You know you are in Japan when the selection of cars in the parking lots can rival the actual car line up of the event itself. This was precisely the case at this year's HKS Premium Day, which is why I just had to spend quite some time taking a closer look.
As soon as the 2011 (or 2012 if you are in the US) GT-R hit the dealers, sales of Japan's supercar considerably picked up, everyone waiting for the improvements that would make it so much better than the 2007~ car. I think I counted 8 new cars, easy to spot thanks to the new front bumper with wider grille and LED DRL's and of course the new design forged wheels made by Rays.
On the other side of the scale, the CR-Z has also been a runaway success for Honda!
You may remember this one! I did a spotlight on this car last year and it was good to finally see it out in the daylight rather than at Daikoku every time! Surely one of the hottest NSX's around!
Among so many R35 in all states of tune it was…
…this one that I had to check out in detail…
…the 2011 Egoist version, a car that will set you back $182,000! Performance wise the car gets some additions from the SpecV like the titanium exhaust system as well as the carbon rear spoiler and lightweight Rays wheels…
…but it's the special leather trimmed interior that differentiates this GT-R from other R35. There are 20 color options and this one had light pink seats against a dark red dashboard. This is as far as I dared go.
There was so many that I really did lose count!
If you are wondering why tuners and parts makers can't seem to get enough of the CR-Z…this is why!
The car has been selling so well it has created a growing market for tuning products…
…and even if the majority of CR-Zs in the parking lot were pretty much stock, there were a few that had been fettled with.
A little bit further down I hit the all-wheel-drive club with a nice line up of Imprezas.
The STI R205, the most memorable drive of 2010! If you look closely you will notice that it's running TE37SL.
A few GVBs in there too!
And on to the Lancers.
TE37SLs again!
This owner must either race this car in the Super Taikyu series or take his sticking very seriously! Loving the silver RE30s!
And how can we not give some love to the older generations, like this 5! This and the 6 still continue to define what an Evo is all about for me.
Club CT9W, where "W" stands for Wagon…
…and the line up was impressive…
…to say the least! Seriously Mitsubishi, what on earth are you waiting for, give us the Evo X Wagon!! Am I the only one that is surprised at the lack of this omission from the CZ4A?
The Legacy and Outback has its own massive following in Japan and I was surprised to see so many new-gen cars.
Audi grille anyone?
I don't know what to look at in this picture, the three pimped out LSs or the GT-Rs on the higher level of the parking lot!
This is the Fujimura Auto Z34 demo car. Not sure what it was doing in the car park but it sure looked nice just sitting there!
I have no idea what kind of aero kit that is but I spotted this car on the highway down to Fuji in the morning, certainly has presence!
I'll end this stroll through the parking lot with an image of this first-gen XP10 Toyota Vitz. It looks like it's ready to enter a Vitz Cup race!
Next up some on-track action!
-Dino Dalle Carbonare