Tokyo Auto Salon 2025: exploring the parking garages

Tokyo Auto Salon 2025: Exploring The Car Parks

Another year of the Tokyo Auto Salon means another round of searching the parking garages of the Makuhari Messe – the unofficial TAS car meet.

TAS reigns as the pinnacle of Japanese car culture, attracting more than 200,000 visitors to the Chiba Convention Center every year. With that kind of foot traffic, it’s no surprise that the parking garages hide some real gems. So let’s take a look at what I found during my Friday visit to Tokyo Auto Salon 2025.

Right at the entrance I was greeted with this: guerrilla marketing at its best. And it worked. Someone has taken it upon themselves to ‘fix’ the G87 M2, tackling the overly adventurous grille design with a more traditional BMW look. If I had to guess who is behind this, it would be ADRO, a Korean body kit company that is making waves in the BMW aftermarket world. They had a large stand within TAS, so it makes sense to put another car in the parking lot. I’m curious to see if I’m right, and if so, hopefully a new rear bumper design is in the works as well.

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A little further on, Dino and I parked our cars, with this FL5 Honda Civic Type R on it.

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Still further along, another blue FL5 sat next to what you might consider its European rival, an Audi RS 3 in a similar shade.

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Just like at the show, there was no shortage of attitude in the parking lots, where everything from vans to GT-Rs lined up on the sidewalk.

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It’s also worth noting that attitude here in Japan doesn’t just mean a set of wheels and bags. Owners always do their best to build a complete car. For example, look at the enormous Brembo brakes of this Lexus.

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It was hard to miss this Mitsuoka Orochi, which took up two parking spaces. The Orochi is one of those quirky Japanese creations from the early 2000s that is often overlooked. Powered by a 3.3 liter Toyota V6, you could call it an alternative version of the Honda NSX formula.

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Next to it, taking up just one space, was an immaculate Nissan Sil80 (180SX with Silvia face), on SSR mesh wheels and fitted with a classic B-Wave wing – an authentic nod to Japan’s ’90s street drift culture.

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Mazda RX-7s seemed to dominate the parking garage, with FCs and FDs pretty much everywhere you looked. Here are just some of the ones I saw.

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There were also plenty of Porsches scattered around the place, including this beautiful blue 993.

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AE86s came in all shapes and sizes. It was great to see an FK’s Factory Trueno released in the wild. FK is known for its unique constructions and colorways, and this one is no exception.

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Nissan’s presence in the car parks was almost stronger than on the stand in the Makuhari Messe. GT-Rs and Silvias of every generation filled the spaces, with no shortage of variety.

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At the center of the car – and probably one of the first cars to arrive at TAS – was this beautiful Datsun 510 1600 SSS on Hayashi Racing wheels.

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There were a few Honda NSXs that, for the most part, retained their factory aesthetic.

RE Amemiya was present both inside the fair and outside in the parking lots with this Mazda RX-8.

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It was nice to see a perfectly finished 180SX Type-X sitting nicely on RAYS Gram Lights wheels.

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Keeping with the Nissan theme, this C10 Skyline GT-X turned heads as the crowd passed by.

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Then there was this JZ-powered Toyota duo. Seeing a Toyota Chaser and a Supra side by side showed how similar their sizes and proportions are – the ‘four-door Supra’ moniker seems pretty accurate.

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Many readers will recognize John’s Toyota Corona GT. After a year of drifting, he treated his AT141 to a new bodywork and paint, and it looks really good.

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Accompanying John was a NA2 Honda NSX-R – a rare sight in the wild. That’s no surprise considering their exorbitant price tags these days.

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One contestant was so eager to start tinkering with the parts he picked up on the show that he couldn’t even wait until he got home to try them on!

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Here’s a polarizing combo for you: a track-focused FD Mazda RX-7 paired with a fantastically built Honda StepWagon. I’ve seen this van before, and it’s as wild as they come, with scissor doors and a huge sound system.

Liberty Walk also left its mark on the parking garages. A fully equipped Lamborghini Aventador, along with Huracán and a Lexus LC, all sporting the Liberty Walk logo, turned heads and stopped traffic.

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I wasn’t the only one who admired the treasures of the parking garages. Any seasoned TAS visitor knows that the show really starts before you even enter the gate.

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Like any other Japanese car event, the car parks offer a real insight into Japanese car culture. While TAS showcases the glitz and glamor of Japanese automotive life, you can’t have one without the other. For that reason, if you ever visit the Tokyo Auto Salon, I highly recommend that you spend at least half of your day driving around the various parking garages. You never know what you’ll find.

Alec Pender
Instagram: no plans co

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