Option Magazine: The Bible of JDM Tuning Culture

Option Magazine is the most influential Japanese tuning magazine ever published. Founded in 1980 and published monthly throughout the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and into the 2010s, Option became the single most authoritative source for Japanese performance car culture. Every important JDM tuning shop, every legendary build, and every famous driver was covered by Option at some point. The magazine's combination of technical depth, exclusive features, and cultural commentary made it essential reading for serious JDM enthusiasts worldwide.

Origins

Option was founded in 1980 by Daisuke Inoue and a small editorial team in Tokyo. The magazine launched as a Japanese-language publication targeting young performance car enthusiasts. The initial focus was on:

• Tuning shops: Profiling individual Japanese tuner brands
• Build features: Detailed tear-downs of customer and shop builds
• Track tests: Independent performance evaluation
• Driver interviews: Conversations with top Japanese drivers
• Product reviews: Aftermarket parts and tuning equipment

The format was distinctive — heavy on photography, dense with technical detail, and unafraid to cover controversial topics like street racing.

The Best Motoring Connection

Option's editorial team had a direct connection to Best Motoring (the video magazine series). Many Option contributors also wrote for Best Motoring, and the two publications shared content, photography, and access to the same tuner shops. This relationship made Option the print companion to Best Motoring's video work.

Together, Option and Best Motoring documented Japanese performance car culture with unprecedented depth.

Cultural Influence

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Option Magazine influenced:

• Tuning shop reputations: A favorable Option feature could establish a shop's credibility overnight
• Aftermarket sales: Products featured in Option saw sales spikes
• Build aesthetics: Trends covered in Option became dominant in the JDM scene
• Driver fame: Drivers featured prominently became cultural figures
• International JDM exposure: English-speaking enthusiasts imported Option for the photography

Option was particularly influential in establishing what "real" JDM tuning culture looked like compared to American or European interpretations.

The English-Language Spinoffs

Option's success led to several international spinoffs:

• Option2: A more youth-focused variant with edgier content
• Option Auto: Detailed coverage of auto shows and trade events
• English-language editions: Various attempts at international distribution

The English versions never reached the cultural significance of the original Japanese Option, but they expanded the magazine's global influence.

Decline and Legacy

By the late 2010s, print magazines were in decline globally. Option transitioned to digital content but the original print magazine reduced frequency and eventually ceased regular publication. The brand still exists in various forms but is no longer the cultural force it was in the 1990s and 2000s.

The Option Magazine archive — physical copies from the 1980s through 2010s — has become a collector's resource. Old Option issues from key years (1990s for Group A coverage, early 2000s for D1 GP coverage) are sought after by JDM enthusiasts and historians.

Legacy

Option Magazine is the most important documentary record of Japanese performance car culture from 1980 to the 2010s. Without Option, we would have significantly less knowledge of:

• Japanese tuning shop history
• Specific famous builds
• Driver careers in Japanese motorsport
• Cultural moments in JDM scene
• Technical details of legendary modifications

For JDM historians and enthusiasts, Option's archive is essential primary source material. The magazine documented an era of Japanese performance car culture that will not return — and Option's photography and writing preserve it for future generations.