Car culture in Japan may not be most sizable in the world, but it is definitely one of the most diverse. With so many events, meets, and passionate fans, there truly is something for everyone. Today we go back to the big parking lot in Odaiba to have a look at how they slam their cars to the ground. (Part 2 Part 3)
As with anything, Japanese take the whole stance thing with the degree of precision and dedication suitable to entire nation,
perhaps turning the global StanceNation brand into something of their own.
And while precision and dedication is in place, these events don't go without a great degree of fun.
And why not have a bit of fun when everybody brings their own proud possessions, talks about cars, complements others' builds, color or choice of wheels, while making new friends in process
If anything, there is a tremendous amount of admiration and mutual respect in these events.
Never ever there is any kind of negativity or criticism.
Perhaps this is how the outside world sees the entire stance movement,
But in reality it's more like this. Just look at this fitment and cleanness.
FC RX-7 owners are very proud of their cars which are undeniably a great part of JDM history.
It is however becoming more common to see an abundance of non JDM cars in all shapes and forms.
Even a Dodge Challenger, which was never sold in Japan has found its way onto the event by being fitted with these gigantic golden wheels.
Speaking of gigantic wheels....
And now a bit of a vehicular Cinderella story about a bad-ass gangster turned celebrity via social media and motoring publications. Morohoshi-san was here presenting his customized Lamborghini Aventador as seen in Need For Speed Game.
As for JDM front, there was a lot to offer as well,
but even the most traditional JDM rides had the "outside the box" treatment done to them as well.
One shop that specializes in out of box thinking is 326 Power. We have encountered them at Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year, and today they seem to have taken their game even further.
This 86 was also presented to the world in a fashion not seen before. The rocket bunny kit was supplemented with fully adjustable front lip, a massive intercooler seen behind and a set of wheels and tires suitable for a time attack race car.
The guys in Exart - a fast growing high quality exhaust maker in Kanagawa have definitely expressed a view of how the new Mazda MX5 should look with which I tend to agree. The stock 16's just ain't gonna cut it.
While this example takes a whole different approach. The set of TE37v's and aggressive negative camber suit the badass attitude of the original design.
These may seem familiar to people who've spent enough time in Japan or Hong Kong. Toyota Crown Comfort is a typical heavy duty taxi cab Just make sure you don't have any luggage as the valuable trunk space is occupied by air suspension unit. #priorities....
Obviously looking at wheels all day could get repetitive, so I was wondering what was hiding under the hoods of some these cars. While I don't know what this is,
This, is a kind of stuff I came here to see.
And look where it's been installed. This AE86 Levin is a true masterpiece!
The 1JZ in this Toyota Crown was given a significant doze of attitude...
while the "retired farmer" sedan has been reworked to match the tastes of the owner.
It is when I saw this however, it all came together for me. This wide body S15 Silvia is the reason why people should stop what they are doing and go visit a stance event.
For cars like this a perfect stance is a byproduct of no holds barred performance tuning,
as when you look under the hood and see the V shaped 8 cylinder engine that isn't an LS, you immediately separate this build from the rest of the crowd. Choice of engine here is Toyota's luxury 1UZ 4L V8, which in its stock form apart from smooth power delivery and balance isn't much to write home about.
While the reason why the boys at Garage Miniz chose this particular engine is unknown, their quest for power is unquestionable. Currently the engine is being configured bolt on turbo add-on. 2 of them to be exact. I am crossing my fingers that it will find its way to Tokyo Auto Salon so can look at it in more detail.
Moving on to classic cars, there surely wasn't any shortage of those.
The Hakosuka/S30 combo was absolutely remarkable, but what really caught my attention,
was this super clean 240Z was presented by Baramundi Design.
The car was almost like a magnet to my lens as I kept coming back to take more pictures of it at different times of day, but I guess my hard work paid off and I found it revealing its hidden gem.
The fresh, clean, and tuned RB26DETT engine, straight out Skyline GTR. Like I said, there is a lot more to StanceNation that a collection of fancy wheels.
Speaking of GTR's, at first glance this example here looked like another Liberty Walk creation, but as I got closer, I could spot several design discrepancies.
Turns out that this R35 was built by Aimgain - a tuner most known for modifying Lexus vehicles.
While proportions may be similar to Liberty Walk, the kit has different accents and slightly more angular lines making rear fender look more like bolt-on rather than being extension of the body.
Not much is known about performance aspect as the project is still at early stages, but the car definitely attracts plenty of attention making us hope that we will be seeing more of it at Tokyo Auto Salon.
So here is this year's StanceNation in a nutshell. There were almost 1000 vehicles in total and while covering every single one of them is impossible, I will do my best to present the highlights by posting a separate photo gallery and a BMW-only special, so stay tuned.
The only negative part was that the show was held in late November, when darkness falls upon Japan's capital as early as 5pm. Definitely not enough time to see everything in great detail.
But perhaps, this was a perfect excuse for some attendees to roll into Tatsumi PA to enjoy the views of their cars under different lighting conditions.
Overall the show was a great success. I am glad that I was there and had the opportunity to encounter some new trends and twists of Japanese Car Culture. Please check out bonus gallery below and check back soon for updates!
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