In my previous article covering an R32, the car we covered had been heavily modified. Almost every inch of Samhir Vassort’s Skyline had been touched in some way. Alan Pinzon’s 1993 Skyline GTR, however, has been left largely untouched. For some, less is more.
Pinzon’s start with cars is a story we hear very often: video games. “I think video games is where my love for cars actually came from”, Pinzon recalls, “When I was about 10, I played Gran Turismo 2 at my friends house, and I was amazed how intricate a car game could get. I then played Gran Turismo 3 and Need for Speed Underground, and was hooked.”
“I am part Japanese, so I naturally gravitated towards the Japanese cars and tuner scene. After leaving a showing of Tokyo Drift during high school, that’s when I first declared: ‘I will own one of these cars one day.’ I did not grow up with money, and the economy tanked in 2008 right when I graduated high school, so I didn’t have my own car until I was 21. My uncle gave me his 1993 Ford Explorer after stating ‘the transmission is failing, the truck has about 6 months to live, it’s free if you want it.’”
“I cared for that truck like it was gold and it was the first car I ever wrenched on. That truck lasted until 2017, more than a decade. We sold, truck had probably more than 300,000 miles. My dad and I drove it all over the southeast coast. It was a tank. I’d buy one again, but with AC.”
Pinzon purchased his R32 in April of 2025, and the story of how he obtained it fascinated me. These import cars always have such a cool story behind them.
“I think much like a lot of car guys in the US, when we saw the Skyline GTR in the Fast & Furious movies we were hooked. I bought the car from a Navy guy in Jacksonville, literally right outside of the base. He imported it from Japan to Guam, where he drove it for a year on the island.”
Unlike many other Skylines you may see on the street, Pinzon’s is left mostly untouched. “I didn’t want to modify it too much, my focus was on longevity, not power.” Pinzon’s Skyline is equipped with a litany of OEM+ modifications, keeping the car simple, yet tasteful.
“I added HKS intakes and a titanium catalytic converter delete so that the car could breathe better. The car has upgraded Brembo brakes and rotors, 17” Vspec wheels that I power coated bronze, Nismo front and rear strut bars, Nismo fuel pump, HKS coilovers, HKS catback, r35 ignition coils, and a MINEs ECU.”
To fuel his automotive passions, Pinzon owns a construction labor company. “My father was in the business for 30 years, and I started working with him after high school. I got into project management with the company and worked as an assistant project manager for many years. I saw the need for a better organized labor company after dealing with similar companies myself.”
“My father is good at wrangling people and communicating field guys, and I’m good at the paperwork and operations, so the company came about in 2018 as a result. I like being my own boss and running my own business.”
“Learn that it’s okay to be uncomfortable. I think we as humans do so much to be put in uncomfortable situations, but that’s where growth happens. Go make a fool out of yourself and see what happens, learn to get through the awkward. That is how you make money and reach goals, push through the stuff you don’t like, the stuff that’s hard to do.”
When I asked Pinzon for what advice helped him achieve success in life, I received one of the most profound responses I’ve gotten throughout this series.
“Nana karobi ya oki. Japanese proverb that means ‘fall down 7 times, get up 8.’ Failure only happens when you quit. I’ve had my company for almost 10 years now and I’ve lost contracts and capital several times. I’ve learned from my mistakes and restarted, and have gotten farther each time. Just don’t quit.”
“I also learned to hone in on what you want. If you want it, be about it, talk about it out loud. Speaking it materializes it. Never lose sight of the goal, no matter how long it takes. That’s how I got my wife, my daughter, and my car.”
“Learn literally as much as you can. Don’t make moves unless you know as much about the thing you’re about to do as possible. I see a culture of hustle and entrepreneurship in the young generation like no other. Everyone wants to have their own thing and be their own person. That’s great, but without knowledge you’re a loaded gun with no aim. With the amount of resources we have now, take in as much as you can. Learn, apply, fail, repeat.
Pinzon’s story is one that is truly inspiring to me. If this isn’t the American dream, I don’t know what is.
“For me, the car symbolizes not just being able to accomplish a childhood goal and buy a dream car, it was also a way to connect to my Japanese heritage and honor my mothers roots. I intend to personalize it little by little, and hopefully keep it running as long as possible.”
