Anyone who's ever been to a bigger car show knows the excitement brought on by the sights and sounds of cars passing by while walking into the venue. Sometimes, on lucky occasions, the show in the parking lot is even nearly as good as the show inside. For Tokyo Auto Salon, the main parking lot at Makuhari Messe (comfortably accommodating over 3,750 cars) was a veritable sea of gems tucked between the ranks of commuter cars.
Walking out of the venue on the crisp morning of the second day of TAS, visitors were immediately greeted by this pair—an R30 RS-X Turbo C Skyline parked next to a S15 Silvia.
While the R30 retains more of a cult following than the general adoration shown to the R32, R33 and R34 Skyline generations, the distinctly angular body and JCCS show-quality condition of this particular example are to be admired.
Behind that pair was another interesting—and inevitably more polarizing—find. This Mazda CX-5, sporting a lift with full-on livery, overfenders, mud flaps and bash bar garnered the attention of many passers-by on the way into the show.
While it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, it was definitely one of the most eye-catching lot finds.
Just down the row was a pair of Toyota Velfires, each modified in similar-yet-distinct ways.
The 60+ lights (not counting the LEDs surrounding the main projector headlights) in the front fascia of the purple Vellfire and larger wing above four titanium exhaust tips on the black Vellfire are definite highlights of the otherwise expectedly-aggressive body modifications on this type of Japanese van.
This NSX is definitely hard to miss, the red etched paint blazing in the sunlight.
The chin spoiler and rear diffuser hovering a single inch or less off the parking lot’s pavement added to the overall presence of the setup.
This bagged GTR sitting next to a shakotan Bluebird back near the front of the parking lot shows a progression of low-car styling over the years.
The last gem of this lot is actually a pair of gems: an R34 in the iconic Bayside Blue paint next to a panda AE86.
No matter what automotive associations one may have, these two are easily in the top five most recognizable JDM cars of all time. To have them parked next to each other was a definite treat!
