100 Photos From The Daikoku PA New Year Meeting

2021. It’s here. Will it be better to humanity than 2020 was? That I cannot answer, but what I can do is show you that spirits were high during the now legendary New Year Meeting at Daikoku Parking Area last Sunday.

For a few days leading up to the unofficial event, I had heard that the police were not going to allow it to happen and would be closing down the PA, meaning that it might shift to various other parking areas around the Tokyo and Yokohama areas.

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To play it safe, I woke before sunrise and headed straight to Daikoku, figuring that if I managed to get in early, I’d be able to shoot whatever else made it there, and then if were all forced to migrate to other PAs, the post could just reflect that.

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The reality is, that didn’t have to happen. The police, who have a station inside the PA, did make a few announcements over the public address system reminding people to be quiet and behave, but that was pretty much it.

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People appreciated the leniency and did just that. Not that car guys at Daikoku usually misbehave, but there was far less engine revving than in the past. Even the bosozoku that turned up later in the morning were unexpectedly quiet.

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I think everyone appreciated the time we were allowed to stay at the parking area, and with that it became one of the best Daikoku PA New Year Meetings I’ve ever experienced.

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There are 100 pictures (well a few more, but who’s counting?!) that I’d like to share with you, but I will keep my ramblings to a minimum so that you can all just appreciate the beautiful and at times unexpected machines that Japanese car culture dished up on this particular morning.

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Yes, that Honda City Turbo II was one of the top three cars of the whole day for me.

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It’s too bad I didn’t have the chance to take a closer look at this Mazda Cosmo Sport, which only ended up staying a few minutes.

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Daikoku on a good night is an awesome place to check out, but on the 3rd of January it’s where you can see it all. From an obscure little French rear-engined car, to an R35 GT-R rolling in behind a lifted Big Foot replica Ford truck.

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One of the best places to enjoy the spectacle from is near the parking area’s entrance, which is usually lined with people filming it all with their cellphones.

That’s where this 991 GT2RS and 993 RS entered in the space of 15 seconds. I say this often, but Japan almost turns you numb to sightings like these. It’s only when you remind yourself what you are seeing that it really hits home.

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The beginning of the year is also a time to ponder what the next 12 months will bring. Global pandemic aside, I wonder how much we’ll see the values of Skyline GT-Rs rise? Leave your guesses in the comments section.

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So much variety in only a few pictures.

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How about a Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary pairing for your enjoyment. I’m a big fan of these cars, but owners should really resist fitting bigger, modern wheels to these things – it usually doesn’t end up working well.

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And what could I possibly show you after a couple of iconic Lambos? A customized Nissan Elgrand, of course. This is Japan after all…

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If you fancy something more modern it’s pretty incredible what the Alphard guys are doing these days. It’s hard not to want one of these things when you see an example like this. Who’s with me?

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Daikoku for the New Year Meeting is a place where all your automotive dreams can come true, and where purists often need to cover their eyes. I love it!

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Before I put down my long lens I managed to snap a picture of this complete Lorinser E Class. I really want to dive a little deeper into the Mercedes-Benz scene in Japan this year; I’m fascinated by how big it is and how long it’s been around.

Going Wide
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Here’s the first thing I shot with my wide zoom on the day – what had to be the best car present at the 2021 Daikoku PA New Year Meeting. Yes, a Fiat Panda.

If a deep-dive on the Mercedes world in Japan has to be done, then I really need to do one piece on the strange love Japanese enthusiasts have for the original Panda. I once asked why people love this car so much and received an amazing response: ‘Well, because Giugiaro designed it, of course!’ I need to investigate this more…

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I was very happy to see this Lotec W126 that I spotted last year. What I forgot to note in 2020 was the absolute awesome messaging contained within the rear badge.

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In case you are wondering, there is no particular order to the cars you’re seeing in this post. They’re pretty much shown in the same sequence I shot them, just to further emphasize the variety at this gathering.

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Toyota’s Century is the perfect expression of Japanese automotive conservatism.

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This one even had the lace seat trim and rear curtains. In my mind, you should be able to spec lace trim on any car!

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I have no idea what this exceptionally long coupe actually is, but it was very long. Did I mention it was long?

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V12 Ferraris are the best.

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328 or Countach – what’s your pick?

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The Lambo for sure, especially in red with gold wheels.

Hypercars & Everything Else
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Then there was this thing, the Zonda Anija. This must be the fourth or fifth custom iteration of this one-off Zonda that I’ve seen, and it seems far better finished off now than it was a couple of years ago.

The big question here is, would you? I would never say that there are some cars you should never touch, but then again… there are some cars that you should never touch. Do you agree?

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Parked behind the Zonda was this Koenig-inspired 512 from the same car club.

And here’s a pair of unmolested ones. I have to say, the Testarossa looks sensational in dark metallic gray. I also have to say that the wheels on the 512M were a horrendous design failure at the time, and they haven’t improved 25 years on.

The Junior Z is one of my all-time favorite Alfa Romeos. Penned by Zagato, this was one of the first models to move Alfa away from elegant and rounded curves of the previous decades, to a more angular, aggressive and pointy design. Think of it as the Italian CR-X of the 1970s. It’s incredible how many of these I see in Japan considering how rare the Junior Z is.

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I wondered if I’d come across a GR Yaris at this meet, as I’ve been seeing quite a lot of these around town. So much want!

A Prince Skyline parked up next to a few Ferraris. This was my first time seeing the F8 Tributo. There are no SF90 Stradales in Japan yet though. The 812 still wins for me.

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A 412, next to another RWB no less.

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Nothing like some custom American metal to break it all up a bit, this is Yokohama after all.

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More classic Italian sightings, and this X1/9 with the snorkel was so cool. Come on Fiat, start pumping out cool cars like these again since you are all about retro-inspired everything these days.

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And then came the movie cars, first a sweet DeLorean…

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… And hidden away in a far corner of the lot, this Seibu Keisatsu-inspired S130 Z.

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Yep, it even had replica guns popping out of the hood.

And staying with Nissan, I also found this awesome example of an R31 GTS-R. All the rarities were out at Daikoku for the New Year Meeting.

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But no New Year Meeting at Daikoku would be complete without a showing from the bosozoku, and as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, their convoy rolled in making far less noise than usual. A few bikes did rev their engines, but after the police gave them a friendly reminder about keeping noise to a minimum, they left pretty quickly, perhaps not wanting to be the guys blamed with shutting the whole gathering down.

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Then this arrived, accompanied my me uttering out some expletives. When I was still in high school, a 306 Maxi rally replica was pretty much the ultimate dream car.

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Oh Japan, I love you!

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And just like that it was time for me to leave. I actually ended up stopping by Tsuzuki PA on the Daisan-Keihin expressway on the way home and was greeted by another impressive gathering. I didn’t have time to hang around, but it was a beautiful reminder that Japan continues to lead the world when it comes to loving, appreciating and enjoying cars.

Let’s make 2021 a good one!

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
dino@speedhunters.com

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1

Such a wide difference in cars with the common theme of being unified by a common love of cars. Great photos!

2

I agree, have to say I love how some of these gatherings seem to be all inclusive - I wish we could see that more stateside (specifically New England) and I HOPE we see it more - I know cruising my 67 camaro I get looks/waves/burnout-requests from all the Euro and Japanese Tuner and Diesel truck guys that hang out at the beach so I think it IS getting better just need to find the right crowd who can appreciate trucks/muscle/JDM/Euro/supercar's all at once, vs the "cruise in's" with only restored American stuff.

Author3
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Japan is all about variety and this specific gathering is the best example of this

Author4
Dino Dalle Carbonare

LOL hey I had the pix swapped. Fixed now. Now off to drive my Toyota GT-R ;)

5
Jay Soh Tsu Chung

A customized Toyota Elgrand


Come on Dino: is it a Toyota or an Elgrand? LOL!

Love the cars there man, especially the black Ford Galaxie wagon, 306 Maxi and white F355 with black Challenge wheels. The Anija Testarossa looks surprisingly great too!

6

That long coupe is a Lincoln Mark VI, 1980-1983.

7

well I have to disagree, this is a MK V 1977-1979

Author8
Dino Dalle Carbonare

So still not clear what it actually is?

9

it's one of the best american land yachts - built by the lincoln division of Ford motor company to compete with the likes of Northrup, Cadillac, General Dynamics, and other military contract shipbuilders for naval dominance of the North American highway system. The continental (mkV in this case) is one of the finest sailing vessels to traverse the seas of the American landscape. These barges were perfect for smoking a lot of cigarettes in and listening to the Bee Gees while getting 8mpg with the emissions choked big block gurgling along at 70mph. There's also plenty of room for lady friend enabled shenanigans, and i'm fairly sure you can fit a queen mattress in the trunk. These vehicles were truly a jack of all trades. I have a long standing dream to purchase a convertible version of a similar car, put a speedboat style wraparound windshield on it, make it 3 rows of seating, and mount dock cleats to the front and rear fenders. I think that'd be rad.

10

Is it the Alpine A110 that you called "an obscure little French rear-engined car" ?
I dream to own one but prices are out of my reach (even if it's "more common" in Europe).
I had the chance to go in as passenger during a spirited drive on a old track a few years ago. I definitely fall in love then ^^.

NIce shots as usual by the way (and funny to see that the owner of the 306 retain the original French plate ).

11

Agreed, a lovely car! I saw one at Brighton Speed Trials (great event in the UK) a couple of years ago - being used in earnest!

Author12
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Love those cars, I'd definitely have one on my dream garage

13

The long boy is - of course - Lincoln Continental Mark V.
As for Panda love - my guess is these are so cherished because of car's almost obsessive simplicity, especially inside. Besides, it's still a classic Fiat, solid piece of exotica (would it be weird to call a Panda an exotic in a way?).

14

and the 4x4 version was recognised as very effective in more conditions.

15

That long coupe you didn't know about is a Lincoln Continental Mark V. It is from the 1970s I believe. Old school American car.

Author16
Dino Dalle Carbonare

No idea how you fit that into Japanese parking spots!

17

I love these kind of meets so many different varieties of cars
JDM, Euro, American, sports, tuner, muscle, classic, vintage, modern they're all here

Author18
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Japan for you, the best mix out there!

19

Awesome Dino! Never can see enough Kaido Racer content, great to see more.

That 306 Maxi is so good in black.

20

Ive had a Honda S2000, a Honda EK4, 2 Ae86, several Miatas and a bunch of daily drivers, but all these years there was one car that was always with me, a Fiat Panda, im on my fifth and i will always have one in my life, they are brilliant! The simplicity and the fit for purpose is a revelation in a world of ever more complicated machines and the fun factor is off the scale. Another cool aspect of the Panda is the positive mood it spreads, people smile when they see it and gives a "pacifist" vibe, like all good ageless cars on the same vein of the Vw Beetle, Citroen 2CV or the original MINI. And this being Speedhunters, its super lightweight ( 700kgs), very direct steering and easy to swap a bunch of fiat engines, so it actually can be a wolf in sheeps clothing :)

Author21
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Curious on how reliable they are? I've heard all the jokes people used to make about them in Italy back in the day but I do wonder what is actually unreliable. I'd be quite happy to run a 4WD one for a bit just for fun

22

I own a Fiat Panda Sisley 4x4, its a special edition with some nice little cosmetic touches. They are actually really reliable, the Fiat FIRE engine family is super robust, the only weakness is the cooling system if you do hardcore offroading, but nothing that a proper rad and new water pump will not solve, the other "weakness" is the specific 4x4 gearbox,its not that it is a weak gearbox,its just that its specific to the 4x4 model so way less common than the run of the mill fiat panda gearbox, if you break one it can be hard to find a replacement. Everything else is readily available (at least in Europe) and dirt cheap, just to give one example, last week i bought a replacement bumper,new, for the pricely sum of 15,50 euros haha

23
thathellastockusdm3rdgenyaris@instagram

you mean a nissan elgrand

Author24
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Yes yes, I fixed it now lol

25
thathellastockusdm3rdgenyaris@instagram

xd

26

"Nothing like some custom American metal to break it all up a bit, this is Yokohama after all."

But what is it? My American car knowledge isn't so good... username aside.. :D

27

G-Body Malibu, early 80s I reckon...

Author28
Dino Dalle Carbonare

There you go!

29

Daikoku PA definitely has it all!
Old and new, fast and slow, big and small, eastern and western, etc

With such a great mix, it warrants at least 200 photos, Dino. : )

Author30
Dino Dalle Carbonare

200 next year then!!!

31

It's weird that you guys have never done an article on team Anija. They have some incredible cars , i'd say even crazier than Morohoshi's family!

Author32
Dino Dalle Carbonare

It might be in the works.

33

This post is insane.Ive always wanted to go to Japan but never had the chance,that r31 was pretty rare to see, i loved the delorean, i actually have a hot wheels replica of the 993 RS and that last, yellow 240z......pure sexiness.So far this might be fav. post. NICE 1 DINO

Author34
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Thanks man!

35

That 306... Perfect.

Author36
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Biggest surprise of the day! People have loved that one on our social media channels

37

The Japanese are so clever with their plates (see the red NA1). Thanks for sharing Dino.

38

I feel like missing something here... Care to explain?

Author39
Dino Dalle Carbonare

My pleasure!

40

Thanx Dino, what a great article!
That 306 was golden! SH needs more Pug! =)

Author41
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Quite the surprise uh

42

I literally look forward to this feature each year since I first saw it!

Author43
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Thanks!! Seems next year I need to do 200 pix!!

44

I have to say, the thing that makes me the most happy is that a Skyline can park next to an Odyssey or a Ferrari next to a Smart car and no one bats an eye. You have exotics and (Japanese) domestics next to each other and everything in between. I'm sure there are pretentious and arrogant individuals over there but I appreciate the fact that it seems like a majority of them just don't give a crap as long as everyone shows everyone the same respect. That is seldom seen here in the states.

45

Oh, that Skyline wagon.

46

That Lotec Mercedes! What a car! Never heard about them.

47

But is it really W126 coupe? I thought W124...

48

Or specifically, the C124.

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