The cars behind the art
This post is to introduce some of the owners and their cars behind the inspiration for our artwork! But lets start with the reason we use real cars and not just random ones.
What inspired you to use peoples actual builds?
I got into cars properly in 2022, when I got my first MX5. I realised quickly how many products are on the market especially based around MX5’s but that they lacked a lot of individuality. The only custom items I could find to have done of my car was mainly art prints; which I was not opposed to, but with my car being a project still, I didn’t feel this was something I wanted making just yet.
I saw so many incredible cars built and modified here in the UK by car enthusiasts; a lot of which are all well known for their specialities and differences and felt this really should be something that people can enjoy without owning the car!
I started out drawing my partner Ollie’s Verossa, then my best friend Kirk’s MX5 & after that I posted some content asking people if they’d be open to featuring on my storefront and I was overwhelmed in the response! So many of you were keen to get this project underway and it grew on from there.
Ichiban as a brand is all about community. Too often there is a lot of negativity surrounding the car scene & that shouldn’t be the case. Creating a brand built from community and creativity is the goal here and so far, I think we’re doing a pretty good job of it!
I love featuring peoples builds, their creativity and different skills throughout the apparel and accessories here at Ichiban and the excitement I get when the owners see the finished pieces is an unbeatable feeling.
Who’s the owners & what are their cars?
One of the first complete designs we made to go on sale was Matt’s MX5 NB, featuring a bold Japanese dragon & to date, this has been one of our best sellers. Matt has put a lot of time and effort into his car, here’s some information about his build below;
Matt purchased this NB back in 2022 a few months after getting his licence. Straight away he envisioned the car styled like you’d see in old school F&F.
He has since; fully serviced and maintained the car, got the body kit made & moulded, paint matched, fitted Tein adjustable coil overs, new alloys & tires, changed the interior with Cobra Monaco bucket seats & TRS harnesses with added brace harness bar, plus a few other bits! In the future, Matt is looking to turbo the car and switch the alloys for new ones, plus add a few more details to the interior.
@Mx5_ma7t on instagram
Next up we have Maisie’s MX5 MK1, which is one of our latest designs featuring beautiful jellyfish. This design is a mix of her stunning brightly coloured vehicle and the beauty of these creatures in the oceans. Here’s a little extract about her history with cars & plans going forward for the build;
I have liked cars ever since i was little really, my dad had a 911 Porsche and was also into cars quite a lot so i did lots of car related things with my parents.
I met my boyfriend 2 years ago and he came with me to buy my first car (mk2 mx5). I spent a lot of money on the car to get it how i wanted it (wrap , exhaust , coil overs etc) but a few weeks before my driving test my boyfriend did actually crash the car!
A couple weeks later we went and bought my mk1 mx5, the car was quite cheap and had lots of problems, I had to do a lot of work to pass MOTs and the bodywork was very very rotten, I'm currently respraying the whole car again as the paint work isn't that good anymore and also putting a 400hp turbo into the car which I’m very exited about :)
@_maisie.xo.__ on instagram
Another beautifully done build that has been completed this year is from Katie with her Nissan K11 Micra. Katie purchased this car after finishing a joint project MX5 with her boyfriend Spencer. Her love for cars is quite a new interest, but she’s already got quite the collection of vehicles going! Here’s what Katie has to say on her growing interest in the car world:
I got into cars when I met my boyfriend and we went to a car meet in Milton Keynes. I saw a mx5, an e30 and a GTR and I fell in love. After this, we searched for our own mx5 and then got one which was our first project together and is honestly my favourite car.
Spencer has taught me so much about cars and I’m able to do some things now that I never thought I’d even understand 4 years ago! Almost a year ago now I brought my own first project my Nissan k11 Micra. Having only just started understanding cars I’ve had lots of help with it from Spencer but I had a vision. Since having the car we have fully wrapped it ourselves. Put a full Wald bodykit on. I got a midspoiler and a custom glanza style boot spoiler. Lowered it on bc racing extra low coilovers, fitted an exhaust and put some mismatched SSR wheels on it. The car now looks exactly how I wanted it to and I’m so happy with it. It’s not perfect but for someone who’s just learning I’m very happy with how it’s turned out.
Plans for the future are mainly just trying to learn more and be a helping hand for spencer and his builds. However would also love to get the Micra out to some shows!
@kt_jrdnn on instagram