For me, 2023 has been a wonderful time full of modified cars so far.
Last month I traveled to Japan for the Tokyo Auto Salon and a few other events, including the famous RWB New Years Party. I already miss Japan so much, but at the same time, I’ve been looking forward to immersing myself in the local Indonesian scene for me. The first big event on the calendar is the Bandung JDM Festival 2023, hosted by my good friends at HPT Motorsport.
Held at the Bandung Convention Center in Bandung, West Java, the event was divided into indoor and outdoor sections. It was raining when we first arrived, so we decided to look inside first, and immediately saw all kinds of Japanese cars.
Indonesia has so many unique vehicles and interesting buildings, many of which were unknown before events like this.
The Honda NSX is the dream car of many, but is rarely seen in Indonesia.so and three The examples of being in one place at the same time are spectacular. The black sample car was well stocked, with an original JZA80 Toyota Supra parked next to it. How often have you seen 90’s Japanese show idols rendered like this? !
When I saw this building, I thought about it and had to ask myself “Does Honda make an EK Civic wagon?” The answer is no, but they do build an Orthia wagon specifically for the Japanese domestic market, and those cars can accept an EK Civic front end. Not only does this particular Orthia have such a facelift, but it also comes with a DOHC VTEC B-series engine. I love vans, so seeing this was awesome.
How about parking a 2022 Nismo GT-R next to a 2008 Nissan GT-R with HKS GT1000 turbo and Varis widebody? Choose your poison…
It’s crazy to think the R35 GT-R has been in production for this long, but in a way that’s a good thing because so much aftermarket support has been built for the model over the past decade or so.
I can’t pass this Honda Civic Estilo without snapping a few photos. Don’t be fooled by the baby blue exterior, this one is running an AWD conversion, a K24 engine swap, and a sequential transmission.
The rain didn’t really stop, but I jumped at the chance and headed outside the venue for the other half of JDM Fest. As expected, there’s a lot to see.
The Bandung tuner world is known for its love of JDM models, and with it many drive Subaru Impreza WRX STIs and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. I even bought my first car in this city, a Subaru STI.
Speaking of STIs, this blue Bugeye was fitted with a plethora of aftermarket parts and an inline engine with nitrous. It won the “Best Sedan” award, so I took the opportunity to snap a few photos after the event. Check them out in the extensive gallery section at the end of the post.
This Nissan Juke, with its DTM-inspired widebody kit, full roll cage and serious-looking engine bay, also piqued my interest. These things are a bit odd in stock form, let alone modified, but odd cars are pretty fascinating to me.
Learning about rare and little-known cars is fast becoming one of my favorite things to do in Indonesia. It made me more aware of models that might not be appreciated by anyone other than the person who owns them, such as this AWD Toyota Corolla GT-i 16 liftback from the late 80s/early 90s.
Indonesia also has a strong 4×4/off-road scene, so I’m always happy to see a bunch of these vehicles turn up when there’s an event going on.
did i mention Tie Deeds and wagons? !
Bandung JDM Festival 2023 is a good thing for Indonesian shows and the custom Japanese car scene. It draws in some of the most interesting cars I’ve seen in a while, and most importantly, it keeps me very motivated to explore more of the culture around them.
Check out the gallery below for more from the event, including the aforementioned Bugeye STI.
rick muda
Instagram: Ads Kelliger
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