"Only 10 and a half more hours to go before I get off this tin can death trap," I thought to myself as I repeatedly glared at my watch, counting down the hours. As I trekked over the Pacific Ocean in a flying roach trap to attend the annual Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS), random thoughts filled my head such as the plane ripping apart (think Fight Club), Civet Cats served for supper (while the man next to me gagged, coughed and laid in a comatose state from some sort of sickness), and I nestled deep within my seat while the little girl sitting diagonal to me continuously threw up on herself while her mother's nose bled for no apparent reason. No lie folks, this really did happen!
After what seemed like an eternity, the plane finally taxied down the runway. I bolted out the chair like a bat out of hell, down to the baggage terminal. Anticipation and the unknowingness of what to expect at this year's TAS show is what makes this auto fest such a successful event year after year.
TAS can be best described as three days of stunning car displays, newly developed high performance products, and more cam/umbrella girl than you can ever imagine. So what makes the TAS such a special event that intrigues editors all over the world to pack their bags and leave the comforts of home to bear aN island that has a shitty dollar to yen exchange rate, expensive food, and winter weather that will even make a man's nipples perk up? Perhaps it was the JGTC Calsonic R34 GT-R, the debut of the highly anticipated Lancer Evolution MR (Mitsubishi Racing), otherwise known as the Evo 8.5, or possibly the Blitz Supercharged RX8 pushing the realms of 285ps? Just ask the 250,000 consumers that passed through the three halls of the Makuhari Messe Convention Center.