Blitz: From Boost Controllers to Drift Domination
Blitz started making electronic boost controllers in 1980. They pivoted into a full tuning catalog and a dominant D1 Grand Prix drift program with drivers like Nomura Ken and Tsuchiya.
Blitz: From Boost Controllers to Drift Domination
Blitz (founded 1980) started as a specialist in electronic boost controllers. The Blitz Super Boost Controller (SBC) and later the D-SBC became the standard choice for Japanese turbocharged street cars throughout the 1980s and 1990s. From that foundation, Blitz expanded into a complete JDM tuning catalog with a dominant drift racing program.
The Boost Controller Years
The original Blitz SBC was a mechanical manual boost controller. The revolutionary Blitz D-SBC (Dual Super Boost Controller) launched in the late 1980s and introduced electronic solenoid control of turbocharger wastegates. It allowed precise boost targeting with closed-loop feedback.
Key Blitz boost controller models:
- D-SBC Type R — the benchmark of the early 1990s
- D-SBC i-Color — added digital display
- Blitz SBC i-D III — the late-90s evolution
- Blitz Dual SBC — dual-channel for sequential twin-turbo setups
The Full Catalog Expansion
By the mid-1990s, Blitz was producing:
- Coilovers (the ZZ-R coilover became the drift scene's workhorse damper)
- Intercoolers (side-mount and front-mount kits)
- Exhaust systems (NUR-Spec V and R are iconic)
- Air intakes (Blitz SUS Power and LM Returns)
- Turbo kits (complete bolt-on turbo kits for non-turbo platforms)
- Boost gauges, turbo timers, and electronics
The Drift Program
Blitz fielded a factory drift team in D1 Grand Prix from the championship's early years. Drivers included:
- Nomura Ken — multiple D1GP podium finishes in the Blitz ER34 Skyline
- Takahashi Kunimitsu — Blitz demo car driver
- Various rising drift drivers — Blitz sponsored the grassroots drift scene
The Blitz ER34 Skyline became the definitive Blitz drift car — orange and black, big wing, ZZ-R coilovers, Blitz turbo system, full Blitz catalog car.
The Blitz Look
Blitz developed a distinctive visual identity in the 2000s: orange and black branding, angular logo design, and dramatic demo car builds. Blitz signage was everywhere in JDM Option Magazine and Car Boy photo shoots.
Blitz Today
The original Blitz was acquired in the late 2010s and continues to sell coilovers, exhausts, and turbo systems. The brand is still visible at JDM events and D1 Grand Prix rounds but is no longer the innovation leader it was in the 1990s.
Why Blitz Matters
Blitz brought electronic boost control to the mainstream JDM scene. Before Blitz, most turbocharged street cars ran fixed mechanical boost levels. The D-SBC let owners set precise boost targets with on-the-fly adjustment and overboost protection. The technology is now OEM-standard, but Blitz was there first. Their coilovers and drift program are their legacy, but the boost controller innovation is their foundation.