The intentionally famous Tokyo Auto Salon has kickstarted its first international event in Malaysia. First started in 1983, the exhibition showcases Japan’s finest tuning houses, aftermarket part manufacturers, and what the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) has to offer. As a fellow car enthusiast, yours truly went down for a quick field report of the whole venue. Here are the highlights of the whole event throughout Saturday.
Top Secret’s Nissan GTR and The Mystery Buyer
Classic car enthusiasts of yore will be familiar with the name Top Secret and its founder, Kazuhiko “Smokey” Nagata. This tuning company from Japan has made the craziest street cars the world has ever seen. The company has a huge following in the car community in motorsports and produces performance aftermarket parts.
After their first stint with the Toyota Century-sourced V12 engine in a Toyota Supra back in 1999, the tuning house has moved on to building demo cars on the Nissan Skyline and GTR platforms. This particular Nissan GTR present at Tokyo Auto Salon Malaysia has been gold, a feature only given to a car if Smokey dubs it his magnum opus. Rumor has it that the car has been bought by a mystery individual during the show. Speaking of Smokey Nagata, he has been spotted offering autographs while walking around the exhibit but I failed to find and meet him in person.
Unfortunately, throughout the event, I could not locate where the golden Nissan GTR is nested in the exhibition. Perhaps it has been moved backstage after the deal was made with the mystery buyer. 
GReady Stanced Rocket Bunny 400z and GR Yaris
Before the newest production of the Fairlady 400z has reached Malaysian shores, GReady has showcased the potential modifications future owners can do with the sultry roadster. Equipped with a Rocket Bunny widebody kit, the end result is reminiscent of the iconic Nissan Fairlady 240z featured in the Wangan Midnight franchise dubbed the “Devil Z”.
No spirits of deceased street racers have been spotted possessing this car yet.
Just like Top Secret, GReady is another infamous tuning house hailing from Japan that makes aftermarket parts and widebody kits under the name Pandem/Rocket Bunny. Additionally, a widebody Toyota GR Yaris is also featured in the exhibition, one of the first few of its kind here.
Largest Initial-D-Themed Car Gathering In Malaysia
What is a car meet without your usual Nissan Skylines, Toyota AE86 (Hachiroku), and the eponymous Mazda RX-7? If your interest in cars did not start from Grand Turismo, it’ll be the Initial D franchise. This lineup of replica cars from the beloved anime franchise stole the show throughout Tokyo Auto Salon Malaysia. No tofu was available on sale at the exhibition though.
Probably the first in Malaysia, the gathering sports a complete lineup of iconic JDM cars. There is a list of characters along with their cars featured in the series if you need a refresher. 
I’ve been to plenty of car meets around KL and Tokyo Auto Salon Malaysia successfully takes the cake with such a diverse lineup with a grandeur location. I highly recommend visiting again should Tokyo Auto Salon ever organize an event like this in Malaysia next year.
Disclaimer: This article is written as a personal opinion and does not represent the views of CARSOME as a whole.
