At the Tokyo Auto Salon 2000 they where there in all shapes, sizes and colours, displayed in all manners and positions, and adorned with all sorts of dress-up gear! And then there were the cars....
Eight halls of modified vehicles displayed for everyone to see. GT-R Skylines were in abundance - ranging from mildly modified ones, to units superbly handcrafted by trade schools into utes and wagons! Big names (Endless, Moon Eyes, A'PEXi and HKS) had displays of their latest gear but missing were the smaller shops and support from scrap yards.
To get an idea of the size of the show, we arrived at 10.30am at the top of the stairs to Hall #8. We proceeded from there to walk up and down each aisle in every hall, not stopping anywhere for more than few seconds to take a photo of have a better look at some car. We finished at 5.35pm, having stopped in all that time only five minutes for a drink! Did we see everything? I doubt it! There was just so much to see! In fact, we should have gone back the next day for a better look...
Most prominent were the GT-R Skylines, Altezzas (Lexus 200 with 3SGUE and 6-speed RWD), and vans of various sizes. But pick of the show - me being a Mazda man - was a new Capella (626) with a fabulous body kit and the KLZE engine with twin turbos putting out a nominal 280ps (206kW) through its four wheel drive!
There was also a Mazda Metro 121 adorned with a body kit making it look like a modern Renault 5 Turbo - but apart from the air filter, the engine was standard!
Every stand had one or two models (of the female variety) present, and they posed willingly for photographers. In many places, the photographers were ten-deep trying to get the best shots. Obviously there were many aspiring modes/actresses there, hoping to be discovered.
And a couple of footnotes from the trip:
- From Jan 1 2000, the Japanese government is allowing legal engine changes in cars. For example, this opens the way for RB25s to be put in place of RB20s. This will have the affect of reducing available high performance engine stock for Australian importers.
- Have you noticed the "shortage" of R32 Skylines for sale in Australia, while there are plenty of R33s? The Japanese are getting rid of their Skyline R33s because they are "too big" and are buying R32s. They don't like the shape of the R34 - this was a general observation of the people I spoke to.
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