---
title: "Hidden Gems of the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show"
description: "A lot slips through the cracks in the Tokyo Big Sight convention center."
date: "2015-10-30"
modified: "2015-10-30"
authors:
  - name: "Max Prince"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/max-prince"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/712/hidden-gems-of-the-2015-tokyo-motor-show"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
---

# Hidden Gems of the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_sheila_hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The Tokyo Motor Show is a biannual event packing enough eccentricity to last a decade. This year was no exception. I’d planned on bringing something curated here, a tidy roundup package. Hope was quickly abandoned. Because, hiding behind debuts from Mazda and Lexus, wedged between those formidable Nissan and Honda stands, there’s a lot going on.

***[Related: Five Tokyo Motor Show Cars That Will Actually Get Built](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/666/five-tokyo-motor-show-cars-that-will-actually-get-built>)***

Some is breathtaking, some is bizarre. Some is just downright cool. Either way, a lot slips through the cracks at Tokyo. So I wandered through the show halls, snapping photos and getting lost in the menagerie. I stole carrots. I fell in love. I saw the future. Here’s a quick rundown.

![oddballstokyomotorshow\_kengalfa\_art.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_kengalfa_art.jpg>)
*A rebodied [Alfa 4C](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/134/the-alfa-romeo-4c-spider-is-so-italian-it-actually-hurts>) from Ken Okuyama. He’s a former Pininfarina pen, the man behind Ferrari’s P4/5 and 599. The dorsal fin says it all., *Max Prince/TheDrive.com**

![oddballstokyomotorshow\_suzukicarry\_art.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_suzukicarry_art.jpg>)
*Kei truck? Produce cart. Parked off on the periphery of Suzuki’s stand, nobody else seemed very interested in free food. Suckers., *Max Prince/TheDrive.com**

![oddballstokyomotorshow\_supergreat\_art.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_supergreat_art.jpg>)
*Semi truck concept that uses four massive, offset folding machine arms: auger, backhoe and crane, plus a massive claw, like one of those lift-a-toy grabbers—except from hell. This thing scared the bejesus out of showgoers. I hope they build it., *Max Prince/TheDrive.com**

![oddballstokyomotorshow\_ktc\_art.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_ktc_art.jpg>)
*KTC started off a specialty firm, tooling Zero fighter planes during the Forties. The company has come a long way. These custom, lacquer-painted handle wrenches go for around $2,000. The detailing is incredible. , *Max Prince/TheDrive.com**

![oddballstokyomotorshow\_sheila\_hero\_0.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_sheila_hero_0.jpg>)
*Honda Fit Hybrid with a crudely transposed plastic face. The lips moved. Then it started singing. Be still my heart., *Max Prince/TheDrive.com**

![oddballstokyomotorshow\_resonator\_art.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_resonator_art.jpg>)
*Part motorcycle, part musical instrument. That tank trim? Wood grain from a six-string, and those tailpipe flourishes are lifted from the brass section. All tied together by a simple, air-cooled 125cc four-stroke. Brilliant., *Max Prince/TheDrive.com**

![oddballstokyomotorshow\_exmachina\_art.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_exmachina_art.jpg>)
*Downside: It looks like a GoBot on angel dust. Upside: It is. That big red orb is a hinge, so the eXmachina can handily fold up, reconfiguring itself for storage., *Max Prince/TheDrive.com**

![oddballstokyomotorshow\_unicub\_art.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_unicub_art.jpg>)
*Here, a very nice Japanese woman giving a seminar on Honda’s gyroscopic, hands-free scooter. Nobody fell off. Which was impressive but also slightly disappointing., *Max Prince/TheDrive.com**

![oddballstokyomotorshow\_styled\_art.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_styled_art.jpg>)
*Yes, finally, a scooter with caterpillar tracks. This little guy’s designed to traverse slopes, gravel roads and farmland. There’s a remote control that’ll work within a three-mile radius. The final say in agricultural semi-autonomous personal mobility., *Max Prince/TheDrive.com**

![oddballstokyomotorshow\_francedog\_art.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/oddballstokyomotorshow_francedog_art.jpg>)
*Stay kooky, Tokyo. See you in 2017., *Max Prince/TheDrive.com**

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/themaxprince>)