The Greatest Show On Earth

Without a doubt, the absolute greatest show on earth is Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey's Circus...when you're eight. But post-puberty and if your into cars of the Japanese flavor, there is none like the Tokyo Auto Salon. Size-wise, it's modest compared to SEMA, and no, it doesn't have any of the entertainment frills of an HIN, but what Auto Salon is, is pure, uncut, unfiltered automotive ecstasy.

From Skylines, Silvias, and Celsiors to the occasional Civic, and from sedan styling to sports cars, to straight-out sick, TAS has it all. As far as trends go, it's been the crystal ball to what's going to be hot here in the U.S. and the rest of the world. Judging from this show, the forecast looks rosy.

In the recent years, Auto Salon has been slowly skewing towards Bippu, Mini-van and Kei cars, but 2008 was the return of the completely non-Tolkien kings. Who exactly? Three names carrying three letters apiece: STI, EVO and the GT-R. Dominating the show, these iconic cars alone are enough to guarantee a future filled with Japanese muscle.

Most of the new Imprezas, Lancers and Skylines were at early development phases and shy on heavy modifications, but combined with the caliber of the rest of the cars, race queens, crowds and the usual Japanese goodness, 2008 made for one of the greatest TASs in recent history. Out of all the sights and marvel here are our favorite 50.

	Who: JUN Auto What: Mistubishi EVO X Why: The Hyper Lemon masters put out a hyper EVO X (full feature coming soon).	Who: Endless What: Big brake kit Why: Laser-etched hat and dimpled rotors worthy of an art gallery.
Who: Yokohama What: F7 wheel Why: Yokohama's first forged wheel.	Who: Taito What: D1GP arcade game Why: Now you too can drift...virtually.	Who: Garage Saurus What: Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R Why: Hard to tell, but most of the exterior is painted carbon.
Who: Rocky Auto What: Nissan KPGC10 Skyline GT-R Why: A clean KPGC10 can run upwards of $50k. This one is super clean. Do the math.	Who: ARK Design What: New products Why: A new JDM-approved alternative for modifying your car.	Who: TEIN What: Model Why: She has no idea that her right hand is no longer a "peace" symbol.
Who: Ray's Engineering What: Model Why: In Japan, holding the right lapel means she wants you. Left means get lost. Drats.	Who: Bride What: Racing seat Why: Walking the fine line between dope-for-your-back and Brokeback.	Who: Fujitsubo What: STI exhaust Why: Like a self-induced orgasm: quiet, yet powerful.
Who: Colt Speed What: Mistubishi EVO X Why: Mitsubishi-exclusive tuner brings out an impressive EVO (full feature coming soon).	Who: Pan Speed What: Mazda RX-7 and RX-8 Why: A pair of clean rotaries.	Who: ARC What: Mistubishi EVO X Why: This is the stuff future EVO X owners will be jocking.