Sabukaru Tokyo Cars - A New Series by Sabukaru 001: Masamitsu Akachi
#sabucars is a new series, featuring some of our favorite cars in Tokyo, along with their owners. For the first edition of Tokyo Cars, we asked skater, ST-LINE director, ASICS Skateboard external team manager Masamitsu Akachi to meet us and give us a few words about his ride.
On a sunny day with the summer heat finally dying down in Tokyo, Akachi pulled up in his classic Mercedes-Benz to Komazawa Park, one of his favorite skating destinations. With a navy-blue finish and aluminum details, his car may not be the flashiest of them all but definitely stands out amongst the rest of the pack.
Akachi's Benz is a 1985 E-Class "W123". The W123 was a medium-class model released by Mercedes-Benz as a successor of the W114 from 1976 to 1985, and the predecessor of the later W124. The car was released in Akachi's sedan type, along with a coupe [C123], station wagon [S123], and even a limousine [V123].
In 1996, Akachi decided he wanted to buy the S123, the wagon edition of the car he currently drives. However, the S123 is very hard to come across, and he coincidentally found a gunmetal '83 W123, which he fell in love with. He bought his current W123 in 2005, after riding his '83 model for a number of years. 16 years and counting, Akachi's ride today is still working perfectly, and is still his beloved car, or "Aishya" in Japanese.
When asked why vintage, Akachi simply told us that he loves vintage cars. In fact, he is constantly thinking of what things are going to become vintage. Motorcycles, skateboards, and BMX bikes are always a part of his life, and he naturally has a love for classic and vintage rides. One thing you can also notice on his car is that all the parts are stock. From the colored wheels to the entire interior, nothing is aftermarket; this is also one of Akachi's philosophies, that vintage items should be kept completely as they are.
Although Akachi does not ride his car as much as an office commuter might, his love for vintage cars has made him keep his ride for all this time. And big surprise, he doesn't plan to let go of it any time soon.
