Mr. Nagao believes his love for real cars stems from his love for mini cars. His sensitivity to all cars is different to the ordinary man which he acquired through a childhood surrounded by mini cars and has been integral to his role as editor of automobile magazines.

「A mini car is not a necessity of life. Or to take it to an extreme, life will go on whether mini cars exist or not. But I am a person who fell in love with these so called unnecessary things and my fondness for them grows from their lack of necessity. The truth is my outlook broadened when I became interested in mini cars and to me it is no exaggeration to say that mini cars are ‘a needlessness I can’t live without. If I were to convey the difference between a mini car and a car, I would compare a car to a pet. When you own 1 car, you use it not just as a mere tool and you keep it for as long as you can. On the other hand, mini cars cars can be collected, each with differences in scale and size, comparable to an elephant and a dog. The feeling of owning a mini car collection is like a zookeeper, or to sound more sophisticated, like a museum. Relaxing in the study and immersing yourself in your mini car collection, you can envision the car, its history and the origin of the manufacture in your mind. Still… for me, whether I am looking at a car or a mini car, my love and appreciation of cars doesn’t change.」

2018.06