FEATURE – TOURING WITH LIBERTY WALK PART 1

It was back down to Nagoya for me for the second time in a month to shoot one of the biggest supercar meetings in the country; an event organized by Wataru Kato and his team from Liberty Walk Japan. Once again, rain threatened to really put a dampener on proceedings but mercifully held off for the day and what I’m going to show you now is one of the coolest collections of hard rolling Super Cars you’ll see anywhere… Read more

TEASER – SUPERCAR CRUISE WITH LIBERTY WALK

Right now, I’m down in Nagoya with Kato san and the crew from Liberty Walk Japan. If you haven’t heard of them I would be very surprised since they have exploded onto the international stage with some of the wildest custom supercars the world has seen. After a long haul south from Tokyo to Nagoya in the new 3 series Active Hybrid, I got some down time with new friends at a great Yakiniku restaurant where the stories and beer flowed freely… Read more

EVENT – YOKOHAMA CLASSIC CAR SHOW 2013

Its a new year and its time again for the JCCA (Japan Classic Car Association) annual new years meet in Odaiba. A veritable feast of classic automobile goodness and plenty of gasps of “natsukashiiii” from the locals…natsukashi meaning “its so nostalgic isn’t it!!”

Straight in at the gates you gaze upon rows upon rows of gleaming classics, most older than myself.

Alongside all the Cars is a very very Japanese level enthusiasts flea market and by Japanese level I mean everything you would ever want as a classic car lover no matter what your vehicle of choice or fancy is! From Sparco seats to vintage car sales brochures to toy cars, you name it its here.

Headlamps, you got it.

Model Kits, absolutely.

I spent hours walking the aisles mesmerised by all the history surrounding me, whilst turning down one of the aisles I came upon two schoolboys holding a flag and wearing uniforms….upon speaking to them I found out that they form part of the Hosei University Automobile Club, today they had brought along a real stunner. A 1938 Jaguar SS, a real piece of automotive history, as far as I could read most of the parts and some of the bodywork is still original, either way its a grand spectacle.

As an Englishman it was rather strange walking around a Japanese Classic Car meet and being met with rows upon rows of classic Britishness, from rows of Lotus Espirit and various racing incarnations of other Lotus models to Minis, Triumphs and Jaguars.

After a while of wandering around and chatting to some locals I found what I personally was looking for, the Fairlady Z section. I have always found the first gen of Fairlady Zs to be such a beauty to behold….which comes as no surprise given where its design influence came from…..this particular model however I found in the parking lot!!

Up and down I went finding more gems from “Back in the day” sometimes so far back in someones day I don’t know if I was alive at the time some of these cars rolled of the production line or flew off the grid.

Found some real gems.

Some GTOs.

A wild blue Celica GTV circa 1972.

As the day drew to an end my shutter finger was still maniacally twitching away, so much awesomeness. It was then I had an epiphany about enthusiasts and collectors of every nature….we all love what we do and love to talk about it with like-minded and noobs a like, if you have the passion, they have the time, I shot this last image and I think it sums up the atmosphere of the day perfectly, bunch of mates hanging out talking cars around a car, drinking ghetto sake surrounded by car parts and other car lovers! CARS!!

Till the next time… but before I go, here are some bonus shots for you to enjoy

Adrian.

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FEATURE – 2013 TOKYO AUTO SALON OVERVIEW

280,000 people, 800 cars, 4 days, 12 hours of sleep, 1 M6 convertible, 73 cans of Redbull, and 3000 shots later, the curtain (mercifully), fell on the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon. Come with me as 7Tune takes a look back at the biggest TAS in years… Read more

FEATURE – THE BEE-R ROCKET BUNNY BRZ

The signature yellow, Rocket Bunny wearing, drift machine from Bee Racing in Tokyo, has caused a stir and created a lot of discussion since its conception late last year. Arguments have sprung up on all corners of the net debating what it actually is and Kiyonori Imai from Bee-R just sat back and laughed at all the attention it is receiving. You see, it’s not a Scion FR-S despite wearing Scion badges and anyone with half a brain will also figure out that the Scion FR-S is a LHD model since it was a North American designated model… Read more

FEATURE – 7TUNE EXCLUSIVE 2013 TOKYO AUTO SALON PREVIEW

If you don’t like 86′s and BRZ’s, the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon is definitely not the place for you. Not only is this the biggest salon in years, but it is absolutely LOADED with Toyotas and Subarus. I must have counted one 86 or BRZ for every five or six other cars. There are easily over 100 of Japan’s latest builds on the twin platforms that are sweeping the world and making people gnash their teeth at the sometimes 18 month waiting list to order the cars… Read more

FEATURE – COMING TO 7TUNE IN JANUARY

It was an absolutely MEGA end to 2012 for 7Tune – with almost a dozen events to attend, countless people to meet and a couple of international events to fly to. Here is a rundown on what you can expect on 7Tune in the coming weeks during the first month of 2013… Read more

FEATURE – MAX TV THAILAND

It was back to Thailand for me at the end of December to enjoy another crazy week at one of the absolute best racing festivals on the planet; the 2012 Bangsaen Festival of Speed. My hosts for the week, MAX TV Thailand, graciously arranged for the entire trip, and in very short notice mind you, so all that was left for me to do was pack the Nikon D3, a couple of lenses and document as much of their weekend ( and everyone else’s ) as possible. Here’s how it all unfolded… Read more

WORLD EXCLUSIVE – ABFLUG RELEASE TOYOTA “SPIRAL 86″ FOR TOKYO AUTO SALON 2013

7Tune is proud to announce the exclusive release for Abflug’s latest designs ahead of the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon. In this brief glance at the concepts that are slated to make an appearance on the Abflug stand at the TAS in January, one design stands out head and shoulders among them all when it comes to Japanese performance car enthusiasts; the Abflug “Spiral 86″… Read more

FEATURE – 2012 OKAYAMA HACHI ROKU FESTIVAL PART 2

Having left the paddock, it was time to get serious and train the Nikon D3 and 70-200mm on the cars and drivers as they battled it out on the track. There was an absolutely packed schedule of action going on throughout the day, right from the opening sessions at 8am and culminating in easily the biggest parade of 86′s that I’ve ever seen at 5pm. Which left me with a lot of work to do… and a lot of shots to post… Read more

FEATURE – 2012 OKAYAMA HACHI ROKU FESTIVAL PART 1

Easily one of the best and biggest 86 festivals in the world, the Okayama 86 fest provided an absolute overdose of Hachi goodness in all shapes, colors and configurations. It was quite a hike East to get to the circuit but it was damn well worth it and there’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started… Read more

FEATURE – OKAYAMA 86 FESTIVAL PREVIEW

There’s just way too much content to go through for one or two overviews of this absolutely EPIC day down south at Okayama international circuit. Up to 400 of the countries best Hachi Roku’s converged on the place and I made the 700km south along with Keiichi Tsuchiya and the team from Hot Version to make sure every angle was covered. Go and check out the preview… Read more

FEATURE – 2012 R’S DAY AT FUJI SPEEDWAY PART 1

I returned to Japan from an epic trip to Europe on the 15th of September knowing full well that Sunday the 16th was going to bring with it the mother of all Skyline GT-R days. The weather turned out to be excellent too and Fuji Speedway was packed to the brim with hundreds upon hundreds of Skyline GT-R’s, in all shapes and sizes. Not only that but on the same day, the Drift Muscle championship was being held down at the Short Course and the super popular 1JZ day was on at the Drift track! Let’s take a look around at an epic day out… Read more

EVENTS: DUMPd 2012 – A SECOND IMPRESSION OF DUMPd

Let’s continue with a second look on this already legendary event. Ì lost count about how many great reactions I’ve heard and read from all over Europe. Therefore it’s a pleasure to write another article of this event since we can never talk enough about it. Allard already kicked off with his blog in part one of the 7Tune coverage and there is some more coming. Like most events, the day started early in the morning for the last preparations and set-up for the day. I was a little nervous to be honest with you. But in a good way because I knew it would be a historical day for Dutch car culture..

Some people arrived around 07.00AM to be sure to get a good spot on the indoor area. Welsey was one of those earlybirds with his Sil80 on fresh refurbished Work Meisters.

Near the 7Tune podium there were some of the most impressive cars I’ve ever seen. Adam made sure this Saker got a nice place for the spotlight.

The VAD 993 Revenger did as well.

I don’t know about you guys out there but in my opinion this is the coolest s13 on Dutch soil. In fact this is the first street legal rb25det powered s13 of Holland. You can expect an elaborate feature from Allard in the near future. He will tell you every little thing there is to know about it so stay tuned.

Some people came a long way to visit DUMPd. This second generarion MX-5 has his exterior inspired on WOII. The owner travelled north from Belgium to the Enka factory. This Filthy Penny is screaming: “FEATURE ME!!”.

Another legend from our southern neighbors is this spotless Acura NSX. This beauty was present at the 7Tune & Wangan Warriors meeting back in June. Lovely to see this one present at DUMPd!

The guys from Cable Tie Racing came all the way from Camebridge. Although I see pictures on facebook and various forums of the of Martyn Carters 200sx drifting around on British tracks, It doesn’t look that abused at all. I love the character of this s-body.

I just admire the total concept of this event. Mixing up styles and flavours from diffirent car scenes and display that at a breathtaking location with a historical story.

Everything was possible at DUMPd. If you look to the right, you would see a Toyota Aristo, and when you look the other way you would stand next to the cleanest VW Jetta you could ever Imagine.

I’m a jdm enthousiast but this Jetta just blew my mind and changed my opinion about the VAG scene in general. This example rocked on matching BBS wheels and if you thought you got a clean engine bay…

… you’ve got another thing coming. This was just next level wiretuck cleanness to me.

The VIP scene was represented as well with a few lovely lexus’ . This gs300 on Wald D23′s was one of them.

And not to forget the GS430 which Allard also mentioned in his blog.

Let’s continue with something diffirent, classics. This ’74c corolla is a loved one in the Japanese car scene out here.

It was the first time I saw this Z in real life. If the facebookreactions are correct, this lovely thing will be slammed to the ground in the next season. I hope to spot it again at an event or meeting in 2013.

There is just no ending to showing how many great cars and people who attended the event. This Soarer was a absolute vision. The owner came all the way from Germany. I hope you see in these passed pictures how mixed the show was.

There were so many diffirent kinds of styles and all of which are great. I don’t thing there was anything out there you could dislike if you love car culture in general.

At the end of the day a slammed Jetta was raffled among the visitors, goodies were handed out and everybody left with smiles on their faces. Those who missed this day, hopefully regret it by now because all the pictures and videos online are the living proof of what you missed out on.
Again we thank the organization and all the visitors for a memorable day!

Words and Photo’s – Rens Adams

DUMPd 2012 was supported by:
7Tune
StanceWorks
Illest
Simply Clean
Just Stance
Wheel Whores
WFSU
Wangan Warriors

Make sure to visit our Facebook page for your daily JDM fix and latest news!

7Tune.com – The Ultimate JDM Experience Since 2005

EVENTS: DUMPd 2012 – AN INSTANT CLASSIC

Where do I begin with this one? I was looking forward to DUMPd ever since I was told about it at the beginning of the year. It would be an event that was supposed to raise the bar, think outside of the box, celebrate lifestyle and bring the different communities closer together! And that’s exactly what happened on the 8th of September at the old Enka factory in Ede (NL)!

I hear you thinking: “That sounds cool but isn’t this been done for ages in the US and Japan?”
Yes… but not in Europe and not at this level! From little car shampoo bottles with the DUMPd logo to DUMPd air fresheners to hotel arrangements, the brilliant organization literally thought of everything!

And you just can’t go wrong with a venue like the Enka factory! For a little more info on the history of the Enka (and in case you missed) make sure to check out my DUMPd teaser.

Cars that made the indoor selection where supposed to arrive between 7:00 and 10:00am as the doors to the public would open at 10:00. One of the first to arrive was Wangan Warrior Noud! This car paved the way for a lot of S-chassis owners in Holland as it’s the first street legal S13 with RB25 swap! Noud finished the swap back in 2009 but due to circumstances the car hadn’t seen the streets for almost 2 years. In fact, he finished her in the week before DUMPd and passed MOT with flying colors! As soon as Noud went in others started to follow…

… and before we knew it …

… the Enka was already filled with showstoppers, horsepower beasts and everything in between!

The guys from Vogue Auto Desing (or simply VAD) where kind enough to bring their top two cars to the event. The 993 “revenger” sure looked the part! Thanks for supporting DUMPd and 7Tune guys!

Another big thanks goes out to my buddy Robin Low for providing DUMPd and the 7Tune stage with the freshest beats all day! The DUMPd organization made sure there was more entertainment as well. I really thought the BMX guys where a nice touch to the whole lifestyle scene.

There where so many epic rides selected for this great event that I didn’t really know where to begin.
Next to that I had a chat with so many visitors, friends and family that at one point I had to tear myself away from them and start shooting! These shots are only a impression of all the quality present at DUMPd! Oldschool VAG, Oldschool JDM or newstyle VAG…

… all build in their own special way with their own attention to detail. The diversity was huge but I really fell in love with “Filty Penny”. This WWII inspired ride looked the part with the rusted steelies and cameo wrap! But I loved the VIP merc next to the slammed beamer as well. Or what about the beautiful Silvia couple? Babybleu and purple, a perfect combo! Again two finest from Wangan Warriors.

Another 3 of my favorites! You just cant go wrong with a NSX. But I loved the old Mercedes W115! I am a JDM kind of guy but this was something else. It looked just so… right!
But that was before I had seen this clean Lexus GS430! Work VS wheels, TTE parts and slammed made it a winner in my book! True bippu style is rare as rocking horse poo in Holland so this was a sight for sore eyes!

There’s was also plenty to see outside. Jeroentje Tuning brought his (almost) complete time attack team! The GC8 on the right was only finished weeks prior to DUMPd! The owner, Misha, has cut no corners with this build. The 2.35 liter boxer puts out a whopping 705BHP and 862NM of torque at 2.2 bar boost. And he’s not even satisfied!

*Shot by my lovely sister Luciëlle*
The guy with the big red beard is Johan from Wangan Warriors. Here he is interviewing me (left) and Adam (next to Johan) as well as the guys from Club JDM of Sweden! It was a pleasure meeting you guys and hope to greet you soon in Sweden!

That concludes my coverage of DUMPd 2012.
I would like to congratulate Inne and Michiel for a great event and a memorable day!
Also a big thanks that we where able to be a part of DUMPd!
I loved every minute of it and I’m pretty sure everybody else did as well.

More DUMPd coverage following in the next few days by my buddies Rens and Adam.

DUMPd 2012 was supported by:
7Tune
StanceWorks
Illest
Simply Clean
Just Stance
Wheel Whores
WFSU
Wangan Warriors

Make sure to visit our Facebook page for your daily JDM fix and latest news!

7Tune.com – The Ultimate JDM Experience Since 2005

Words and Photo’s – Allard van Grafhorst

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