”

For Tanaka-san, who spends weekdays in his Tokyo studio and weekends DJing overseas or in different parts of Japan, a car isn’t an essential tool, nor does he have the leisure time to fuss over it like a dedicated enthusiast.

“I make an effort to find time in the morning to drive this car. It’s not my daily driver. Yesterday, I drove around Koenji for no particular reason before work. I guess you could say the drive itself is like a leisure activity? Inside the car, I listen to my own mixes and check, ‘Can I get in a good mood?’”

An Elegant Yet Casual Car

We asked Tanaka-san what kind of car he’d like to drive in the future.

“I’m interested in the Ferrari California as a new car. But I don’t like its shape. While the idea of a Ferrari with a retractable hardtop is appealing, the current Aston Martin models are too massive. And since the basic design hasn’t changed much from the DB7, I don’t feel like switching. So, ultimately, my attention goes to classic cars. However, classic cars require a lot of time, and they’re not suitable for someone living in the city center. But if I were to live in the countryside in the future and my lifestyle changed, I’d want a car like an Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA.”

Tanaka-san is always thinking about whether there’s a car that fits his current lifestyle that he might buy, but this time he ended up taking his DB7 in for its inspection. The reason he ultimately hasn’t parted with his DB7? “It’s an elegant car, but also casual. And if it were any more expensive, I’d be too worried to drive it regularly. It’s a compromise in many ways, but you could also say that, in a sense, it maintains an exquisite balance. For me, it’s a car that feels realistic to drive.”