Uniqueness is always on the agenda at Tokyo Auto Salon, but 2017 was a bit different.

If there is one thing you can be sure that the Tokyo Auto Salon delivers, it’s uniqueness. The show is as unique as the market it attempts to promote. Varied, eccentric, at times surprising and confusing, but always with an underlying purpose of fun.

Every year it presents a different feel, dependent on the cars and styles that are most prominently exhibited. But 2017 didn’t really have that. There was no one big thing, no one new style that everyone jumped on.

But rather an evolution of the whole tuning and aftermarket scene as a general, with a variety of shops and brands doing a variety of different things. And that’s good because it keeps the industry we love so much alive and moving forward.

From a tuning perspective, people out there still crave power and since domestic manufacturers have failed miserably over the last few years, tuners have made sure to deliver. My favourite this year was seeing pretty much every Honda S660 running an HKS turbo upgrades, boosting power to 110 bhp for a big boost in fun and with various shops presenting the car in their own flavour.

Words and photos Dino Dalle Carbonare