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SUBLIMINAL SODA: Peachy Roku

By in 12-04-2010 3:02 pm

I was at the workshop yesterday doing some stuff to the Mark II. Shino was there too, repairing the front end of her 86, which has taken a couple of hits recently.

At one point, Shino took a break from working on her AE86 and walked over with a big can of Mountain Dew for me from the vending machine outside.

I couldn’t help but notice the can of peach drink she had bought for herself.

(more…)

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APRIL BLOOMS: Sakura season

By in 01-04-2010 1:19 am

Today might be April Fools’ Day, but April 1st is the middle of cherry blossom viewing season in Japan!

To get a bit of a headstart on the Tokyo viewing season, which should be best this weekend, I headed down to Yamanashi prefecture a few days ago and visited a couple of scenic locations like Kuonji (久遠寺).

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TOYOTA HISTORY GARAGE: AE86 display

By in 30-01-2010 1:56 pm

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, Autosalon week meant visiting a lot of different places around Tokyo. Since the majority of the people I was with had never been to Tokyo, I thought the Toyota Megaweb and Toyota History Garage in Odaiba might be a good place to visit.

Nice little display eh? A mint red Levin they used to display beside the FT-86 a couple of months ago, Toyohisa Matsuda’s old competition car and Takumi’s toufu-ten replica, complete with tofu shop!

I think there was a mint Hakosuka off to the left as well. The Toyota History Garage is always fun.

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ASM IS DEAD: Long live…whatever it becomes!

By in 13-01-2010 2:05 pm

I wasn’t really expecting this!

Today Status Corporation, the publisher of Auto Salon Magazine, made the announcement that Issue 85 will be its final edition to be printed. “Auto Salon Magazine has been a core division of ours” stated Status Corporation’s Director Mark Keo, “but the landscape of the publishing industry has changed dramatically over the last two years, and the GFC has had a marked impact on our advertising supporters.”

“However ASM will still continue as we make the transition into the online arena, where our website will deliver the high quality content our loyal ASM readers have become accustomed to” Keo continued.

Auto Salon Magazine was created in 2002 by the team responsible for the Auto Salon modified car show series. Over the years it went from strength to strength, redefining the way modified car culture was seen by both enthusiasts and the mainstream.

“On a personal level, this is obviously a sad moment; yet at the same time it is also exciting” said ASM’s Editor in Chief, Charles Kha. “All I can say is that we’ll be looking to deliver something special for the last ever printed edition of Auto Salon Magazine.”

Issue 82 is currently on sale, and editorial production will continue until Issue 85, which hits newsstands at the end of March 2010.

A limited run of pre-release ‘special edition’ copies will be available on the 15th March, 2010. The collector’s edition will be available to both Australian and international readers, and can be ordered via the www.autosalon.com.au website.

In an interesting move, the Auto Salon Magazine editorial team has decided to use Twitter to document the creation of Issue 85 in real-time. As the team works through the 30 days leading into 85’s final deadline, followers will be able to see the inner-workings of the magazine’s production and behind the scenes of the photo shoots. The account goes live at midnight on 14th January, and can viewed here: www.twitter.com/issue85.

Having worked at Auto Salon magazine for a while, I suggest you subscribe to the Twitter feed. Some of those late nights can get quite interesting.

Oh well, all good things must come to an end. If the final issue is anything like the almost-cardstock issue they made a couple of years ago, I definitely want a copy!

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