WEEKEND EDITION: Tokyo Auto Salon 2009

January 10, 2009 12:01 am Published by

If you were hoping for some sort of massive coverage of this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, prepare to be disappointed. There were already hundreds of other journalists at the event, walking around with big, expensive cameras, imagining they were the only people there from a foreign country, and giving you dirty looks when the sight of your round-eyed face spoiled their fantasy. Get over it guys, its Auto Salon. Everyone comes here.

Don’t disappoint them, go check out their coverage.

However, having a cameraphone handy meant at least a few snaps were taken. Prepare for some low-resolution goodness.

One of my favourite cars was this R30 Skyline by Sakamoto Jidousha from way down in Kyushu. They said they had only finished the car at the last minute, and were nodding off on the freeway while driving their loader up to the show.

I don’t know what it says about my tastes, but the SSR Type-F wheels in flat black, classic RS-X turbo two-tone paint job, in-house custom bodykit, stripped interior and SR20DET conversion really do it for me.

New RE Amemiya FD. You tell me.

Tough tough tough.

Takahiro Ueno’s new D1 car for 2009.

Original Mugen wheels, period vinyl, stripped interior, window nets, nice.

This Blitz R35 GT-R’s transmission had been converted to a Holinger sequential on a custom mount.

It might look sad from this angle…

…but an N1 RB26 would make anyone smile.

There were plenty of 370Zs on show.

Wiiiiiiide by Mugen.

Sometimes, a car is just not necessary.

Optimus?

Now there’s two of them.

Remember when the RE Amemiya D1 car was powder blue with pink edging on the sideskirts?

Daigo Saito’s left-hand drive D1 Mustang for the 2009 season, with a kit from Behrman, a division of Wise Sports.

This was an interesting paint finish. I’m not sure exactly what they used, but it looked like some sort of coarse burnisher had been run along the surface in a wavy pattern (guys who actually work with metal, feel free to chime in), then covered with a candy paint. It might not look that great in the photo, but gives a very interesting 3D effect in real life.

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This post was written by Alexi

19 Comments

  • Kevin says:

    Thanks for the pics man, at least you were one of the first to post TAS stuff. I’m out of words for the cars, insane. Uh, except for the Mustang!

  • Romas says:

    About the paint – bare metal – sanded to the perfect finish, then using angle grinder with some 400-600 grit sand paper go over the metal in waves 🙂 After this – candy paint + clear coat – and here you have it 🙂 look super in reality 🙂

  • DukeOfNY says:

    mustang just needs to be lower and have a space shuttle wing then its cool in my book

  • Warren says:

    Thanks for the pics. The Stang looks quite nice….for a Stang, I wanna see it in action to have my final opinion even though it cant be more badass than a japanese car. I also wanna see the Nomura Ken’s R35 (I thought it would never come out).

  • fejjan says:

    What! I loved that mustang, finally one that doesn’t look absolutely gash. I mean look at Gittin JR’s mustang, you cant find a worse looking drift car than that, well maybe the Scion tC. Daigo FTW 🙂

  • delazy says:

    i dnt believe Daigo Saito is driving a mustang in 2009…his 2008 car was just wild…surely he wouldnt change 🙁

  • FefeM says:

    that jzx90 has the coolest array of stickers ever.

    great coverage!

  • Babalouie says:

    I think with that bottom pic, you wave the tip of an angle grinder along the bare steel and that’s how you get that pattern.

  • drift kid says:

    that bently looks terrible, and it sadens me that some of the top D1 drivers are now using american cars, a mustang? why?

  • Fury-S12 says:

    talk about getting photos up fast top stuff alexi

    some tough cars as always the rocket bunny s13 and the blitz r35 for instance

    uenos new bmw is a nice looking beast too cnt wait to see it in action daigo’s new car however :S cant believe people like that car

  • Alonso says:

    Incredible man, the pics are awesome and I’d expect to see more from the show these days, the porsche could be Darth vader’s car LOL

  • cbleslie says:

    @Kevin,

    You know nothing. That mustang is going to kill and rape babies on its way to the top of the podium. The V8 is the best race platform ever.

  • Ross says:

    FUCK YEA USA USA USA!!!!!!!!!!!

    ok…honestly

    i think its pretty cool that japan has decided to embrace the USA cars and add their JDM style to it. looks like a good match

    plus daigo is fucking gangster and will destroy EVERYTHING with this new car

  • dousan says:

    jhaha
    great description of how TAS is btw
    i went once. and ill probably not go agains, its pretty damn boring.
    but a nice expirience once in your life.

  • Geoff says:

    I heard that the use of USA cars in D1 was negotiated by Barack Obama as part of the automotive bailout.

  • PU#1 says:

    The 370Z is interesting. Compare it with some of the Lancia Zagato cars of the sixties and you’ll see some similarities in the lines…. though the Zagatos are lighter.

  • TSIKOY says:

    hi,

    Do you have a front pic of the white HONDA EF? I like it very much and wanted to do the sameon my EF