How often have you experience the thrill and feeling of, for lack of better word, accomplishment when nailing a perfect launch? That split second period that when the torque and grip meet at maximum potential and you visualize the podium, title, while experiencing overall feeling of satisfaction and one hello of an adrenaline rash?
What we have here is a bit more stationary, but when THAT many enthusiasts get into their cars and drive to Daikoku PA for the first car meet of the year -- a perfect launch is the only thing that comes to mind.
Even though it is becoming a some sort of routine for me to get up early on 3rd of January and head down to Daikoku Parking Area to join the rest of the car guys in the year opening car meet,
this year was destined to be special as the usual time off period we get in the beginning of the year fell short since holidays fell onto a weekend meaning that instead of usual 5 or 6 days off most people only got 3 or 4.
What this means is that EVERYBODY made sure to show up on what effectively was the only available day to do this:
The 3rd of January.
So without further ado, let's have a look at some cars that highlighted this meet.
First things first, anybody who owns anything with wheels is welcome here, but looking at things that were nonchalantly rolling in, the event was gaining its supercar theme.
and there were no shortage of those around
As expected, Lamborghini Huracan is gaining huge popularity as more lucky owners take delivery,
but if there is a Lamborghini model that matters most it's the Aventador. What can only be described as a perfect blend of performance and luxury it proudly carries the trademark V12 engine.
Of course there were plenty of examples and each of them was unique as owners are not afraid to modify them to suit their tastes.
Older Lamborghini's were present in large numbers, as seen here in a shape of Murcielago SuperVeloce.
Or how about the absolutely timeless Gallardo Spyder?
There were no shortage of Ferrari's, from the extremely popular 458 Italia,
to it's Ancestor -- the flat-twelve 512tr "Testarossa". The car enjoyed its popularity in Japan as it was produced during the peak of Japanese economy. Although a few of them changed hands since then, the Japanese tend to take good care of these exotics. Most of them run and drive perfectly and sound absolutely glorious!
It's always a joy to see a classic Ferrari Dino at these meets. Just look at how clean and well maintained this one is.
While modern day Ferrari's tend to get a few mods on them, the end result is always something to look forward to.
And of course there had to be one of these: A car meet in Japan would not be complete without at least one limited production Ferrari's.
Of course Italy is not the only home of the exotics. Just look at this glorious Aston Martin Vantage GT12!
...or the SLS AMG Black Edition!
Of course no such meets would be complete without a significant amount of Porsche's - perhaps the most popular performance car brand in Japan.
This can be seen by observing the custom versions ranging from this RUF CTR,
to this RWB 930 Turbo!
Speaking of 930 Turbo, need I say more?
I guess, I do, as I stumbled upon this Flat Nose 911 Turbo built by Body Shop DB and was driven here all the way from Yamanashi!
Then this happened.
Seeing (and hearing) a Carrera GT is nothing short of a privilege. I am sure new age 918 is a lot quicker, handles better and is overall a better car, but something about this raw normally aspirated V10 and manual gear box that cannot be replaced by horse power numbers.
Then Mr. Main event arrived! We've seen this Koenigsegg CCX at some of the events, and we saw a similar white one here in Daikoku on previous occasion
but just the fact that there were only 49 of these ever manufactured, makes this encounter that much more surreal!
Just look at this monstrous 4.7L twin turbocharged V8!
Overall it looked, like the supercar turnout could not have been better, but what about the JDM?
Well, sometime of the example are here to send the supercars packing.
Then there were the classics.
And then there where wheels. Lots of wheels for all tastes and likes.
Some stood out more than the others
Then, there there were the absolute legends...
Yet it was the R35 that represented JDM in all its might.
especially this Liberty Walk Vibrant Red GTR!
The car is absolutely menacing and is show car quality.
While most Liberty Walk GTR's come in custom colors or wraps, seeing one in stock (end of production) color was definitely an eye opening experience.
Another interesting trend in the JDM car world is a growing popularity of American cars.
From the timeless classics,
to bouncing low riders,
to modern muscle.
It is no big secret that I have always liked USDM vehicles, looking at this meet and seeing quite a few cars that never even sold in Japan, it is evident that I am not the only one.
We will wrap up this coverage with a few Bimmers that were scattered around Daikpoku PA, starting with this glorious E30 M3.
The E46 M3 is arguably the absolute classic car of the 2000's and it is the last M model to feature a high revving NA straight six engine making that much desirable in the age of turbocharged heavy electronically steered AT monsters. As time goes by it will be harder and harder to find these on the market.
Speaking of M3's, the E92's undeniably secured their place in automotive history. On top of being just incredible piece of engineering,these cars form a great platform for tuning and modifying.
This is how I'd have my M3. Monaco blue with black TE37 wheels!
As for the future... if in the world of self driving cars our car meets will look like this, then sign me up!
This concludes our coverage of 2016 New Year Car Meet. Please check out more pictures in the bonus gallery below and don't forget to follow, share, and comment!
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