HELLAFLUSH KANSAI: STANCETASTIC

Time to head back to Central Circuit now and continue on with the coverage of Hellaflush Kansai. I’ll start off with two of the most talked about cars of this year, first up the Super Made Aristo which we have already featured, and the street-spec BenSopra demo car. Ueda-san, the man behind the all-new tuning company, has just fitted the bronze R35 with side exit exhausts which I’m told constantly spew fire out! You can expect a full feature on this car pretty soon…with a few driving impressions thrown in for good measure!

Mark from Fatlace is really on to something with these shows as they combine such a variety of cars that you would just never see at the usual style-specific same meets. It’s great as it keeps interest flowing for those that drop by to check what is on show. On one far corner of the paddock I came across this little varied line up, which on top of this nice Aristo and the bronze M3 from the previous post…

…included this bagged A4 Avant on 15-inch Meisters. Who said bigger was better??

I thought this GS was pretty cool, kind of incorporating the feel of the new Spindle Grille (that will soon be incorporated into the whole Lexus line up) into the older GS. I thought it kind of had a Five Axis feel to it too, in a more angular Japanese way.

Rays had a cool couple of cars on display at their booth like this Weber Sports 350Z…

…along with MadMike’s Japbull. The 4-rotor FD was running the new powder coated Gram Lights 57Xtreme.

Car Craft Boon, the fathers of Osaka JDM, are nothing short of trend setters in the Japanese Honda scene coming up with crazy new ideas that can turn even the most mundane of Honda vehicles into something very special. This Civic Shuttle riding on their special Loop 5 version of the Meister CR01 is the perfect example.

Check out this lime green Scirocco on the new 19-inch version of the Work Meister M1Rs. The car rides on AirRex air suspension…kind of representing the other school of thought when it comes to fitment.

The ex-Blitz RWD R35 GT-R that is now the BenSopra demo car has recently received new graphics as well as a few engine alterations. The big Garrett turbos it was fitted with were binned in favor of stock IHI units while the team figures out what to run on it next. The bad thing is it no longer has the 1000 HP the big (and leaking) older turbos provided…however it is now driveable and Ueda-san was showing off just how much so later on in the day as the paddock emptied out from all the show cars. Do you guys want to see this beast shred through those pricey Yokohama 20-inch slicks?

Fifeteen52 wheels has made it to Japan recently and Hellaflush Japan was the first time I’ve had a chance to see these rims up close, as fitted to their Bora.

The K20A powered Rhythm Motors EF we saw yesterday was a more traditional aspirated interpretation of how a fast Honda should look and sound like…

…while this Osaka JDM built EK took a more boost-filled approach. As Furukawa-san, the man behind Car Craft Boon, told us…”this thing is crazy fast!”

No doubts there that’s for sure. The owner of the car was practicing drag launches later on in the day as the paddock emptied out!

Beatles are always a popular choice in the dress up and custom scenes in Japan and I have to say I quite liked this particular turbocharged version. Looks and increased performance are definitely the way to go.

There was also one new-Gen Beatle on show to feast one’s eyes on. The cute round lines have definitely given way to a more angular and dare I say Porsche-esque shape.

The owner of this bronze 350Z Roadster was showing everyone the real reason he went for the biggest possible lip on his Work Gnosis wheels.

Now, if only they refrigerated the cans!

Sales of the little Toyota Aqua have been booming in Japan so it’s not surprising to see some more fashion conscious owners spending a little bit of money on them to give a custom look. It certainly fit in among the Civics it was parked next to.

You will probably remember this RX-8 drift car from the Nagoya Exciting Car Showdown. It’s now sporting a brushed blue wrap and a very artistically decorated front bumper.

Boso-style for the win!

The access to the paddock looked like this for the most part of the morning as many of the 370 car that signed up to display were slowly accommodated into the rather cramped show space. It made for some cool pictures seeing a continuously varying display of rides crawling up the road!

Just a bit of onikyan never hurt anyone, right?

Before the paddock opened up its doors to the public I grabbed this shot of the Fatlace Japan S13 drift car that was on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier in the year. Check out those two wide asses in the background there!

It’s really amazing what you come across at these gatherings, people attempting some pretty wild ideas to make their cars stand out from the crowd. The bunch of friends that rolled in with their 326 Power kitted S-chassis really got themselves noticed, especially this 180SX…

…which a marble effect bronze custom color. Wouldn’t want to take this out drifting just in case you would even scratch it a little!

Form over function? I think not. Despite my comment above, all these guys drift their cars, including the owner of this S15 on Meister M1Rs.

And one more 326 Power S-chassis for good measure!

S & Company, who specialize in anything from custom restorations to vinyl wraps, are located in Kobe so it was a quick blast on the highway to get to the show. They showed up in this very shiny and reflective A5. My favorite part of the car has to be the titanium effect on the RS5 grille.

Low is really a way of life as this Cima shows us.

Why is it that big sedans like this Aristo looks soooo right with pumped fenders! I’m really liking how this particular branch of VIP style is going!

Next up is a short walk over to the other smaller paddock where the rest of the show was taking place. There we will find cool cars like this matte pink creation from Nagano Koubou. Back soon…

30 MORE DAYS TO ROJAK CANNONBALL RUN 3

HELLAFLUSH KANSAI: MORE SLAMMED AWESOMENESS

After wandering for hours through the main paddock at Hellaflush Kansai, I headed across to the other secondary display area that was set up. With so many cars participating…

…space at Central Circuit was definitely at a premium and if you consider that most spectators showed up with awesome cars too…the parking lots were also a must-see. But more on that a little further down.

First up there is still plenty of nice stuff to see in the show itself…starting off with this satin gray Soarer sporting a bit of a military theme. I quite liked the camo on the rim part of the old school BBS wheels.

Osaka-based Nagano Koubou has, over the last few years, really made a name for itself in drift and custom car circles. The drift cars that roll out of their body shop exhibit fresh new touches and ideas…

…but at the same time maintain that functional feel about them. Their green S13 we first saw at last year’s Nagoya Exciting Car Showdown is probably their best-known creation.

It’s hard not to like a well restored and maintained B110 Sunny like this sedan from Kaminari Brothers, again throwing an unexpected twist to the line up of cars on show.

From vintage rides to more Hondas, like this Civic Coupe on chrome Diamond Racing Wheels.

I’ve really gotten rather bored of how my Legacy Wagon looks these days. After just over five years of ownership it is craving for a little attention in the wheel and stance department and when I saw this BL5 sedan I started getting all sorts of ideas! I wonder what wheels would look best for a silver wagon?

It seemed a lot of drift cars were hanging around on this side of the show, like this Garage 8 S13 Silvia. Loving the overfenders!

But what is better? Riveted on or flared arches? Either way you can’t go wrong right?

This particular S14 had a lot of custom metal art work riveted on to the bodywork. I guess that’s one way to mask body damage from the last outing on track!

I was literally drooling over this maroon Mark II wagon at the Nagoya Exciting Car Showdown last month, so you can imagine what a surprise it was to see it parked up amount all the cars at Hellaflush. Still looking hot slammed on those BBS rims, however the rear fenders aren’t finished yet.

You see a lot of this at Hellaflush. I find myself in similar compromising stances when trying to see just what size wheels and tire width a car may be running.

Simple and sweet. Is there anything a set of TE37SL don’t look good on??

And talking of simple but effective, check out this Nissan van on Fairlady Z wheels!

This particular set of BMW 19-inch wheels seem to be quite popular in Japan, I’ve seen them fitted to a variety of cars and they looked especially good tucked in under the rear fenders of this JZX100.

It’s at shows like this that you realize just how many awesome cars Japanese manufacturers used to make in the early to late nineties. The C33 Laurel was definitely one of them and it’s a pity Nissan has dropped the historical name from its current line up. It seems that back in the golden years everyone wanted sedans! This particular car….

…which you may remember seeing in the Nagoya Exciting Car Showdown coverage (how can you forget that hood!)…

…runs an SR20 swap that provides a good amount of power for its drift duties.

Great to see that Golf Diesels are also getting some attention. This was one of two oil-burning MKIs at the show.

This E46 on Equips E05s was actually one of the winning cars at the 2011 Hellaflush Japan show in Fuji Speedway. Since then it’s had a color chance, from black to this metallic red, and the Equips given a little 24-karat look.

This is a bit of a rare sight, a B12 Sunny Estate. It kind of reminds me of the red Carina Wagon we saw last year at the first Hellaflush Japan meet.

A Subaru Sambar mini-truck from the sixties was probably the last vehicle I would have imagined seeing at Hellaflush! But there it was lowered and riding on tiny little aftermarket wheels!

You wanted to see more Kei-cars? Well then here are a few I spotted once I headed down to the parking lots. These cars weren’t part of the show but rather what spectators used to come to Central Circuit in. This Suzuki Wangon R looked so hot on those bronze BBS. It was also packing a serious brake package up front.

Yes, only in Japan! I should trademark this comment!

Check out this little Daihatsu Mira Gino, going for a full on bosozoku side exit exhaust!

I continued my walk through the parking lot and ran across a constant stream of awesome cars like this old Civic…

….and Hakosuka, both on Watanabe wheels.

I think someone somewhere has announced that the AE86 has well and truly become a classic car because the hachirokus I’ve been seeing lately seem to get better and better. This notchback was spotless in every way and looked especially hot fitted with a set of Equip o1s.

With about thirty minutes to go before the show ended at 4pm there were still people rolling in and lining up waiting to park.

While some cars from the show were taking off…

…I headed back up to the main paddock and awaited for Mark to begin giving out the wards. I bet it wasn’t easy to choose the best cars in each of the predefined categories, that’s for sure.

A crowd of owners quickly formed around the Fatlace booth as Mark announced the winners.

I just had to take a quick snap of this little 4-month old puppy taking a nap on the shoulders of its owner.

The best of show was snapped up by the Looking FD3S which we saw back in the preview post. Here is Hitomi-san from Looking with the award. Congratulations!

Slowly the cars began to drive out of the circuit and in most cases begin their long drive home. I decided to hang around a little as I heard that there might be a little bit of drifting going on when everyone had left.

Good thing I stuck around! Check back for the final part from Hellaflush Kansai to see some tire-smoking antics…the perfect end to any day