Sunday Morning on the Royu Driveway

One weekend in June, since my mother-in-law was coming to stay, we arranged for her to watch the kids on Sunday morning, and my husband and I decided to head out to the Royu Driveway together for the first time in a while. The last time we went, even arriving at 8:15 AM, there were hardly any parking spots left, so this time we aimed to get there by 8:00.

Of course, the car we took was the GT3 Touring.

By the way, this was the first time my mother-in-law saw the GT3, and when she saw the license plate, she seriously asked, “Whose birthday is September 11th? Nobody’s here, right?” which made me laugh. I guess I would have thought the same a few years ago… (laughs)

My husband drives the GT3 regularly, but this was my first time riding in it since delivery day at the end of May. Sitting in the passenger seat after a while, I thought, “Huh, has the GT3 always felt this rough?” Maybe it’s because I’m so used to the smooth ride of the BMW 320i and Panamera.

If I were used to air-cooled Porsches, I imagine this GT3’s ride would feel incredibly smooth.

The roads were clear that day, and we smoothly arrived at the Higashi Rokko Observatory on the Royu Driveway. When we got there, there were still plenty of parking spots available. Even on a Sunday morning, it really varies week to week.

Actually, the day before, I tweeted “Heading to Royu tomorrow!” and got replies from four or five people saying, “I’m going too!” Since none of us had met before, I wasn’t sure if we’d recognize each other, so I wore my “Welcome Home, PORSCHE T-shirt” with a bit of nervousness.

After parking the GT3 and stepping outside to check out the other cars, someone immediately called out, “Are you Mina?” It turned out they regularly read my blog and had even left comments recently. They said they had gone back to the very start of the blog and read every post, adding, “I finally got up to August last year (laughs).”

I’m so grateful… truly, thank you.

When I casually asked about their car that day, it was none other than a McLaren! Even more surprising, their younger brother who came along was also driving a McLaren. Wow, what an incredible pair of siblings…

By the way, the older brother had a 720S and the younger brother a 600LT, and I was lucky enough to test drive both (with my husband riding along), so I’ll share a separate article about that.

 

I also drove the 720S myself and got so excited I teared up, causing my false eyelashes to come off. My husband was equally thrilled and said, “We’re buying a McLaren!!!(Not right now though)” (laughs)

As more cars started arriving at the observatory, I met blog readers, Twitter followers, a Cayman GT4 owner who will soon appear in the Porsche Owners File, a Boxster Edition owner who previously contributed to the Porsche Owners File, someone who bought a 964 after reading the blog, and even a father and child who came all the way from Osaka (the father drives a Panamera, and the child an Abarth—what a wonderful pair!).

Some were visiting the Royu Observatory for the first time and were amazed to see so many supercars and sports cars gathered together. Later, my husband chatted with a student who came in a Cayman and the Abarth owner, making for a really fun time.

And, I also got to test drive the Abarth (manual transmission) that day, so I’ll share that experience in a future blog post.

Rolls-Royce Dawn

The standout car that day was this Rolls-Royce Dawn. It belongs to a well-known regular at Royu, one of many cars they own.

The owner personally ordered every detail of this meticulously crafted car. The aura and quality it exudes, combined with the owner’s unmistakably extraordinary presence, were overwhelming—I was left with my mouth open the entire time.

By the way, the emblem on the wheel center caps is designed so that it doesn’t rotate with the tire but stays upright at all times. Amazing…

The owner started the engine, and we were all stunned by the sound. It was like a feather duvet, or an angel gently descending—pure, serene, and beautiful with no impurities. (Hard to describe… lol)

As expected of a British car, it truly felt like a refined English gentleman.

At first, everyone watched from a respectful distance with interest,

but when the owner mentioned that the Rolls-Royce emblem retracts quickly if you try to grab it by hand to prevent theft, everyone got curious and started testing it out. Before we knew it, we were all having a blast. We played with it so much that the emblem temporarily stopped coming out, and there was a moment of panic with people wondering, “Oh no, is it broken!?” but it soon fixed itself.

Phew…

I’m sure everyone there holds important positions at work, but seeing them act like excited kids was heartwarming (laughs).

Royu is So Much Fun!

Until now, I’d been a bit intimidated about going to Royu, thinking, “Is it really okay for a casual car enthusiast like me to go there…?” But this time was the most fun I’ve ever had, and I laughed so much.

Everyone was so friendly and kind, and I felt it was wonderful how cars bring people together regardless of age or status. Talking with everyone, I found many moments of shared understanding with lots to learn as well.

From now on, I plan to leave the kids with my mother-in-law and try to join the Sunday morning gatherings at Royu at least once a month. I’ll announce it on Twitter beforehand, so if you’re coming, please do say hello—I’d love to meet you.