Super Street Seeks Top Cars at 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon

Kicking off each new year with a proper show dedicated to Japanese tuning culture is one of our favorite events: Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS). Held at Makuhari Messe in the Chiba prefecture on the outskirts of central Tokyo, it’s every JDM enthusiast’s premier destination and where you can spot up-and-coming trends, much like SEMA is to the American aftermarket.

Super Street regularly attends TAS, and this year Editor-in-Chief Sam Du linked up with our own ENEOS ambassador Dai Yoshihara to award their top three cars with the inaugural ENEOS “Best of Show” trophies for Tokyo Auto Salon.

Picking their favorite cars wouldn’t be easy, but they made solid choices. Using setup day to get an idea of what to expect without battling through the large crowds who attend the event, Sam and Dai found a number of notable gems from which to make their selections.

Of particular note: Kei Miura of TRA Kyoto, brought his A-game, wowing us with a stellar trio including a S13 Silvia (nearly identical to one that was displayed at SEMA last year), a bright green SR20-powered AE86, and an old-school Datsun Sunny; all sporting Miura-san’s signature aero styling.

At the 326Power booth, it wasn’t the new A90 Supra or even an older A80 Supra that struck a chord with us, but rather an ultra-clean Nissan S15. It had been fitted with extensive aero mods and aggressive wheels that barely poked beyond its widened fenders.

If you’re a connoisseur of Liberty Walk, you undoubtedly know Kato-san always creates a jaw-dropping display to satisfy fans who crave something retro or downright wild. To nobody’s surprise, a first-gen NSX came with a new wide-body conversion, as well as an ER34 Skyline, which was modified to replicate past Skyline race cars. It also had an older L31 engine modified with triple Solex carburetors.

But onto the top three cars of the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon and the winners of our ENEOS awards:

1. Best of Show: Garage Active Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R

What’s great about this car is that it’s not like all the other GT-Rs out there. The original RB26DETT was pulled and in its place was a RB30 block mated to a RB26 cylinder head, stroked to 3.1-liters and left naturally-aspirated on a set of custom ITBs. Oh yeah, it also had a full carbon fiber widebody kit.

2. Top Honors: G-Corporation Nissan S15 Silvia

This bright yellow S15 made its TAS debut in 2012 but, as you can see, it’s the kind of project that stands the test of time. For a driver like Dai, who’s had plenty of seat time in the S-chassis, he really appreciated this purpose-built drift car, which was powered by a 2.1L SR20DET.

3. Top Honors: Kadan Body Craft Toyota AE86 Corolla

It was a joy to see the Kadan Body Craft students enthusiastically receive their ENEOS award for a truly unique AE86. Thirteen students were responsible for the build, taking a rusty chassis and using it as practice. They fully restored and customized it in only three months! The amount of attention put into the paintwork is top notch; it’s truly amazing to see this Hachiroku given new life.

For more details and images of the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon, visit these links at Super Street Online:

http://www.superstreetonline.com/event-coverage/car-shows/tokyo-auto-salon-2020-preview-pt-i/

http://www.superstreetonline.com/event-coverage/car-shows/2020-tokyo-auto-salon-set-up-day-pt-2/

http://www.superstreetonline.com/event-coverage/car-shows/2020-tokyo-auto-salon-pt-3/

http://www.superstreetonline.com/event-coverage/car-shows/2020-tokyo-auto-salon-pt-4/

http://www.superstreetonline.com/features/3-hardcore-jdm-cars-win-1st-ever-ss-x-eneos-tas-award