Makuhari
Messe - Chiba, Japan, Jan. 9-11
Japanese tuners and auto manufacturers were at
it again last month with the annual holding of
one of the most anticipated events of the year
- the Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS). The TAS kicks off
a whole new year of excitement in the Japanese
automotive industry, as many companies use the
event to launch products and reveal long-awaited
demo vehicles. The three-day event also serves
as a barometer for the automotive tuning industry,
as it usually dictates trends that will reverberate
through the industry for months, and sometimes
years, to come. This year was no different, as
several new platforms and styling cues were prominent
throughout the show.
Option, Japan's premier tuning publication,
had the most prominent display at TAS, spanning
most of the second hall of the Makuhari Messe.
The magazine, which is mainly responsible for
the D1 Grand Prix professional drift series, had
plenty of Japan's most amazing tuner vehicles
on display - with the main focus on their demolished
Nissan 350Z. The vehicle, a joint project between
Option and renown tuner JUN Auto Mechanic, was
destroyed during a 200mph Top Speed run in the
US, but the remains and video of the crash were
on display for attendees to view.
Other awe-inspiring vehicles that were on
hand included Scoot's amazing 12A-powered, four-rotor
RX-7, complete with immaculate bodywork and paint.
The Do-Luck Skyline R34, Top Secret R34, and handful
of other D1 competition vehicles also did their
best to contribute to the droolfest known as the
Option booth.
Subaru also invested heavily into TAS, by not
only having a manufacturer booth at the show,
but also gathering many of their best tuners together
in one section of the show called Subaru Customize
World. It was a Subaru owner's dream come true,
with companies like SYMS, Zerosports, Prova, and
Tomei gathered together to showoff some of the
greatest boxer-powered AWD monsters in the world.
Of course, STi was also present showing off their
product lineup as well as their WRC racecar.
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Of course, lets
not forget that the main focus of the Tokyo
Auto Salon is the tuners. The country's
biggest and best companies were all on-hand
to showcase their newly developed products
and vehicles as well. Trust took the curtain
off a slew of brand new products, including
complete turbo systems for the Mazda RX-8
and Mazda6, as well as their heavy duty
Grex four and six-piston brake systems.
A'PEX also had quite an elaborate display,
unveiling the redesigned GT300 Toyota MR-S
that they will be campaigning in the JGTC
Series in 2004. A couple brand new products
were also released, as the trick DECS (Dynamic
Electronic Control System) N1 damper and
rear wing were on display for the audience's
gawking pleasure. These products feature
a special speed-sensing system, where they
will automatically adjust (ie. dampening
force or down force) according to vehicle
speed.
However, the Japanese tuners surprisingly
showed a strong North American influence.
Even halfway across the world, I couldn't
escape the reach of Lamborghini-style doors,
Altezza-style lights, chrome wheels, or
nitrous systems. It was a great sign that
no matter how much we try to imitate the
Japanese scene, our North American style
still strongly influences their scene.
The 2004 edition of the Tokyo Auto Salon
was another great success, as over 230,000
automotive enthusiasts passed through
the gates. As always, it was a tremendous
exhibit of Japanese styling and performance
at its peak, as we can now sit back and
watch as the trends debuted here slowly
make their way across the globe. I can't
wait to see what the Tokyo Auto Salon
has in store for us next year.
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