Last week we got our first look at Wekfest Japan 2023; now is the time to just focus on some of the most notable import cars that caught my eye at the brand new Port Messe Nagoya exhibition center.
As always, the level of surprise was high, starting with this W126 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL car. Yes, you read correctly…
I must admit that this one did me good. I first thought it was to be a very small production series, but if you know the W126 you know that Mercedes-Benz never offered it in a wagon body style . This build turns out to be the result of a custom project dreamed up by HWA Astroid Wheels, and the look was achieved using a number of parts from a W124 wagon.
Up front, the SEC Face Swap gives this massive wagon a very unique appearance, while HWA’s AMG Penta-inspired wheels on all four corners finish off the build beautifully.
Sticking to the wagons for a moment, I couldn’t not include this two-tone green W124 dropped on OZ Racing Futuras.
We’ve seen this BMW E34 wagon at a number of auto shows in Japan over the past few years (Wekfest included), and it never gets old.
Moontech brought a bunch of cars to Wekfest, including this suitably slammed BMW M2. It’s a nice change to see the BBS RI-D wheels tucked in inside the fenders, proving that you don’t need large amounts of flat polish to achieve a nice look.
As you can see from the engine bay photo, performance hasn’t been overlooked either, with titanium piping and a CSF Race charge cooler hinting at further potential.
This Porsche 996 Convertible – another Moontech creation – wears the Old & New kit very well. Seeing it was a great encore which is an amazing conversion when done well.
You’d have to be brave enough to transform the look of your Porsche so drastically, but there’s no denying the impact it has.
In true Moontech style, no area of the car was overlooked during its creation. The near-fluorescent green-on-orange reminds me of the GM-swapped E36 M3 LS V8 they built a few years ago.
The position is perfect and that rear spoiler adds just the right amount of drama to the rear to balance out the wild look.
This BMW M3 E30 Power-tuned iDing on OZ Racing Futuras is probably going to piss off a few purists. What do you think?
To wrap up the Moontech import selection, here’s their on-air Ferrari 488, which we first saw at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January. I’m a sucker for the F40 style five spokes on any car.
The Porsche presented at Wekfest Japan 2023 was as varied as possible, starting with some beautiful 718 Boxsters. Five-spoke or mesh wheels are the question. Which style do you prefer?
The owner of this Cayman has gone a route I did not expect, installing a Yokohama Advan Oni 2 inspired set of 3 spokes.
There were plenty of air-cooled Porsche qualities around the place too, and we’ll get to some of those cars later in the post.
Of all the VWs at Wekfest – some wild Beetle included – this Golf on triple step lip BBS RS made the biggest impression on me.
Back to Mercedes-Benz with two different flavors – a stunning two-tone W124 coupe and a W201 2.3-16, AKA Cosworth 190 E.
Japanese car culture serves up amazing creations, but I often wonder why the twin-turbo tuned Audi R8 (and Lamborghini Gallardo/Huracán) hasn’t caught on here yet.
It seems to be all the rage in the US and elsewhere, so I’d like to see high horsepower R8 builds made in Japan. Nevertheless, there was this example on BBS rims with meaty tires that looked pretty much like a race car.
As Japanese automakers don’t offer as many performance sedans as they once did – at least tunable sedans – brands like Mercedes and BMW have really stolen this corner of the market, meaning there are more and more ‘Tough four-door Euros on the road here. I am not complaining.
“To the point” is a good way to describe this Volvo V70 station wagon.
Porsche 964s were well represented at Wekfest, and all those great cars made me feel even more dejected that I haven’t seen the 964 project in almost eight months now.
You’ll notice a distinct lack of aftermarket widebody conversions here. While the chunky FRP mudguards add real aggressiveness to the 964, you can’t deny how good a narrow body looks with the right stance and wheels.
Of all the 964 exhibited in Nagoya, Madlane’s creation was my favorite. The air suspension ensures that the mesh wheels are perfectly adjusted, with only the upper part of the rim being pressed into the fenders.
An ITB conversion completely transforms the look of the engine bay. I got goosebumps just looking at this thing; can you even imagine what it looks like? !
The interior is simple, but filled with all the right additions. Checkered upholstery is something you often see in resto-modded 911s, and this custom touch-up was executed perfectly, both in terms of quality and color coordination.
I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering how big the wheels have to be to properly fill the arches of the Audi RS models. I think they were 22s!
Approaching this BMW M3 E92 from the rear, I wondered why so many people were obsessed with the front…
Ahh, that explains it.
These motors sound pretty fruity in stock form, so an aftermarket gear stack combo for the factory ITB setup should spark some serious symphony.
I couldn’t help including a MINI, especially when it’s a Cooper S slammed on a set of RS Watanabe wheels. It’s cool to see modern cars with that legendary 8 rounded spoke design, which is made possible by Watanabe’s ever-expanding list of sizes and fitments.
Sometimes you don’t even need spare wheels. Let me know in the comments section what other cars can get this look.
Giugiaro style with a bit of JDM flair – enough said.
With this post and my first from Wekfest Japan 2023, I’ve only really scratched the surface yet, so I want to end with a big “best of the rest” event gallery post. Come back soon for this.
Dino Slab Carbonare
Instagram: dino_delle_carbonare
dino@speedhunters.com
