Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Tokyo Auto Salon Singapore 2013 - The JDM Connection I

You can't call an event like this the Tokyo Auto Salon without a fair share of Japanese tuning houses attending right? While some (to be honest, me included) might feel that there just were not enough of these heavyweights having a stronger presence at the show, i do applaud the considerable efforts of the organising team for being able to bring them over in the first place. I'm guessing a whole load of work was involved just to convince these shops to attend the show, so big props to them. Although i wish they brought down more cars or at least their flagships, i guess we have to start somewhere right? Since this year's show in Makuhari was the year of the 86, let's start things off with a pair of 86's. The first one, courtesy of Top Secret, sports Kei Miura's Rocket Bunny kit but with interestingly smoothened off fenders. A slightly different look from the (if you can call it) regular Rocket Bunny 86s you see on the internets. The only exposed rivets were on the front bumper. The rear wing adds a slight change from when the car was presented earlier in the year. Power wise, we have no idea. But according to sources, it's been boosted with a Greddy Turbo kit and knowing Smokey Nagata, it'll probably be back into the shop for more serious hardware before hits the wangan. Another 86, but this time from the masters of style at DAMD. It's pretty clear where the inspiration's from on their demo 86. All in, it's a pretty detailed take on remodelling the 86 after it's much bigger brother, the LFA, they even replicated the tiny opening on the bonnet. I think it's not bad at all, what about you? One of the stars of the Auto Salon last year, RE Amemiya's Super NA 7. With a very wild reshaping of the FD's body, it's somewhat peculiar why it was given the NA treatment. But as with all Ame-san's creations, it ain't no slouch. Big turbo power gives way to a screaming NA rotary unit and lightness instead. Some say, it's good for 300 horses. Don't need much intro of these 2 track regulars. A pair of S2000s from Power House Amuse and Top Fuel. Though interesting, we sort of wish they brought out something more recent instead. Another RX7, this time from Zesty Racing. Looking very similar to a certain very quick Suzuki Jikou Racing FD, we wonder if it's the same car. Let's just say, i'm not a fan... Another oddity, this Fiat 500 had all the looks of a vintage racer. But it's trump card isn't in it's appearance. It's what's under that fat rear hatch. A peak at the spec sheet reveals a 1000cc Aprilia motorbike engine. Good for 190 horses at just over 12,000 rpm. Best part? Street legal. A look at some of the goodies Vertex brought along to the show. Perhaps to make up for the lack of a showcar, their 2JZ powered BMW is probably currently busy on the D1 circuit, so we can't really blame them. They had quite a number of cool stuff to buy as long as you are willing to part with your hard-earned!

0 comments:

Post a Comment