Famous Lamborghini Collector Behind Illegal Vehicle Inspections—Shared Photo with Ren Meguro

The legend of the Lamborghini world

By June, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Traffic Enforcement Division had arrested Shinichi Yamamoto (55), a company executive from Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, along with Kunizo Narita (80), president of the auto repair and sales company “Matsudo City Motors Center,” and four others, on suspicion of violating the Road Transport Vehicle Act. The charges stem from illegally passing vehicle inspections for a modified Lamborghini.

“Yamamoto and others allegedly requested, through an acquaintance in the auto repair business, that Narita’s company pass a vehicle inspection for a Lamborghini that had been illegally modified with parts such as a loud exhaust and a rear wing with protruding elements. They paid 300,000 yen for the service. Narita is said to have skipped the required inspections and maintenance, created a false safety compliance certificate, and submitted it to the vehicle registration office to obtain a vehicle inspection certificate,” explained a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs department.

During police questioning, Narita admitted to the charges, stating, “I’ve carried out fraudulent inspections on hundreds of cars so far.” Yamamoto also confessed, saying, “I knew the car wouldn’t pass inspection, so I used an illegal route.”

Among car enthusiasts, Yamamoto was reportedly somewhat of a celebrity.

“Using the name ‘Shinichi Morohoshi’ on social media, he led a group called ‘The World’s Strongest Morohoshi Family,’ made up of over 200 supercar enthusiasts. He had over 100,000 followers and frequently posted photos of his rare green Lamborghini—one of only 100 in the world. Yamamoto ran several businesses, including custom car shops, and is believed to own around 10 Lamborghinis in total.

In addition, he apparently provided one of his Lamborghinis for the filming of the 2023 drama Trillion Game (TBS), and a photo of him with the show’s star, Ren Meguro (28) of Snow Man, was posted on his social media,” the same reporter added.

Yamamoto’s “World’s Strongest Morohoshi Family” regularly held group drives on public roads in Tokyo, prompting numerous noise complaints to the police. A friend of Yamamoto commented, “His obsession with Lamborghinis started during the supercar boom of the late 1970s.”

“Even as an elementary schooler at the time, he was captivated by supercars. After seeing a Lamborghini driving on a national highway, he started saving up and eventually bought one outright in cash at age 32. Around 10 years ago, he founded the ‘World’s Strongest Morohoshi Family.’

He was also acquainted with other flashy car owners, such as former defendant Kenko Shimizu (50), known as ‘Super Salaryman Shimizu,’ who received a suspended prison sentence for violating construction laws, and investor Tsubasa Yozawa (42). Within their circle, Yamamoto was referred to as a legend of the Lamborghini world.”

Fulfilling a childhood dream by becoming a Lamborghini owner may have been admirable, but his involvement in fraud and illegal activities has stained both his own image and that of the brand. One can only call him a disgraceful legend.