Last August we reported that former F1 driver Takuma Sato was going to be taking part in the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique driving a first-gen Honda Civic RS. The historic rally only allows cars that participated in the race between 1977 and 1986, and the Civic is the only Honda eligible. Students at the Honda Technical College restored two Civics to enter in the race. Continue reading
QotW: What car unfairly lives in the shadow of another?
Today, February 2, is Number Two Day in Japan. It’s an occasion to celebrate the penultimates, such as Mt Kitadake, the second tallest mountain in the country after Mt Fuji, or the Shinkoro Clock Tower, the second oldest clock tower in Japan after the one in Sapporo. In the automotive world there are forms of conventional wisdom that are taken for granted. The FD is the best RX-7. The Land Cruiser is better than the Pajero. The GT-R slots above the Z. These assumptions have been baked in for so long that most don’t question them. But are they true? In the spirit of the holiday, what are some Number Two cars that should actually be Number One?
What car unfairly lives in the shadow of another?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What are your rules for parking your car in public?“. Continue reading
Posted in Question of the Week
16 Comments
Tokyo Auto Salon 2026’s sonohoka
The Tokyo Auto Salon assaults your senses while packing you into a sardine can, It’s a Hyper Rev in physical form. Everything that you know, and even stuff you forgot existed, is there, and it’s impossible to see and do everything, The Japanese word sonohoka means “the rest,” akin to “odds and ends” or “et cetera“. Here’s some TAS 2026 sonohoka that we saw briefly but didn’t have a chance to go in depth on. Continue reading
Posted in San Mamiya's Corner, Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged 180sx, a20, a30, bre, celica, crown, Crown S30, Endless brakes, fairlady z, gloria, mazda, nissan, NV200, os giken, p30, porter, publica, r32, re amemiya, rocky auto, s13, soarer, subaru, tokyo auto salon, Top Secret, toyota, TRA Kyoto, Vertex, Z30
2 Comments
Nissan Skyline GT-Rs abound at the Tokyo Auto Salon’s Craft Sports booth
Okay, fine. We’ve shown you the obscure Isuzus and Daihatsus from the Tokyo Auto Salon, but people need their Skyline GT-R fix. It used to be that just seeing any Skyline GT-R was an unforgettable moment in a Gran Turismo-lover’s life, but these days R32 through R34 chassis are expected sights at any stateside car show. To catch attention one really has to crank up the wow factor, and that’s just what the Craft Sports booth did. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged nissan, r32, r33, r34, Skyline GT-R, tokyo auto salon, Tommykaira
2 Comments
A selection of Tokyo Auto Salon’s (mostly) stock cars
The Tokyo Auto Salon is known for insane builds, but that kind of stuff can be overwhelming. However, there are stock or mostly stock cars being restored and preserved, even among the pandemonium. Here are some of the cars that we came across. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged 180sx, datsun, fairlady z, fd3s, GR GT3, honda, life, mazda, nissan, Nissan S13, nsx, rx-7, s13, tokyo auto salon, toyota, z32
2 Comments
TOM’s Heritage gives you a peak tuner-era Toyota AE86 for $87,000
Two years ago at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon, TOM’s announced a heritage car program to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Rather than factory-perfect restorations, the cars coming out of TOM’s Heritage are what the company calls “reconstructions” based on the Toyota tuner’s greatest hits. This year at TAS, they turned their attention to the iconic AE86. Continue reading
QotW: What are your rules for parking your car in public?
On this day in 1959, Tokyo installed its first parking meter in front of the Metropolitan Government building (near what is now the Tokyo International Forum) in Yurakucho. The cost was ¥10 for 15 minutes. Around the same time, Tokyo also opened its first paid parking lot, near Tokyo Station. For those who care about their cars, parking is always a fraught exercise. Do you circle the lot for a wider spot at the end of a row, or just go for the closest? Do you avoid trees? Are you allergic to paying for a spot? If not, do you ever let a valet touch your car? We know you must have some hard and fast rules for temporarily leaving your car.
What are your rules for parking your car in public?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What car separates seasoned car enthusiasts from the superficial?“. Continue reading
Toyota Mark II surprises at Tokyo Auto Salon with Amemiya-built rotary engine
One of the cars that stopped us in our tracks at the Tokyo Auto Salon was a lone Toyota Mark II parked amidst a sea of Mazdas. Why? Despite being the archetypical Bubble Era Toyota sedan, this GX71 jettisoned its Aichi straight-six for a Hiroshima rotary, complete with the stamp of RE-Amemiya’s Isami Amemiya himself — and RX71, if you will. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged mark II, mazda, rotary engine, tokyo auto salon, toyota, x70
3 Comments
Toyota exec confirms development of mid-engined sports car
A Toyota exec has confirmed what rumors have long hinted at: Toyota is building a mid-engined sports car. Toyota is one of only a handful of carmakers that have built a midship performance car, so although the name hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’s only natural that enthusiasts refer to it as the MR2. Continue reading
Daihatsu Hijet dekotora makes epic splash at Tokyo Auto Salon
The Tokyo Auto Salon showcases the pinnacle of car customization. But if you’re Daihatsu, and you don’t have much in terms of high-performance cars in your lineup, how do you make a splash among the drift missiles, VIP sleds, and supercars? That’s where the Daihatsu Hijet dekotora came in. Continue reading
Isuzu 117 Coupé quietly steals the spotlight at Tokyo Auto Salon
The Tokyo Auto Salon is full of wild sights, but one car that stood out from the noise was a wonderfully understated Isuzu 117 Coupé. The yellow classic was displayed at the Dunlop Japan booth showing off new Synchro Weather tires. Turns out, the car is owned by Japanese model and artist Maya Michiki. Continue reading
QotW: What car separates seasoned car enthusiasts from the superficial?
One of the most annoying things about being a car enthusiast is that non-car enthusiasts automatically assume you like Bugattis and Lambos. I’d take a decades-old Toyota any day of the week. Many people who don’t know much about cars — as well as many who purport to — default to exotics as the “best” cars, as if price was directly correlated with goodness, quality, and driving pleasure. And yet, these same people usually look upon with disdain the cars readers here hold in high regard. There are cars that take a truly cultured car enthusiast to recognize, like a Toyota Cressida, Nissan Sentra SE-R, or any double-wishbone Honda. Appreciation for such machines is the mark of a connoisseur.
What car separates seasoned car enthusiasts from the superficial?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Which Japanese tuning house would you most like to visit?“. Continue reading
Restored Nissan March gets surprise visit from Toyota, Honda execs at Tokyo Auto Salon
Last year SuperGT team owner Masahiro Kondo bought a clean but tired 1984 Nissan March. He then handed the car over to students at Nissan Technical College, who brought it back to show-level quality. It was unveiled at last weekend’s Tokyo Auto Salon, and drew some surprise visitors to Nissan’s booth — namely, Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda and Honda Racing president Koji Watanabe. Continue reading
Posted in News, Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged Akio Toyota, honda, K10, march, Masahiro Kondo, nissan, tokyo auto salon, toyota
4 Comments
OS Giken Fairlady Z’s touge run is pure twin-cam music
There’s lots of buzz about NISMO’s twin-cam L-series head, but there’s been another one that has existed for much longer. The DOHC OS Giken TC24-B1Z was conceived 50 years ago, but is so rare and expensive that only 20 are said to exist. At the recent Tokyo Auto Salon OS Giken released a video of their Nissan TC24-powered S30 Fairlady Z tearing it up on a touge, and it’s seven minutes of aural bliss. Continue reading
Honda NSX interpreted by ItalDesign debuts at Tokyo Auto Salon
The Honda NSX that ItalDesign teased last September was shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon over the weekend. Turns out, the Giugiaro-founded design firm’s reimagining of the Japanese supercar is based on the NC1, the second-generation NSX, rather than the first-gen. It does include some tributes to the original as well, though interpreted for modern times. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged 2009 tokyo auto salon, advan, honda, Italdesign, NC1, nsx
9 Comments
Nissan Fairlady Z gets a new nose and green paint code
Unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon, the facelifted Nissan Z finally addresses the car’s biggest design flaw. Its new nose gets rid of the large rectangular grille and replaces it with a sleek divided opening that’ makes it the best-looking iteration of the RZ34 yet. Nissan also introduced a new green inspired by a color option on the S30. Continue reading
QotW: Which Japanese tuning house would you most like to visit?
We’re currently in Japan for the Tokyo Auto Salon, but to maximize our visit we’re also on a tour of some Japanese tuning houses. They specialize in all sorts of cars, some a specific model, others a general make, and others a broad range of marques. These legendary garages have become globally recognized for their work in making the best cars in the world even better. Most are nondescript from the outside, but stepping foot into one of these spots can feel like entering sacred ground, especially if for years you’ve seen their cars in magazines, played them in Gran Turismo, or collected diecast versions of them. Everyone should make a pilgrimage.
Which Japanese tuning house would you most like to visit?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Which car from 2001 would you import?“. Continue reading
Honda goes heavy on heritage in Tokyo Auto Salon lineup
The headliner for Honda at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon is the Prelude, but the company really leaned into its history for much of its display. For example, this Civic e:HEV RS, which shares a powertrain with the Prelude, was decked out in the same livery as the JAACS EG6 Civic that won the 1993 Japan Touringcar Championship. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
Tagged civic, Civic Type R, FL5, honda, Honda Heritage Parts, n-one, nsx, prelude, racing mate, SuperGT
4 Comments
Toyota 86 with pop-up headlights to debut at Tokyo Auto Salon
People love a pop-up headlight. What was once a compromise between aerodynamics and a lighting rules has become, like tailfins or stripe decal packages, a beloved marker of a bygone era. Updated laws and technology have made retractable headlights obsolete, so even when a car has been ostensibly designed as a tribute to a pop-up-equipped car, like the like the ZN6 was to the AE86, the successor doesn’t need them. Even so, one Japanese tuner has rectified that. Continue reading
Is Akio Toyoda bringing a Toyota MR2 to the Tokyo Auto Salon?
Toyota has released an audio clip in which the big man himself, Akio Toyoda, suggests that he’s bringing a Toyota MR2 to the Tokyo Auto Salon. The soundbite, in which the chairman discusses a mid-engined sports car with an unnamed Toyota employee, has sent fans around the world into a frenzy of speculation. Continue reading
Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon
5 Comments
