Young Version Magazine: The Edgier JDM Voice

Young Version Magazine was a Japanese performance car publication that targeted a younger demographic than Option Magazine. Published from the late 1980s through the 2000s, Young Version covered the same Japanese tuning culture as Option but with a more youthful, sometimes irreverent voice. It was essential reading for the late teen and early 20s Japanese tuning enthusiasts who would later become the next generation of professional drifters and tuners.

The Format

Young Version's editorial approach differed from Option:

• Younger writers: Editorial staff in their 20s and early 30s
• More street culture coverage: Focus on grassroots street racing and underground events
• Lower-budget builds: Coverage of cars that "regular" young drivers could afford
• Drift focus: Earlier and more aggressive coverage of drift culture
• Aggressive photography: Action-focused, driver-centric imagery

The magazine was sometimes seen as the younger sibling to Option — covering similar territory but with a different generational perspective.

Cultural Influence

Young Version Magazine was particularly influential in:

• Drift culture growth: Featured early D1 Grand Prix coverage and amateur drift events
• Affordable tuning: Profiled budget builds that demonstrated what was possible without unlimited resources
• Street racing documentation: Less squeamish about covering grey-area motorsport
• Youth driver development: Profiled young drivers before they became famous

Many drivers and tuners who became famous in the 2000s and 2010s started as Young Version readers in their teens.

The Drift Tengoku Connection

Young Version had close editorial connections to Drift Tengoku magazine, the dedicated drift publication that emerged in the early 2000s. Together, these magazines documented the early professional drift era with unprecedented depth.

Decline

Young Version, like other Japanese print magazines, declined with the rise of digital content. The magazine reduced publication frequency in the 2010s and eventually ceased regular print runs. The brand still exists in various digital forms.

Legacy

Young Version Magazine documented the youth culture side of Japanese performance car scene from the late 1980s through the 2000s. Its archives capture the perspective of young drivers, amateur tuners, and grassroots racers — material that wouldn't have appeared in Option's more establishment-focused coverage.

For drift culture historians, Young Version's archives are essential. The magazine was on the ground for the transition from amateur to professional drift competition and documented the emergence of an entire generation of JDM drivers.