Tokyo Auto Salon 2008 - Part 2

Part 2 of my TAS report and we begin with 1 of the better R35 GTR's on show, respray in orange,very subtle bodykit and carbon inserts in the bonnet vents


1 of the bigger tuning suppliers in Japan,GReddy/Trust had their R35 GTR on display. I liked the vinyl livery (all the black/red bits are stuck on!!) , many didnt!!

Like the majority of R35's there, GReddy had already made a new exhaust system for the car

HKS had made a bigger effort though, as their R35 had new suspension, exhaust, Bride seats aswell as the bonnet up....

The VR38DETT engine already has been fitted with new air filters and blow off valves aswell as HKS making their FCon V engine management system compatable. Not much (yet) but Id imagine they were busy in the 2 months leading up to TAS, and with the cramped engine compartment of the R35 you will agree HKS had made the biggest effort so far in tuning the R35

MiNES have also been busy with their R35, new exhaust,suspension, brakes but more importantly they are the 1st tuner to crack the factory ECU so are now offering their own VX-Rom, which delimts the car aswell as it being able to run on different octane fuel if required

Still has a long way to go until its at the level of their R34 GTR N1 though!! Still the ultimate street tuned GTR for many including myself

HKS also had the latest version of their Zero R on display. The Zero R began in the early 90's and was a complete tuning package for the R32 GTR offered by HKS, with various updates over the years. This is the 2008 version. Good to see the R32 is still held in high regard

The famous Cyber Evo Time Attack car. This car can lap Tsukuba circuit in around 55 seconds, which is very quick, and is the 2nd fastest Evo around Tsukuba, with the HKS Carbon Evo being the quickest


Another thing better at car shows in Japan - the food. Some warm yakisoba (roasted noodles) for lunch, which I queued up for 30 seconds beforehand, paid an excellent price and which kept me going for the entire day, unlike soggy burger and chips that you pay a fortune for back home!

The best R32 GTR of the show for me was Phoenix Powers example, just immaculate. Apologies for the poor photo but it had people around it the whole time

Although the image of the Japanese tuning scene is for GTR's,Evo's,350Z's etc the new trend is for more affordable compacts with similar levels of modifying, carbon,wheels,engine tuning,brakes,suspension etc. This is Sunline Racing's very tidy Suzuki Swift GTi

and Mugens new Honda Fit (or Jazz). Still plenty of tuning options for these smaller and less powerful cars and certainly more affordable


Many feel that the new GTR is proving difficult to tune and that the Fairlady Z (or 350Z) is the last truly tunable Nissan. The Amuse car was 1 of the best at the show, not overdone either


Back to drift cars and BN Sports pair of JZX100's,a Mark II and a Chaser both with 2JZ-GTE transplants and the most powerful cars in D1 at present with over 750bhp each!

Another new D1 car, Toshiki Yoshioka will use this Lexus SC430 (or Toyota Soarer) in D1GP in 2008 instead of his AE86. No idea of engine spec yet, hopefully the 3UZ-FE 4.3 litre V8 will be retained
Another impressive new car ST Garage/Wedsport Lexus IS250 with a 2JZ-GTE transplant, maybe D1 bound too

And to finish, my personal favourite cars from Tokyo Auto Salon 2008:

The RE Amemiya carbon widebody Mazda RX-7 with the Porsche style front

Another RE Amemiya car,RX-7 with widebody conversion and 20B triple rotor engine conversion. This car won a trophy, but until the TAS website is updated I dont know which 1!!

Finally my favourite car of the entire show WELD JZX100 Mark II. 2JZ-GTE engine transplant,massive Trust T88 turbo....

and the engine has been moved back for better weight distribution. A lot of work has been done under this car, including a custom differential carrier, new alloy floor panels to reduce weight,the shell fully seam welded and all excess metal removed

not to mention Welds trademark foward opening bonnet aswell as their wild graphics

and lots of carbon!! This car also won an award at the show,ill update when I find out!!

So that was my 1st Tokyo Auto Salon and what an introduction! Ill certainly strive to return in the future as it was a new experiance compared to any other car show Ive ever been to!!

MiNES

Its Friday and its raining,and Ive 90mins of travelling ahead of me to the very outskirts of Yokohama city, almost in the countryside. But I dont care. Im going to visit a tuning shop that are world renowned. Although the company name doesnt sound much to the average person,it will have any Japanese car enthusiast,any Gran Turismo/Forza or Enthusia player, and in particular anyone even remotely knowledgeable about Skylines feeling light headed and weak at the knees. It is none other than MiNES


They are not a huge company and their premises are not that big. Like most tuners you walk into the reception area and there is a trophy display,but none of these are for styling,every one is for Time Attacks and Tsukuba in particular. MiNES are only interested in performance, if you want your car to look good go elsewhere!. After a brief introduction I was given a quick tour by the very enthusiatic Nori san who spoke excellent English, aswell as meeting company president Niikura san who was very pleased and surprised that someone had come to visit from Ireland! Like a lot of Japanese tuners they dont realise that they are known globally
1 of many Revspeed Tsukuba Time Attack trophies,the most prestigious Time Attack in Japan. Although MiNES only compete in the street class (full interior,no rollcage,road legal tyres etc),their R34 GTR sets times that are comparable to more highly tuned cars in the more modified classes
Where the magic happens - the engine build room. All the engines are built by hand using many of MiNES own components. They also have an in-house engine dyno

The Legend - 1 of 3 MiNES R34 V-Spec N1 demo cars. Considered by many to be the ultimate street legal GTR. All about performance,unlike VeilSide there is no body styling at all,the BBS alloys and the uprated AP Racing brakes are the only real external giveaways of what potential this car has.

Under the bonnet it all looks rather normal,the carbon covers for the airfilters on the right being the only difference to a stock R34 GTR. But its internally within the hand built engine where all of the modifications lie, with many of MiNES own parts used,camshafts,baffle plate,their own VX-Rom ECU to name a few. MiNES suspension and handling upgrades have also been applied


They also offer complete engines to upgrade your car. Like all tuners in Japan they can tune your car to suit your budget, so whether its just a new ECU,exhaust and air filter or an uprated engine and handling package MiNES can do it


The Z33 (350Z) is their newest democar and has been kept normally aspirated unlike many tuners who turbocharge them. The R34 is a customer car and the next car is a Nissan Fuga,a luxury 4 door saloon but with the same engine as the Z33. Like all Japanese tuners they are eagerly awaiting the new GTR in 2008

Thanks to Nori san,Niikura san and Nick Martin for his help with directions