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Posted
Feb 01 2012, 07:30 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 56 comment(s)
I thought I'd take a quick break from my JCCA New Year Meeting coverage to post some street sightings from the roads of Japan. I've been here for a week now, and whenever possible I've tried to bring my camera to grab photos of various cars I see rolling around....
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Posted
Jan 27 2012, 06:00 PM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 20 comment(s)
This final selection of images will bring the Tokyo Auto Salon coverage to an end. Looking back at it, this year's show was a great reminder of why we all love the Japanese turning culture so much. Its diversity and continuous evolution has fueled it for decades and it seems to have picked up even more momentum as we begin this New Year. So let's get on with it and take a look at some of the cars we may not have touched on yet... ...and whatever else I thought stood out in the vastness of...
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Posted
Jan 27 2012, 05:00 PM
by
Patrick McGrath
with 54 comment(s)
Before I started my job as a full time Speedhunter, I was a regular reader of the site. Looking back, I was pretty ignorant towards many of the varying aspects of car culture. I would often just skip past things without any consideration, searching only for those stories that appealed to me and my tastes. Since coming on-board though, I've had every one of my opinions and viewpoints challenged on a daily basis. I've attended shows and events I never would have even considered previously and...
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Posted
Jan 26 2012, 07:00 AM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 28 comment(s)
Let's continue on with the TAS 2012 coverage and take a look at some of the imports that were present this year. Popularity of imported cars has flourished in Japan over the last decade, the most recognized brands being an almost universally accepted status symbol. One walk through the streets of central Tokyo and most first time visitors to Japan will probably be wondering where all the JDM cars have gone! For the wealthy the choices are obvious... ...exotics like the 458 Italia make for excellent...
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Posted
Jan 25 2012, 09:00 PM
by
Mike Garrett
with 18 comment(s)
The Moby D i c k Porsche 935/78 is one of the most famous race cars ever, and it's one that's been recreated in scale form by countless diecast and plastic model brands. Taking things even further, we recently came across this incredible Moby replica built entirely out of Lego....
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Posted
Jan 23 2012, 10:00 PM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 23 comment(s)
The VIP and Vanning scenes are integral parts of the Japanese tuning culture, styles that define the uniqueness of Japan. It might not be performance oriented but no matter what you are into, you just can't help but take an intrest in rides like this MJK Customs Celsior... ...sporting widened front and rear fenders and full original aero. The great thing about VIP is that over the years it has evolved and branched off in various directions spawning some pretty interesting variations on what is...
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Posted
Jan 20 2012, 11:30 AM
by
Rod Chong
with 59 comment(s)
Since the start of Speedhunters in 2008, I've made a point of reading literally every single comment posted on our stories. I'm always interested to see what you think of our work, both the good and the bad. There are always changes going on in automotive trends and tastes, and reading your comments helps to provide snapshots of the Speedhunters audience's mood at any given moment. So when the results of the Great Speedhunters Audience survey came up last month, there weren't too...
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Posted
Jan 19 2012, 07:30 PM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 32 comment(s)
From rotaries we move onto some S-chassis, but since there weren't that many this year I've decided to combine Fairlady Zs to the post too, once again an all-Nissan selection! We start off with the R.Y.O. S13 "Odyvia" which I already ran a spotlight on back in October , when I first laid eyes on it at the D1 final in Fuji. It's as wild looking from every angle and proof that things down in the south of Japan are done a little differently. You can always expect to find nice rides...
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Posted
Jan 19 2012, 11:00 AM
by
Ross Ianson
with 17 comment(s)
Of all the component parts of a car, only one can evoke the kind of passion that can break friendships and cause people to break out the CAPS LOCK in internet arguments - wheels! Obviously a very important component, and also one of the key styling features of all cars. The wrong choice of size or style can make or break even the world's best cars. Remember the entry level 2004 E60 BMW? Amazing car, tiny wheels and it looked odd! With such a wide and varied selection of vehicles at Autosport...
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Posted
Jan 19 2012, 08:00 AM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 43 comment(s)
After a nice selection of GT-Rs in the previous post let's take a look at the rotaries that were present at the show. A lot of these cars we all know well and have seen before, others like the RE-Amemiya Super NA7 were quite the surprises... ...much like Mad Mike's FD at the Rays booth. I found one of my favorite RX-7s on the little cornered off RH9 part of the show, the RE-Wing FD which was recently blasting around Tsukuba at the Super Battle event in December. What makes this car special...
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Posted
Jan 17 2012, 07:00 PM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 33 comment(s)
There was quite the explosion of GT-R popularity at this year's Tokyo Auto Salon. It seems that after four years that it's been around, tuners and parts makers have really caught up and are churning out upgrades for serious big power and performance. We can't however forget the previous generation of the car, there might have not been many on display at the show but what was present was mouthwateringly good like this BNR34 from Art Tech Hanatsuka... ...on display at the RH9 booth. That's...
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Posted
Jan 17 2012, 07:00 AM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 43 comment(s)
For me the second show day at the Tokyo Auto Salon started with a freezing walk through the parking lot before heading into the warm halls of the exhibition center. Having seen thousands of people lining up at the entrance, hours before the doors were due to open at 9 am, I made good use of the time I had to shoot as quickly and as efficiently as possible before pretty much every car on show was going to disappear behind the crowds. On top of the show cars there was the action out on the makeshift...
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Posted
Jan 16 2012, 06:00 AM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 42 comment(s)
Let's finish up the TAS parking lot tour before we head back into the exhibition area for the Day 2 coverage. I thought it would be a pity not to devote another post to the coolest rides that I came across. There was just so much to see, the selection growing by the minute as a continuous stream of cars kept flowing in. Lets start with this pair of JZX100s, sitting side by side as the sun began to rise a little higher in the sky. You can't go wrong with a Toyota Aristo. It can be a capable...
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Posted
Jan 16 2012, 04:00 AM
by
Ross Ianson
with 16 comment(s)
With the excesses of Christmas and New Year now a distant memory, the Autosport International Racing Car Show signals the build-up to the 2012 motorsport season. For my first report from Autosport I'll be taking a look around the Pistonheads Performance Car show. Porsche Club GB was my first port of call, and I was immediately grabbed by this immaculate and ultra-rare 924 Carrera GT they had on display. With only 400 produced as homologation specials, the Carrera GT is one of the ultimate incarnations...
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Posted
Jan 15 2012, 07:00 AM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 37 comment(s)
In Japan there is always something everyone needs to do when heading to events or shows. Walk through the parking lots and take a look at the cars; it's often a show all of its own, and an accurate representation of what people drive on the street. So after what was nothing more than a nap, I was back up on my feet at 5:30 am on Saturday morning and got into the Makuhari Messe parking lot an hour or so after that. I thought I was probably too early, but as ever such assumptions should never be...
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Posted
Jan 14 2012, 07:00 PM
by
Dino Dalle Carbonare
with 59 comment(s)
This year's Tokyo Auto Salon certainly had a few surprises up its sleeves. As you probably gathered from my behind the scenes post of the set up day , it seemed the Japanese tuners really stepped their game up. It wasn't so much a case of an increase in cars or booths, but more involved builds, lots of exciting new parts and an overall better atmosphere. After a couple of years of decreased interest, TAS was back with a vengeance! Before I begin focusing in detail on the main cars that stood...
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Posted
Jan 10 2012, 07:10 PM
by
Charles Kha
with 26 comment(s)
To kick off Part 2 of our NAIAS coverage we'll begin with Hyundai's new Genesis Coupe. Although much of the recent spotlight has been on a different FR platform - namely the Toyota 86 - the toughened up Genesis Coupe grabbed plenty of attention in Detroit. The new Genesis Coupe will be offered in 2.0 litre turbo and V6 variations, with the latter outputting a considerable 348hp. It's quite evident that Hyundai are targeting car enthusiasts with their new line-up, as they also unveiled...
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Posted
Jan 09 2012, 01:00 PM
by
Charles Kha
with 60 comment(s)
Detroit is abuzz today with the world's press descending on the North American International Auto Show for the Media Preview. One of largest car shows in the U.S., the event officially opens its doors to the public this Saturday. This year's NAIAS sees an interesting mix of concepts and new cars breaking cover. Mercedes-Benz debuted the new SL, which features an almost all aluminum body. Slightly longer and wider than its predecessor, the new SL will be powered by bi-turn 4.6l V8 producing...
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Posted
Dec 31 2011, 08:00 AM
by
Jonathan Moore
with 12 comment(s)
Alongside the main National Motor Museum and Top Gear areas at Beaulieu in England is the James Bond exhibition: when I visited the museum earlier this year there was a small but quality range of cars on show from various Bond films, serving as a taster for 2012 when there will be even more 007-themed cars on display celebrating 50 years of celluloid Bond. Cars in James Bond films usually offer up the perfect blend of high performance crossed with technology, gadgets and lethal weaponry. How often...
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Posted
Dec 30 2011, 05:20 AM
by
Rod Chong
with 34 comment(s)
As we wind down the last of our 2011 stories, I thought it would be fun to put together a different type of themed gallery, which focuses on the much sought after Speedhunters stickers. Whenever we attend events, Speedhunters team members around the world are normally more than happy to give out these stickers. You just have to come up to us and ask! We estimate that over 20,000 of Speedhunters stickers have been printed since the website began, perhaps more. As a result, we often encounter our own...
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