2012 Tokyo Auto Salon

Since the Tokyo Motor Show lost its grade one status in 2009 and was brought back to a smaller venue, the Tokyo Auto Salon has taken over the No. 1 car show spot domestically, and continues to grow.

Even with Japan hit hard by a financial crisis and the strong yen, a record-breaking 255,709 car fans turned up to see the 367 exhibitors and 630 cars that filled Makuhari Messe's halls. As expected, hotted-up versions of the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ dominated this year's event, while souped-up Nissan GT-Rs suggested unlimited potential. With 86/BRZ popularity at fever pitch in Japan, both Toyota and Subaru revealed several examples of the styling and performance directions these cars will take. Toyota showed off a mildly tuned (body-kitted) 86 Modellista version next to the TRD 86 tuned by Toyota Racing Development. The subtle TRD exterior gains a full sports body kit with skirts and spoilers, 18-inch alloy wheels, and six-piston brakes, although we wonder why it needs such huge stoppers with only 200 hp. It also employs a reworked suspension with new front and rear anti-roll bars, a carbon front strut, rear diffuser, and a performance exhaust systems.

Also on display was the heavily camouflaged 86 race car that competed last year at the Nurburgring. Even D1 GP driver Tetsuya Hibino (Team UPGARAGE) rolled up in his new 86 drift machine to do a few sideways laps at the special outdoor drift track. Tire makers Falken and Dunlop also showed what an 86 looks like in their livery. Toyota also revealed a new take on its MRS-based 4WD roadster by upping the engine from 3.3 liters to a 3.5-liter unit from the Lexus GS and bolting on a THSII hybrid setup generating close to 400 hp.

Subaru's stand was filled with BRZ variants ranging from a BRZ STI concept employing a sportier body kit and tweaked suspension to the PROVA BRZ Black Edition with 19-inch wheels, a lusty body kit, and Recaro seats. Also on display were the all-new Super GT300 race-prepped BRZ and the updated class-winning Impreza WRX entrant for this year's Nurburgring 24-hour race.

Following the recent debuts of the Leaf Nismo and Juke Nismo, Nissan unveiled the March Nismo (Micra) concept incorporating lower ride height, lightweight alloy wheels, a sporty grille and body kit, plus a tweaked suspension setup. Nissan also displayed its Super GT500-winning GT-R. Oh, and rumor has it that Nissan might be entering a GT-R in this year's Nurburgring 24-hour race.

At the Honda stand, Japan's third-biggest carmaker unveiled what many media folk thought should have been offered from the get-go -- the 179 hp CR-Z RR concept fitted with a supercharger and stiffer suspension parts. The Flash Box, a customized variant of the just-launched N-Box minicar, is targeting a more youthful clubgoing crowd, Honda says. With its unique pink LED lights in the grille and inside, this black-and-purple-painted model seems to have been inspired as much by Japanese anime as it was by 1970s pimp mobiles.

The car of the show in terms of off-the-scale performance was the Trust GT-R tuned by Greddy. Thanks to a totally reworked engine and a suitcase-sized turbocharger, this GT-R pumps out an incredible 1200 hp. Kansai and Tommy Kaira, among others, showed off what is possible with GT-R aerokits and performance parts. GT-R chief test driver Toshio Suzuki and Toshikazu "Mr. GT-R" Mizuno, the GT-R's chief engineer, who were visiting the salon for the first time, were impressed at what some tuners were doing. "I think we can learn something from these guys. But the issue with souping up a GT-R as with all cars is how much stress can the transmission take?" Mizuno commented.