Finally, the “Alphard Truck” premieres! Savannah GT & Bluebird are back! NATS students’ custom cars, including an 86 GT car, to be unveiled at TAS2023!
Looking forward to the response! NATS Students’ Custom Cars to be Unveiled for the First Time
Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 will be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture from January 13 to 15, 2023.
The Nihon Automobile College, which exhibits custom cars that astonish visitors every year, will exhibit what kind of model in 2023?
World premiere at last! This is the Alphard Truck! Plus more Savannah GT & Bluebird images!
Finally, the world premiere of the NATS students’ best work! Let’s go to Tokyo Auto Salon 2023!
Among the various custom and tuning cars on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon each year, the customization department of the Nihon Automobile College (commonly known as NATS), located in Chiba Prefecture, has become the talk of the town for the custom cars created by its students each time.
In the past, the “COSMO VISION,” based on a Mazda Roadster, was a modern revival of the “Cosmo Sport,” and the “NATS R35 Road Star,” based on a Nissan Fairlady Z Roadster (Z33 model), was made to look like a GT-R (R35 model).
Various custom cars have also been produced, including Toyota’s 3rd generation “Crown (MS50)” with American lowrider specifications, and the “LM800T,” which was designed to look like the Lexus “LM300h.
In this context, several custom cars will be unveiled for the Tokyo Auto Salon 2023.
Alphard Super Duty Truck
A super duty truck based on the Toyota Alphard will be produced, and it has been named the “”Alphard Super Dury Truck.
The term “duty truck” refers to a four-wheeled pickup truck with two wheels on each side of the rear wheels, and is a custom truck that can be seen in North America and other countries.
The student in charge of the project said, “We came up with the idea of building a duty truck with members who are interested in truckin’ (sporty truck customization) and American cars. When choosing the base vehicle, we wanted to draw attention to the unexpectedness of the vehicle by basing it on a familiar Japanese vehicle, so we decided on the Toyota Alphard, which we believe will be a one-of-a-kind custom vehicle.
●”MAZDA RX3 CABRIOLET
Based on the Mazda Roadster (ND model), the “MAZDA RX3 CABRIOLET” has a distinctive design with four round eyes and a mesh grille that pays homage to the “Savanna GT” (imported name: RX-3) that Mazda once sold.
In addition to the headlights and grille reminiscent of the RX-3 (coupe/later model), the finished model will have a yellow body color accented with green lines and a convertible style that resembles a roadster.
The student in charge of the project said, “Old cars are becoming more and more popular and used cars are becoming more and more expensive. I want to buy an old car, but I feel that I have to pay a lot of money for it. Even the purchase price is high, and considering the cost of maintenance and upkeep, it is a dream come true for the average citizen to own an old car in today’s disparate society. We wanted to challenge ourselves to create a model case of an ideal car that looks like an old car but has the maintenance and upkeep costs of a modern car.
TOYOTA86 GT STANCE
This is a custom car based on the Toyota 86 in the style of the Toyota GR GT3 Concept.
In the final design released by NATS, the car’s headlights are designed with the GR GT3 Concept in mind, and front and side aero parts and large-diameter aluminum wheels will be installed.
The student in charge of the project commented, “To begin with, GT machines cannot be driven on public roads, but we wanted a GT machine that complies with safety standards to be driven on public roads, which is why we decided to create this car. This is a public road-going version of the GT3 concept car that was exhibited by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2022. The silhouette is a tribute to the GT3, with a touch of originality.
Datsun Bluebird
While the previous models were customized versions of the base car, this Bluebird is a restored vehicle.
The second generation Datsun Bluebird (410 type) was introduced in September 1963, and evolved into the 411 type after a minor change in May 1965, with a new grille and rear design.
The student who was in charge of the project said, “”The demand for restoration is increasing, as well as the recent boom in old cars. So we aim to land on the 411 Bluebird’s looks with an air suspension setup. The difficult part is that it is not a modern car, so it is time-consuming to check the meaning of the shape and the structure of mechanisms and parts that we have never seen before,”” he said.
The production process of these models is shown on NATS’s official YouTube page, and it is breathtaking to see them steadily approaching completion day by day.
The completed models will be unveiled at the NATS booth at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2023.