Tokyo Auto Salon 2004

Another year, another mechanical orgy where you can ogle, maybe touch, but can't take home. Despite another year of fiscal decline for the Japanese aftermarket, you wouldn't know it by attending the 2004 Tokyo Auto Salon. Horsepower figures still eclipse the millennium mark, trick new parts are out in spades, and the "camera boy" perverts still attempt Can-gal up-skirt shots.

There was no "car of the show" this year, with attention spread evenly between the 350Z, RX-8 and EVO VIII. Drift continues to grow in popularity in Japan, having an immediate effect on the direction of product planning for nearly every parts manufacturer. Time Attack and circuit event-prepared cars haven't lost any ground, however, and many of the vehicles on display were thus modified.

Despite the demise of the Japanese supercars as we entered the new millennium, the aftermarket seems in no hurry to abandon these vehicles. And although Japanese consumers don't have the same emissions concerns as American enthusiasts, the aftermarket is cleaning up its products with an eye toward our market and tighter restrictions at home. OEMs continued to support the show after their strong presence last year, and Nissan even stepped up with a full-sized, separate NISMO booth to drool for.