SEMA has it beat on sheer size. Essen takes it on the higher end cars. Autosport wins when it comes to race cars. But by combining the best from Japan and presenting it all with such a distinct and unique flavour, Tokyo Auto Salon always manages to come out on top.
It’s that flavour that goes the extra mile and there’s an incredible atmosphere at Tokyo Auto Salon. It’s something that only Japan can evoke in people; a mix of the crazy, mysterious and legendary all rolled into one.Every year we wonder that the next style is going to be, just so we can slap a label on it and crown it as something distinct. But I’ve long given up attempting to find these so-called trends. Because Japan has no trends.
TAS is home to a little bit of everything, machines that appeal, inspire, confuse and sometimes disgust. Call it the Japanese car experience. Just remember one thing and one thing only: approach it all with an open mind. Do it like this, and you are bound to have a blast.
As always, I spent the day before the show officially opens wandering through the halls of the massive convention center, seeing it all materialize before my eyes. In the midst of cars being moved about, displays being put together and ongoing mic checks at every booth, I snapped a few teaser images of what we can all expect to see over the course of the show’s three main days. So have a quick scroll through here to whet your appetite before myself, Blake and Ron treat you to more in depth coverage over the coming days.
We might as well start right here with a lifted Sunny truck.
And a Corvette GT300 race car converted to pro drift spec.
The variety is great and it never gets old.
I’m happy to see the Honda S660 getting the attention it deserves this year. This is one fun little kei car with a whole lot of potential hidden away within its crisp-responding chassis and tiny turbocharged motor.
And speaking of Honda, I know you are all thinking – what about the new NSX, were there any of those? Here is your answer, a few cars used to show off some wheels and the first few aero pieces. It will be interesting to see how the new car will be approached in Japan, whether tuners will bother with it and if owners themselves will care for modifications, or if it has the potential to become the next R35 GT-R in terms of available upgrades.
Power of course isn’t always everything; others prefer to attract attention in other ways.
Kuhl, a shop known for the most intricate paint jobs out there and its gold and silver R35 GT-Rs of previous years, seems to have turned its attention to the R34 chassis.
That’s something Nomuken from URAS has been doing for a long time now. His new R34 demo car is one we’ll have to grab a closer look at over the next couple of days.
Original published at "speedhunters" website by Dalle Carbonare.
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