January 13, 2006
Tokyo Auto Salon 2006, Day 1
The Japanese have long been obsessed with customizing their cars, and the Tokyo Auto Salon is where it all comes out. I arrived late in the afternoon, so what follows are a few photos from day 1.
Mazda
Mazda showed a hydrogen powered RX-8, and channeled a little Bugeye Sprite for their Circuit edition MX-5.
Nismo
Nissan's aftermarket division had a strong presence, with a few interesting 350Zs on display.
If there's one thing Japanese are crazier about than customized cars, it's teenage girls. Put them both in one place, preferably with the girls wearing just enough cloth to include a tire company's logo, and you have racequeens. You can see why they get so excited about this event.
Team Goodyear poses for the crowd:
A Chrysler 300C? Not so fast -- it's sort of a 300C-dric, a rebodied Nissan Cedric with some extra sheetmetal brought to you by the Nihon Auto College. This tradition of turning generic-looking Japanese cars into something more distinctive has long roots in Japan.
At the same booth, a Lexus L-S-class:
Make it low, and make it white. That is all.
Nice to see the Prius get a little tuning love. It's all a bit silly -- why the wider tires in the rear when it's a front wheel-drive car?
It's always nice to see people doing interesting things with Scoobies. This Legacy at the Gialla booth was particularly clean.
