Cars, mostly
I'm Araz Shahbazian, and if you know me, you know cars are the thread running through most of my week. This is the car corner of my world — the machines I love, why I love them, and the little rituals that come with keeping one around.
My main site and journal live at arazshahbazian.com. This page is narrower on purpose: it's just about cars.
JDM is where my heart is
People ask why I'm so into JDM — the Japanese domestic-market cars from the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s. The honest answer is that they were built for the driver, not the spec sheet. A Supra, an NSX, an RX-7, a Skyline — none of them were trying to be the loudest thing on the road. They were trying to feel right, and they do, at every speed.
The other half of it is the culture. No two builds are the same. Somebody's tucked-away Civic hatch, somebody else's garage-kept twin-turbo — every one tells a story about the person who kept it alive. That's the part that keeps pulling me back in.
Toyota Supra
The one everyone knows for a reason — an engine that just keeps giving and a shape that never aged.
Honda NSX
Everyday-usable and genuinely exotic. Proof you don't have to choose between the two.
Mazda RX-7
Light, balanced, and a little bit stubborn — the rotary is a personality, not just an engine.
Nissan Skyline
The one the games and the posters made a legend, and it earns every bit of it.
The Aston Martin dream
If JDM is where I actually live, Aston Martin is still the poster on the wall. What I've always loved is the restraint — a car can be fast and beautiful without shouting about it. The Valhalla is the clearest version of that idea I've ever seen: serious engineering wrapped in a shape that doesn't need to try hard. It's the dream car, and it's a big reason I pay attention to the whole industry.
Weekends are for car meets
Most weekends you'll find me at a meet somewhere around Los Angeles. I don't go to show off — I go to look closely at what other people have kept alive, and to talk to folks who care about the same weird, specific things I do. A parking lot full of interesting builds at 7am is about as good as a Saturday gets. And the drive there, with the right playlist and empty roads, is half the point.
Find me around the web
FAQ
What kind of cars is Araz Shahbazian into?
JDM classics above all — Supra, Skyline, RX-7, NSX — with a lasting soft spot for Aston Martin, especially the Valhalla. And he's a regular at Los Angeles car meets.
What is Araz Shahbazian's dream car?
The Aston Martin Valhalla — a longtime favorite for its blend of serious engineering and understated design.
Why does Araz Shahbazian love JDM cars?
Because they were built to feel right for the driver rather than to win a spec sheet — honest, balanced, full of character — and the tuning culture around them is as much of a draw as the cars.
Where else can I find Araz Shahbazian?
On his main site arazshahbazian.com and across the profiles linked in the section above.