It's January once again as the DSPORT Tokyo Auto Salon Tour 2011 rocks the capital city of Japan. Our intrepid band of attendees included nine Australians, a New Zealander and a bunch of enthusiastic Americans/ For 80-percent of the attendees, this we their first visit to Japan. The bulk of the tour flew from LAX to Narita International Airport on brand-new Korean Airlines Boeing 777's.

Day 1 : Terrorizing Tokyo

After a one-hour bus ride from Narita International Airport to the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, everyone received a limited-edition DSPORT/SPARCO TAS 2011 backpack and room assignment. The DSPORT staff showed everyone how to commute on the Japan Rail system. Our first rail stop was at Shimbashi, where we enjoyed some yakitori and beer to kick off the first night in Japan.

Day 2: Tokyo Auto Salon 2011, Makuhari Messe

Arriving at the show by 9am, we joined the masses of media and VIP showgoers for the opening day of the Auto Salon. With generaladmission entry scheduled for 1pm the group scattered into the halls, capturing images and video of Japanese tuning culture, cars and the always popular “race queens”. Our day started at the ThreeBond booth, where Ultraman serves as the marketing icon for the company’s new automotive vehicle finish, “Ultra Glass Coating Neo”.

Hybrids were less prominent this year, confirming that the big power tuners have not forsaken real sportscars; they’re simply sharing their attention. Top Secret’s booth featured an RH9 GT-R along with some hopped up hybrids. The jewel of the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon was the Club RH9 (Record Holder 9) exhibit. From R32 GT-Rs, GTOs and FD RX7s to at least a half dozen R35 GT-Rs, the real tuners shined here. Four of the GT-Rs were built by Kouji Yokoyama’s Phoenix’s Power SPL. Their top machine puts down 900 peak wheel horsepower. What does it take to become a member of Club RH9? Simply run a 9-second quarter-mile (0-400m in Japan) time on radial tires.

Super GT, which can be likened in popularity to America’s NASCAR, had a strong presence in many of the halls as well. Vehicles from both the GT500 and the GT300 classes could be found in practically every hall. Subaru unveiled its latest STI racing platform for GT300 competition while the 2010 GT300 champion, Hasemi Sport’s 350Z was on display with the GT300 Cup (Look for a full feature on this car in a coming issue.) The 2010 GT500 Championship-winning Honda HSV-010 was also on display at the Honda Racing exhibit.

Japan’s involvement in racing around the world could be felt in the diversity of racing platforms on display. One of the Gazoo Racing Lexus LFAs that competed at the 24-hour Nürburgring endurance competition still wore its
competition livery along with plenty of battle scars and melted rubber on its bumpers and fenders. The SUMO POWER GT-R that competed in the 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship also made an appearance.

In K Spec’s booth, Japanese drivers Nobuteru Taniguchi and Manabu Orido hosted the unveiling of the Silk Blaze CR-Z demo car. Featuring an HKS supercharger, aggressive aerodynamics and a tri-tip exhaust reminiscent of the LFA, Silk Blaze (like many Japanese tuners) is trying to make hybrids into sportscars. After speaking with a number of people, the movement to hybrids and “green” technologies seems to be the consensus among Japanese citizens. Tuners have been forced to support the “hybrid-sportscar” trend in order to survive the changing environment, however there were far fewer hybrid demo cars at this show compared to 2010.

With the R35 GT-R leading the way, the slow but re-energizing Japanese tuning market is picking up momentum as the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon enjoyed a 20-percent increase in attendance compared to last year. In addition, speculation about affordable rear-wheel-drive platforms to be released by Toyota and Nissan has many enthusiasts restless and eager for a resurgence in sport-compact performance.

Daikoku Futo Car Park

As if a full day at the Tokyo Auto Salon wasn’t enough, we took our tour bus to the renowned Daikoku Futo Car Park. This spot had become the most famous car meet location in all of Japan, dating back to the early 90’s when underground street racing crews would meet there before racing. Today, the Daikoku Futo continues to be a late night meeting spot for more than just street racers. It’s practically a motorsports extravaganza attracting a diversity of vehicles ranging from performance cars to box mini vans with walls of subwoofers and screens.