Welcome back everyone! It looks like there has been an influx of new viewers and visitors coming in from who knows where. For all the new people, thanks for visiting and I hope you stay awhile. I think this most recent Japan trip has brought a completely new audience to the site and to my socials, which is always cool to see. I never expect it, but I think people just like seeing car content from Japan. And being that I was probably one of the first foreigners to make my way back there since the world shut down, it makes perfect sense. Today, we’re going to be taking a look at some pretty impressive builds from the inside of the Port Messe venue in Nagoya. In year’s past, I think I didn’t shoot as much as I would inside due to the low-light but it’s one of the best-looking natural-light venues I’ve ever seen. I just had more fun shooting outside when a lot of the cars were in motion or not arranged so strategically. But this year, I made more of an effort to collect photos from inside because this is the final year Wekfest will be held here…

A couple years ago, Legoland decided to open-up next door and they’ve become quite successful in their endeavors in Nagoya. So much so that they need to expand. This venue is literally next door to where Legoland stands now and will soon be demolished to make more room for tiny colorful building blocks. Wekfest isn’t leaving this city however, and is expected to move nearby into the brand new convention center that was recently completed. This massive structure will be the new home for Wekfest Japan in the future and with the new space will come even more custom car builds. I don’t know how much this will impact the overall feel of the show, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t miss this venue. I feel like a lot of other automotive enthusiasts in Japan will miss this place too as so many other automotive events have been held here over the years as well. It’s such a scenic spot with the natural light flowing in and the grided roof structure above. Shooting low light in this unique environment also allowed me to test the limits of my new Canon EOS R5 body. I literally went and bought this camera like the day before the show and had absolutely no idea how to use it prior to the show. The button layout is so different than what I was used to with my Canon 5DMKIV but luckily the interface itself wasn’t too far off. That and being able to re-use my old lenses provided me with a little bit more comfort as I ventured into the unfamiliar world of mirrorless camera technology…

I think the photos came out pretty decent but you can judge for yourself. Let’s dive right into Part 2 now and look at some of the finest custom car builds that Japan has to offer this year…

Tsutomu Miyoshi’s AE86 Levin was certainly one of the more discussed builds of the Wekfest Japan event. I believe it debuted last year in a much rawer form but since us Americans weren’t able to attend in 2021, it took me until this year to finally see it up-close…

On the outside, the Levin looks like what you’d expect from a well thought-out AE86 build. The flares look to be inspired by the original TRD N1 kit but much wider, the gold hue on the girthy body pops and the aggressive Volk TE37V wheels help to car to sit with so much presence…

But wait…there’s much more to see…

An AE86 build like this would lead you to believe that there is a finely-tuned 4A-GE inside a cleaned-up engine bay, but a quick glimpse reveals no engine at all. In fact, there’s nothing but a black fuel cell mounted in the center of the bay, which has also been re-sprayed in black…

Before you can figure out where the engine went, you look inside the cockpit and realize that there’s only one single bucket seat in there—but it’s in the middle…and so is the steering wheel…

Yes, it’s center-drive…

And it also has a full cage. If you’re wondering where the engine is, well, you don’t have to look far…

…right behind the single MOMO seat is the 4A-GE. So what we have now is a widebody AE86 Levin with a center-drive layout and rear-engine, rear-drive set-up just inches behind the seat, mounted over the rear axle…

Now you’re probably asking yourself, what is the purpose of this build? or, what is it for? Well, I don’t think it’s meant to be anything other than a proof of concept. Like a “why the fuck not?” build, if that makes sense. It currently isn’t finished yet, it’s not wired or plumbed so it doesn’t actually ‘work’ per se, but it’s getting there. There’s so much more to be done until it can be a functioning vehicle, but so far, it’s more of a think-piece. It’s provocative. It gets people talking…

Here’s a look at the massive rear over-fender and the TE37V tucked tightly under on Yokohama Advan rubber…

And the front TE37V hugging the front flare…

Masataka Ikeda’s AE86 from Inazuma Worx is one of my all-time favorite custom car builds from Japan and the engine bay is just simply a masterpiece. It always ends up being one of the first parts of the car I find myself shooting whenever I see his AE86…

Someone actually started talking to me right after I got a photo of this custom re-barreled OEM Toyota wheel on his Trueno and I was so distracted that I actually forgot to get a photo of his car as a whole…

Right next to him was another AE86, this one re-imagined to look like a modified USDM Corolla with North American front/rear bumpers and “GT-S Twin Cam” graphic on the door. Like Ikeda’s AE86, the owner of this Trueno also has custom re-barreled OEM Toyota wheels…

I often find myself roaming social media accounts to find more information on specific builds I see at car shows like Wekfest but I was surprised by how little I found on this particular S14 Silvia. Maybe because it didn’t have crazy aero or an overly-aggressive stance, but to me, this was likely one of the most slept-on builds at this year’s show. If you appreciate details, this is the type of build that will capture your attention right away.

Sure, with the hood closed the Silvia would look very lightly modified, but the engine bay reveals so much more…

Inside is a custom-tubbed engine bay, fully re-sprayed, and the heart of this S14 is an updated SR20DET from a newer S15 Silvia. The piping for the turbo set-up is all custom-fabricated and flow with the curvature of the aluminum wheel tubs…

The fabrication work is top-notch as it comes from S&A Auto Create, one of the elite fabrication shops in all of Kanagawa…

Itasha-themed J’s Racing Type GT widebody AP2 S2000 with a massive Voltex Type 7 swan-neck GT wing and Volk Racing TE37V Mark II wheels…

Yanagi’s Idemitsu Motion-themed EG6 Civic running a Sergeant front paired with an Exceed front lip, Mode Parfume sideskirts, 15-inch Enkei RPF1 wheels wrapped in 205/50 Yokohama Advan A050…

Through the Idemitsu-themed vented hood reveals a little bit of the B16A which features TODA Racing pistons, adjustable cam gears, and a reworked cylinder head by NAPREC…

The rear bumper has been chopped, the Spoon Sports N1 exhaust moved-up slightly to line-up with the modified rear, and the rear wing is an Osaka JDM Devil Wing…

If you were to ask me what my favorite build was at this year’s Wekfest Japan, I’d have a hard time pinpointing one specific car. If you wanted me to point out some favorites, I’d direct you to this Z32 Fairlady wearing a collection of ABFlug aero…

Though its styling may be a little unconventional for many, this particular look screams late ’90s-2000s Tokyo Wangan style for me. Japanese tuning car builds built with this aesthetic were all the rage during that period. High-horsepower Nissans and Toyotas  running the Tokyo highway system often wore ABFlug aero, particularly the ones from the famed “Mid Night” club. Seeing this immediately takes me back to fond memories of photos I saw back in the day when I was researching Japanese car culture…

I always found the Z32 to be a very quirky car so the unique styling of the fenders and aggressive face suit the car quite perfectly. The rear also features a quad-tipped exhaust, a rear diffuser, and beefy 295-wide tires wrapped around bronze TEs…

It has so much presence and ABFlug aero is so rare to see in 2022 that I found myself going back to look at this car multiple times…

Fantastic custom metal work on the fenders by Garage Excellent to house MAE Crown Jewel wheels on this Toyota Celsior…

This S30 Fairlady Z was another one of my favorites this year. It’s a mix of modern and classic parts to create this, I guess, neo-custom feel. It has a very traditional BRE-style front lip, ZG-style over fenders, headlight covers, fender-mounted mirrors and BBS wheels…

Upon looking inside the engine bay, I could already immediately recognize that this was the fine work of S&A Auto Create. Check out the custom valve cover with the frenched oil filler cap…

The header is a custom piece made by S&A, the L-series engine now runs direct-injection, there is ARP hardware throughout the engine, and plumbing is executed with XRP HS79 hoses paired with purple Hydraflow clamshell clamps…

Nerima’s Powerhouse Amuse-themed AP2 S2000 on color-matched Desmond wheels…

Shogo Watanabe showing off two different sets of Volk TE37SL wheels redressed in TE37 OG form. His AP2 is one of my favorites as well, so much so that I bought a set of wheels because I once saw them on his car in a Rays advertisement. I found out this year after meeting him finally that he actually works for Rays wheels in Osaka…

Kohei’s New Formula Red S2000 utilizing a Spoon Sports Aero front bumper, Spoon front brakes, EVS mirrors, and new EVS Tuning 52R wheels in bronze…

Kazu’s Pandem V3 180SX on SSR Professor wheels with a glimpse into his interior which is caged, fully gutted, repainted, hosting a pair of Bride seats….

I’m kinda glad that Kenta opted to run his bronze Mugen MF10 wheels for this show instead of the white Buddy Club P1 wheels I’m so used to seeing on his Mugen-themed EP3…

Madlane brought-out this custom-painted BMW E30 M3 with clear taillights, bagged on Prazis air suspension, tucking 25th Anniversary OEM Lamborghini Countach wheels produced by OZ…

Shuhei Nara’s newly-completed DC5 Integra built by X-Point with the help of Exceed Japan. The entire car has been repainted classic Honda Milano Red running a full Mugen lip kit, USDM headlights, and custom rear GT wing…

The engine bay has been completely reshaped hosting a K20A operating on AT Power individual throttle bodies, a tucked radiator, Rywire engine harness and much more…

X-Point front big brakes produced by Exceed sitting millimeters away from custom-brushed Desmond Regamaster EVO II wheels…

Mori’s EK9 Civic Type R made an appearance with some new additions including Mode Parfume sideskirts, Formula Silver Volk TE37 wheels, and Exceed big brake upgrades…

Not much has changed inside the hoodless engine bay which hosts a turbocharged B16B….

Takamasa Oya from Zerozero8’s Z32 Fairlady on Frontline forged FLS12 wheels…

The winner of the “911 of the Festival” went to this air-cooled Porsche 911 running Carrera RS-style front and rear bumpers…

Masashi’s AP1 S2000 with a BMW Mineral Gray-painted engine bay with the battery, fusebox and wiring harness relocated for a cleaner overall appearance…

In addition to the E30 M3, Madlane also presented this Porsche 964 C2 seated with Prazis air suspension on Speedline-manufactured wheels…

If these wheels look slightly-familiar to you, they’re actually customized OEM wheels originally from a Ferrari 512M Testarossa. Kazuki from Madlane is all about throwing out conventional rules and using rare OEM Euro wheels on different make and model builds…

Speaking of which, we’re actually going to conclude Part 2 with another Madlane build. This USDM 97-01 face-converted Integra owned by Ryo sits planted to the ground on Prazis air, shortened knuckles for maximum low, Prazis air, and rare Bugatti BBS EB 514 wheels…

How cool is that? Hate it? That’s okay too, lol…

But, that’s all I got for you today. There’s still one more part coming so please come back and stay tuned for more!!! Thanks for looking!!…