The Japanese Performance Show - 2018
This is no ordinary collection of autos, this is Japanese glamour at its very best - welcome to the Japanese Performance Show, 2018.
Japanese glamour at its very best - welcome to the Japanese Performance Show, 2018.
The NAEC, (National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre), at Stoneleigh in the Midlands is a unique venue. Each year, minus agricultural machinery, it plays host to the only Japanese indoor car show in the UK.
Alongside an impressive exhibition hall are a series of connected 'barns' together with an adjacent outdoor area - the stage for the many and various motor clubs to present their wares at the event.
Photo courtesy of googlemaps.com
The exhibition hall hosts the main 'Show & Shine' area. The high level lighting enabling the cars to look their very best.
And the standard for 2018 was exceptionally high.
Away from the main hall rows of neatly lined Club cars fit perfectly into the barns at Stoneleigh. And again, indoor lighting makes for impressively photogenic cars.
It's the perfect place for browsing the huge variety of Japanese car makes and marques on display, from cute Suzuki Swifts, to a row of hungry Skylines.
R33 Nissan Skylines line up, (they look like they might bite).
More clubs line up in the barns as the 'best' generation of MR2 heads up some shining Celicas.
Outside the hall and barns is an outdoor 'Show & Shine' area plus monster sound system:
The stage outside keeps the music going - retro tunes with a 'Kisstory set' from Kiss FM's DJ Neev.
The range of vehicles is broad, covering OEM; OEM+; Power & Performance; Works of Art; and downright Funky presentations, see the intensely green Mitsubishi GTO above.
If you want a 'snapshot' of Japanese car culture, there is no better show.
The Artistry.
Some beautiful works of anime adorn many cars:
The custom wraps and artwork on display - stunning.
Everywhere you looked, examples of cars either refined, preserved or adorned as in the fiery Lexus GS pictured above, or framed by light such as this beautiful Nissan Silvia S14a below.
Audio isn't forgotten with some impressive installations.
And a dancing Civic Sedan completes the picture.
I couldn't resist another look at the 'mad' Lexus.
It appears to be engulfed in some kind of plasma storm.
Honda always have a strong presence and as a Honda 'fanboy' it was time for the letter R.
R is for Honda.
The first Type R to hit UK shores was the DC2 Integra, followed by the Accord Type R. Then the Civic - now in its fifth version, the FK8.
The Civic firmly cemented the Type R brand as something special - not just a pretty badge or cynical marketing ploy. It was a car to be tuned and individualised, (see the FN2 below).
The FN2 was followed by FK2 Civic Type R seen below. Power was now an impressive 305BHP, an increase of over 100BHP.
What draws many to the Civic is the ability to use it as a building block and to apply changes to the stock set up. A case in point being the FN2 below.
Highly modified and tuned - race prepped with power well in excess of 500BHP, (I forget the exact figure, but, it was a lot) - a Type R on steroids, note the roll cage.
But the second generation of Civic Type R, the EP3, gave the brand mass appeal.
For many it was their first Type R experience. Lightweight with 197BHP derived from a screaming two litre VTEC engine.
And so it came to pass that - by law - any Japanese car show must feature a row of EP3s.
I follow that row of Civic Type R's with a couple of R's bearing the Accord badge:
The EuroR and CL1 above are essentially Type R Accords - 217BHP with majestic handling.
The first Civic Type R also makes an appearance.
Released in 1997 the EK9 Civic Type R was a pocket rocket boasting 182BHP in a lightweight body weighing in at just over 1000kgs.
The fourth and final version of the acclaimed Integra, released in 2001. The DC5 Type R came with the same K20 engine as the Accord EuroR, and is still one of the best ever handling FWD cars. For UK customers it was an import only.
Quite the presence at the show was this second gen Type R 'wide body' NS-X - centre stage - and it needs to be.
As striking as the NS-X was an S2000 drew the eye and the following may well raise the bar?
OMG.
Race prepped R33 Nissan Skyline. I'm too old to be using the OMG acronym- But - Seriously though, OMG.
And then we move on to a small hatchback...
Wide body EK9 Honda Civic complete with engine transplant.
Under the Hood.
Engine bays become pristine works of art, tucked and smoothed, reworked with performance parts.
The tucked engine bay of a modified S2000.
Now compare to the look of an OEM engine bay:
Above the 2.2 DOHC VTEC H22A8 in a 5th Generation Motegi Prelude, 197BHP.
Another Prelude engine bay - this time very different. No more a H22 in this JDM Type S, now a K20 from the DC5 Integra, but no ordinary K20.
The K series VTEC engine is supercharged - tuned it's capable of in excess of 500BHP.
Exhaust systems are equally treated.
The car in question, the Subaru Impreza 'Jaw Drop' Edition, (at least that's what I called it).
And no show would be complete without the brutish presence of the Nissan GT-R:
From highly modified works of art moving onto older gems.
Classics.
The original Skyline from Nissan - Released in 1969 as a four door salon then in 1971 the coupe version came along, going on to inspire 5 generations of GT-R Skyline.
Nissan gave this car a straight 6 DOHC with 161BHP. And remember, this is no modern obesity at just 1100kg - so it's fast by todays standards.
To a more modern era and onto the eighties.
Within the 5th generation Corolla range lay this jewel, the Toyota AE86, also know as the 'Sprinter Trueno' or 'Corolla Levin'.
Production ran from 1983-1987. The car became a drifiting legend and the AE86 would go on to inspire Toyota's GT86. The simple lines are gentle on the eye when compared to modern automotive angularities, (and don't forget the pop up headlights).
Moving on to the late nineties and Nissan Silvia's.
This Japanese classic is simply stunning, a timeless design from 1990's:
And the Nissan S15 Silvia - Only available in Japanese, Australian and New Zealand showrooms. For everyone else it had to be imported.
Nissan where on form when they gave us the breathtaking S15 Silvia, unfortunately production ran for a relatively short 3 years. OEM, the four pot turbo gave 247BHP, and it is such a beauty.
A four wheel steer Motegi Prelude, a UKDM variant of the last generation of Prelude continues the late 90's theme of the Silvia.
An OEM example of a now rare breed parked by a luxurious people carrier, a JDM Honda Odyssey.
Another Prelude lurks outside:
A 4th Generation JDM...(errr I'd better move on from the Prelude before I'm accused of gross bias).
Present day goodies and the Nissan 370Z turned my head. The current Nismo edition of this car boasts 339BHP and 5.2 seconds to reach 60mph.
The JDM version is know as the Fairlady Z Z34 and is the sixth generation of Nissan's famed Z series car.
Is yellow the new 'must have' colour?
Import only.
Japanese manufacturers have always expressed themselves more within their own market. Take the Odyssey, a Honda people carrier. In Europe it was know as the somewhat dreary Shuttle and lasted just one generation. In Japan it's up to generation five and is far from being just another mundane people carrier.
Air suspension on this stunning 2006 third generation Honda Odyssey with a 2.4 litre DOHC VTEC engine.
And Honda are not the only brand to withhold - Take Toyota and the Chaser.
The Chaser was basically a salon version of the Supra, rear wheel drive, over 270BHP and racing pedigree in the Japanese Touring Car Championship.
A sixth generation above. The Chaser you wanted came with a 2.5 litre turbocharged straight six with variable valve technology. As an alternative to a big german saloon? Yes please.
Nissan where also guilty of non disclosure, a 'GT-R' you may not know - The Stagea.
The alter ego of the GT-R is a striking estate with a front end taken from an R34 Skyline. The Stagea shares many of it's mechanicals and drivetrain with the R33 Skyline, boasting 4WD with a 276BHP inline six.
Away from these JDM exclusives and more traditional Japanese iconography.
The Supra's.
After the AE86, Toyota return with another jewel in the JDM crown.
The A80 4th Generation Supra.
Production ran from 1993, for an impressive 9 years. At it's most powerful the stock A80 Supra had 321BHP via the twin turbo 2JZ-GTE inline six.
Just as with the Type R, it is also 'law' that the Supra attend in number.
That includes the third gerneration of Supra.
The A70 ran from 1986 to 1993. JDM models in the 90's featured the 2.5 litre 1JZ-GTE twin turbo inline six offering over 270BHP.
Arguably it's the A80 that started the Supra 'love affair'.
Though a 5th generation of Supra is due, I'm not sure it will engender the same passion as the 4th generation.
Analogue times.
Another 90's classic is the Mazda RX7 FD, with a twin-turbocharged, twin-rotor wankel engine - and just 1.3 litres - capable of propelling the car to near 160mph, (in stock form).
Simply beautiful cars and examples of the last of an analogue breed of performance car in which the driver was the critical component - More so than the cars software and army of sensors.
The RX-7 lasted 3 generations with production running from 1978-2002.
In third generation, FD form - Japans E-Type moment?
Proper Power.
I'll end with a different take on Japanese performance:
As has been proven countless times, the Hilux is pretty much indestructable, and as an Aussie told Clarkson, or was it May, and I paraphrase, "If you want to go into the outback you can take a Land Rover, but, if you want to return you'll need a Toyota", (might have been referring to the Land Cruiser, but, Toyota, so still counts).
Great cars, Great People, Great Day.
The show goes from strength to strength and all credit to the organisers for one of the highlights of the year. I've merely skimmed the surface and hopefully given you a flavour of this annual event.
On a personal note it was a privilge for the Prelude to join the main hall. The Ficus Green has never looked better.
For more stunning imagery from this years show please check out:
Hope you enjoyed this rambling and opionated photo journey. Apologies to all the fine cars not featured, please check the link for more stunning motors.
Kind regards,
Richard
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Comments (2)
I like the Oddysey and the Stagea and basically everything
LOL - I agree with you the Stagea is great as was the Odyssey, should have got some interior shots of the Honda, nicely opulent inside.