Visiting A Tuning Show In Beijing In 2009

This is a story about a tuning show in Beijing in 2009. Back then, there were many tuning shows and dealer shows at the Agricultural Exhibition Center in Beijing.

Naturally, I went to every one of them. These days, organizers no longer use the Agricultural Exhibition Center for such low-key events, and they now hold most tuning shows at larger venues on the outskirts of the city. No matter! Things change. In the first photo, a bizarre Spider-Man-themed machine with enclosed wheel arches and a very impressive paint job.

The interior was totally custom with the jet-fighter wheel on the right side. It had lots of speakers, a screen, more speakers, and a small lever for the automatic gearbox.

So low it almost touches the ground. It is made to look like a mid-engine car, but the engine is up front. It was difficult to establish where this car was based on, but thanks to a comment by Kevin Huo, we now know it is based on a Toyota Celica, and created by a Chinese student living in New Zealand. Thanks, Kevin! You can read more here and here about the development of the first “Spider Car”.

Honda NSX

A very cool RHD Honda NSX with Advan badging, likely inspired by the Advan-sponsored GT500 racing car. The body kit looks very racy, but it was really a road car underneath.

Update: it is a bit more special and much more real than I thought. This Honda appears to be a genuine Spoon NSX-R GT, a homologation special developed to comply with the Super GT rules for racing. It was designed by the Japanese Honda specialist Spoon. Thanks to commenter Joe for pointing that out!

Spoon made a small series of these road-legal monsters, and no two were alike. This one looks most like it. The V6 engine was also modified, boosting output to around 400 horsepower in street trim. Unfortunately, right-hand-drive cars cannot be legally registered for road use in China.

But sometimes, back then, one could see these kinds of cars on empty stretches of road on the outskirts of Beijing. Today, that seems near impossible, with trillions of cameras checking every road every second of every day.

Honda Fit

Back then, the second-generation Honda Fit was a favorite in China’s tuning scene. Built locally by Guangzhou-Honda, it was affordable, accessible, and easy to modify. Tuners claimed the 1.3-liter engine could be pushed to around 250 horsepower! This yellow example sits lower to the ground, wearing a full body kit and stylish matte gray wheels.

Another Fit is painted in dark black with a heavily modified rear fender.

Suzuki Swift

The Changan-Suzuki Swift was a relatively rare guest on tuning shows. The owner tuned up the engine to 200 horsepower, and he fitted the Swift with gray wheels and red brake calipers. My then-girlfriend and now-wife had a Swift too, but with the standard 92 hp engine.

Mitsuoka Galue-II

A pretty Mitsuoka Galue-II, a mad Japanese sedan based on the Nissan Cedric Y34. Mitsuoka has sold cars in small numbers in China since around 2003, albeit unofficially. In 2012, Mitsuoka entered the Chinese market officially, but it left in 2016 after disappointing sales.

Funnily, the Galue-II was standard. You don’t need to modify a Mitsuoka; it is mad enough as it is. The only modifications I could see were a glittered grille, new alloys, and a load of glitter inside, including a glittered tissue box.

Subaru Impreza

Race car! A Subaru Impreza with a stripped-out interior and slicks. This car raced at Beijing’s Goldenport Circuit. The owner said it had 450 horses. Strangely, the mirrors are road-standard, but the rear wing is certainly not!

This Subaru was a star of the show. The tall guy in a purple shirt was the owner.  Very extreme body kit, makes the car at least 50 centimeters wider. Bonnet with air vents and air intakes. Flame decals above the yellow lights are fantastic.

Joe to the rescue again! After 20 years of checking Chinese cars, my knowledge of Japanese race cars is a bit rusty (: This black Subaru is actually a real Japanese Super GT GT300 Cusco Dunlop Subaru Impreza race car. And this very car, with start number 77, competed in the GT300 championship in 2007. Subaru tuner/race company Cusco still has it on its website today. Not sure how it ended up in China exactly. I know there are quite a few Chinese collectors crazy about Japanese cars, who pay lots of money for rare JDM road and race cars, and our purple shirt man was probably one of them.  I will post many more images later on!

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

A nicely modified Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. It gets a new front, wide wheel arches, lots of yellow detailing, a matte black wrap, and some glitter stuff inside. Wheels are surprisingly small, but the yellow stripe and calipers are sweet.

A sweet little lady on a Volkswagen Golf. She was from Xinjiang. Back then, auto show organizers often chose models from Xinjiang for their height and distinctive looks, which made them especially popular with audiences at the time.

Outside was a company that modified Beijing Jeep cars. I love Beijing Jeeps. I had one myself. The white one is a BJ2020 four-door hardtop, modestly modified with an external exhaust system, a roof rack, and an extra set of lights.

No modesty here! Another BJ2020, this one the two-door soft top version, with heavy modifications. It was quite a famous car. It came with off-road suspension, lots of extra lights, a classic lion-shaped door handle on the grille, an external exhaust system again, and a full roll cage.

A Beijing Jeep Cherokee 2500 with a lot of stuff on it. I very much liked the working horn on the bonnet. It was extremely loud! Like a ship’s horn. There are more horns on the roof, accompanied by a police-style camera unit. The wide wheels and shiny alloys fit well with the Cherokee. It has an oversized bull bar with a freaky head in the middle. More about tuning shows soon!