In a bit of over a month’s time, at the least a few hundred thousand individuals are anticipated to make their strategy to Makuhari Messe for the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon. The most important modified automotive present on the earth is a bucket listing occasion for a lot of, and since Speedhunters acquired its begin in 2008, we’ve attended religiously. It’ll be no totally different this coming January, with a giant staff on the bottom in Japan’s capital metropolis to seize the newest and biggest tuning tendencies from the JDM motherland.
With this in thoughts, we thought we’d revisit TAS from 10 years in the past for this week’s Throwback Thursday publish. How far have issues developed during the last decade? You may be shocked… When you’ve completed up with this publish, you may as well take a look at Dino’s prime 5 automotive picks from Tokyo Auto Salon 2014 right here.
2014 Characteristic
It’s 9.00am Friday morning in Japan and the doorways have simply swung open on the Makuhari Messe, permitting a monstrous crowd of media to spill into the halls of the 2014 Tokyo Auto Salon. Since I figured you wouldn’t wish to wait an entire day for a style of what this yr’s present has to supply, yesterday I paid my typical pre-show go to to TAS whereas the tuners, producers and components makers have been busy establishing their cubicles.
My first port of name was a fast cease on the huge 13-car-strong Liberty Stroll show. After seeing the success its US demo automotive loved on the SEMA Present in Las Vegas a few months again, I simply had to see an LB Works kit-equipped Ferrari 458 up shut. After weeks of trying out Kato-san’s Instagram feed I knew precisely what a number of the vehicles regarded like, however irrespective of what number of footage I’ve seen, nothing fairly ready me for the visible affect his wild kits had on each the Italia and the sweet blue R35 parked subsequent to it.
I’m glad the entire pink wheel factor is catching on too… With the roof down, the Ferrari’s rear three-quarter view is just mouthwatering; these fender flares simply containing the aggressive offset of the wheels.
If the Spider isn’t for you, the black 458 hardtop Kato additionally introduced alongside to the present is certain to fulfill. I simply can’t stress how rattling low these vehicles sit! As soon as the rear diffuser is fitted (it was but to be put in on black automotive on the time I grabbed this image) there’s lower than one centimeter of floor clearance…
What was I saying about experience top? Liberty Stroll is on a real roll. It had one of the talked about vehicles of SEMA and now it’s effectively on its strategy to being a stand-out exhibitor at this yr’s Auto Salon. Whereas this pink Murciélago was nice and all, it was Kato’s two Kenmeris that I used to be actually itching to see. Nevertheless, as a result of some delays they weren’t going to be dropped off till later within the evening, so that you’ll want to attend for my subsequent publish from the present to see them intimately.
And sure, should you’re one of many lucky folks heading to the present over the weekend, you’ll get to see multiple of LB Works’ GT-Rs too!
It’s not straightforward to face out amongst a sea of prohibitively costly exotica, however the second I noticed the S & Firm Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale I simply needed to go in for a more in-depth look. The automotive sports activities S & C’s newest satin wrap, which appears and feels remarkably like actual paint.
The KM4SH 86
It looks like a very long time in the past since we started chatting to Miura-san of TRA Kyoto about collaborating on a novel sequence of aero components. After a lot discussions, translation, and quite a few 3D renders, I used to be blown away by how good the KM4SH 86 turned out. I really like how aggressive it manages to be, with out being excessive, and that entrance lip spoiler appears even higher than it did in digital idea type. The soon-to-be-released 6666mesh wheels from Enkei are simply what the physician ordered for a equipment of this nature – you simply can’t argue with copious quantity of lip mated to a basic heart.
The blokes at S & Firm have been ensuring the black physique shined like a mirror due to a choice of Kleers detailing merchandise. You may learn extra in regards to the KM4SH venture right here.
I must ask Miura-san what number of vehicles at this yr’s present are fitted along with his aero components.
It’s not a lot the 86 kits that I’m speaking about – there have been loads of these together with the Rocket Bunny V2 on the Belief sales space – however his type has actually influenced a big slice of the JDM aftermarket.
That features unique imports, time assault machines and excessive velocity vehicles.
However after all, there’s much more to TAS. It’s such a mishmash of types and ideologies, with a definite must shock.
It’s at all times attention-grabbing to see how shortly tendencies arrive and are utilized to the very newest crop of vehicles.
In The Combine
Historical past isn’t forgotten – which is an excellent factor – however up to now I haven’t seen fairly as many old skool rides as I might have appreciated to.
That stated, I’ll positively be on the hunt for extra immediately!
As you may think about, the new-gen child Lexus sedan has shortly turn into a well-liked platform for aesthetic modifications. That is Tommykaira’s takes on the refreshed IS.
Lexus’s spindle grille meets the Works overfender look on the Aimgain ZN6. May this be thought-about a luxurious drift automotive?
Over the course of the weekend I’ll be spending a variety of time within the adjoining halls that have been added to TAS final yr. That is the place the massive Possibility show is located, in addition to the RH9 guys with their crazy-powerful vehicles. It’s these machines that add a extra ‘purposeful’ facet to the present, the place energy nonetheless guidelines above type and the place the vehicles are engineered for function. Oh yeah, that’s a twin turbo, four-rotor rotary engine that Kawato-san at Whole Automobile Produce Magic might be becoming in a brand new FD3S RX-7 drift automotive. Mad Mike Whiddett needs to be glad as he will get to drive it!
Who stated hybrids must be boring? It might be an over-the-top present automotive, however the Kuhl Racing Prius sports activities essentially the most distinctive roll cage I’ve ever seen – one thing to do with it being fabricated out of exhaust piping. Okay, so it’s not purposeful, however it’s cool and that’s all most of these vehicles are attempting to perform.
The 2014 Tremendous GT season is simply a few months away and there are many GT500 and GT300 vehicles to take a look at on the present. That features the Nismo GT-R which we first noticed final month in Fuji on the Nismo Pageant. It’ll be thrilling to see how this 1000kg, 2.0L turbo, DTM-rule-based racer does agains the Honda NSX and the Lexus RC.
I actually can’t get sufficient of the Ferrari F12. I can’t recall a automotive that has performed ‘it’ for me as a lot because the R34 GT-R, as this one.
And speaking of GT-Rs, High Secret, together with a bunch of Japanese tuners together with Phoenix’s Energy, Display and JUN, had sufficient R35s between them to carry a single-make race sequence!
Each time I take a look at a Varis automotive I can’t assist however shed a tear. Its vehicles are a number of the best-looking in the entire Japanese tuning scene and it simply makes me unhappy that they by no means did something for the R34. Guys, critically, please give you one thing good and purposeful made out of carbon for us forgotten san-yon homeowners. Onegaishimasu!
The Varis title was being repped within the RAYS sales space too with the Bulletproof Scion FR-S all the way in which from California. Initially unveiled at SEMA, the ZN6 was sitting fairly on Volk Racing G25s.
Modelling a set of brightly-colored 20-inch TE37s was the all-dry-carbon Overtake GT-R – a machine that completely balances operate with type. Weight discount and some chosen engine upgrades are all that’s wanted to make this factor carry out.
I’ll end up this preview from TAS with one final shock – the BenSopra Z33 inbuilt collaboration with RYO in Hiroshima. The automotive was nonetheless being assembled as I grabbed this shot, so you’ll have to await the total protection to see extra. Its flat-white sister automotive might be on show on the Belief sales space from immediately, together with what could be the spotlight of the present. I might need to deal with you guys to a highlight in a while that individual automotive tonight as I know you’ll wish to see it!
Dino Dalle Carbonare
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