The Cars That Stopped Time: Inside A Rare ‘Classic Meets Modern’ Show

A car show that boasts something for everyone—that’s the Automobile Council, now entering its 11th year. And with popularity of traditional motor shows waning, this could well be the future of automotive events. The catch cry of ‘Classic Meets Modern’ is an ideal description and seems to be a natural progression for such shows. Mixing legendary classic car displays with the latest hybrid and EV models, plus car sales, talk shows and musical performances by household name artists is why this unique show draws a particular kind of enthusiast.

Classic icons line up against the latest hi-tech models

Whether you are a fan of legendary classic cars like a Ferrari 330 GTC or an F40, a Jaguar E-Type, a Lamborghini Countach, a Lotus Europa, an Aston Martin Lagonda, a rare $12 million Porsche 904-8, or local classics like the Toyota 2000GT or Sport 800, a Mazda RX-3 Savanna Coupe GT, Nissan Skyline GT-R, Datsun 240Z, or even the latest hybrid and EV models, the Automobile Council had dozens of pleasant surprises.

Held over three days from April 10-12 at the Makuhari Messe complex 30 minutes east of Tokyo. Attendance for the 3-day event totaled 39,688, which was just over 5,000 down from last year’s 44,963. One reason for the stronger attendance last year was the visit by legendary Italian designer Giorgetto Guigiaro, who was celebrating his 70th year as a car designer. In honor of his visit, the Council displayed ten of his legendary cars including a BMW M1, Fiat Panda, Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT, Lancia Delta and a DMC DeLorean.

The Council celebrated the works of the greatest ever designers

Japanese classic car diehards adore the legendary Italian designers of yesteryear. In addition to the homage paid to Giugiaro last year, in 2024, the Council paid tribute to recently departed maestro Marcelo Gandini, well known for his design work on the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, Lancia Stratos, Maserati Quattroporte, Bugatti EB110 prototype, De Tomaso Pantera, Ferrari 308 GT4, and Renault 5 Turbo. And this year, the Council paid a fitting tribute to Pininfarina. Read on.

So how does this event differ from other shows? What’s different about the Automobile Council is that it doesn’t just show off the latest models and pay homage to the classics of yesteryear. It also allows interested parties to buy and sell their cars. One of the highlights this year was a mint condition 1972 silver Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona that sold for 120 million yen (@$755,000) on the first day. Parked behind the Daytona was a hidden gem—a 1960 Fiat Abarth 750 GT Zagato ‘Double Bubble,’ due to its twin bulging roof sections. Pretty much everywhere you looked, something rather special was lurking, just waiting to be discovered and awed over. Arguably the most reasonably priced car for sale was the 1990 Saab 900 Turbo convertible for 2,640,000 yen or $16,600.

Restomods are becoming a thing

One of the main attractions this year was a special organizer’s themed exhibit, which featured a new approach never before undertaken: “Classic Cars Revived in the Modern Age ‘The World of Restomod.’” Restored models incorporating modernization included the Automobili Amos Futurista, Lancia Delta Evo Martini Racing, Chimera Automobili EVO37, and Prodrive P25.

Another highlight was the ‘Designed by Pininfarina’ stand, a prestigious Italian coachbuilder founded in the 1930s by Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina who established a carrozzeria that created many of the legendary designs for Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo. Planned for several years, this stand featured a breathtaking display of his signature designs including a Ferrari 330GTC, Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto, Ferrari 250GT SWB, Lancia Beta Montecarlo, Ferrari GTO, Ferrari Dino 246GT, Ferrari 365GT4BB, and a stunning Fiat Abarth 750 Record Enduro Pininfarina that set over a dozen speed records around 1957 at Monza.

Yet another one of the many jaw-dropping highlights was a display that put the best of Pininfarina right next to the best from Gandini. The Ferrari F40, styled by the Pininfarina Studio, and the Lamborghini Countach, penned by Gandini, stopped every enthusiast in their tracks.

One other special tribute was that paid to the now defunct Tamagawa Speedway, celebrating its 90th anniversary. Located facing the Tamagawa River, on the border of Tokyo and Kawasaki prefectures, the speedway saw active racing cease around WWII before becoming a driving school in 1955. Celebrating the Speedway as well as the 70th anniversary of the Japan Classic Car Club, the organizers displayed a 1929 Invicta 4.5 Liter, an a 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Zagato.

At Toyota’s Gazoo Racing stand, Japan’s biggest carmaker leaned heavily on its heritage by displaying its greatest design works and most popular sports cars. These included the a legendary 1969 2000GT (a one-off convertible version of which appeared in James Bond’s ‘You Only Live Twice’), a 1965 Toyota Sports 800, a 1986 Sprinter Trueno, a 1997 A80 Supra and a 2010-model V10-powered Lexus LFA, a car that Jeremy Clarkson once called his most favorite car ever.

Honda showed off an industry-changing NSX supercar, a car that had been restored through the brand’s in-house Heritage Service, as well as a compact City Turbo II. Meanwhile Mitsubishi focused its display on the origins of the Pajero with a mint condition J11 hogging there limelight.

At the Garage Italia booth, a well-known dealer for selling quality classic cars, they featured a dazzling 1965 Abarth 1000 Bialbero Longnose valued at 75 million yen (@$472,000) with its rounded red body, alongside a rare 1934 Fiat 508S Speciale Graber.

At the Porsche Japan stand they were showing off a gorgeous orange 911 from 1976 as well as a the latest 911 Turbo S featuring a new hybrid system. When you look at old and new models together, it’s easy to see why so many diehards cling to the stunning lines and proportions of classic models from yesteryear. That orange air-cooled 911 was stopping everyone in their tracks.

A stand that surprised the British colleague standing next to me was a rare display of Austin Healey race cars including a 1965 Austin Healey Works Le Mans Sprite Prototype #48 and a #49. These prototypes were known to be highly competitive, with one of the 1965 entries finishing 12th overall and winning its class.

One display that had enthusiasts intrigued was that of a 1963 Amphicar Model 770 — a rare West German amphibious vehicle capable of 70 mph on land and 7 knots in water. Only 3,878 were produced between 1961–1968, with 1963 models being highly collectible classics often found in Regatta Red or other original colors like the sky blue you see here.

This event is always able to bring rare and desirable cars to its floor. Without a doubt the most special car on the floor was the Porsche 904 GTS/8 race car, one of only two in the world. Boasting an F1-style 8-cylinder boxer, the engine has been bored out the 2.0-liters and was valued at a staggering $12 million.

Other notable cars on display include a rare 1969 Porsche 911ST, worth just over $1 million, a 1967 Porsche 910 race car valued at $3.5 million, a 1989 Aston Martin Lagonda Series 4 valued at over $220,000, a 1990 Aston Martin Virage Shooting Brake for $120,000, a 1972 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R valued at $250,000, a 1973 Datsun 240ZG for $130,000, a 1977 Mazda RX-3 Savanna Coupe GT for $70,000, and a 1966 Toyota Sport 800 for $50,000.

Italdesign also displayed their Honda NSX Tribute prototype right next door to their much-lauded Nissan G-R50 from several year ago while Singer Vehicle Design also displayed two versions of its ‘reimagined’ series of 911s.

In this age when hi-tech electric vehicles, autonomous driving and AI are being

pushed hard by the industry and governments, events like the Automobile Council will, I feel, only gain momentum as automotive diehards hanker after a bygone era when designers were free to create kinetic works of art, not influenced by safety or emissions regulations, but driven by an analog world where aesthetics mattered. Can’t wait to see what the Council brings next year.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com