For three DAYS last week, the usually quiet City of Chiba throbbed with excitement as close to 802 vehicles, 452 exhibitors, and 3,608 booths were spread across the massive halls of the Makuhari Messe for the 27th staging of the Tokyo Auto Salon.
sports car.
Tuners and enthusiasts the world over flocked to this side of Tokyo for the annual gathering of Japan’s top tuners and custom car makers and showcased the latest trends in the aftermarket industry. “Even in fashion, Japan has always been a trendsetter. Attending the Tokyo Auto Salon is a requirement for aftermarket guys like me, because it provides us with fresh inputs, product ideas and an opportunity to meet with my business associates,” explains Sammy Liuson of Concept One.
and the last version of the series.
This year’s TAS saw the launching of new variants from the tuning houses of Ralliart, Subaru Technica, Mazdaspeed, Gazoo Racing, TRD, Nismo and Honda’s Modulo and Mugen.
Miata MX-5 Cup Car.
The most anticipated launch at the TAS is the final version of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. As the swan song model for this production series performance sedan, this Evolution X is the most powerful by way of a tuned ECU and a turbo kit engineered and designed by HKS. It also has larger intakes and intercoolers with an upgraded exhaust and cooling systems. Expected to hit showrooms across Japan in March this year, this limited Evolution X is equipped with a manual transmission and comes in matte or gloss black body color and shod with a limited edition Volk Rays wheel.
excitement in a small package.
Tuning powerhouse Honda showcased its hybrid technology by displaying their Mugen-tuned production cars. Honda also rolled out the replacement for the S2000 or the Honda Beat, the S660, a mid-engine coupe equipped with a turbocharged 660cc engine. As a tribute to the legendary Formula One driver Ayrton Senna, Honda also displayed his McLaren-Honda MP4/7 F1 which was encased in glass.
Nissan on the other hand flexed its muscle at the TAS by showing off a bunch of tuned production cars with its GT-R Nurburging Attack package and the Motul-Autech GT-R Super GT car as the star attractions. Other drool worthy displays of the TAS were the Mazda MX-5 Cup Car, Lexus RC-F which had a creative display booth, the Motul powered Subaru WRX STi Super GT car and the Liberty Walk display booth which featured widebody and lowered Lamborghini’s and GT-R’s.