EVENTS – CHRIS GRAY ON TAS 2012

January 23, 2012 by Adam Zillin
Filed under Car Shows, Latest Articles

‘Tokyo Auto Salon’, the one show of the year that gives every car enthusiast goosebumps at the thought of attending and seeing what new cars and products are on display…

Luckily for me, I have been able to attend quite a bit in the past but even now, I still get excited at the thought of catching the train and walking through the doors of the Makuhari Messe every year.

My weekend started early, with a special invite to attend the Rauh Welt RWB New Years Party in Tokyo…

After a great night for RWB and 7TUNE, it was back to business as always. Signing on as Press is the only way to guarantee any good quality photographs from this show.

The HUGE crowds at Tokyo Auto Salon make it exceptionally difficult to enjoy, not to mention the thousands of ‘Otaku’ who attend only for the Race Queen girls, with little to no interest in anything with four wheels, unless she is on a pair of Roller-skates.

After battling my way through the halls of Makuhari Messe it was clear to see this year was all about the ‘Toyota 86’ and ‘Nissan GTR’.

Of course it is 5 years now since the R35 GTR made its debut in Japan, and it is clear for all to see that the Japanese have really started to tear it apart and build on it, developing a huge variety of Tuning Parts along the way.

In the current Economic climate, this is very rewarding to see, and gave many the impression of ‘Recession? What Recession?!’

As a Toyota man, and in particular ‘AE86’ owner, I was more focused on the Gazoo Racing, Toyota TRD, and Privateer end of things.

There were some very interesting Toyotas throughout the show, but it was mostly dominated by the new ‘Toyota 86’. As expected, there were plenty on show, from Drift cars, to Grip, some with mild tuning, and some with wild tuning, such as the Greddy and TRD Modellista versions.

The lack of ‘old-school’ and AE86 (Hachi-Roku) did disappoint me, but I could tell that we are in a transition period, and probably the best thing that has happened in the last 15 years is the new ‘Toyota 86. The car industry has been crying out for something fun again, and this car is going to change the future for everyone.

I escaped the show at peak time and decided to leave for some lunch and look through some photos to see where I could improve. After a quick recharge and tactical plan of how I can get the photos I want while avoiding the Otaku, I ventured back to the show. The late afternoon was a little less crowded and easier for taking good photos while still maintaining the busy Tokyo atmosphere.

After taking a brief walk around the Drift Arena outside, I decided to focus more on the ‘Option Tuning Gallery Hall’, which for me boasted some of the best cars of the show. I will do a more detailed article on that soon.

As the evening started to wind down, I found myself in a lengthy discussion with Inada Daijiro (The Owner / Founder of Option and Tokyo Auto Salon). The history and stories of this guy are just fascinating, and to enjoy a good chat on a one-to-one, certainly made my weekend.