S13 IRL - StreeStyle 180SX Meet
There’s something special about S-chassis culture in Ireland. It doesn’t matter how far people have to travel, or how temperamental the weather gets, if there’s a good reason to gather, people will show up! A couple weekends ago, StreetStyle put together an S13-only meet at Midland Karting in Longford(I’ve seen wayyyy too much of Longford thuis year!), and the venue couldn’t have been more fitting. The hilly layout and tucked-away character of the Edgeworthstown track gave off a vibe straight out of an old Option video — the kind of setting you’d expect to see in the hills of Japan.
My day started a little differently than planned. I had been sick most of the week, which meant I had to leave my own 180SX parked at home. Not ideal, but I told Andrew I’d be there and hes often driven crazy distances to come hang out with me, so I was going no matter what. I swung down to Kilkenny to collect Dave, who unfortunately has been battling his own issues thanks to E5 fuel eating away at his lines (big thanks to the Green Party for that one…). With neither of us behind the wheel of our cars, we packed light and headed for Longford, making an essential pitstop for what were easily the chunkiest sausage rolls I’ve ever seen. Proper fuel for the early hours.
By the time we rolled into Edgeworthstown, the forecast was doing its usual Irish thing — changing by the minute. Still, I was determined to get there early and catch everyone arriving. To no surprise, Andrew was already on site. “Party Bonnet Andrew,” as I like to call him (or more often just “you bollocks”), had beaten us to the punch. Before long, the steady rumble of 180s started filling the paddock, one after the other.
That’s the thing about car culture here: people will travel for you if they believe in what you’re doing. And they did. Conor (@cc_auto_photos) and Mick Finn came from our direction as well, while others had put in four or five hours of driving just to hang out for a couple hours. When the cars started stacking up against the backdrop of that karting track, it really felt like we were somewhere else entirely. Japan, Ireland, I wasn’t really sure.
Despite the mixed weather, the lineup was brilliant. Fresh faces, familiar ones, and plenty of metal that I hadn’t laid eyes on before. That’s what makes these kinds of meets so good: the opportunity to nerd out when you’re surrounded by people who all share the same obsession. When everyone is driving the same chassis you own, it takes the conversations and the appreciation to another level. You find yourself pointing out the tiniest details, taking inspiration, and maybe plotting your own next change(s).
I’ll be honest — it was touch and go as to whether I’d be well enough to go at all. But I’m glad I pushed through. Standing there, watching 180s roll in one after the other, chatting with friends and strangers who are just as into these cars as I am, it reminded me of what the AE86 community has had for years. That tight-knit, almost family-like feel around a single chassis. And now, I can say I know what that feels like too.
It wasn’t just about the cars, though(it rarely ever is). A group of like-minded people willing to show up, rain or shine, because we love these machines and what they represent. And for one Sunday in Longford, at a karting track that looked like it had been ripped from a VHS tape, we had our own little slice of Japan right here in Ireland.
