Rain on Car Parade! GTR Meet In The Wet.

GTR - perhaps the most significant three letters in the alphabet of any auto enthusiast in Japan, and perhaps even globally. There is no other car that has such vast following; sometimes almost resembling a cult of some kind, yet at the same time so accessible and affordable to many.

Usually happening on first Sunday of September, the R's meeting is where hundreds of GTR owners from across Japan gather at Fuji Speedway...

to show off their cars,...

...check out some awesome rides,

...and score some parts from the famous tuners and shops ...

...who brought their famous custom build demo cars to show off to potential customers and fans.

It is rather unfortunate that the weather has refused to play ball this time and instead of the miracle sunshine we got a case of torrential down poor for almost entire afternoon,

But for most owners of the four wheel drive sports car proclaimed for its handling capabilities, this was "challenge accepted" and they arrived as zealous as on any other day.

Despite the weather the turn-up was quite spectacular and by late morning there was a great variety of GTR's to look at.

While most of the owners' cars were nothing short of spectacular, worthy of a display at any kind of car shows,...

...it's the tuner demo cars that were taking the center stage.

We start with the vastly proclaimed JUN & Akira R35 demo car, producing 870 HP and 106kgm of torque thanks to original 4.0 stoker kit, upgraded cam shaft, throttle body setup, and a Garrett GT30076R twin turbo kit. Painted in custom yellow color and sitting on Advan AVS F7 20 inch wheels this machine is built to impress

Esprit Motorsports dressed their R35 in two tone vinyl and showed a set of Prodrive GC-012L wheels.

The guys from T-Get Works brought in their R35 demo car equipped with Varis aero bits, Volk TE37 Ultra wheels,..

...and a whole lot of upgrades under the hood. The list includes HKS custom throttle body and air intakes, remapped ECU and Top Secret cooling system.

This impressive GReddy RWD converted R35 built for D1 features widebody kit done by TRA Kyoto, as well as reworked engine and sequential gear box. All in all, the car produces a massive 1000 horse power, which combined with these menacing looks should make it one of the most impressive drift machines.

DoLuck team have also been hard at work. Their R32 has been constantly modified, now featuring their custom made ignition coil upgrade and original single turbo conversion, while the R35 is now equipped with Overtake Aero,...

..and 20 inch Work wheels with GT500 spec brake system by AP Racing hiding behind them.

Both of the Mine's famous GTR's also made it to the event. The R35 is equipped with their latest ECU. and produces a remarkable750HP

Top Secret was also at the center of attention with their demo cars. While the Gold R35 has been the eye candy of all the shows, their time attack monster is what tuning is all about. The 1200HP machine is always being worked on, and after their unfortunate exit from competition at Motorgames, they have their work cut out of them before WTAC kicks off in Sydney.

Meanwhile, the brutal 1300 HP R35 from HKS dressed in Ben Sopra kit and featuring a massive HKS GT1000 turbo blowing extra air into the 4.1L stroked engine has a lot to prove as it has a tough job remaining at top of its class in the same competition.

R35's may be taking the center stage, but the passion for R34's never dies. With sales limited to Japan resulting in relatively small production numbers this car because global icon of the JDM golden age. Despite last R34 rolling off the line some 12 years ago tuners are still happy to work their magic on the robust and potent RB26.

This unique yellow R34 with red Volk TE37 has been the flagship demo car of Fujimura Auto for quite some time. The car features fully tuned suspension consisting of Apex N1 dampers kits. Engine work includes upgraded ACR intercooler, VCon PRO ECU, JUN camshaft, HKS turbo's and custom made titanium exhaust

It was absolute tuning madness at the ATTKD booth with the WTAC spec R32 on the left capable of lapping Fuji at 1:41. The R34 on the right may be looking a lot cleaner, but what has been done under the hood defies any kind of limits.

The mod list had to be redistributed across three pages. The stock RB26 have been swapped out for a RB30 which have been bored and stroked to 3.3L, stock twin turbo setup was replaced with single HKS T04Z blower, HKS also supplied cam shaft, pistons and oil cooler, while ATTKD made their own fuel lines, heads, and exhaust.

If you are after more aesthetically appealing GTR, you need to look no further than Augogarage Defend and their custom deep pearl green paint job. Sitting low on TE37 wheels this has to be one of the best looking R34's out there.

I personally prefer the look of R34's in red; being produced in very limited numbers it is certainly refreshing to see one at such event.

Although most common, performance and aesthetics are not the only things customizable when it comes to GTR's. Interior is as important part as anything, and makers of race spec cabin components such as Bride know that very well.

However it was Robson Leather who stole the show with their upholstery craftsmanship. Small diameter, flat bottom steering wheel originally made by Mine's received a new leather grip and carbon trim to match the replaced interior panels. Door panels and headliner have been redone in alcantara, while custom bucket seats were wrapped in fine Napa leather. Designers from Nissan should definitely stop by and have a look at how car interiors should be done!

It was great to see classic GTR's at this event as well. This rare Ken-Mary GTR is fully original...

as is this Hakosuka Skyline, which could be said - started it all.

This event was hosted by GTR magazine in collaboration with GTR Otaku - a very popular site connecting GTR owners world wide. There is no better way of representing the brand than riding around in a customized R35 with a giant logo on the side.