Locale: Mugen Headquarters, Saitama – M-Tec Co. LTD

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Happy New Year everyone!  I’m happy to report that NDF has survived its first full year, and that we’re ready to take on 2012 head on.  Let’s kick off the New Year with a little peak around M-Tec Co.’s headquarters in Saitama, Japan.  JDM Clips went exploring the building and it’s surroundings on a trip to go see the Mugen RR Advanced Concept.  It’s been over two years since Mugen has particiapted in Tokyo Auto Salon, and the RR Advanced Concept was their last display vehicle.  With word that Mugen is returning to TAS for 2012, there is much hype building around what car they will have present.  Here at NDF & JDM Clips all bets are on a RR modeled CR-Z!  We’ll have to wait to know for sure.  In the meantime, check out the pics past the break.

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Mugen’s headquarters sits on a beautiful piece of property in Saitama.  As you know, Saitama is fairly close to the site of the Tohoku earthquake.  Aside from physical damage to the building and property, many family members of M-Tec employees and customers were affected by the disaster.

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Honda’s that were plastered with Mugen parts were sprinkled around the perimeter of the main building.  Nothing short of what you’d expect at an aftermarket beast company like Mugen.

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Perfectly built; straight from the Mugen catalog.  S2000’s look great on Mugen GP’s.  Especially with all the other Mugen aero parts to go along with them…

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…like the Mugen hardtop.  Paint matched in this case.

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Hiding in the parking lot behind some bushes was this outfitted Integra.

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This bright red Mugen RR was definitely not doing a good job of hiding.  I think that’s a Stream it’s parked next to.

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For those of you who don’t keep up with Japanese offerings, this is the new Honda Freed Spike.  Yes, that’s correct.  The Freed Spike.  Don’t ask because I don’t know.  It’s debut was last year as the newest model in the Freed lineup.  “A compact vehicle loaded with possibilities”, the Freed Spike is a more compact, sportier version of the original Freed.

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It’s seen here sitting on a set of 16″ Mugen XJ’s in optional black metal coating, as well as the entire lineup of Mugen aero for the Freed.  While I’ve never been a huge fan of Mugen’s XJ wheels, I gotta say they did a good job with the aero on this one.  I wish the US got more compact van offerings like this.  Mugen has an entire Freed line, including performance parts.

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Mugen CR-Z and new Insight sharing a spot underneath headquarters.  I really like the white of the Insight; it looks super bright next to the ‘Premium’ White of the CR-Z.

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The bronze GP’s look great on the compact chassis.

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I’ve always liked the CR-Z, but two years ago if you’d asked me whether or not it would gain this much popularity, I would have said probably not.  Man, I would have been wrong.

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The sporty interior; made even more sporty with the help of Mugen gauges and bezel, and Mugen shift knob.

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Venture inside and you’ll be greeted with a shelf full of trophies and collectibles.  A testament to Mugen’s popularity and performance in the tuning world.

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Oh, what’s this?  I’ll leave off here with a teaser of what’s coming next from Mugen’s headquarters.  Hope you enjoyed the brief tour.  Be sure to stop by JDM Clips for video of the trip.  Thanks for visiting!

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