2007 Tokyo Auto Salon - WTF Edition

The Tokyo Auto Salon is more than just drift cars and hot women.

The Tokyo Auto Salon isn't just race queens, VIP sedans and drift cars; there are other, more interesting rides to be found on the show floor. While other magazines are content to just show you yet another picture of Nomuken's Skyline, we go out of our way to bring you images of Chevy van-converted Kei cars, six-wheeled monstrosities and clones of our childhood heroes. You seriously didn't think that the only "wacky" products from Japan were the off-the-wall game shows, did you?

Before we get into the meat of the article... As a few of our more "enlightened" readers have sent in letters asking us (in a less than racially-sensitive way) why we are showing so much "Japanese crap", may we present the following rides from TAS:

There. That should shut up the mulleted, PBR-drinking (and not in an ironic way) readers out there. Let's move on to the "good" stuff.

Every year, the Japan Automobile College (NATS) always has a few odd cars on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon, and 2007 was no different. First up is this Honda Beat done up to look like a baby NSX.


We're a bit conflicted about this next car. We (or more correctly, I) own a DA Integra, so it's nice to see someone actually do something with this car. We're just not sure we're stoked that this DA project is an awkward-looking El Camino-like "truck".


Option founder Daijiro Inada had a few of his personal rides on display, one of which was this... this... thing. It's based on an old Nissan Gloria, and has steering wheels on both the "front" and "back" of the cabin. We tried to get a picture of this car's interior, but that fake frost/snow/whatever totally ruined any shot we could get. Anyway, this car has two engines and has no "real" front or back. Oh yeah, it also has those subway/train handles for the passenger seats. Odd...


Unfortunately, we didn't get the bad-ass "scooter row" at this year's Auto Salon, but Bomex kept it real with some tricked out scooters. These "bikes" come equipped with a full airbag suspension, stereo system and more. We talked to the Bomex people, and they said that you can buy these aero kits for your own scooter - if you live in Japan, that is. And yes, people do ride these bikes out on the street. We saw a gang of them cruising the streets of Shibuya over the weekend.



Bomex also had what could be considered the ugliest car of the show; the EVO you see below. If Bomex built this car back in 1998, you can bet that every State-side Hot Import Nights car would be equipped with these massive door fins. Thankfully the "wild" tuning style is "out". That said, we wouldn't be surprised to see someone try to pull off this look at NOPI.



SoundWave took a U.S.-spec Eclipse (as if there is any other kind) and made it look like a true exotic sports car. This Eclipse may have come with the 4G63 from the factory, but we'll be so bold as to say the massive weight from the stereo system and aero kit make this car perform worse than the 3rd-gen Eclipse.



We like MR2s, but a four-door Mister Two? Crazy!



You know how we mentioned those Kei vans converted to look like Chevy vans? Here you go:


And that does it for this round of 2007 Tokyo Auto Salon coverage. Go to the Media Page to see more detailed pictures of all of these odd cars - trust us, it's worth it.

source: ign.com

Japan Report: Mugen Fit Spec.D At The Tokyo Auto Salon

Imagine a Honda Fit with a hand-built, high power Integra/Acura 2.0-liter Type R engine stuffed under the hood. That was the sensational Mugen Fit Dynamite which debuted to huge acclaim back at the 2004 Tokyo Auto Salon.

Unfortunately, such a car was too unwieldy (and expensive) to produce for the road, even for the ace Honda tuners. But the dream lives on–sort of–via this Fit Spec.D which gets the same aggressive fender blisters, lowered suspension and wheel/tire package as the Dynamite, but more viable 1.5-liter supercharged engine.

Mugen continues to develop this Fit spec.D for the Japanese home market. Because its 143 brake horsepower engine with Roots-type blower has been tested and developed on the dynamometer (just as Mugen does with its racing engines), it should be the real deal.

Until now, Mugen’s been able to sell you a Dynamite lookalike body kit in Japan but not with the 1.5 supercharged engine package in tow.

The aftermarketer expects to bring the Fit Spec.D to market sometime in 2007.

source: windingroad

2007 Tokyo Auto Salon - Part 5

We're psyched now that we can finally talk about our favorite vehicles of the 2007 Tokyo Auto Salon: the style wagons. These pimped-out minivans were our favorite part of the 2005 Tokyo Auto Salon, and after the disappointingly small number of VIP vans at the '06 show, we thought that the trend was dead. It turns out that the pimp-wagon scene was just resting, as VIP vans seemed to dominate the 2007 show.

So what makes a minivan a "style wagon"? Basically, a style wagon is a VIP-styled minivan. As is the case with VIP sedans, most style wagons have a simple white or black paint scheme (though silver is also acceptable), tasteful aero kits, large chrome wheels and no fender gap. Within the style wagon scene, the main vans of choice seem to be the Honda Odyssey, Nissan Elgrand and the Toyota Estima. Though Americans would look at any of these rides as "just a minivan", the massive size of these vans allows Japanese tuners to let their minds run wild. Though these vans have subtle and tasteful exteriors, these style wagons boasted the wildest (yet tasteful) interiors and the craziest audio/video systems. Let's take a minute to check some of them out.

It was common to see 10-plus monitors in most of these vans. Unlike what we see here in the States (and Europe), Japanese coachbuilders somehow found a way to cram a s***load of monitors into these vans without turning any of them DUB-show reject eyesores. Who could have thought that an interior packed with 25 monitors could still somehow look understated and reserved?


Lounge-like interiors and 50-inch flat screens were common in many of these vans. Our favorite Pimp My Ride-shaming interior belonged to luxury tuner Fabulous; these guys didn't just stop at a 50-inch plasma and leather recliners - they installed marble flooring!


Toyota Estimas are still huge in Japan. One of our favorites is this Sexy Custom Estima. No, we didn't make that name up.


Check out the sexy demon camber!


With Americans jocking drifting and VIP fashion, we're surprised that we don't see any tricked-out Previas at Los Angeles car shows. C'mon, Previas are cheap, and anyone that sports a minivan this fresh could easily win any Hot Import Nights/Import Showoff.

Not every minivan was designed for luxury. Here's another picture of the Takero's time-attack Odyssey.


And here's the NISMO-tuned Elgrand.


Style wagon-tuning wasn't limited to minivans. Kei cars are now getting in on the act. These 660cc rides are sporting all the luxuries that their van/sedan siblings have, just in a smaller package.


The first thing any car needs is a new set of wheels. Billet Star Japan was showing off its 17-inch rims designed specifically for these Kei cars.


Many of these Kei cars had really creative interiors. The Daihatsu cabin you see here is pretty understated, but it is accurate for the VIP scene. Note the luxury cupholders on the door and dash. Every VIP van/sedan/kei car had these cupholders, so we're guessing that you'll need a set in your car if you want to do VIP style right. Add some champagne bottles if you want to be a true VIP baller.


If you want to be on the true bleeding edge of all that is JDM, you'll go out and buy a Previa and turn it into a style wagon similar to the ones you will be seeing in our Image Gallery. Don't waste your time with a 240 or GS430 - every loser and his mom has one of those. Be the ultimate in JDM and get a minivan!

2007 Tokyo Auto Salon - Part 4

Japan's VIP styling trend is said to be the next big thing in U.S. tuning, so we thought we'd take a look at the high-class VIP luxury cars of the 2007 Tokyo Auto Salon. To be honest though, it's really hard to create an article based solely around these VIP rides as there's not a whole lot to talk about. The formula is simple: take one Japanese-made luxury sedan, make sure the car is white or black, put a tasteful aero kit on it, slap on some large rims and call it a day. Most VIP rides don't boast any wild tuning tricks or crazy stereos... As much as we love the VIP style, we can honestly say that if you've seen one VIP ride, you've seen them all.

So in addition to featuring the VIP rides of the Tokyo Auto Salon, we'll also look at some of the high-end European rides of the show. Why? Because we need the variety. Now let's get on with the article.

On the VIP front, Lexus' new LS sedan looks like it is the ride of choice for Japan's top VIP tuners. This white sedan from AR Admiration was one of our favorites.


Nissan Presidents are gangster - literally. We don't know of one President sedan that isn't owned by some yakuza or chipira-type person. As such, we were too afraid to ask about the owner of this Sessions-tuned G50 Nissan President Concept.


Aero kit manufacturer DAMD had a few "conversion" kits on display. In addition to the Subaru Legacy/wanna-be Audi you see here, DAMD also had a Skyline (G35) with an Aston Martin-inspired front clip.


Forget KenStyle and Junction Produce; Fabulous had the best booth of the show. In addition to some insane luxury vans (which we'll show tomorrow), Fabulous had this insane VIP-styled Ferrari F430. This car is outfitted with about 2,511,390 JPY (approx. $20,648 USD) in dress-up/suspension items - and that's not counting the cost for the Fabulous-built muffler or wheels. According to Fabulous, this luxury-tuned Ferrari is able to lap Fuji Speedway in 1 minute 54 seconds and Twin Ring Motegi in 2 minutes 8 seconds.


If speed isn't your thing, Fabulous can hook you up with some Swarovski crystal-made badges for just 31,500 JPY (approx. $258 USD) a pop.


Does this photo really need a caption? Didn't think so.


Wild trunk-mounted speaker enclosures have long been the specialty of American car builders like West Coast Customs. While we're sure that American kids think it's tight to have an automated shoe rack in the back of a Hyundai, no one can match the artistry and innovation of Japanese audio/visual companies. Most Japanese audio/visual companies are focusing their attention on vans and style wagons (which we'll see tomorrow), but a few fabricators are still showing traditional "boots" some love. Check out the "traditional" Japanese-theme in the back of this 3-series. This set-up is both wild yet tasteful at the same time; we like.


Here's a detail shot of the same trunk.


Carbon fiber specialist Varis had some very nice M3s on the TAS show floor. Though you can't tell due to the paint, the hoods, air splitters, rear decks, etc. of these cars were made from the high-tech woven stuff. We got a close look at these CF pieces, and we were impressed with the level of workmanship shown in each piece. Of course, such impressive workmanship doesn't come cheap. The carbon parts alone on this E36 probably cost as much as the car itself... Oh yeah, Varis had a full line-up of CF parts for the E30 M3, but there was no E30 M3 to be found on the show floor. Boo!


That does it for today. Tomorrow we get to indulge ourselves by showing you the VIP/Style Wagons of the Tokyo Auto Salon. These wagons take VIP customization to a whole new level. In the meantime, check out our Image page for more pictures of the VIP sedans and Euro rides of the 2007 Tokyo Auto Salon.

2007 Tokyo Auto Salon - Part 3

We may love the wagons and the girls, but the Tokyo Auto Salon really is all about the tuner cars. Though SEMA may be the "bigger" aftermarket automotive show, the Tokyo Auto Salon is the show to attend if you want to see what the "next big thing" in tuning will be. Unlike SEMA's rows upon rows of parts for 40-year-old cars, the trends seen at TAS will be the next million-dollar industries. Sport compact tuning, tuning for drift cars and now VIP auto fashion all launched from the floor of Makuhari Messe; we just wonder what's next. Perhaps the stuff on these pages will give us a clue...

The sub-compact/B-segment has been around for years in Europe and Asia, but these small cars are just catching on here in the States. Notable B-segment cars from the show include Nissan's Nismo S-Tune Tiida (Versa) as well as various high-strung Suzuki Swifts tuned by big-name companies like HKS. While we liked those uber-JDM rides, our favorite B-segment cars had to be the J's Racing Honda Fits. Though identical on the outside, one car sported a fully-built 1.5-liter while the other car sported the engine you see here: an individual throttle-bodied, 320 horsepower K24. Beautiful.



If a full engine swap seems a little extreme for a Fit, HKS offers a complete turbo system for the 1.5-liter motor. 155 and 180 horsepower kits are available.



We're in love with this Top Secret-built Skyline. (Yes, the G35 is called the Skyline in Japan.) This white coupe is crazy; under the carbon fiber bonnet sits a 712 horsepower VK45 4.5 liter V8.



The new Skyline (new G35 sedan) just hit Japan, so not too many tuners were prominently featuring the car - maybe we'll see more next year. We just hope that next year's tuned Skylines are as nice as this Nissan-built sedan.



We admit it: this blue 350Z from Power Enterprises isn't much to look at. But we didn't shoot this car out because it's pretty, we shot it because it's packing a stroked 3.8 liter 703 horsepower VQ.


Bride seats are always in style, but who can resist a Bride seat with a rear shell sprayed with Maziora color-shift paint? These seats are the ultimate in JDM-bling.



Do you like the look of titanium exhausts but hate paying out the nose for some cool metal? Fujitsubo now offers these titanium-look exhaust tip covers for most aftermarket exhausts. Fake titanium is the new carbon fiber-look!



We probably should have thrown this pic into Part 2, but we love the WRC so much, we figured we could sneak another WRC car into this article. This is the WRC-spec Suzuki SX4; it will run three WRC races this year and will jump into the series full-time in 2008.



Mugen knows a thing or two about tuning cars, and judging by the looks of this S2000, the company is pretty good at styling cars as well. This Mugen-built S2K's 250 horsepower may not seem like much, but remember who tuned it; we'll bet that this "show car" can shame most dedicated race cars on a track.



You are all probably wondering who this guy is. This is Sato-san. In addition to being a totally cool dude, Sato-san is a mechanic for rotary tuner Pan Speed. Why should you care about Pan Speed? Well, you see that Pan Speed-built RX-8 behind Sato-san? That car ran Tsukuba in a minute flat with a naturally-aspirated 13B.



Here's a better look at the engine of this N/A rotary.



Of course, we couldn't fit all of the go-fast parts and go-faster cars in this article. We've got more hot cars and such in our Image gallery. This is our biggest Tokyo Auto Salon gallery yet, meaning that you'll have more than enough pictures to check out over the weekend. Get a good look at these cars now, because next week we're all about the style wagons!


source: ign

2007 Tokyo Auto Salon - Part 2

We're gonna go against our selfish desires and not start off our Tokyo Auto Salon automotive coverage with a bunch of vans and kei cars. We've got too many van/kei pictures to sort through, so we'll get to those shortly. If you're new to our coverage of the 2007 Tokyo Auto Salon.

Now that we've got that out of the way, we'll get to today's gallery, the D1/race cars of the TAS. We usually don't create these types of galleries as... well... everyone else does 'em. Every car magazine, website, blog, etc. will focus only on rides like Nomuken's Blitz-sponsored ER34 Skyline. We've shown that car on this site at least 100 times, but if you really want to see it, here you go:



So while we weren't too excited to see the superstar D1 cars for the millionth time, we were stoked on seeing some of the D1 Street Legal cars. As the name says, these D1 cars are 100-percent street-legal, meaning that they pass smog and have all of the original factory-installed safety equipment. Furthermore, rules mandate that these cars maintain a full interior, full stereo system (at least as it came from the factory), factory brakes, A/C and any other feature the OEMs saw fit to install. These D1 rides are attainable by design, yet they are still competitive on a track. We hope to see some of these street-legal D1 rides when the D1 USA points series kicks off later this year.



Greddy literally took the wraps off of its 2007 D1 car, a light blue FD3S RX-7. Seriously, this car was covered up during most of the press/VIP day. We guess Greddy didn't want people to know that it was replacing its light-blue FD3S RX-7 drift car with a light-blue FD3s RX-7 drift car. Yeah, we know that this new car has a RE Amemiya kit, but did Greddy really need to keep that a secret?



We found some Japanese magazine trying to set up a shot of Tsuyoshi "Shotgun" Tezuka standing in front of his Bee-R Skyline. We "stole" this photo from them while they were still setting up because we're jerks like that.

We found this guy roaming the halls of Makuhari Messe. Apparently he is a good driver or something.



To those of you that don't get sarcasm: yes, we know who this guy is - close Outlook now.

Jumping off the D1-tip, we can't let a Tokyo Auto Salon story be published without featuring at least one WRC-spec WRX. So here it is:



Many Super GT (the series formerly called "JGTC") cars were on hand. It looks as if a lot of teams have jumped to the Lexus SC430, as we counted at least three GT500-spec luxury (non-)convertibles on the show floor. Here's a clean example we found in the Racing Hart booth.



We haven't seen this Lamborghini since we saw that JGTC race at Twin Ring Motegi. Some fun facts about the car: it is run by a private Lamborghini owner's club; its body is made of carbon fiber; the team somehow manages to hire the hottest race queens to ever walk the planet; no absolutely hot race queens were around the car at the show. Bummer about that last one, huh?



We still have yet to talk about the tuner cars and VIP rides, but we'll go and wrap things up here for today. Be sure to check out our Image Gallery for more pictures of D1 cars, Super GT cars, Super Taikyu cars and other race-prepped rides (race-spec EVO wagon, anyone?).

source: ign