Tokyo Auto Salon - Events

If you work around here, the Auto Salon is talked about in hushed, reverential terms. Only the chosen ones have been, and whisper about wonders that defy description.

So imagine their annoyance when we were invited to Japan to test Yokohama's new S.drive tires, treading their hallowed ground (see p90). It would be like barbarians entering the gates of Rome - or the Japanese equivalent.

So there we were, riding the train to the Auto Salon, confident that if there weren't any cars we could at least look at girls!

As it turns out, the Auto Salon is like any other car show. Big surprise! All the mysticism disappeared as soon as we saw the same booths, lights and signs as SEMA. The only real difference was the language and that you couldn't read anything, but we're adaptable...

As it turned out, the show was a great experience. It's held at Makuhari Messe (Nippon Convention Center), is open for three days and public access is allowed (unlike SEMA). There are some pretty wild JDM tuners but the bigger ones are well represented in the USA, anyway.

Tein showed off its new range of monotube Euro Dampers with more comfortable and quieter settings, plus its EDFC in-car electronic shock adjustment system

Speaking of the USA, Dub magazine had a booth complete with an Escalade and Hummer. And we found a sprinkling of 300Cs among the exhibition booths. It's good to see the latest American culture continues to infect distant lands.

Fortunately, we also found a sprinkling of Euros, but discovered most Euro tuners avoid this show, preferring to attend the Tokyo Import Show later in the year. So we waved at the girls, ate noodles and enjoyed the event.

You can find full details on the websitewww.e-autosalon.net but click the button for the English version.

While the Essen Motor Show in Germany (et 3/07) is a better event for Euro enthusiasts looking to make an overseas pilgrimage, we can't understate how much fun we had in Tokyo - thanks largely to our Yokohama hosts who looked after us like family.

The Fabulous Ferrari F430 lived up to its name. Less about bling, it was more about deep spoilers with carbon inserts and a very, very big wing. With its chrome wheels, this was West Coast meets Far East	IS.ME is an interior upholstery company with some very unusual ideas. It's Z4 demonstrator had a quilt-stitched tonneau cover, with matching panels along the trans tunnel.	Japanese BMW tuner Studie was responsible for this E91 3-Series Touring with full Schnitzer conversion and multi-screen trunk install
Tein shipped its widebody GTI from our cover shoot last month to Tokyo and it was probably the best Euro on display	Top-end Japanese styling house Fabulous presented this Mercedes CL600 with gem-encrusted badging	Ersteklasse Z4 sported outlandish spoilers and wings