Motorgames - Offset Kings Japan 2014

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I have to admit this, but I am slowly falling in love with these stance events.  It doesn't mean I like the approach of some of the mods, or I would ever consider hellaflushing my own car, but just being at these events, surrounded by all sorts of people with all sorts of tastes, and all sorts of approaches to getting their cars as close to the ground as possible is a lot of fun.  And then after all - low is cool!

Stance scene is really picking up, or should I say getting exposed, because Japanese were always known for their approach to low, flush, and stretch techniques; and not to mention, they make some of the best wheels the world has ever seen.

With so many cars to choose from, most being from the 90's golden era of JDM, fitting some aftermarket wheels is nothing but a matter of choice and personal preference.

Everybody does it; it's just the matter of taste, extreme you want to take it to and sacrifices you are willing to make.  Not being able to pull out of your own drive way is one of them. 

Some of the cars are already pretty famous such as this Garage Mak wide bodied S15.  Apart from incredibly well matched Enkei S05RR concave wheels and aggressive body work, the owner took his time and tweaked under the hood. With engine bored to 2.2L, fitted with larger turbo and intercooler this machine must be a blast to drive!

The more unusual approach to mod an S15 is this monster fitted with Abflug wide body kit and Asanti wheels.  At this state substance walks out of the door and is taken over by "style"

Taking a page out of the Wide Bodied Z33's book of insanity is this FD3S RX-7 fitted with another mad Abflug wide body kit.  It almost seems that it has been built to impress strangers, scare kids, and piss off purists.  Mission accomplished!

It is not unusual for major Japanese tuners to establish a presence at a stance event, after all it is always a race car that has that perfect stance, and this point is well proven by the two gorgeous RWB cars seen here.

We already got introduced to Kamiwaza at Import Car Show last month and seeing it again here under natural light and cruising around Fuji Speedway interconnecting road was an awesome sight.

While RWB has most certainly set the standard for wide body mods, there are a few tuners who share the passion and taste.  One such creation was this CLK built by Salto Racing with body kit made by TRA-Kyoto's Miura-san. There is nothing new in modifying Euro Cars in JDM style, but when done to extremes seen here it redefines perfection.

It almost seems that the CLK above was joined by it's four-door brother with slightly different approach to fender flair. In general however, I am yet to see a better looking old school E or CLK Class! 

Another return from Tokyo Auto Salon was this "Bad Quality" widebody 180SX.  Originally built for drifting it was undergoing repairs, but still made it to this event.

It is not unusual to see an odd color combination at these events here in Japan, as trends of color matching are much more popular than "black on black" that is common across the pond.  Note the rims color matching the stickers!

But there is no need to go color crazy to achieve perfect execution.  On the contrary, if done right simplicity can go a long way.  All you need is a Autech R34 Skyline GTR, a set of Advan GT wheels, and really good taste.

As I was walking around the event I couldn't help noticing licence plates from remote regions of the country. It takes a lot of dedication to drive these machines for many hours and make it to this event early on Sunday morning. 

After all, these cars weren't built with ride comfort in mind, so maybe the celebratory mood of the event was too much for some.  Unfortunately, these folks are missing out, as the show has never quieted down, not for a moment!

As I was walking around, chatting to some of the good people at the event, I reached something that can only be described as "textbook execution".  A true automotive Nirvana in form of S160 Toyota Aristo, which can be classified as the epitome of sports sedans sitting on 19" TE37SL wheels.  At this point it's hard for me to move to the next picture,

..but I have to, and do so with no regret as we get to see this JZX100 Chaser has been dropped on set of Rays Gram Lights 57Xtreme's. 

It is indeed sad that Toyota discontinued the Chaser, as there are simply not enough cars that follow the straight-six mid-size sedan with rear wheel drive formula anymore.. As a matter of fact, I can only think of just one.

Today's Toyota is trying to recapture the originality and appeal of the past years, and with the help of some tuners, suspension masters and a set of BBS wheels this particular one has managed to do just that.

It almost seems that Mazda 6 was designed for stance shows in mind.  What else can be done with this powerless, front wheel drive, but yet very good looking car? Slam it on some 6666 wheels and call it a day!

Which brings me to what can easily get a sedan of the year award. This CY31 Nissan Cima sitting low on Work Meister wheels with aggressive tire stretch, sporting all characteristics of a badass JDM street racer to which this VIP sedan has been reborn into.

This is even more evident when a look under the hood reveals the polished RB26 stroked to 2.7L with reworked intake and single turbo conversion.

If I needed one reminder of the JDM glory days, it would be this.  From the times when manufacturers were coming out with rad ideas, which consumers loved.  Is there a better way to haul a family through tiny Japanese streets than Mitsubishi Evo VIII wagon? Especially, when it's perfectly dropped on set of Work CR9 Kiwami wheels.

Speaking of perfect, it can be referred to styling of Shingo's legacy, which is becoming a star of stance events.  The bagged BL5 has been slammed on set of Weds Sports SA-15R 9.5 wheels with 215 tires given an extreme stretch. Body and interior work Shingo has done by himself,

...as well as this custom exhaust.  With an addition of Blitz air filter and tuned ECU, this Legacy has plenty of go for it's show.

After chatting with Shingo about his Legacy, Subaru's, and state of Japanese auto industry in general,  I stumbled on a bunch of 86's... again; with Rocket Bunny kit, again; awesome, again!  Especially when sitting on Enkei RS055RR's in custom gold color. 

Another Rocket Bunny 86 was spotted near main stage as it was prepped and brought down to the event by Miura-san himself.  Deep dish Work wheels do tremendous jobs emphasizing aggressive characteristics of the kit.

On the other hand, this 86 has had its fenders pulled quite aggressively, and rightfully so!  The owner needs all the space he can get to tuck in these 20" alloys.  This is probably the first time I've seen Vossen wheels fitted on a 86, but they do look great. 

Of course the 86 is here because of Lexon Japan's presence, which unfortunately did not bring their LFA.  They did have the gorgeous looking IS350 that is seen here.

This is not something you see every day, not in Japan at least.  This beast from Down Under came packed with all the rubber burning LS1 glory under the hood.

But why a UTE when everything fits on the roof? Because slammed Mini!

Which brings me to the BMW boys, who do like to experiment with wheels and suspension setups.

But some prefer to keep it clean and do it just right.

As with fine wine and women, BMW's get better with age, especially if wearing right set of shoes.

Something that I cannot say about the Beetle.  No matter how much you modify, slam, or clean it, it still looks like a Beetle.  Thinking it was a bit odd to see one here...

... i then stumbled across this... Looks like even the owner didn't know what it was, so he called it "The Thing".  Fair enough

Apparently, even if there are not enough wheels, there is a place for everyone at offset kings! 

Even if your red-eyed box is rusty and is rolling on bizarre wheels with bolts sticking out!

Which brings me to the Ferrari I posted last time.  While the back was innocent, the rest of the car has been decorated with Hatsune Miku vinyls.  The Itasha (literally: vehicle in pain) culture has been on the rise as more and more actually good cars have been put through this treatment. I will let you be the judge

So there we have it, from form to substance; from awesome configuration of both to something beyond ordinary odd - what other way to describe Japan's stance scene that we witnessed here at Offset Kings Japan 2014?

Thank you for sharing, commenting and following! Please check back soon for more Motorgames coverage as will take it to the track to see some Formula Drift action!



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