What makes a luxury car?

Nissan GT-R Named Most Iconic Japanese Car Ever

Nissan’s GT-R has had a good April so far, with a specially-tuned model recently setting a new Guinness World Record for performing the world's fastest drift, and most recently, being named the most iconic car to come out of Japan.

At Japfest, the largest event of Japanese culture and cars in Europe, the Nissan GT-R has beaten out the Subaru Impreza and Toyota Supra according to a survey carried out by the event’s organisers via its social media channels.

Of course, the term ‘Nissan GT-R’ is used to encapsulate the entire generation of cars that have led to the most recent R35 GT-R, starting with the Nissan ‘Hako’ GT-R Skyline of 1969 to the R32 GT-R that first got the nickname of ‘Godzilla’, evolving to the R34 that shot to fame in the west after starring in the Fast and Furious film series.

Taken as a unit, there’s really no surprise when it is revealed that most people think of the Nissan GT-R first when they think of a Japanese car. It has been so prevalent in culture and garnered so much respect among the general public and in car-loving circles.

Other honourable mentions that the GT-R won over on that survey wee thec, the Mazda MX-5, Mazda RX-7, Honda Civic Type R, Mitsubishi 3000GT, and the Toyota Corolla AE86.

Prestigious company indeed, but as an icon, doesn’t quite match the GT-R. Japfest in 2016 will begin on April 24th at the Silverstone Circuit in Great Britain. 

Wald International Toyota GT 86 / Scion FR-S Tuning Package

Ahead of its unveiling at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon in January, Wald International, a Japanese tuning company, have just released information on their tuning package for the Toyota GT 86 / Scion FR-S. The changes are designed to give the car a significantly more aggressive appearance – although sadly with out the performance upgrades to back up the new look.

Wald International have given the car a fairly comprehensive redesign, which includes new bumpers both front and back, a new hood, new sideskirts, wheel arch extensions, a large rear spoiler, and a set of two-piece, five-spoke alloy wheels. It’s not the best looking aerokit out there. In fact it’s really a bit of an abomination. Especially at the rear, where it really screws up what was previously quite a nice looking back end.

Toyota F3R

The Toyota F3R minivan concept from the 2006 Detroit Motor Show was designed jointly by Calty Design Research Inc., Toyota's California based design studio, and the Advanced Product Strategy group, also California based.

The Toyota F3R aims revive the glory days of the minivan, when sales were almost double what they are now. Minivans are often seen as an old persons mode of transport and to combat this the F3R has been specifically designed for the young family. 
Whereas many minivan designs attempt to hide the characteristics of a van, the Toyota F3R's designers have embraced the features associated with a minivan. The large, prominent grille does nothing to hide the fact it is bolted to a minivan, and to its credit, a rather attractive minivan.
Inside, the F3R's designers have created a versatile seating space, with 3 row cinema-style seating, the rear rows sitting higher than the row in front.And when the F3R is parked up, the seating can be reconfigured to make a sophisticated lounge area for conversation or watching the 2 track-mounted LCD TV's.
Although there is no word on production, Toyota has hinted that design elements of the F3R may appear on future Toyota models.