1. With a significantly smaller booth space than all of the other OEMs, we can safely say Lexus brought it this year with the best manufacturer booth at Tokyo Auto Salon. We couldn't get enough of the Super GT LC500 and RC F GT3, both left naked in their carbon-fiber form. Even if you don’t follow motorsport, you can appreciate these two beautifully crafted beasts.
2. Pandem/Rocket Bunny-style widebodies are not going anywhere! Kei Miura of TRA Kyoto’s handiwork continues to grow in popularity around the world and he uses big shows like SEMA and TAS to reveal his latest designs. We gravitated towards the E46 M3 on TE37s, Mk2 VW Golf, purple Porsche Cayman, and the world debut of Norhito Watanabe’s R32 Skyline GT-R.
3. Hottest new product goes to RAYS and their Volk Racing TE037 DURA wheel. It’s mold form forged from A7075 aluminum and features machined passages on the faces and sides of the spokes. It was amazing to grab and feel how thin the spokes were! For around $2,500 a wheel, though, you gotta be pretty damn baller to pick up a set of these 20s for your GT-R.
4. We know Nakagawa Shuichi from his ridiculously awesome 180SX that was on the cover of Super Street in February ’14. He’s back with a new project that’s certainly one of the most talked about cars of Tokyo Auto Salon – an Old & New Porsche 997. What we know at this point is that while the Porsche is in fact static, the colors are actually painted on using Spectra Chrome paint, not wrapped, and he still loves Super Street! Thanks for the support, Naka!
5. Some things about Tokyo Auto Salon never change – they love their car show models in Japan, and there was no shortage on the first day. And if you come across a model wearing a bedazzled bikini and bunny ears, don’t expect to get close enough to take any photos!