Photos Unboxed: Japfest 2018
I’m writing this just after we had one of the biggest washouts at Japfest 2019. These photos are from 2018 as you might have guessed if you attended the event. We were fresh back from Japan this year and didn’t have the time to organise a stand and to be honest because of how bad the weather was, I’m glad we didn’t. Last year we were graced with the greatest summer Ireland had seen since the early nineties. It was also a rare occasion where a bunch of us had cars on the road and were willing to drive them to an event.
There was a lengthy traffic jam leading up to the gates of Mondello but the sun was shining down and we weren’t bothered. Aidan had freshly taxed his car so everyone was road legal, well sort of. 
Last year we had our own stand, it was a little bigger than the year before and we had a stack of cool cars. I decided to do a lap of the show while the sun was shining. The weather at Mondello can be quite sporadic and I’m pretty sure it rained even though the forecast was clear for the day.
We started closest to our stand and tried to Navigate the show carefully, Each year Japfest pulls some of the best machines out of the woodwork. You go from seeing nothing all year to seeing pretty much everything all in the space of three hours.
There are some things you would never expect like this little Motocompo parked next to Squire’s Idemitsu EG6.
Too damn cool!
It’s hard to beat this look on a C35 Laurel, a boxy car complimented by a sharp body kit and some good looking wheels.
It wouldn’t be an Irish car show without a quality selection of 86’s everywhere you look.
Heres something I was not expecting to see, a Honda Orthia/Partner. I was just about to say, someone throw an EK front on this but I’m actually enjoying the original front end, its unusual.
AN Evo IX wagon sitting pretty on some Volk RE30’s. An uncommon car with some uncommon wheels.
This EG is sublime, sitting on some Dunlop Formula CP-R’s,
Ciaran Mc Carthy’s EG is sporting a new livery here, an old 5 Zigen design, the colours are awesome.
This was one of the highlights of the show for me, this is what I mean about cars turning up out of the blue for Japfest. This is exactly how id piece together a third-generation EA civic. The wheel and colour combination are a perfect match.
Under the bonnet, a freshly built B-series has been fitted to an immaculate engine bay.
I love the angles of these old Civics, that slant back screams the eighties.
A very uncommon car on Irish shores. the CB Accord. This car was destined for the North American market and I was unsure if they ever made their way to Ireland. Always liked seeing modified versions of these on Honda-Tech back in the day. The owner has gone for a classic look with some rare 4×100 VS-XX’s.
I’ve always had a soft spot for these blocky little Toyota BB.s
This EP91 was nuts, it had a heap of really good parts on it. It’s nice to know there are still a few floating around Ireland.
I’ve noticed more and more GS300’s going down the VIP route. Lots of potential here, just a shame the Irish government is against having big old cars like this on the road.
Always a treat to see a Makinen at any event.
How about this JZX100 MKII dressed in Origin aero sitting on VS-KF wheels?
Timeless!
The stuff of dreams, great colourway on the RB26, almost has a Top-Secret vibe to it. I love the fact its still twin-turbo too, those double HKS filters in red get me excited.
I had just seen this car at AE86 festival a couple of weeks earlier, with its mix mash of Runfree and Origin aero, a 20valve conversion and a mega set of Watanabes, what more could you want?
I’m not sure why I didn’t get a full photo of this Aristo/GS300 chassis. I think the wheel setup was too distracting!
Yep, this is a perfect combo. Blitz type 03’s and a GTS-T wearing a full GTR outfit. Gotta love those N1 vents in the front bumper too. Reuben is trying to duck for the photo but we are too quick. The crowds were wild last year so any chance to snap a car without someone walking in front of it was a rare opportunity.
Rory from Zero Seven Four had switched his wheels on the r34 to an SSR MS1 with gold spoke, along with some exterior diffuser pieces the car looks great.
Marty brought his kaido fleet. This is actually an FWD bluebird which he built a few weeks before Japfest.
His SR20 powered starlet was finished in the same paint scheme. This thing is awesome, I love the carbon N2 fenders.
Ireland has no shortage of JZX100’s we took as many as we could before the government hiked the import prices. This one is one of my favourites, CST hypers are the perfect match for a white four-door X100.
Next to the Chaser was an a JZX100 Cresta sitting pretty on Work Emotions…
This must have been the JZX area of the show. This Chaser was rocking a mint set of XD9r… Most of these are white so its always cool to see something different.
Always appreciate seeing this beauty at events, one of our favourite cars.
I hadn’t seen the Z on the right in many years. It was once featured on the cover of the arguably Irelands best Japanese car magazine, the now-defunct MIJ magazine.
You can’t go wrong with this combination. TC05s on an EK chassis is always a good time.
The same can be said for a mega set of Hayashi’s and a CBY kit on an AE86.
Loved the look of this AE111 on P1’s, always nice to see someone who appreciates this somewhat unloved chassis.
Another combination that’s nice on the eyes, Gunmetal Regamasters on a teal EK Civic.
A lot of these wagons have started to pop up recently. I always liked the Gita/IS estate.
Japfest 2018 was arguably the best one yet. The weather was good, the cars were even better. There was more than enough cars to look at, in fact we couldn’t even make it around the entire event.
When the weather is good, people tend to make the effort to drive to Mondello and if the rain stays away, people tend to stick around. A lot of Irish car shows are at the mercy of our unpredictable weather and for some reason, Mondello is cursed with seeing rain at least once a day at any given car event. This C33 was a pleasant surprise, four studs and all the original seat covers intact.
One of my favourite Skylines from the event, this R32 was perfect. Regamasters against black is a classic look.
Starlets used to be everywhere but once young people couldn’t get insured on them they quickly vanished from the streets. This one was rocking TE37’s and the classic laguna splitter which was fitted to everything back in the day. Looked like a very clean example.
An old favourite, this old MK3 fronted KP is always a treat for the eyes. It makes an appearance at various shows and it’s great to see it still together after all these years.
The Toyota force is strong here.
Everything about this!
And this.
Wish we got more photos of this on the day, easily one of the best cars I had seen in a long time. The two-tone paint with the chrome Uras wheels was a perfect combo. What a great car.
It’s great to see stuff like this preserved!
You have to respect people who become the caretakers of cars that would have long seen the crusher.
A car not suited to Ireland due to our Tax and fuel prices. I have great respect for people who drive bigger Japanese imports.
Not sure why we didn’t get a photo of the outside of this Evo but this was one of the coolest Mitsubishi engine bays I had seen in a long time. It’s rare to see one wire tucked.
How about an R324? I wasn’t expecting to see a Bee*R racing kitted R32. I liked when Japanese companies were doing adventurous stuff like fitting R34 front ends onto R32’s, and I always enjoyed this kit.
How about this for rare? A Nissan Y33 Cedric/Gloria, not too many of these in Ireland. This is the only one I’ve seen in real life.
There was too much to take in, and we usually get stuck talking to people at Japfest these days which means we miss a lot of stuff even though we try our best to get around as early as possible.
This year we had our own stand and forgot to take photos of our own cars but you are sick of seeing them by now right?
I’m pretty sure this is the same Z20 soarer from our original Tyte slippers video from back in the day. This was the first Z20 I had ever seen and over the years it has been fitted with a 1JZ and a chunky set of Koenigs, great to see the car in such good condition.
A couple of fresh-looking 180sx front ends.
Loved the brushed look on these CR01’s.
Ireland took a few of these when we had the money to import them back in the day, but many R34 GTRs left the country when we hit the recession and couldn’t afford to keep them. I’d love to know how many are left on Irish plates as its basically impossible to import one these days.
This OEM Kouki S14 is something you don’t see too often complimented by a Gracer front lip and extension.
Im not sure if this is the same car, but once of these used to be a Taxi in around Dublin. Either way, I loved the colour combination on this C33.
We didn’t make it out to watch the drifting as the show itself is just as much of a distraction. Here is a snap of James Deane’s RX7 which he’s been driving for a long time now. I’ve enjoyed every version of this car.
It was great to see Darragh O Connell’s car being used at the event.
I love the contrast between Adrian Walsh’s insane V86 and the trusty little 997cc March!
If only it looked this fresh today, daily driving is not kind to this car.
I still find it funny that we didn’t get to shoot our own area for the event. Hopefully this year we might have another stand at the event and let’s just hope the weather is just as good as it was back in 2018.
That way we can stand around in 100 car traffic jams and talk shite without getting upset! Hope you enjoyed this photo coverage.