Under the Hood: Rockynats 05 - Mercury Lien

Published on 06 April 2025

Stepping into the Hardtuned JDM Showcase at Rare Spares Rockynats 05 felt like you were stepping back to ‘80s Tokyo. The streets lined with slick JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) classics, each one detailed to perfection. But one car, and one person, instantly stole the show.

Beneath a pink gazebo, next to a candy-coloured Nissan 350Z Coupe that looked like it had leapt straight from a Hot Wheels package, stood Mercury Lien, with her pink-streaked hair catching the light, a calm confidence in her stance. The tyres screeching from the nearby burnout pad reminded you this wasn’t a dream… You were definitely at Rockynats 05.

“I always gravitated to wanting to try motorsport,” she said with a laugh. “I played a lot of video games and stuff when I was younger, but I never really thought motorsport would be possible for me until I saw one of the local events held by Central Queensland Motorsport Club.”

“I thought, ‘Well, if not now, when?’ I turned up in my little daily car and had an absolute blast. And I think that was the moment I decided, okay, this is my life now.”

The car isn’t just custom-built, it’s custom dreamed. Mercury brought her vision to life in the most modern of ways: sketching it all out herself on an iPad.

“I designed the car on my iPad,” she reflected. “I drew what I wanted, I even designed some logos for my sponsors.”

“I brought it to Revs Paint Supplies and said, ‘Hey, can we do this?’ And he said, ‘Absolutely.’”

“We painted it ourselves in a dusty old shed. It’s very important to me. I love it. It’s my baby.”

These days, her Nissan 350Z turns heads wherever it goes, not just because of the bold pink colour, but because of what it represents: identity, joy, and the freedom to fully be herself.

“I just really resonated with being able to express myself through my car. I think of the car as my canvas and I get to drive it, so it's like having your cake and eating it too.”

Being in the new Little Tokyo precinct at Rockynats 05 means a lot to her, not just as a car lover, but as someone who has seen the JDM community grow.

“It's fantastic to see that we've got a special spot at Rockynats this year. The drift precinct has always been an amazing area at Rockynats showcasing the JDM community but to have a dedicated spot to encompass everything that is JDM is amazing.”

“It's so great being able to enjoy and celebrate something you love with a whole bunch of like-minded people.”

Rockynats isn’t just about the cars, it’s about the culture. And for Mercury, that culture is fuelled by connection.

“Being at Rockynats, seeing how many people from all over Australia and overseas come to our corner of the world, all united by the love of everything automotive. It's amazing and that's what the community means to me; the love, the passion. There is so much love. Every single car here is someone's life's work.”

When asked what she hopes people take away from seeing her and her pink Z on display, her answer was instant:

“The kids absolutely love it and that's the goal. Even if just one kid sees my car and decides to get into motorsport, that's my job done.”

And that’s what Rockynats is about — not just the engines, the chrome, or the clouds of smoke, but the stories. The people. The dreamers behind the wheel.