Welcome to Honda Festival Thailand (HFTH), the largest Honda-centric custom car show in Southeast Asia.
Considering how many Honda fans there are in Thailand, this event is quite possibly the most anticipated all A refitted car race held in China. Enthusiasts flocked from all over Thailand to be a part of it, with more than 2,000 applications for car entry received and spectator tickets sold out within 30 minutes.
Honda Fest Thailand is huge, but before I show you what the latest event has to offer, let me explain how it all started.
Five close friends, all well-known names in the Thai Honda scene, teamed up to host the first HFTH event of 2019.Nongnuch Gardens in Pattaya – a beautiful place for anyone visiting Thailand must Access – Provides context.
The inaugural event attracted more than 2,500 cars and 4,500 spectators, and in the years that followed – even during the COVID pandemic – Thailand Honda Music Festival attracted more than 7,000 fans.
For the 2022 HFTH event, organizers wanted to do something different. Adopting the theme of “Feeling Japan”, the Japanese atmosphere scene was set at Impact Speed Park, a go-kart track in Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok. Also new to the event is a revamped car selection process, limiting numbers to just 450 vehicles.
Given the popularity of Honda Fest Thailand, it’s no surprise that people are now traveling from neighboring countries to attend the event. I flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a 1,500km road trip to HFTH with my friends. It took about 20 hours, with some speed bumps along the way, but it was an experience I will never forget.
Once at Impact Speed Park, the set up does have a cozy Japanese feel to it, which everyone appreciates.
The Honda tuning scene in Thailand is really diverse and it shows in the variety of styles on display. All the popular H badged models sold locally are on display – Jazz (Fit), Civic, Integra, Prelude, Accord, S2000, NSX and more.
Some select two-wheeled Hondas were even invited.
AZC’s 2015 Honda Jazz was one of the most powerful (and possibly fastest) cars at the event, featuring a massively supercharged K24 engine making 1,100 horsepower. Which is the best time for the quarter mile? A flat 9.0 second pass.
The RB1 Honda Odyssey was one of the last MPVs to feature a wagon-like low roofline, and this example looks hard to bash on a black-on-black scheme.
Of particular note is the engine bay. Whether NA or featuring some form of forced induction, every bay I saw was tastefully and cleanly modified.
Here’s something you don’t see every day, EF Civic 4 door sedans convert to 2 door sedans, EK Civic 3 door sedans convert to 5 door sedans. The latter sounds a bit weird, but somehow it looks fine!
Of course, 5-door Civics are the norm now, and this all-new FL5 Type R brand looks fantastic on Boost Blue and black RAYS Volk Racing TE037 6061 REDOT 2020 wheels.
Oak Club, Thailand’s official Spoon Sports dealer, showed off a special NSX. For the past six months, the iconic blue and yellow NA2 has been on loan from Japan’s Spoon Sports.
On the subject of NSX, Thailand’s only Liberty Walk NSX built by Infinite Motorsport is on display and parked next to another NA1.
Idemitsu Thailand followed HFTH 2022 and even unveiled their Civic EF hatch.
As has been the norm since the inaugural Honda Festival Thailand race, a very special race was drawn towards the end of the evening. Everyone who participates can enter a drawing and take home a fully built EG Honda Civic. Talk about next level event prizes!
Honda Fest Thailand 2022 has been another great success and I’m already looking forward to the next one. Until then, though, check out the extensive gallery of images below.
Volus Sihannath
Instagram: zentrady_lb
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