Alfa Romeo Giulia 2000GTV
Purchaser: Architect Ryue Nishizawa
A car that embodies the joy of driving and the inherent richness of humanity within its sophisticated design.
Before I discovered Alfa Romeo, I had no interest in cars and just wanted to drive. I started teaching at Yokohama National University and was looking for a car to travel to and from the office. I wanted a new car, but I was overwhelmed by the shiny, polished cars at a dealership that sold vintage Alfa Romeos, so I first bought a Spider. Due to engine displacement and other factors, I switched to this Giulia about 18 years ago.
The Giulia is very organic, as you'd expect from an Italian car. It's almost human. When it's not running well, the engine won't even start, as if to say, "Eh, I don't want to go today," but when it's running well, it drives with the energy to "fly away in the sky!" (laughs). It's as free-flowing as an aria by Giuseppe Verdi. Thanks to the previous Spider and the Giulia, I learned the joy of driving. Alfa Romeo cars have a joy - the joy of driving. And the precise scale of the design creates a "place for humans to belong."
The fact that the function of a car, driving, is accompanied by joy, has had a significant impact on my thinking about architecture. Not just a house that is easy to live in, but a house that you want to live in. I think it has made me reconsider the meaning of human richness.
Mercedes-Benz W123 280E
Purchaser: TODAYFUL designer and director Reika Yoshida
The vintage car I was determined to buy
Since I was a teenager, I had decided that if I were to drive a car, it would be a vintage Mercedes from around the 1980s. All the cars that caught my eye on the streets were Mercedes of that model, so I simply liked them. However, I didn't have a driver's license, and I thought I would never drive myself again, so two years ago, I happened to come across an advertisement on social media for a 1984 Mercedes-Benz W123 280E.
It was the off-white color I wanted, and in good condition. I went to see it the next day and made an immediate decision. I got my license after I bought the car. Having a car broadens your range of activities. I like to go for a drive without any particular purpose after work, put on my favorite music, and enjoy the solitude. For me, this is a very valuable time.
Renault Avantime
Purchaser: Takahiro Goko, CEO of Swimsuit Department
Avant-garde design also expands encounters with people
Ever since I saw it driving around a dozen years ago, I decided that if I was going to drive one, it had to be this one! I bought it nine years ago. It was designed by French car designer Patrick Lequement, and has an excellent avant-garde design, with triangular taillights at the rear and pillarless side windows.
I also like the fact that it has a postmodern Italian feel reminiscent of the 1980s and 1990s, which is unusual for a French car. Plus, whenever I drive this car, people always talk to me. French people wave back at me, expressing nostalgia, or expressing curiosity, or leaving notes saying, "I used to drive one too."
I feel that it goes beyond design in that it gets car enthusiasts involved and broadens communication.
Mercedes-Benz G280 CDI Edition 30.PUR
Purchaser: Art director and graphic designer Naomi Hirabayashi
The first-generation W461 body model, with a reason for every aspect of the design
I love how square it is. It has only the bare minimum of functionality, and there's a reason for every aspect of its design, from the flat windshield to the double doors. I also like how sturdy it is.
The Mercedes G-Class (Geländewagen) was once used by the United Nations military. To me, it's not a stylish or luxurious car, but rather the UN vehicles I saw driving around Sarajevo in the news when I was in elementary school.
The first G-Wagon I bought was a standard model in 2002. Since then, I've had six white G-Wagons, and with the seventh one, I finally found the one I had always dreamed of. It's a car I'll never let go of and intend to keep driving forever.
