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Greg Mathews is digitizing issues of Drift Tengoku, a Japanese drift magazine published from April 1996 to February 2024, and making scanned material available online. He says his collection includes about 400 issues; an Internet Archive employee has offered to connect him with volunteers, but the project’s completion timeline is unknown.
Greg Mathews is building a digital archive of Drift Tengoku, the Japanese magazine devoted to drifting that published from April 1996 to February 2024. Mathews is scanning issues he owns, using optical character recognition to help translate them into English, and says an Internet Archive employee has offered to connect him with volunteers to support preservation.
Mathews subscribed while the magazine was still in print and later bought additional copies through Yahoo Auctions Japan. He told The Drive he has about 400 issues in his collection and is continuing to acquire more. The number describes his current collection, not the total number of issues published or the number already digitized.
Scanned issues are available on driftmagarchive.com, a personal web server Mathews maintains. The Drive reported that he uses optical character recognition (OCR) as part of the process to create digital copies and make the Japanese-language material more accessible to English readers. The report does not specify how many issues have been scanned or translated so far.
The process has changed as Mathews refined his workflow. He told The Drive that a conventional office scanner took about two hours per issue. He now uses an overhead camera and an app he made to take pictures when movement is no longer detected. The report says he first bought a dedicated camera for about $100, then switched to a Sony A6300 he already owned because it produced better images.
Making Drift Tengoku Easier to Access
Digitizing the magazine could make material that was published only in print easier for drifting fans, researchers and car-culture enthusiasts to find. For readers outside Japan, English translation may also help overcome a language barrier that has limited access to the magazine’s reporting and visual record.
The project is a personal preservation effort rather than a commercial service, according to The Drive. Mathews said it costs him money, though he described web hosting as inexpensive: because he already paid to maintain the server, the archive adds about $5 per month to his costs. The report also says people have contacted him about similar scanning efforts, suggesting that the work may connect with broader volunteer interest in preserving old car magazines.
For readers, the practical question is whether the project can keep growing while maintaining usable scans and translations. Moving material to a larger archive with volunteer support could help, but neither the scale of that support nor a final, complete collection has been confirmed.
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From Print Run to Personal Project
Drift Tengoku’s title is written in Japanese as ドリフト天国 and is roughly translated as “Drift Heaven” or “Drift Paradise.” The magazine’s run ended in February 2024, after beginning in April 1996. Mathews started collecting and scanning its issues to preserve content that is not necessarily searchable or available online.
The archive effort is part of a wider pattern of individuals scanning out-of-print publications. Mathews told The Drive that other people have reached out after he posted about his project, including people working on old car magazines in Discord groups. The Drive also reported that an Internet Archive employee saw one of Mathews’ TikToks and offered to connect him with volunteers. That is an offer of help, not confirmation that the collection has already been transferred.
Mathews has personal ties to drift culture: The Drive reported that he owns two Nissan S13 240SX cars, is part of the Good Luck League crew and makes customizable gauges through Flock Manufacturing. These details help explain his motivation, but the archive itself is the central development: a reader-built effort to scan, store and translate a discontinued magazine.
““Now that I’ve been posting about it a little bit, other people are reaching out who are doing similar things.””
— Greg Mathews, speaking to The Drive
How Much Remains to Be Scanned
The report does not give a count of issues already scanned, the size of Drift Tengoku’s full print run, or a target date for completing the archive. Mathews’ collection of about 400 issues may not include every issue published, and the source does not establish whether all content can be obtained.
It is also unclear how much of the material has been translated, how translations are checked for accuracy, or when the scans will be added to Internet Archive. The employee’s offer to connect Mathews with volunteers indicates possible support, but the report does not confirm a formal partnership or transfer schedule.
More Scans and Possible Volunteers
Mathews plans to continue the project for as long as he enjoys it, according to The Drive. He is still adding to his collection and has described improving the scanning process over time. Readers interested in helping or following progress can contact him through Instagram, as the report suggests.
The next clear development would be further scanning and a decision on how volunteer help will be organized, followed by any move of the material to Internet Archive. No launch date or completion milestone has been announced in the source material, so the archive’s growth and eventual scope remain ongoing.
Key Questions
What is Drift Tengoku?
Drift Tengoku was a Japanese magazine dedicated to drifting. It published from April 1996 until February 2024.
Who is building the digital archive?
Greg Mathews, a car enthusiast and software engineer, is collecting and scanning issues. He maintains the current archive site, driftmagarchive.com.
How many issues does Mathews have?
Mathews told The Drive he has about 400 issues in his collection and is acquiring more. The report does not say how many have been scanned.
Will the archive be available in English?
Mathews uses optical character recognition as part of digitizing and translating the material. The report does not specify how many issues have English translations or how translation accuracy is reviewed.
When will the collection appear on Internet Archive?
No date has been announced. The Drive reported that an Internet Archive employee offered to connect Mathews with volunteers, but it did not confirm a formal partnership or upload schedule.
Source: thedrive.com
