In Japan, the Mooneyes Hot Rod Custom Show is known as the meet for hot rod, chopper and lowrider enthusiasts, but it has a little brother: the Nagoya Speed and Custom Show. While Nagoya may not be quite as big as its older sibling, it definitely has some tricks of its own.
We were able to meet up with the event organizer, Toshi, who also happens to head the Japan operations of Deadend Magazine. Thanks to Toshi, we were able to get early access to the event hall to avoid the crowds that would envelope the hall upon opening.
In its fourth year, the Nagoya Speed & Custom Show boasted 250 of some of the best hot-rods and lowriders in Japan, along with plenty of choppers, café racers and custom bikes. In the other hall, 300 additional booths provided enough goods for all the swap meet hunters.
All of the cars had to pass the keen eye of Toshi in order to make entry into the event. It was very difficult to pick our favorites, but here goes:
Pharaoh's Sedan
A 1954 Chevrolet Two-Ten greeted us as we entered the venue and definitely set the bar high early into our visit.
Colorful Lowrider
This 1949 Chevrolet 3100 Trokita looked amazing with its flawless paint, interior and chrome work. We would love to take it for a cruise, but we can imagine all the anxiety that would arise over everything that could possibly damage the finish.
Scorched Earth
Impalas are famous within the lowrider scene, and we were especially fond of this cleanly shaven chop top Impala.
Limbo Rock
When your car is this low, do you even need to pay at a parking garage?
Hi-Fence
Had to get out some tissue to wipe the drool from the corners of our mouths when we came upon the HFCC collection of classic cup cars, including Toyota Corolla E30s, Datsun 510s and B110 Sunnys.
Who's Your Daddy?
The engine swaps from Daddy Motorworks really made us rethink our life accomplishments. Every car they brought had an awesome swap, including a 1974 Crown with a 1UZ and a Mark II with a 1JZ. Besides their drag cars and Hakosuka, we were most impressed with the VQ35-swapped Nissan Sunny.
