Guest Coverage: 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon

By

-

Jan 14, 2013

By now I’m sure many of you have already been inundated with Tokyo Auto Salon coverage from various other online media sources as it seems like everyone was at TAS this year checking out the latest and greatest Japan has to offer.

Everyone except myself of course, but thanks to the great people over at Nextmod I’ve got some excellent TAS coverage to share here.

Peter sent over a ton of photos (all of which can be found here) and for this post I’ve tried to select cars you are less likely to have seen 1000 times over. Of course there a few popular examples I just couldn’t resit posting again.

Because Japan?

TAS is known for producing things over the top or completely out there and here are a few of those builds…

rx_what — I’m not quite sure but I think this is (or was) an RX-8

creep_the_creeper — Creeping the creeper?

Not sure the Camaro is best choice of off-roading vehicles

what_2 — The body work does look supremely done, albeit quite outlandish

what_3 — I am man enough to admit this freaks me out just a little bit

Randoms

Couple cars I couldn’t fit into the silos I created below but are pretty awesome none the less.

woop_woop — Looks of the beast to match the sound of the beast?

RE_Amemiya_Europa — RE Amemiya Europa which you can find more photos of here, pretty cool to see one at TAS

porsche_endless — Team Taisan Endless Porsche 997

Prius from Ruf that matched their FR-S further down in this post

datsun_fair_lady_1 — This just may be the car of the show for me, still looking for more info on it, but I like what I see so far

datsun_fair_lady_2 — What’s beside it doesn’t look bad either

Nissan

Subaru

Exotics

liberty_walk — Liberty Walk and their Lamborghinis

ferrari — Roberuta makes children of the 80’s dreams come true evidently

Honda

honda_s2000_model — Top Fuel s2000 attracting police attention

Mazdas

mazda_3 — Quite unexpected to see a Mazda 3 at TAS

mazda_mad_mike_2 — Quad rotor ridiculousness

Mitsubishi

mitsu_evo_1 — Really like this Evo and I’m usually not a huge fan of canards…

mitsu_evo_2 — …or diffusers for that matter

Lexus

lexus_3 — I was just talking to a friend about LV interiors and their disappearance the other day. I guess they are actually alive and well.

lexus_wald_2 — Very impressive LS460 from Job Design

lexus_wald — It would be interesting to know how much wider than stock those rear quarters are

Skylines

There is always a decent number of Skylines at TAS events and judging from the photos this year is keeping with tradition.

nissan_red_gtr — …they seem to work the best like these two

nissan_jun_gtr — JUN’s very bright GTR wearing the incredibly expensive Ben Sopra kit

nissan_kansai_gtr — Kensai R35 for those who prefer something a little more restrained

nissan_ab_flung_gtrs — Abflug kits are generally pretty far out there, and this R35 one fits their existing catalog well

nissan_varis_rear — Varis R35.. wonder if Peter from Nextmod got any ideas

BRZ/86/FR-S

Like SEMA the BRZ/86/FR-S was the hot car of TAS 2013 and according to Speedhunters there were no less than 91 examples at the show.

Unlike SEMA however the ones at TAS varied quite a bit from one another which makes things a lot less repetitive.

toybaru_race — Track prepared example of the BR-Z

toybaru_enkei — Clean RB example of the FR-S in the Enkei both

toybaru_auto_produce — Auto Produce version looking like an STI

toybaru_blitz — Blitz covered their version in chrome vinyl. Not sure if I like the bumper on this yet.

toybaru_gram_1 — Rays example is pretty wild, again not sure about the bumper or the blue lights but I like Gram Lights 57 Extreme wheels

toybaru_gram_2 — From the rear the center exit is a nice touch and the tails are interesting

toybaru_rb — This particular one is aggressive as all hell

I think a wing would help balance out this bumper but the more I stare at it the less important it seems

toybaru_vip_modular — I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot more of this one pops up soon

toybaru_vip_modular_2 — Those VIP Modulars look huge under there

Ben Sopra 180sx

This s-chassis brought out by Ben Sopra is easily one of the most visually and mechanically insane cars of TAS 2013. A 280sx with the VR38 from and R35 plopped under the hood this car puts down a monsterous 1100hp.

It’s also going to try and go 400 km/h in Nardo Italy in the not so distant future.

bensopra_1 — I imagine a lot of drool was to be found in the engine bay at closing Sunday

bensopra_2 — I’m sure I am not the only person who thought vr38 and the GT-R were inseparable

bensopra_3 — Looks are as wild as the mechanical

Huge thanks once again to Peter and Nextmod for contributing the photos and you can check out the entire Nextmod gallery of Toykyo Auto Salon coverage on their Facebook fan page.

WTF Friday: Travolta Fever

By

DaveT

-

Jan 11, 2013

3

A few weeks after SEMA, while searching for something I can’t remember, I stumbled across a blog called Just A Car Guy. As the name states the gentlemen who runs it is just a car guy that finds anything with wheels cool.

The blog is perhaps the most eclectic collection of everything automotive I have seen in awhile and where I originally found today’s gem of a WTF Friday specimen.

For reasons unknown to sane (sober?) men George Barris and John Travolta teamed up in the late 70’s, during John’s rise to stardom, to create this car creatively named Travolta Fever.

Dubbed as the only car superstar John would drive this ‘macho machine’ was built using the typical styling cues of the era ( raked stance, side pipes, white letter Fire stone radials, and wild paint).

It does however take a drastic turn from the (then) norm with the interior made of dead animals.

travolta_fever_9 — Feast your eyes upon the only car worth driving to your local discotech

travolta_fever_4 — The interior was inspired by Urban Cowboy… a movie I was previously unaware of and have no intent on watching

travolta_fever_5 — It is the perfect example of following an idea through to the bitter end

travolta_fever_6 — Not sure that it would be the best car for a Vegan however…

travolta_fever_1 — This shot shows just how much wider than stock the Travolta Fever Trans Am actually is

travolta_fever_7 — I’m just speculating here but it just might not look all that bad if it were a solid colour

travolta_fever_8 — …then again I’ve been known to be wrong…

travolta_fever_10 — The car was up for sale in 2007 and I think the man pictured is the then owner

travolta_fever_2 — He looks pretty happy for someone giving up the manliest car ever built!

travolta_fever_11 — Those of us not man enough for the real Travolta Fever will have to settle for the Revell version… if you can find one

The original description of the model above reads like this:

Firebird Fever…the only car superstar John Travolta could drive! Working closely with George Barris, Travolta came up with the ultimate macho machine just for him. Like Travolta, Firebird Fever is a true performer with its big V-8 engine, wide tires, trick fender flares and custom “Fever” whale tail. Complete with eye-catching paint, this Pontiac is just the car for the star of “Grease”, “Saturday Night Fever”. and “Welcome Back Kotter”, John Travolta!

Custom Designed by George Barris: Detailed model, just like John Travolta’s real car! Detailed Pontiac 455 engine, custom interior with Recaora seats, custom flared fenders, Racemark steering wheel, T-roof with tinted panels, opening “Shaker” hood, rear “Whale tail” spoiler, Hooker side pipes, real rubber Firestone S/S radial tires, colorful “Fever” decals, custom instrument panel.

Whether or not Travolta actually drove the thing I have no idea, but if you are feeling feverish more info can be found here, here, and here.

Site Updates

Got a chance to swing by Cyrious Garageworks on Sunday night to shoot their latest project. It’s going to be unveiled at the Montreal Auto Show by Scion Canada and I’m hoping to drop those photos to coincide with that.

Additionally some TAS coverage just arrived in my inbox, so look out for both next week.

Flashback Friday

I was talking about this Leonard’s e30 the other day on instagram. So here’s a look back at it.

Hands down one of my favourite e30 interiors ever

The new owner Nic commented recently, I’ll see if I can get an update from him.

Oliver’s Travels: Star Gazing

By

DaveT

-

Jan 10, 2013

1

Ollie sent me photos of this Starlet some months ago now but since I only recently started properly sorting out his submissions it stayed buried in my inbox.

I initially thought this was just another awesome modified Starlet (snapped by talented photographer Patrik Karlson) but a little digging revealed it was much more than that.

This car just so happens to be a Volvo 240 in a Toyota wrapper (which actually explains why it is paired with one above) and with 300+ hp on tap at the rear wheels it’s certainly no slouch. Early build photos can be found here. There isn’t a heck of a lot of text but I don’t speak a lick of Swedish so it all works out.

I also had photos of this blue Starlet kicking around too so I thought I might as well share it as well. This one is a little more traditional but not without it’s own charm and significantly sized over fenders and 4A-GE under the hood.

He did it, he made it, he’s finally famous.

By

DaveT

-

Jan 9, 2013

8

Before Christmas Craig at Rare Snare asked me 10 questions about SEMA, Stance Is Everything, The Toronto scene, car blogs, and music.

It took me awhile to get through them but eventually I made good on my word and completed the interview which he put up last week.

If you have ever been curious about how this all started or about myself in general take a look. Here’s a quick excerpt.

::Why do you think SIE has been so successful among the countless other stanced car blogs?

Variety, I think if there is one single thing I bring to the table that a lot of the other Stance blogs don’t it is variety. It’s easy to find a blog that has euro content, one that has Japanese content, one that has lowriders, and one that has muscle, but a site that covers all of the equally without any sort of bias is pretty rare and that is where I fit in.

Another thing that I think gives SIE some level of separation is the fact that I am not stuck up enough to not post an atypical platform car or a car on affordable wheels. A lot of people are currently hammering the “Quality”, “Elitist”, “Exclusive”, image right now which leads to a lot of posts with similar looking cars on the same wheels people are used to seeing over and over..

I am not trying to say I don’t like a car put together with quality parts but I respect a quality build with quality fabrication work as well. How silly would it be to not post an incredibly well built car because the owner chose wheels that won’t cost him a fortune to replace if a pothole puts a bend in them? I think we need to get back to starting to focus on the whole package not just the stand out accessories (like wheels).

Finally I think being myself has helped quite a bit. Early on (very early) I tried to do the whole third person angle but I couldn’t keep it up. I’m just a guy who loves cars and I felt I should come across that way instead of trying to be something I’m not and so I try and stay as grounded as I can and connect with my audience as much as possible and I think that has helped immensely.

Being one of the first to really cover the Toronto scene from all angles also definitely helped with the success.

When checking out Rare Snare remember the discount code ‘low247’ gets you 10% off your purchase!

*Title is in reference to this song, I don’t think I am famous and my head is still normal size. 🙂

Theme Tuesday: Riveted Overfenders

By

DaveT

-

Jan 8, 2013

10

Posting the AW11 MR2 yesterday, along with a car I saw Sunday night, made me realize that there has never been a Theme Tuesday devoted to riveted on overfenders.

A smooth wide body will always have it’s place, but there is something to be said for the lasting industrial appeal of over fenders. Done right they can often be the modification that really sets a car apart while enabling the use of generously proportioned wheels and tires.

My only problem is deciding whether or not I like them colour matched, unpainted, or contrasting colours.

Unpainted/Contrast/Carbon

over_up_1 — Start things out with this Micra

over_fender_up_3 — Overfenders really change the look of this Yaris

over_fender_up_4 — Anyone know if this was ever finished?

over_fender_up_7 — Love this 510, 2JZ just makes it more awesome

over_fender_up_11 — Always been a fan of the rawness of this particular car

over_fender_up_6 — Liberty Walk magnificence

Colour Matched

over_fender_p_5 — Looks like there’s a chance only the rears are actually overfenders but this 510 was too awesome not to include

I’m sure one of you would have my head if I didn’t include at least one Rocket Bunny car

Keeping the SEMA repeats going just a bit, Bisi’s Porsche

over_fender_p_1 — Evil lookin’ little Miata

over_fender_p_3 — Followed this build for awhile, I think it was Nissan powered

over_fender_up_5 — Solo’s IS300 is probably the best use of overfenders on an is300, the satin black is a nice subtle touch

over_fender_p_15 — More Supra love from the Farm of Minds fanpage

over_fender_p_11 — I flip flop back and forth about overfenders on the 3 but from this particular angle I am a fan

over_fender_p_4 — Beautiful… though if it were mine I would forgo the side skirt extensions

over_fender_p_6 — More flared Miata… this car has come a long way since I saw it in 2010

over_fender_p_7 — Love that the lip/splitter comes out to meet the flares

over_fender_p_8 — Not something you would expect to have bolt on flares but the look pretty damn nice here

over_Fender_p_9 — Another car that If not included someone would have my head

over_fender_p_14 — I need a heck of a lot more info on this car… anyone?

One More Than Ten

By

DaveT

-

Jan 7, 2013

4

First generation MR2’s are a bit of a rarity here on Stance Is Everything. A few made their way into MR-2 Theme Tuesday, and this one rally crossing got it’s own post, but typically they don’t show up much at all.

Today’s comes by way of Retro Garage and sadly there isn’t much info on it.

Either way the gurney flap, over fenders, and functional yet aggressive stance are all big checks in the win column.

The only thing more tragic than how often I post these cars is how often I actually see them…

WTF Friday: Sins of Yesteryear

By

DaveT

-

Jan 4, 2013

10

For the second year in a row on New Years Eve I asked “What trends of 2012 would you rather not see carry over into 2013?“. A loaded question to be sure, but always an interesting one to pose.

For today’s WTF Friday I’ve pulled out four of the answers from the fan page, and one of my own, to discuss in slightly more detail.

Bikes/Roof Racks As Car Show Accessories

The roof rack trend has been creeping up steadily for a few years now but it hit situation critical when I started to notice more roof racks at car events then at the local skate park.

What makes this trend particularly vexing is that the vast majority of bikes at these events are of such low quality that it’s not even half believable they are used as anything other than a ‘show accessory’.

As both a rider and a car enthusiast I really hope this trend starts to fade away in 2013 because it’s a damn shame to see otherwise clean cars tarnished by bargain basement quality bicycles.

Camber

There’s really no easy way to say this without perhaps offending a reader or two but in 2012 people really started to go crazy with negative camber.

Approaching this one is a little tricky because “too much” is entirely subjective but we can all probably agree that there are extreme cases like the one below.

Personally I look at camber like salt, it should compliment the dish and not over power it.

Poorly formed criticisms/opinions

If you’ve spent anytime on forums or fan pages (especially fan pages) then I’m sure you’ve seen poorly formed criticisms like; “Low cars are stupid“, “Needs different wheels“, “That’s a waste of time“, “All Civics are Garbage“, “Looks like smashed assholes” etc.

These comments are conversation poison, and whenever posted the conversation inevitably goes downhill until the word ‘hater’ comes out and people are using sexual vulgarity and homophobia to describe inanimate objects.

We've all seen this I'm sure — We’ve all seen this I’m sure

We are not children, and this isn’t kindergarten, so the “if you don’t have nothing nice to say don’t say anything at all” rule doesn’t apply but I really hope in 2013 people take the time to appropriately phrase their comments, opinions, and criticisms.

The Wheel Debate

Another calendar year has passed and the wheel debate continues rampaging through the scene with no end in sight and personally I’m pretty well over it. Why? Because I feel it’s gone from an issue that was originally about the theft of intellectual property, and an inferior product, to something used for one enthusiast to take shots at another.

Wheels are stating to become a sort of status symbol, a talking point, and something you need to fit in, instead of what keeps the car rolling down the road and to some people no matter how incredible a build is if it’s not on “real wheels” it’s not shit.

This argument doesn’t seem to be such a heated debate in other scenes (classic, muscle, minitruck, etc) but among the aggressive fitment community it remains a hot button issue.

I’m not supporting the moral wrong doing and downright theft of some of wheel companies but I am saying lets stop dragging remnants of a beaten dead horse from year to year and let people decide for themselves what wheels work best for their budget, project, and needs.

Closed minds

Don’t like a particular style of car? That’s cool but don’t write off the entire crowd based on a limited perspective. I’m fairly certain I have said this before but I think many –especially those new to the hobby– could benefit from looking over the fence at what’s going on outside of their scene of choice.

I don't generally post a lot of lifted stuff but I respect them — I don’t generally post a lot of lifted stuff but I respect them

To paraphrase from Andrew Moon’s comment on the fan page just because you don’t like a particular style doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate the work that has gone into it. And please stop judging cars by what the badge on the rear says. The owner knows his or her car is “just a…” so don’t try and use that as a way to undermine their hard work.

Anyway on wards and upwards for 2013. Let’s not take all of this too serious.

It’s just cars after all.

I Own the Purple Pontiac

By

DaveT

-

Jan 3, 2013

3

In November a gentleman named Rob sent me an email asking if I had any more photos of his beloved Purple Pontiac known as the Tomahawk, and without hesitation I replied ‘yes’.

I’ve been a big fan of the car since my first encounter with it at Performance World in 2011 and when I saw it again at the at the Fleetwood Country Cruize In free of stanchions I made sure to take several photos.

Over the Christmas break I rummaged through my portable hard drive for those original photos and gave them a re-edit.

These photos were taken prior to my switch to raw format so there was only so much I could do, but they are a big improvement over the first time they were posted.

tomahawk_london_front_low — The body on Rob’s car has been channelled 2″ and 2″ drop spindles along with air have been used to set it in the weeds

tomahawk_london_front_high — The roof’s been chopped 4.25″ and retains all the factory glass

tomahawk_interior_1 — It’s got a dash from a ’59 Chevy and the steering wheel from a ’62 Olds

tomahawk_interior_2 — An Acura lost it’s seats for the cause and the center console is custom

tomahawk_london_rear — The exhaust, which exits through the bumper, is built around Magnaflow mufflers

tomahawk_pw_1 — There’s a 454 under the hood for those wondering

tomahawk_pw_4 — As you can see the paint hue varies with the light it’s under

Rob isn’t all that far away so hopefully this summer I can go check out the car outside of a show environment and get some photos that really capture it.

I would love a rolling shot or two of it…

Winter Wednesdays: Greetings From Finland

By

DaveT

-

Jan 2, 2013

6

Finally got some significant snow here in the Toronto area last week which means Winter Wednesdays are back once more.

The first WW post of the 2012/2013 winter season comes by way of Joni in Finland who drives a 2005 European Toyota Corolla hatch back.

His car is currently sitting on TA-Technix coils (modified to sit a little lower than they come out of the box) and recently came out of the paint shop sporting a Runx body kit so it’s looking extra clean.

During the colder winter days Joni finds shelter in his garage, and to pass the time he’s been test fitting a few different sets of wheels, I am quite partial to the Rezax wheels myself but Joni is currently undecided on what to run next summer.

Based on a few other plans Joni has shared I’ve got faith that no matter what wheels he ends up running this car should look pretty nice all said and done.

Shame North America didn’t get the Corolla hatch, it looks like a decent little runabout.

Photo Year In Review 2012 – The Features

By

DaveT

-

Dec 31, 2012

1

Feature wise 2012 was a great year here at Stance Is Everything. In addition to receiving great photos from an awesome network of contributing photographers locally and abroad I started shooting more features myself which is a big step forward in keeping the content here fresh and original.

Unlike the event photo year in review I will say a few words about each feature, but I will do my best to keep things brief.

Moneesh’s RX-8

Shortly after our first collaboration feature went live (Phil’s bagged SVT Cobra) Jeremy Alan Glover of Jag Imaging sent in some photos of an RX-8 he recently shot and being a sucker for RPF-1 wheels I was in as soon as I saw the first photo.

Moneesh did a great job with this car.

Photographed by: JAG IMAGING
Full Feature

Taylor’d Customs 57 Chevy 3200

Having the opportunity to feature this Taylor’d Customs project first is certainly a high point of 2012 and since this feature the relationship between Stance Is Everything and Taylor’d Customs has only become stronger. We’ve already been knocking around a few ideas for 2013 so stay tuned.

Kristina did a great job on these photos and video as well.

Photographed by: Kristina Doyle
Full Feature

Andrew’s CRX

Every single car JDR has pointed me towards via his site Lower And Wider has been simple yet eye catching, and Andrew’s CRX continues that trend.

There are a lot of great cars in Ukraine, including Andrew’s, and I hope to be able to bring you more of them here.

Photographed by: Xima
Full Feature

Bryan’s 318ti

Bryan is a long time reader of the site and we have kept in touch since his car was first posted in 2010, he even offered to show me around a bit while I was in California.

While we didn’t get a chance to grab a beer but I did get to feature his 318ti affectionately known as Tessa.

Photographed by: Bryan Munoz
Full Feature

Neil’s MKV

For someone who spends most of his time in England Neil manages to get a lot done to his car here. When he’s not working on his photography, schooling, or riding, his focus is on this car and he’s already amassed a pile of parts to improve on it this coming year.

Hopefully we can schedule a follow up shoot sometime when he’s back in the GTA.

Photographed by: Neil Kates
Full Feature

Eric’s MKV Rabbit

Eric emailed photos of his Rabbit shortly before I went to California and I wasted no time getting this feature ready to post while I was away. Eric’s car is undeniably clean, tucks hard at all four corners, and has a very tastefully done hard lined trunk setup.

The photos taken by Eric Shell and Matt Lianco capture all of the above exceptionally well.

Photographed by: Eric Shell and Matt Lianco
Full Feature

Gowtham’s s2000

It’s always a little surprising when someone local submits photos of a car I’ve never seen before. I’m not trying to say I’ve seen every local car but I have seen a lot of them, especially s2000s.

Nevertheless Gowtham’s car was a pleasant surprise in the Stance Is Everything inbox and it’s careful balance of function and form helps it a stand out in Toronto’s very impressive s2000 community.

Photographed by: Joseph Yu – JYU Designs
Full Feature

Pfaff Tuning’s 964

Getting the chance to do the first dedicated shoot of Pfaff Tuning‘s 964 project was truly and honor and I can’t thank Erik enough for hooking it all up.

This was not only the first feature I personally shot in 2012, but also the first one I did with my new camera. Going in I was a little nervous because I didn’t have any locations scouted, and the weather had been playing tricks all day, but it all worked out in the end and I am still very happy with how the photos came out.

Full Feature

Paul and Lukasz

After the 964 feature went so swimmingly I was feeling pretty good behind the lens and agreed to shoot both Paul and Lukasz’s Beetles at the same time. This was my first double feature shoot and it was a little overwhelming initially but after a few photos turned out how I wanted I was able to find my groove so to speak.

It also helped that Lukasz scouted this awesome location and security didn’t take my camera when they kicked us out.

Full Feature

Jon’s Mazda 3

Jon asked early in the season if I would be up for featuring his car and originally I wanted to shoot it along with another Nextmod Mazda project but things with that car didn’t exactly work out as planned so it’s an idea that will have to be revisited for 2013.

In the meantime Jon and Raymond Tran (who’s work can be seen on Stance Nation and Stretch & Poke in addition to here) got together and did this stellar photo shoot of Jon’s ever changing Mazda 3.

Photographed by: Raytran Photography
Full Feature

Дима’s Civic

The second Stance Is Everything / Lower & Wider connection of 2012 Дима’s Civic was incredibly popular the first time I posted it on the fan page and it’s not very hard to see why.

This car is proof you don’t need to do anything over the top to stand out and a great example of a well put together Civic.

Photographed by: Adrian
Full Feature

Steve’s 2010 3

Keeping the secret that Steve was going to bag his new car wasn’t easy, especially with him alluding to it almost every chance he got on the Toronto Mazda 3 forums, but keeping my lips sealed was worth it considering how much it shocked the local community when it was unveiled.

The car is back on springs now but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it was the first bagged 2010 in Toronto and proof that stance is indeed everything, even when you have a big smile.

Photographed by: Square Peg Images
Full Feature

Erik’s Probe

While I wasn’t sure that this car would close out the year feature wise I am glad it did because projects like this Probe are exactly the type of thing I want to be on the look out for next year.

Anyone can build on a common platform but taking an ‘oddball’ platform and running with it for as long as Erik has is a true sign of dedication. This car is an inspiration for all those out there wrenching on something many never saw the potential in.

Full Feature

Thanks to all of the owners for the chance to feature their rides this year and a huge thanks again to all of the photographers who contributed their work for 2012.

On wards and upwards for 2013!

STANCE IS EVERYTHING

STANCE IS EVERYTHING- EST 2009 -

Because Japan?

Randoms

Nissan

Subaru

Exotics

Honda

Mazdas

Mitsubishi

Lexus

Skylines

BRZ/86/FR-S

Ben Sopra 180sx

Site Updates

Flashback Friday

Unpainted/Contrast/Carbon

Colour Matched

Bikes/Roof Racks As Car Show Accessories

Camber

Poorly formed criticisms/opinions

The Wheel Debate

Closed minds

S.I.E.