Tokyo Auto Salon is the first real auto event of the year. It’s a great way to mingle with the biggest gathering of automotive elites, and gives people a chance to get to know the characters that shape the birthplace of “Import Tuning”. For many Tokyo Auto Salon(TAS) is a chance to not only see the latest projects, but also to connect with those that have the same automotive affliction as themselves. For some reason I think when foreigners imagine the Tokyo Auto Salon they expect to see some multi-level parking garage filled to the brim with not only performance cars but also a dance club like atmosphere with music provided by box style wagons with booming sound systems.
If you’re expecting that scene from Tokyo Drift, then you’re going to be disappointed. First off Makuhari Messe is located near Narita, a suburb of Tokyo. The train ride there is long and boring; far from the neon lights of Shinjuku. Don’t expect to see a fairground sized convention, but this year’s show has grown from 8 halls to 11.
TAS 2013 was all about the latest 86s/BRZs/F-RSs, there were 90+ of these cars on display at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. Never in the history of this show has one car been quite so popular. This car has been called the “Shot of Penicillin” because of what this car has done for the tuning industry. The collaboration between Subaru and Toyota has spawned a resurgence of parts manufacturing and our Japanese counterparts were certainly eager to display. However what really makes the hachiroku, (Japanese/romanji for the numbers “8-6” referring to the model Toyota GT86) and its other guises, stand out is that it seems to have been adopted by pretty much every single car scene in Japan. It seems like every booth I came across there was an 86/BRZ/FR-s sitting there all trimmed out and what can only be described as the Japanese “86 mania!”
D1 Drifting ‘Kick-off’ Demo Run
Tokyo Auto Salon is the first big event before the D1 Grand Prix 2013 season gets into full gear in a few months, fans could catch a preview of the kind of action they can expect to see this year at the annual kickoff event during the Tokyo Auto Salon.
The kickoff of the D1 Grand Prix season is a big part of the Tokyo Auto Salon which brings out a huge group of drivers to put on an exhibition held on a tight makeshift course in the convention center parking lot, it was a great chance to see several of the top drivers showcase their skills and go head-to-head in some friendly tsuisō battles (Tsuisō 追走: chasing race – drivers are paired off, and given two passes, with each driver taking a turn to lead.) The crowds of people that made it out to Sunday’s exhibition were greeted with mild weather and a healthy dose of fresh tire smoke.
This year’s D1 Grand Prix ‘Kick-off’ event, the media was able to ride along in the cars with the drivers (no camera’s were allowed for safety reasons) but I was given the chance to hop into Tetsuya Hibino’s Toyota GT86 and go along for a kick ass experience… no sooner than me getting strapped into the seat he asked me “Are you nervous?” and I told him “No way!”
As soon as we got the ‘GO’ signal, we took off as the last car in the pack of 4 and before we left the staging area, we were already sideways as we hit the course. Then as we came out of the first curve and into the main straight away, we overtook the car that was in front of us and ‘bumped’ Naoto Suenaga’s Team Orange – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX out of the way! Some fans were lucky enough to score some front row spots so they could check out all the action that was going down for the demo.
If you have an interest in ‘import tuning’ or performance cars, this is the show you should not miss… if you did, you can check out a scaled down version of this show(without the drifting) at the Nagoya Auto Trend on March 2 & 3, 2013 at Nagoya Port Messe. The D1 Grand Prix (Round #2) will be at Suzuka Circuit May 25 & 26, 2013.
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