The Chevrolet Cavalier is perhaps the last car you’d ever expect to see an LS V8 motor in. But, the LS4 was a horizontally opposed engine, so why not get a little wild.
This Cavalier is definite show stopper.
Suzuki GSXR1000 Swapped Volkswagen Beetle
Suzuki GSXR1000 power in a Volkswagen Beetle. The NFKSGVN plate might just be for show, but it accurately describes the ethos behind this build.
Oh did I mention there’s a Turbonetics turbo tucked in there on the passenger side?
Honda Turbo B18 Swapped Mini
A Honda B18 motor just fits in a Mini. Add a turbo to the mix and you’re not only fighting for physical space, you’re fighting for traction.
If you can believe it, every time I’ve seen this car it’s been that much more complete, and that much more insane.
Toyota 1JZ Swapped Toyota Tundra
This 1JZ swapped Toyota Tundra is a little bit elusive. Driven by an older gentleman who likes to keep a low profile it’s one of the coolest sleepers cruising the streets of Toronto.
I’d absolutely love to know more about the truck if anyone has more information or owner contact information.
Duramax 6.6L Swapped Cadillac Fleetwood
Want to make your Cadillac Fleetwood a bit more fuel efficient? Swap a 6.6L Duramax Diesel in the car and let ‘er eat.
Air suspension and Detroit Steel wheels will take care of the looks department as well.
Event Coverage: Cars And Coffee Toronto 2019 Season Opener
I feel like I you all a bit of an apology. The site has been incredibly quiet lately with no real sort of explanation. I’d love to say that I was working feverishly on new content for the site, plugging away on Project Why Wait, or doing some freelance work but alas it was none of the above.
Right before Motorama I completely ruptured my left Achilles Tendon. I’ve tried to convince myself this isn’t a serious injury in reality it is. I carried on as best I could for a bit, with the help of a mobility scooter, but my desire to do much of anything was at an all time low.
Not being able to put weight on your foot, get around without crutches, or sit without it swelling up will do that. When I was given the go to walk in the cast I focus nearly all my free time towards physiotherapy so I could get back into a shoe.
I’m happy to say that I’m now out of the boot. However it’s not all sunshine and roses. I’m pretty damn slow which makes getting from place to place quite trying.
I’m not sure how many of you have re-learned how to walk but it’s not easy. Both mentally and physically it’s perhaps one the toughest challenges I’ve been dealt.
I say all of this only because the 2019 Toronto Cars and Coffee season opener was absolutely massive and I was only able to cover a very small part of it.
I had actually considered sitting the event out, but what sort of Ontario media guy would I be if I did that?
Engineered Automotive has been growing this event, quite successfully I might add, year after year and the deserve their props for that. This event had to be the largest yet, with the turnout being absolutely staggering.
What that drone photo above doesn’t show is just how many of the surrounding lots were also packed to the gills with cars, trucks, and motorcycles.
Spring 2019 has had a few stops and starts and a lot of rain so the fact that Sunday was beautiful certainlt didn’t hurt. People were eager let their summer toys, or winter projects stretch their legs.
Gil of the Scraped Crusaders was one of those people. He picked up an e46 Touring sometime over the winter and wasted no time jamming it on BBS wheels, which seems to kind of be his thing to do.
Brett Lyver, previous owner of one of my absolute favourite Lexus LS400s recently finished putting together this 325 e30 cabriolet.
Fit with some MTECH II style lower valances, ARE wheels and a healthy drop this car looks fantastic.
It’s a pretty simple in all honesty but that is what makes it so timeless. The fact he pulled up with his two kids riding along with him didn’t hurt the car’s case either.
Brett didn’t have the only e30 at the meet, there were several, but the only other one I managed to catch was this 325is.
Yes, I said 325is. I know it looks like an e30 M3 but it’s not, however it’s done pretty damn well for a clone. From memory a turbo M50 sits under hood as well, which is more reliable and makes more power than the temperamental s14 anyway.
Speaking of done well, Jag’s now Hemi powered bagged Jeep is the automotive representation of that. He’s already netted two best of show awards this year with spring hardly sprung.
I do believe this was the first event he drove the car too and from after the swap.
Inside, Infract Customs was posted up with both his small block powered mini and turbo GSXR1000 powered Volkswagen Beetle.
You want chaos with steering wheel? Then this is sure to be the ticket.
Also inside the EA facility was this twin turbo, big block, first generation Camaro. I’m sure this car is also a bit of a handful to drive.
A car that was really nice to see complete was this long-term Cyrious Garageworks Datsun build.
The last time I saw the car, during a shop visit for Speedhunters, it was well on its way to completion but not quite done yet. Looks like it’s all finished now.
Fans of detail would love this car, literally no bolt left un-turned bring the car to this standard.
However, of all the builds at my favorite was (surprise surprise) a truck. Cars and Coffee is one of those events where you’ve really got to keep an eye on the stock looking vehicles with their hoods up.
The inter-cooler gives the motor swap on this one away a little but, but that really can’t be helped.
Looking under the hood it’s clear there was very little room for the 1JZ in the stock first gen Tacoma engine bay.
I was hoping to get to talk to the owner about the build but I wasn’t able to track him down on the few occasions I revisited the little green truck. Here’s hoping this isn’t the last time I see it.
Words wise, that’s pretty much all I’ve got for this first event, but there’s a few more photos of this and that below.
Hopefully by the next event I’ll be in a bit better shape to do some more holistic coverage. That, or I’ll get my knee scooter back out and use that to get around.
Though that thing is pretty sketchy outside…
Event Coverage: ImportExpo 2019
In 2018 ImportExpo returned to Toronto after a fairly lengthy stay abroad. Their seemingly sudden return to this side of the border raised a few eyebrows, but coming back home was evidently always in the cards.
Falling after Motorama/Spring Fever, but before Fitted, predicting what cars will appear at the ImportExpo season opener is no easy task. This actually makes it somewhat of an interesting show to attend.
It’s impossible to know who will make the show and who won’t. Many of the notable attendees at other shows are absent at Expo. Thankfully the show runs a pretty tight ship in regards to who gets in and who doesn’t. The result of this rigor is an overall high caliber of vehicles.
Additionally there’s usually a fair deal of cars at the show I’ve never seen before.
Being a variety whore, I always like to see new cars at an event so hat tip to the Import Expo oragnizers for coaxing out some new metal.
As a show that’s early on the calendar people are eager to get their new looks out in front of as many eyes as possible. One of the cars making the most waves in that regard was this red 86.
The day before Import Expo vehicle sponsor Nextmod actually posted this car on their alignment rack. Due to the extreme working angles the machine actually laughed at the prospect of aligning the car, assuming the sensors were mounted incorrectly.
A careful read through the comments of that post reveals the camber is in excess of 20 degrees negative which is pretty hefty. In fact it’s some of the most I’ve seen locally.
It’s not to my taste, but as the saying goes to each their own. Hopefully the MTO is kind to him this year. Or at least if not kind to him, the rest of us.
I had the chance to talk to the owner of this car at Spring Fever and man, did it bring back a lot of memories or my early days as an e30 owner.
This 325is is a single family owned, Canadian car, and a shockingly clean one at that. The original paint shows well and overall it’s a well put together example.
Air ride and a timeless wheel choice go a long way. Expect photos of this one pretty much anytime I see it, sorry not sorry.
Another Spring Fever alum, is this turbocharged, b16 swapped Mini. I really didn’t think the owner would be able to fit a grill, or most of a grill, on the car but he sure proved me wrong.
The car isn’t quite complete yet, but it has all the makings of an absolute monster once shakedown is completed. So, the addition of the new neon green cage makes a lot of sense.
Maybe someone can convince the owner to bring the car out to a CSCS Racing event later this season. I am sure that I’m not the only one who’d like to see the car stretch its legs.
Another car that is probably an absolute riot to drive is this W10 MR2. As you can probably tell by the wheel and tire selection this car is set up for straight line domination.
So, naturally, I had to see what was going on under the engine cover.
Twin carbs, and a big bottle of giggle gas? That’ll get the job done. Performance modifications aside the car was also overall incredibly clean something that I always appreciate from a show car.
On the topic of cleanliness, one local car club that does things right is Team Mayzn. All of their vehicles are done to an incredibly high standard and subtly improve year over year.
They’re not a crew known for shock value modifications and I truly appreciate that aspect of their group.
Actually, to that point, I kind of feel like I got old all at once at ImportExpo. I directed an almost disproportionate amount of my time to vehicles that, at least from a visual aspect, could be considered lightly modified.
This Type R was more or less stock and I absolutely loved it. These were great looking cars in their day and in my opinion they’ve aged exceptionally well.
They also embody an era of cars that is pretty much done and gone, as we move closer and closer to generic pods with each blobby CUV.
Championship white has always been my preferred Type R color, so I really dug this Spoon brake and Mugen wheel equipped DC integra.
Of course I couldn’t help but notice the NSX behind it.
I’m not sure if I’ve seen this particular car before, and as a result I wasn’t familiar with the make of the over fenders. Some research revealed they are Chicochopshop pieces that have been installed without visible rivets.
The car is also apparently turbocharged, though I managed to miss getting photos of that. A bit of a flub on my behalf but hopefully the next few Hondas I’ve selected to end the post with make up for it.
I have seen this NSX before, and it belongs to @johndimsum who owns a seemingly endless fleet of mind blowing vehicles. No, your eyes don’t mistake you, that is a lot of not so factory piping under the opened engine cover.
The GruppeM supercharger on this car pushes the output to 512whp. His cars usually make closer to quad digit horsepower so I am almost thinking those might be baseline numbers…
Continuing the clean boosted, Honda/Acura trend this battleship grey DC is a car I revisited on a few occasions. Cars like these make me wish I was a bit more of a Honda head so I could pick out all the intricate details that are no doubt prevalent throughout the build.
I can of course pick out the obvious, like a high polished Jackson Racing supercharger.
The ultimate JDM showcase at the show belonged to Chase (@mugenbeat). Both of the vehicles are Japanese imports and each were some of the cleanest vehicles at the show.
Not only that, Chase has collected pretty much every Step Wagon bit of memorabilia there is, on top of hoarding nearly every possible Step Wagon accessory available.
As for the Van itself, it’s one that I could poke my camera round for hours and miss all sorts of details. If there’s a modification of accessory available, changes are this van has it.
The ability to coax out enthusiasts like this is what helps differentiate Import Expo from some of the other shows in the area.
Personally I wouldn’t mind if the doubled down on JDM legends at the next event at the sacrifice of some other vehicles.
That’s just my personal take of course. But I feel like we’re approaching, or in the middle of, an 80s – 90s JDM renaissance. Personally I’m 100% OK with that.
But like I said before, maybe I’m getting old.
Toyota 2JZ Swapped Nissan S14
2JZ in everything! This Nissan s14 sports a super clean engine bay, featuring a single turbo converted Toyota 2JZ motor.
On the outside it wears an Extreme Dimensions Vspeed 2 Areo Kit kit, and sits on Air Lift Performance suspension and Vossen/Work Wheels.
Honda F20 Swapped Toyota AE86
Big turbos and big power. Two things the Ontario based Dynamotorsports is absolutely known for. Along with owner @johndimsum Dyna’ has built an F20 motor that puts down four digits worth of horsepower on e85.
They’ve then put said motor inside of a mostly classically styled ‘panda’ scheme Toyota AE86 Corolla.
Turbo Honda F22 Swapped Toyota AE86
Turbo Honda F20/22 motors have found their way into plenty of AE86s and this one joins the party with a large Holset NX turbocharger.
Built, predominantly for the street, this ultra clean AE86 sits low and clean on SSR Longchamp wheels.
