WheelSTO's photo tour of the 2009 Tokyo Import Car Show!

[Johan@WSTO]

Visiting Tokyo is an experience that will never stop amazing me with its mix of Japanese taste for the traditional, and also their love for the extreme, outlandish, and completely new. The city's shrines date back to a time when the city was still called Edo, and was the promising new cultural center of Imperial Japan, while events like the Tokyo Import Car Show make it clear that Tokyo's youth is focused on the new and cutting edge, even if they have to be a bit extreme to stay at the forefront of auto fashion.

Here is our photo tour of the Tokyo Import Show:




To me, the premier Japanese wheel will always be Neez. Their groundbreaking designs are simple, clean, and absolutely classic. Their manufacturing and quality control are second to none, and although the finish and quality may be tough to understand if one hasn't seen a set in person, once you've seen and touched your first set of Neez wheels, you will strive for nothing else.

The Neez Enzo wears their classic Model 7 wheel:



The Neez Model 7, Model 5, and Model 15 wheels together are worth more than some E9x 3 series cars!





The new line of "ClubSport" wheels from Neez offers new looks and new applications for Audi, VW, and Mercedes.





Another shot of the Neez Model 7 wheels on a 997 Porsche:



Here is G Power's supercharged monster E92 M3! This kit has been running in Germany for over a year now, and has impressed many with its comprehensiveness and reliability:





This competition Aston Martin wears Yokohama Advan rubber. The Yokohama tire company has been dedicated to motorsport for many years, and makes some of the best competition tires out there.



Akropovic's 997 GT3 exhaust system was on display, with a really cool mirror setup for a great view of just how the exhaust looks once it's mounted on the car.





Roberuta brought a Pagani Zonda to the show! I love the pearl white paint, and the Zonda is one of my all time favorite supercars. Do you guys love this car too?



BBS wheels never fails to impress at any of the Tokyo shows with amazing new wheels, aggressive sizing, and some of the cleanest, best put together cars at the show.



Rays Engineering introduced some great new wheels at the show, and also featured the Studie E46 M3. What does everyone think of the aggressive kit on this M3?







I never get tired of looking at Audi R8s, like this one built by Roberuta. The body work on this and their Mercedes was completed by Body Shop Hamana. Their work is very impressive!





Klassen wheels had a strong showing with a beautiful Ferrari 430 and Maserati Quattroporte.







I can honestly say that I've never seen a Ferrari on Advan Model V's before! Although I did not like the chrome finish, the Model V is one of my favorite wheels, and I loved seeing them on this 360.



This Porsche had Work Brombacher wheels, specifically designed by Work Wheel Japan for Porsche applications. Their mesh style center suits Porsche very well, don't you think?



Altrack's exhaust system for the Ferrari 360 is an absolute work of art. The tips might be too outlandish for some, but they're certainly pushing the envelope.





Brembo's carbon ceramic brake kits blow me away every time I see them in person. I can't believe how cool these look! The added benefit to all these cool looks is amazing heat control properties, and great wear resistance, but that also comes with a pretty heart-stopping price tag.



Liqui Moly brought an old E46 320i touring car. I used to love watching these compete, before the E90 320i race cars hit tracks all over Europe.





Just seeing the Volk TE37 G2 wheels on VRS' E92 M3 made me want a set for our shop! I bought two complete sets in E92 M3 fitment the day I got home.



3D Design represents the more conservative end of the BMW modification spectrum in Japan, with their always classic front lip, exclusive to them Work Brombacher wheels in BMW fitment, and even a classic looking pinstripe.



Advan F7 wheels on ArqRay's M6:



Studie is as excited about the E90 320i as I am! This car was designed for great steering and throttle response, and is such a cool car to modify.



Here is a new take on a classic Mini, by Weds Sport:



These Vorsteiner styling pieces for the E92 have become absolute classics. I know that 10 years from now, they will be remembered as the must have exterior styling modification of the time:





Vorsteiner also had an E60 on display, along with their full line of wheels and body modifications.



I loved the aggressive wheel fitment and ride height on this Jaguar!



Fortunately, this show was not all about modern cars. Here is an incredibly clean 2002 tii car that I fell in love with.



As we walked outside of the show, I got to see some of the less traditional cars. Studie brought a complete lineup of M cars, done in styling that is far less conventional than what the US is used to. To many in the US, these cars are unattractive, but to me they are simply brave enough to try something new.



I loved Studie's take on the BBS LM-R wheel- treating the wheel to a full polished finish gives it a completely new look.



Studie's E46 M3 had a bright, vibrant color. I am in love with the Japanese car community's passion for really having fun with cars. Instead of building cars to please other people, many of the great tuners in Japan are brave enough to build cars that please them first.



The idlers club stickers on this E36 M3 track car meant that this car sees quite a bit of track time. Idlers club members are usually very serious drivers.



Nakai-San of Raugh Welt and Rough World fame brought his truly amazing Porsche to the event. Not only does the car look incredible with its Matte Black paint and Bronze SSR wheels, but this is a fully functional, competitive track car, even with its extreme wheel fitment and ride height. This car proves that you can look good and go fast, too.





This strange Japanese trend will never make it to the US, I think. I'm not sure we're missing out much!





Studie can make a beautiful, classic looking car too. These AC Schnitzer wheels on this BMW Z8 are a timeless choice.



This photo shows one thing that truly amazed me about the Import Car Show- the sheer volume of exotics! Where else can you go to see a row of modified Lotus Esprits, only to look across the parking lot and see a row of modified Ferrari 360s only a few feet away? Truly amazing!






As I left the show, and Tokyo, I knew that I would have to wait patiently for my return to Japan next year. The country will always amaze me with its strong respect for tradition, and its simultaneous commitment to innovation.

[LemansE82]

Great pics...you find anything that will fit the 1er as far as rims go?
Sad we didn't see any pics of 1er hooked up.

[zamm3k]

I love Jap-looking Euro cars

[EINSER M]

sick pics johan!!!
do u have unobstructed pics of the white haman x6?

[M3Newbie88]

Wow just amazing.. those Japanese are super creative and look at every little detail... props to them.. and great pics by you.. thank you for sharing...

[Johan@WSTO]

Originally Posted by kirkx5m

sick pics johan!!!
do u have unobstructed pics of the white haman x6?

I have gone through all my 700 photos, but I don't have more photos of the car... unfortunately

[EINSER M]

johan, you suck on that one! LOL
its all good. that x6 is just sick imo. sick sick sick.
maybe when the 1er goes ill have to ink that x6 hamann tycoon.

[joeo]

Excellent pics - thanks for sharing!

-Joe
http://www.lovehorsepower.com

[HondaGoneRogue]

^^Reminds me of this one. 650hp nice pics by the way.

[cagekicker]

awesome photos!

[Johan@WSTO]

Thank you guys for all the compliments!
You can check out more photos on our flickr!

WSTO Flickr

[deamon32]

Awesome, thank you for posting these pics

[Garduna]

Awesome pictures! Makes me want to go to the import show in Jpn :P

I'm still waiting to see an anime fan sup up his car properly and decal the hell out of it with anime characters haha!

[Victory Road]

^^^ hahaha

thats one japanese trend I don't see catching on here

[BMWTT135i]

Nice pics... Studie Japan FTW!

[Excitmnt94]

wow...very nice. thanks for taking the time to post them!

[randomquickness]

I love japan...that g-power M is SWEET...but I wouldn't want all that orange under the hood.