Why was Smokey Nagata, Japan's Top Tuner arrested, and where is he today?
Smokey Nagata has been instrumental in the automotive industry as one of the top engineers in Japan. As a race car driver, he has had a controversial history.
Smokey Nagata was born to a family that introduced him to the automotive industry, and his passion for cars cost him his pursuit of education. In hindsight, he acquired enough knowledge to secure a job and later, started a business. Where is he today?
Smokey Nagata's profile summary and bio
Real name | Kazuhiko Nagata |
Nickname | Smokey |
Gender | Male |
Date of birth | 25th February 1964 |
Age | 58 years (as of December 2022) |
Birthday | 25th February |
Zodiac sign | Pisces |
Place of birth | Hokkaido, Japan |
Nationality | Japanese |
Ethnicity | Asian |
Sexual orientation | Straight |
Hair colour | Dark brown |
Eye colour | Brown |
Marital status | Single |
Famous as | A renowned automotive tuner, engineer, driver and entrepreneur |
Social media |
How old is Smoky Nagata?
As of December 2022, Smokey Nagata's age is 58 years. He was born on 25th February 1964 in Hokkaido, Japan and is a Japanese national.
What is Smoky Nagata's real name?
His birth name is Kazuhiko Nagata. He acquired the name Smokey because those around him noticed he had a tendency for swelling burnouts almost everywhere he went.
Smokey Nagata's education
There is not much information about his early life, and according to sources, he did not have the privilege to complete his high school education. Unfortunately, he was expelled for violating laws in his country by driving to school, yet he was underage.
Smokey Nagata's career
Smokey's father was a mechanic; hence, Nagata had the chance to tinker with cars at a tender age. The fascination led him to acquire his first car, a Mitsubishi Galant GTO when he was 15 years. The car needed extensive work to restore. Since he lacked the technical know-how, he hung around an engineer who trained him.
Unbeknownst to Smokey, restoring his Mitsubishi Galant GTO was a significant step in his new life; he attracted the attention of a local Toyota manufacturing plant. The technician who helped him fix his car offered him a job as compensation for contributing to his expulsion from school. At 16 years, he became Toyota's youngest employee at the time. He got fired four years later.
Tokyo
Nagata relocated to Tokyo when he was 20 years old, determined to expand his skills beyond Toyota. He joined Trust, an autotuning company, as an expert and would be handed less complex tasks dealing with Turbos and mufflers. He was dissatisfied with his roles; hence, he would spend extra time creating automotive marvels in the company's garage.
Top Secret Co.Ltd
Just like his previous employment, the management at Trust discovered that Nagata was overqualified for his role, although they did not fire him. Instead, they gave him leeway to nurture his creativity. He collaborated with officials from Trust to establish Top Secret Co.Ltd, and the name was a tribute to his bosses for the time he spent polishing his skills in secret.
Top Secret Co.Ltd is primarily renowned for drag racing, high-performance engineering, professional circuits and high speeds. The company is responsible for creating the V-12, the twin-turbo and the Skyline GT-R, the renowned V-8-powered engine. These designs have put the company on the autotuning map as one of the best manufacturing race car companies favoured in the USA and Japanese underground racing circuit.
Is Smokey Nagata part of Midnight Club?
Smokey is a speed enthusiast and owns several well-modified cars capable of circuit racing and pro-level drifting. As a result, he is rumoured to be a member of the notorious Midnight Racing Club.
Smokey Nagata's wife
There are no records to prove that Smokey is married, nor are there allegations insinuating he has a wife.
Is Smokey Nagata still alive in 2022?
Smokey is still alive even though rumours have been peddled to insinuate he died. At one point, word went around that his love for speed would lead to his death, especially since he was arrested for exceeding the set speed limits in England in 1988. His misdemeanour resulted in a night in jail and a 28-day driving ban, and a $270 fine for the illegal act.
Nagata allegedly suffers from hearing impairment even though he is actively involved in his business as the head engineer at Top Secret Co.Ltd. He is determined to break the 400mph goal. He previously eclipsed the 200mph mark in 1988.
Smokey Nagata has set himself apart as an automotive engineer and entrepreneur. He is actively pursuing his goal as an entrepreneur and the head engineer at Top Secret Co.Ltd. He still believes his goal to eclipse 400 mph is attainable.
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Source: Briefly News