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It's funny, non enthusiasts would view a car theft as a reason to drive a stock car forever more but those of us who are truly passionate about modifying automobiles refuse to let the actions of one low life ever take away the hobby we love. Josh, who is a web developer and graphic designer by trade, is now an avid VW enthusiast thanks to a local car thief who took it upon himself to steal his Civic SI from a local movie theater parking lot.

Is there such thing as a car show hangover? If so that is what I have after this years Importfest Toronto. This has always been a show that people look forward too but I felt as though this year people were anticipating it even more than usual. I think the increased amount of anticipation was due to the hard work the Ifest team put in beforehand promoting the show online and at events, as well as the announcement of several 'feature' cars coming to the show from both within the GTA area and abroad.

The number of tastefully modified cars in the Toronto area is increasing at a rate far greater than ever before and the local Volkswagen community seems intent on being at the forefront of this clean car revolution. Mina, no stranger to riding low, made a few changes to his JDM and Euro inspired GTI during the off season that have made it one of the most easily recognizable MKV’s in the area.

It's been two years since the last time I attended Vagkraft and even though it poured during last years event I still kind of regret not going, so when the forecast for this year looked similar I decided to head out anyway. Thankfully the collective will of hundreds of car enthusiasts kept mother nature from acting a fool and it was dry the entire time I was there. The local VAG community goes pretty hard so if you like European cars and have not attended one of these events you are missing out.

Normally the features on this site are written in more of a magazine style tone and not the same personal tone the rest of the posts are written in, however in regards to this car and it's owner I felt a more personal approach was justified. In the short time I have known Tim (the owner and builder of today's Subaru) I have come to learn a few things about him. He's a talented do it yourself mechanic, a Batman fanatic, a proud father, and one heck of a nice guy.

It's interesting to consider whether or not Honda knew just how popular the s2000 would become when they released it in 1999. Since it's birth the the car has been modified 1000 times over with literally no end in sight. It's really remarkable what people are doing to these cars around the globe and right here in Toronto. Matt, a long time Honda enthusiast and show veteran, has been working on his s2000 ever since he sold his Civic and the current revision of this constantly changing project is simply stunning.

It's always been true that the right accessories, especially wheels, make or break the over all look of a vehicle and now more than ever people are focusing on the quality of their wheels in addition to the look, diameter, width, and offset. This increased desire for a quality product has created a market that can sustain several made to order custom wheel manufacturers. The latest of this new breed of wheel manufacturer is Luxury Abstract who is poised to make a huge impact in luxury aftermarket accessories for 2011.

Being a car enthusiast and working at a tuning shop is akin to being a kid at a candy store, all of the resources you could possibly want to put together an incredible car is right at your fingertips waiting for you every day. Kevin, an employee at Nextmod, put all of these resources to work when he decided it was time to take his 2010 STI from mild to absolutely wild.

When discussing aggressively fit Mazda 3 hatchbacks* three cars instantly spring to mind: Kevin Nigel's titanium gray 05 that was on SSR Vienna Kreis wheels, Rocky's fender flared conversation starter, and the subject of today's feature the always clean Safron Yellow example owned by Yevgeniy Kovalchuk. Yevgeniy, better known as JDR on the forums, has already received a number of kudos for his cars 2010 look, and his 2011 makeover is about to turn just as many heads as before, if not more.

Stretch and Poke's second official meet of the 2011 season was on Sunday and it brought out all of the usual suspects (Scraped Crusaders, StreetClass, Dorimoto and more) as well as some of the people behind the upcoming ImportExpo. Dave and his ever growing crew are working pretty hard this year to raise the bar in regards to meets in the Toronto area and so far so good as they were able to pull a decent crowd even for Fathers day.

Continuing the Fleetwood Country Cruize In coverage from Monday I have got 40+ more photos of classic, mostly American, metal to share with the class. This show being my first outdoor classic show of 2011 might have spoiled me and set the expectations a little high for the rest of the year but I am still looking forward to checking out more classic events. As I have said again and again my favorite part about the classic events is the atmosphere and the conversations I have with the car owners, many of which who have owned and worked on their cars for longer than I have been alive.

Before Stretch and Poke I swung by the Krown Lake Shore Charity Show & Shine put on by a friend of mine and fellow Toronto Mazda 3 member. The show was family run and family focused so it had a real positive vibe to it, and it's always great to see automotive enthusiasts getting behind Sick Kids Hospital as they do incredible things (I am living proof).