Some of the world’s top automakers and tuners are showing off their wackiest and most extravagant rides at a three-day car show in Tokyo taking place this weekend.
Each year giants and fanatics of the auto world alike gather at a site near Tokyo Bay to show off everything from their latest models to concept cars and heavily customized displays of automotive art. This year’s highlights range from Swarovski crystal-encrusted Lamborghinis to the debut of Nissan Motor Co.’s Fairlady Z sports car bound for the Japan market.
In total there are around 400 exhibitors from around the world and all corners of Japan showing off trikes, bikes, campers and sports cars at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Here are some of this year’s most eye-catching models.
Aventador Road Star
This Lamborghini is the personal ride of the owner of Tokyo-based auto tuner Anija. The mid-engine sports car is embellished with a bull insignia made of 10,000 Swarovski crystals. The owner declined to comment on how much that piece of detailing cost, but said the bedazzling process took two full days.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/BLoomberg
Toyota GR GT3 Concept
This racing-dedicated concept car incorporates everything Toyota Motor Corp. has to offer in the field of motor sports technologies. When developing the low-slung, sleek black car, “our first order of business was developing a car that can win races,” Toyota Chief Branding Officer Koji Sato said during an online briefing Friday. Though offering few details on the car’s specs, Sato said a prototype version of the vehicle will be constructed by the end of the year.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Nissan Fairlady Z
Nissan displayed the Japan-market version of its recently unveiled seventh-generation Z sports car on Friday. The Japan iteration is slightly different from the refreshed model Nissan showed off globally last year. Whereas it’s known simply as “Z” in places such as the U.S., in Japan the car keeps its historic full name “Fairlady Z.” That lettering is displayed prominently on the car.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Porsche Patrol Car By Liqui Moly
An arresting take on the Porsche 912, this 1960s model is the last remaining of four custom Porsche police cars made in Japan. The car’s owner says you can drive it on public roads as long as you cover the side which reads “Kanagawa Police Department” (the name of a prefecture just southwest of Tokyo).
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Rohan X Metal Harley-Davidson
Nara Prefecture-based custom painter Takahiko Izawa and team — known for their metallic paints and engravings — bring their aesthetic to Harley-Davidson. The entire body of this FLHX Street Glide motorcycle, down to its wheel hubs, is covered with silver stippling and floral patterns.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Amaho by Direct Cars
Ever want to go camping on top of your car? This customized Daihatsu truck offers that and more. In addition to a pop-up tent attached to the roof, the camper is equipped with a mini kitchen and removable side table. And in case you’re worried about charging your devices: lithium-ion batteries and two 185W solar panels.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Deco Carry by Gunma Automobile College
This is what happens to a Suzuki truck when college students get their hands on it. This blinged-out camper is covered with several murals of Japanese scenery framed by twinkling blue, yellow and green lights. The students behind the car say it’s a product of the techniques they’ve learned in class and a nod to truck art culture.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
NATS Low Limo
Given a 1 million yen ($8,787) budget for their project, students at the NATS Nihon Automobile College decided to cut a Toyota Century sedan in half and “limoize it.” Equipped with sparkly gold rims, a red leather top, a “gangster window” in the back and interior bar stocked with Smirnoff, the car took the eight-student team 120 days to complete.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Spofec Cullinan By Spashan/Novitec
This is what a Rolls-Royce Cullinan looks like in the shade “twilight purple.” The Spashan/Novitec car care center also tuned the luxury SUV’s engine, wheels and suspension module.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Miniature Cruise Henro
Oka Motors modified the inside of this Suzuki camper to give riders a sense of “relaxation” and “the peacefulness of Japan.” The soft-lit interior of the car is stocked with a tea set, bonsai tree art and sliding rice paper screens covering the rear windows.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Gordon GL1800 Trike Type
Gordon, a Japan-based maker of hand-built luxury trikes, customized this Honda Gold Wing motorcycle to create what it calls “the pinnacle of trikes.” Stamped with its golden fox motif, Gordon’s three and four-seater trikes are in high-demand globally, according to the company’s chief, particularly in Russia, Dubai, the U.S., and Europe.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Hina Doll Car with Kanto
This Nissan Cube is painted to look like a Japanese Hina Doll — an ornamental figurine dressed in traditional garb that is traditionally put out on display on Japan’s religious “Doll’s Day” holiday. The car’s seats are made from material from the dolls themselves and an assembly of the figurines is on display inside the vehicle’s rear.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Ford Model A5 Window Coupe
Originally discovered rusted and full of holes, it took the owner of this 1929 Ford four months and 9 million yen ($79,078) to restore it to its former glory. Everything salvageable from the original car was kept and today the owner says the car is still in good driving condition. He even drove the Ford to get to the car show site in Tokyo, though at a max speed of 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Mustang by Jet City
This Mustang has been modified in every area possible to look fiery — from sparkling gold interior paneling to red leather seats, custom flame-like tips in the rear and bright red bolts throughout. Jet City specializes in importing auto parts from America that can’t typically be found in Japan. The car dealer installed extra speakers in the trunk of its Fiery Ford which were blasting Katy Perry through the auto show venue Friday morning.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Civic Type R Prototype
Honda Motor Co. gave spectators a glimpse of its redesigned Civic Type R, showing off a prototype of the car Friday. Few specifics about the car were given though and it was dressed up in camouflage print. The latest refresh of the high-performance version of Honda’s Civic compact car is scheduled for release by the end of this year.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
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