Drive Deviant
How do you celebrate a 25th birthday in style? Junie, a Seattle local and die hard car enthusiast knew exactly how to mark the occasion: With a spontaneous road trip and a car that embodied everything they loved about 80’s Japanese style.
It started with the curiosity of an AW11 MR2 that a friend had owned leading to a whole world of 80’s Japanese cars. The characteristics and aesthetics of the pop-up era had resonated with Junie. Leading them to search for a JDM classic of their own. Once Junie located a worthy contender, a quick drive down to Vancouver with friends on their birthday and the purchase of a 1984 Celica Supra made that dream come true. In celebration of that night, some fun roads near Portland and other fellow car enthusiasts, including our friend with the MR2, made for the first of many great memories.
Of the many experiences Junie has had over the years with their Celica, Junie recalls the early years of learning how to drive a manual and various “Spirited” drives with friends. Ironically, after getting the hang of driving a stick Junie decided to take his beloved Celica on their first long-distance trip before blowing a coolant line all the way out in Green Water, WA. With a bit of Superglue to combat the pinhole leak she was ready to make the hour-long drive back without issues. Junie’s favorite memories however include camping trips at the Beverly Dunes and a quiet unknown desert place in rural Washington.
Over the years, Junie made gradual modifications to the car such as headers and an exhaust with an aim to keep the car as reliable as possible for daily use. Unfortunately, the car’s journey took an unexpected turn when it was stolen from Junie’s workplace despite having a steering wheel lock and killswitch installed. After a frantic search across various social media platforms, Junie received a call 4 hours later with someone claiming to find the Celica Supra less than a mile away. Upon arrival, they make a plan to block either side of the alleyway to prevent the thief from escaping and watch as this guy, obviously high on something, looks to be poking around in paranoia for possible trackers. Despite the car being located near a house with a known reputation for stripping cars they steal, it looks to be the Supra was taken for a simple joy ride. As Junie proceeds to block each exit of the alleyway and confront them, the thief notices and jumps back into the car bashing his way out between the gap of a neighbor’s SUV and Junie’s exes Corolla. After that, he dumped it at a nearby apartment complex and fled.
The craziest part of this story was when another Supra owner recognized the car by the apartment complex down the road where it was dumped. Understanding the sentimental value our hero guarded the car, armed, until Junie could recover it.
After recovering the badly damaged Supra, it remained at a friends house as Junie fought insurance to cover the cost for a parts car which was used to repair the damage. Although a lot of the payout was used to cover living costs they were able to fix the car themselves. During this time, Junie went out and bought a Brabus Smart Car to use as a daily. “It's a similar slow-car-fast vibe to the Celica but with a totally different driving character that is just stupid. It just takes any corner you throw at it. Literal epitome of a momentum car haha, especially being short wheel base RR with sub 100hp.”
Alongside these personal adventures, Junie also became a part of the club Drive Deviant, a car club with a unique focus on inclusivity and support for the LGBTQ+ car community. Originally, Junie had launched a small project called “Steer Queer,” trying to organize regular meets for queer car enthusiasts in the Tacoma area. Although health issues prevented them from realizing the full potential of Steer Queer, Drive Deviant reached out and welcomed Junie into a growing national community with the same vision. “I guess I've kinda piggy backed my aspirations for wanting that network thru Drive Deviant and so I appreciate the hell out of them for that!”
Now, Junie helps run local meets with Grey (@Deviant_Cherry) and creates stickers and graphics for for the car club. Drive Deviant is based in Southern California but has members throughout the United States with their first overseas meet in the UK coming up soon. Creating a global network of like-minded enthusiasts.
Among Junie’s collection of many vehicles one of the more unique ones that has caught my eye is their 1994 Subaru Legacy Wagon. With it’s anime style design sharpied onto the lines of the car that make for great conversation. This build has also been used to create memorable moments from mild snow-wheeling and driving fast on dirt back roads.
I would personally like to thank Junie before closing this feature. I actually had the amazing opportunity to meet our fellow owner while I was doing late night deliveries in the Tacoma area. Spotting the old 89 Honda Accord with similar 80’s hatchback styling, Junie gave a shout complimenting my car. After turning around, there in the faintest glow of the streetlights I could make out the shape of a white RA65. Even in the dark of night, I’ll never forget seeing the sleek black louvers and those aftermarket aero wheels that compliment the car so well they could almost pass for OEM. Like Leonardo Dicaprio in The Great Gatsby, with a glisten in Junie’s eyes and the look of someone who lived life to the fullest, I knew I had to get their story. Unfortunately, I would need to continue my route and cut our Supra-themed conversation short and it wouldn’t be another year until I’d get the full rundown and ability to share it with you. So, thank you Junie for catching my attention that night and sharing your story. I’m sure I’ll see you at another local meet!
Owner: Junie
Year/Make/Model: 1984 Toyota Celica (GT-S)
Editor: Emily Soloman
