Wangan Midnight is based on a seinen manga by Kusunoki Michiharu that was serialized in Young Magazine. The story draws inspiration from street racing on the Shuto Expressway, specifically the "Wangan" stretch, a straight and long road in Tokyo with heavy traffic, including trucks. Akio Asakura, a third-year high school student, owns a Fairlady Z (Z31) and is challenged by Tatsuya Shima, a doctor, in his Porsche 964 Turbo (the "BlackBird").