JDM Parade in Daikoku Parking Area

In Part 1 of this entry we have encountered a gathering of Ferrari and other supercar owners appreciating their magnificent rides, combined value of which probably exceeded GDP of a small country. 

  

But as the day went by, supercars were slowly getting replaced by the products of local market.

Honda is Feeling the Beat

While I personally believe that "Beat" is not ideal name for any car,

Honda's 2 seater version of K-car has proven to be very successful. Even long after the discontinuation of the model, the car maintained its fan base and following.

Ferrari Parade at Daikoku Parking Area

Every auto enthusiast in Japan knows Daikoku Futo parking area, every car nut in Tokyo has been there many times , and now sometimes it seems that it has become the ultimate destination.  Maybe because all other highways are clogged with 20 to 50 kilometer traffic jams full of minivans and Eco cars trying to make it out of the metropolis for that precious weekend getaway, all enthusiasts get to enjoy a long stretch of open road to meet up here and chat about latest mods, upcoming shows or how bad the coffee upstairs is.

Nonetheless, Daikoku has become the epiphany of car culture in Japan, and even though I don't own a car I try to get there as often as possible.

Driven: 2013 BMW 5 Series ActiveHybrid.

In the age of Eco cars such as Priuses and CR-Z's when each manufacturer is trying to prove their tree hugging dedication and commitment, performance manufacturers like BMW are stuck with a dilemma: how to deliver Eco and fun in one efficient package.
  

In 2007 BMW has broken their silence and unveiled their version of what is known as "Mild Hybrid". Installed on monstrous X6 it failed to impress the pure ECO-diehards, but motor enthusiasts received the ActiveHybrid with a glimpse of hope, hope that hybrid can be fun.  After all, additional 55 horse power and 210NM of torque cannot be be bad.

Mitsubishi To Display Three Concept Vehicles At 2013 Tokyo Motor Show

Tokyo Motor Show is just around the corner and Japanese manufacturers are preparing the fruits of their hard working R&D teams to be displayed in their shiny futuristic and sometimes a bit bizarre glory. 

Tokyo Motor Show is indeed looking to turn out as exciting show full of innovations and technological masterpieces. 

Mitsubishi, however need to double their efforts as they have not been produced anything exciting in the last few years and are indeed struggling to keep their market share. However their approach with striking lines and modern design has always contributed to their sales and reputation

For 2013 Motor Show Mitsubishi is hoping to catching the attention of the crowd by introducing 3 new concept vehicles: MITSUBISHI Concept GC-PHEV, which appears to be a be a large SUV with plug in hybrid system, MITSUBISHI Concept XR-PHEV - a small SUV also with plug-in hybrid system, as well as next generation people carrier MITSUBISHI Concept AR, which according to media sources will be powered by a four cylinder inline four turbo engine. 

No mention of EVO XI or any other performance vehicle, but since Tokyo Motor Show is always full of surprises, we will just have to wait and see.

Tokyo Motor Show will be held from November 22 in Odaiba area of Tokyo with several of automotive events around happening the show.  Of course, Tokyo Car Parade will be there to cover, so stay tuned.

Source: http://car.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20131008_618699.html

Driven: 2013 Nissan Fairlady 370Z

Sports cars, those special small, agile, and powerful machines that redefine the very purpose of owning a car. Why do we love them so much? Desire to go faster than the other guy was there since the beginning of the motor age.  That desire spawned a whole new range of cars that connected man with the machine for one simple purpose: making a statement, a statement that you are better than the pack, you can go faster, louder, in style, and therefore it is the ultimate luxury - desirable by everyone, but reachable by few.

The trend has been changing recently as you can now go very fast, loud, but in ultimate comfort while hauling your family in the back seat and your dog behind.  Real sports cars now need to fight for their purpose, and one way to this is to make them affordable. Nissan 370z is the definition of it.

BMW i8 Displayed in Tokyo

During recent weeks BMW was displaying the magnificent i8 Concept at a posh Grand Hyatt hotel in central Tokyo.  For some reason however, the car was not put on a pedestal in a lobby, but was kept guarded off in the garage downstairs.  I had no choice but to fight the humidity and poor lightning conditions to get  a few shots away.

Looking at the outcome, even though those are not the best pictures that I have ever taken, it was very much worth the effort as the car is absolutely gorgeous.

I personally fell in love with this car after seeing it from this angle.  The tail lights are absolutely gorgeous and borrow features from the 6 series, while the sporty form of the wheel arches are enhanced by a diagonal line on unique up-swinging transparent doors and very large wheels.

The sleek aerodynamic form is seen in the front.  I find it unique and interesting how A pillars extend all the way to front wheels. As a matter of fact all lines on this vehicle have a meaning and in a way connect parts of the car together, making all the form seem very natural and proportionally correct.

The car's sliver color with blue accents gives it the futuristic look but I personally fancy the white and black look of the version seen at Frankfurt Motor Show.

More aerodynamic features are visible in the back as well, as the giant rear diffuser gives this car a very sporty shape.

But even more so are the huge futuristic wheels with very thin profile tires.  I am pretty sure this will be amended on production model.

The front is also very futuristic and aggressive.  I am sure, however if the plastic kidney grille trend will catch on.   Perhaps they will switch to conventional mesh grille with radiator behind it in the future.

The rest of the car seems functional as very aggressive LED lights are clearly visible.

As was the fully trimmed interior.

The interior is also very futuristic, but seems to be fully functional with beautiful brown leather trim and contrasting beige surfaces.  Blue seatbelts also match the ornament on the steering wheel and some exterior components.

The layout of the interior looks different from the prototype driven by Evo magazine, which featured more contemporary, 6 series based trim.

Seining this car in person is a truly magnificent experience.  I am sure there will be more of it with upcoming motor show in Tokyo, and production coming as soon as next year.  There are new exciting times coming for the auto industry and this car is truly leading the trend.

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Lamborghini Owners Meet at Yokohama

Nothing ignites the excitement of the automotive world like a gathering of exclusive supercars.  Such was the occasion on this bright sunny day where at least 50 Lamborghini owners brought their beloved raging bulls from across Japan to meet in Yokohama.

This event was co-hosted by Lamborghini Japan and Cornes, which was already mentioned in this blog during my test drive of the Aventador.

During this event they were offering exclusive test drives to some of the existing customers while the rest of crowd could enjoy seeing the 50 million yen supercar in action.

 

Few other new models were presented such as this new 2013 Gallardo LP550-2

But while dealers were busy trying to lure attention towards their products, all the crowd has gathered around the corner where the actual owners' meet was taking place.

And what a sight it was with all kinds of Lamborghinis from various generations, some customized such as this Aventador with beautiful polished 21 inch rims.  There simply is no better stance than this.

Entire history of Lamborghini was presented here with a very large number of Countach owners bringing their automotive icons to the event.

Nothing reminds us more about Lamborghini's exclusivity like the up-swinging doors. 

But just doors, loud engines and awesome form is not going to cut it, at least not to some Lamborghini owners, as the amount of custom work that has been done on various Lamborghini automobiles has not been seen on any other supercar.  My jaw dropped at Tokyo Auto Salon at the variety of Lamborghinis they have there, and what Liberty Works do in Nagoya is unrivaled.  This is where Japanese craftsmanship meets Italian passion.

It's hard to depict anything other than aesthetical upgrades in this event since most owners' cars were blocked off from general public, so I will leave it to my custom car show coverage to depict performance upgrades.

But aesthetics updates were anything but lacking, from the heavy red accent in the cabin

To  a race themed gun metallic/orange color pattern on the front spoiler.

Some cars however were completely insane, like this shiny bronze Murcielago.

Or this chrome coated Gallardo.

It was also sporting a logo for Frank Muller watches, which match the class of these cars.

This chrome coated Murcielago had the 50 year anniversary of Lamborghini logo.

Next to it was a stunningly beautiful matte black Gallardo. 
 

While on the other side, this flower arrangement themed Gallardo roadster, which I spotted in the past in central Tokyo.

It was an interesting experience seeing these heavily customized Lamborghinis during a normal day with license plates on them rather then at a crowded car show.

For some however, it may be questionable whether so much custom work is needed for Lamborghini, as a stock Aventador is no less exciting to look at than a chrome Gallardo.  But I guess you need to be a Lamborghini owner to understand the necessity to customize it, and since I am in no danger of becoming one, I will move on.

Move on to classic Lamborghinis that also showed in large numbers.

It's amazing how cleanly all of them are kept.  Not even a sign of aging or wear and tear on beautiful white leather in this 25th Anniversary Countach. 

Not far from it was a legendary Miura brought to the event by hypercar dealer Bingo Sports. 

Another beautiful white Countach was nearby with custom rims.

Next to it was heavily modified Diablo, with wide bodykit and modified headlights.  Hopefully I will see it again at a car show in the future to find out what's hiding underneath.

This rare Lamborghini Jalpa was also featured among the classics.  First time I've seen one in Japan, but unsurprisingly so as the "budget: Lamborghini of 1981 sold only 410 units worldwide in its 8 year span.

Overall, a very interesting turnout for the classic Lamborghinis.

So the question may be on everyone's mind: who owns these beautiful Lamborghinis?

Well, despite what the famous video may suggest,

It is people who work hard, doing a good deed for society, and claim the ultimate reward

Is there any better reward than a supercar that has exclusivity written all over it? To some, at least 50 people today, the answer is "no".

The turnout of the event was great.  Lamborghini owners take pride of their of their ownership and it was shown here in style.

Hopefully, the dealers got plenty of attention as well so we would get to see more of these on the streets.

Thanks for reading everybody, don't forget to follow, share and comment!