Good Vibes At Wekfest Japan

Golden Week can be a really frustrating time in Japan. A large percentage of the population is essentially on the move; a few days of national holidays that when connected up with an extra day or two of precious vacation time can form a decent amount of time off work for most people. The highways grind to a halt and the train and air networks are booked up to capacity as people take full advantage of this time of the year. If you’re from Tokyo the general consensus is to stay home and enjoy the empty city, but for us car guys that’s a tad difficult as we’ve got events to get to.

Over the years I’ve experienced everything from six-hour return journeys from Super GT at Fuji Speedway (98km distance), nine-hour drives through the night up to Ebisu Drift Matsuri (320km distance) and other Golden Week automotive excursions that I just plain gave up on, parking and sleeping in my car.

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With the 5th annual Wekfest Japan show happening right in the middle of the holiday rush, I had a proven plan of attack ready to ensure I didn’t suffer too much while making the 350km-odd trek down to Nagoya. Once again, the Shinkansen came to the rescue, bringing me door-to-show in a reasonable three-hours (I was on the slowest bullet train), allowing me to start shooting before the event even opened for the crowds lined up outside.

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I’ll have a pretty comprehensive approach to the coverage this year. I definitely want to take a little bit more time showing as many cars as I can, and believe me, the Port Messe venue was absolutely jam-packed with interesting builds.

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While the main emphasis of this event is about stance and fitment, it’s also about bridging the gap between the US and Japan, and celebrating both tuning cultures.

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It’s also a scene where people really push themselves to come up with new approaches for style and execution, in the process surprising even the most seasoned petrol-heads.

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So expect to see some unexpected solutions…

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… with some of the most unexpected base cars.

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Letting one’s imagination flow can really bring about some curious ideas. Take this Trueno for example, which aside from being a very good example of an AE86 had a little surprise sitting at the back. I’m not talking about the rear suspension though…

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Yes, the Motocompo was made by Honda and designed to fit in the back of its Honda City, but you’ve got to hand it to the owner for giving the little foldable scooter a Fujiwara Tofu Shop vibe.

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East meets West, but maybe with more emphasis on the East…

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Ron was also there to do what he does best, so you can expect a film on Wekfest dropping by the time I’m done with all my photo coverage.

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I hope this quick preview primes your taste buds for what we’ve got coming from Wekfest’s 5th anniversary event in Japan. I’ll be back soon with plenty more from Nagoya.

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: speedhunters_dino
dino@speedhunters.com

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22 comments

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1

the Frankenstein rx7 has my interest lol

2
Airik Keringes

Top to bottom hotness. Nice prelim coverage. Cant wait for the main event.

3

i want to go back! will wait for your spotlights Dino.

Author4
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Working on a few! Too many amazing builds this time round!

5
Dewade Wilson

love the slant nose 996

6

That z20 soarer and 510 sedan got me drooling

7
researchisyourfriend

*z10

8
Amirul Makhtar

the lime green rx-7 certainly won the wtf award

9

That Raugh-Welt rx7 looks great. And also shootingbrake looks like rx7 is interesting, definitelly wtf award.

10
Jay Swaffield

Allof them have broken suspesion...

11
Raineer Wolfcastle

Haha oh my, what a funny guy you are! You should be a comedy writer

12

Im pretty sure you meant: suspenision

13

Hope we see a whole lot more of that S13 with the upside down nissan transfer on it

Author14
Dino Dalle Carbonare

I think that needs a spotlight, loved it, so damn nineties

15

Those Bentley rims!!!!

16

Please, let's not focus on the Rocket Bunny Porsche for once...there are so many amazingly weird cars at every end of the photo, show us the stuff I cannot find on other mainstream websites. Stance Works but the other stuff is much harder to find, and therefore interesting.

17

Great coverage. Always amazed at the level of effort put into these cars.

18

This RX7 reminds me of the Smart Roadster.

19

Dino,as a visitor to this site since 2012,i just want to thank you for your hard work and effort bringing me these fantastic show coverage pics for all these years.when i try describing to people how awesome japans car scene is,most dont believe me.you allow me to show them!!please keep up the great work.

Author20
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Thanks Cory, glad to be of service :)

21

O quê não te desafia não te faz mudar, a meta é o só o começo de uma nova corrida..

22

Brasil é apaixonado por cars..

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