A few weeks ago, before Japan was devastated by intense tsunami’s and earthquakes, my friend Aidan put forth the suggestion that I do a post on vintage JDM rides and even sent in a few pics to get me started.
Japan’s had a lot of influence the way we tune our cars here in North America and are thus held in pretty high regard. What’s happened there currently is terrible but I have no doubt in my mind that years down the road, once it’s all cleaned up Japan will emerge stronger than ever.
I've always wondered what fender mirrors are like to drive withGTRs have always had an aggressive look to themDo want this garage, and it's contentsA few drastic body mods away from BosoMan, what happened with the CelicaThey used to be such a great looking carFat and Flush contenderToyota 2000gts remind me of classic British racing carsI don't know a lot about the Mazda SP but I like this adHonda N600Perfect Corolla SR5Rigged GTRWow, just wow.Couldn't do this without throwing a 510 in SlidinTake your pickFatlace Ken MeriI love this Civic 1200s, doesn't hurt it has an extensive track historySuper Street FTW
I’ve yet to touch on the topic of donating to Japan as I’ve just been doing it whereverr and whenever I can. If you want to donate but haven’t yet you can do so via your local Red Cross.
For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to build a proper mini truck so throughout high school I spent countless hours thumbing through the latest issues of Mini Truckin’ and Sport Truck magazines.
Chances are pretty good that at some point in my search for slammed truck inspiration I was looking at photos taken by today’s very talented, and several times published, featured photographer, Johnny O.
I’ve posted this truck a few times and I had no idea Johnny had shot this
Johnny is a ten year veteran of the automotive photography field and in that time has done most of his work in the print as a feature editor, and contributing photographer, for Tailgate Magazine and Street Trucks Magazine in addition to his aforementioned work for Sport Truck and Mini Truckin’.
Mr. Foose at a product shoot
Knowing that you don’t get as far as he has without an exceptional eye for location Johnny has become one of the best in the industry at finding new unique spots to shoot his subjects because often the difference between a great photo and an exceptional photo is location, location, location.
Beautiful 32 down an Alley in Kentucky
In addition to having an eye for spots working in the print industry for so long has also made Johnny an extremely efficient machine with the ability to crank out features at a lightning pace without sacrificing any quality of the final result.
Johnny is not just an automotive photographer
Johnny’s got a trio of lenses (28-105mm, 17-40mm, 30-300mm) which he spins on and off his Canon 7D depending on the situation, and when the settings call for it he uses a Manfrotto tripod. Finally, his post processing tool of choice is Photoshop CS5.
Billards anyone?
It’s a real honor to be able to feature Johnny O’s work here today considering all of the other high profile work he’s done.
Tandem axle dodge shot in a lot I just walked by in Vegas without a second glanceBeauty 64 CaddySome dub loveThe exact kind of picture I would have been looking for in high schoolAnother nice Caddy shot by JohnnyDrop cars not bombs63 Chevy Studio shot for StreetSource.com
It was really hard not to post all of Johnny O’s work in this post so I recommend you check out the his full portfolio at Johnnyophoto.com and if you want to follow his every move he’s also on twitter @JohnnyOPhoto.
Well, at least I think they are pretty hilarious, though I’ve had a long week…
So... your suspension is where now? Actually never mind..Optical illusion or is this bowing near the backYa, well you still have a small.... winch
Site updates
I need to order stickers for the store, a lot of them, so I am going to get on that this weekend and then Mat at Seche Media is either going to really like me or really hate me. Not sure.
I’ve fixed the rash completely on one of my wheels and it’s all cleaned up and ready for polishing which could start as early as tonight. Got a little ambitious with this wheel, the next few won’t get nearly as much sanding.
I’ve also picked up (thanks Aidan) the fender roller and finisher from Nextmod so I can get my roll on tomorrow. Fingers crossed my paint doesn’t crack from all the times it has been repainted back there.
Here is the rest of the Performance World coverage I was hoping to have up yesterday before the day spiraled wildly out of control. There are enough pictures in this post to warrant two but I decided to just get them all up at once instead of having you guys wait even longer.
The mini trucks and classics make up most of today’s post with a few random images dropped in. If you thought Performance World this year was lacking that just means you didn’t spend enough time in the vast section of classics.
For those who didn’t attend this is only some of the cars that were at the show.
Random stuff
I've seen things similar to this online but this was a first in personThis was bizarre, the bottom half was a cut out but the top half an animated talking screen
Day2Nite
I’m not sure if you guys remember but I met James at a Canadian Tire Street Classics event last summer and since then I’ve seen him showing at a few different events. Each time I see him we chat a fair bit and I learn a little bit more about whats gone into this truck over the years that he’s owned it.
He’s got a lot of hard work in this truck and this year Performance World took notice and gave him a spot in the center hall. Congrats James.
If you were wondering why the truck is called Day 2 Nite you just have to look under the hoodLots of time went into this display but it looks like it was worth it in the endLittle bit closer on the airbrushing in the bayIf you look close you can also see the airbrushed speakers
The stands were all custom made, like those wheels which are 1 of 1
Common Ground
Common Ground is a local truck club here in Ontario that always comes out to shows in pretty large numbers. This year they had a row in the second hall that was packed so full of trucks and people it made taking photos a little tricky.
Second gen laying bumperI think I've seen this truck before, but I wasn't sure because...... I think I would have remembered this suspension setupI liked this truck a lot, looked good and had a bunch of performance modsThis dualie was getting some pin striping done to the gate that is why the rear wasn't all the way down
Trucks throughout the rest of the show
Very little of this truck was left untouched5.7L in between the fender tubsThis beautiful interior really updated the interior of this truckThis S-10 had a walk through, something I have not seen that in yearsIt also packed some heat under hood, a GM 6 LitreI saw this 77 Scottsdale the same day I met James and oddly enough he was parked close by in the main hallCrazy amounts of airbrushing all over this truckThis truck, Wedding Crasher, had my gf wondering if the owners significant other got a weddingDon't see these often, it was pretty wild with the motor right between the seatsThis Ford 100 was probably a farm truck at some point in it's lifeOne lucky shop has this as it's truckAwesome, awesome, awesome.Tire to bed rail clearance, not something I ever thought of rubbingLittle bit of a closer shot on the details
Classics
The ‘meat and potatoes’ of Performance World, is the wide variety of classic cars that come out, from top dollar shop builds, to home built garage builds it’s all here.
GM powered XK 140 known as 1CrazyKatIt was a favorite of photographersThe LMC Super Cuda in all its gloryI should have taken more than one shot of this Lamborghini Miura, not sure what I was thinkingTaylor'd Customs brought this '60 Meteor with a 900hp FI 557 Ford big blockTried my best to get a shot of the Pro Charger setupThis Impala was called Leather and Lace and had detail work everywhereThe under carriage was heavily detailedWould hate to see a pump fail in this immaculate trunkTop fuel cars are really, really long in personA replica of Revelles Chi-Town Hustler, it's actually going to run locally this year. The owner owns an original as wellTraditionally styled 32 called the Blueberry kidNice 33 Ford Roadster, interior matches the exterior very nicely1927 Model T built by Kustoms By Watson. Thats a 351 Windstor between the Chevy railsAll Gold metal flake paint, and classic American Racing 5 spokesSweet looking Turbo Chevy II1950 FleetlineTroy was a featured builder last year, this 1956 Chrysler 300B is a great example of whyThe engine bay that all others now must live up to?This club build Bullits of every generation Mustang in case a sequel is in the worksFord GT40 needs no introductionNor do ShelbysGassers might have one of the most iconic stance configurations ever, all functionSome history here I bet, someone share a link on this PackardLooks like it would be one hell of a handful to drive
RPM
RPM – Hot Rods came from Warrendale, PA and lived up to their slogan “Lower, Louder, Faster”. They are another builder whos entire fleet I wouldn’t mind a close look at.
Shop vehicle, family hauler, and hopefully someones dailyI love resto mods, like this 62 Bel AirClean, two toned engine bay featuring a Chevy 502This RPM Camaro is an exceptional looking drag carI can only imagine what type of times it puts down on the stripWith a turbo that could swollow a small rodent
The Tomahawk
This build, know as the Tomahawk, started as a 62 Pontiac (Catalina?) and has been chopped, channeled, and dumped to the floor.
The paint and body work done by to this car was amazing.
Pinkish white, under lights, is a hard color to captureEvery time I went to this car their was a significant crowdWould you believe that the driver and passenger seats are from an Acura?I'd love the opportunity to view this one a little closer
And now that’s that, another Performance World show in the books, I hope you guys enjoyed the pics as much as my hosting company is going to enjoy the bandwidth spike.
Thanks to everyone behind Performance World for getting me motivated for another season.
I had every intention of finishing off the rest of the Performance World coverage today and then work just kicked the living crap out of me and is continuing to do so.
Good thing I had this gem tucked away.
I first saw this eg on eyegasmic cars and immediately popped the watermark into google to find more photos. After a bit of clicking I found the source (flickr.com/oncam) and more photos of the car.
Pretty sure this guy rolls with the Circle Jerk Crew so shout outs to them.
This car is sick.
Low, black, K-1s, white letter Proxes. Awesome comboThe rusted hatch was an unexpected surpriseOn a car like this a little damage just makes it tougher
Since I’m sitting on a bunch of photos from Performance World (about 50 left not including today) I figured using them instead of internet finds for today’s Theme Tuesday wouldn’t be a bad idea because it’s rare I have original content for Tuesdays.
These are most of the rats from Performance World, some are perhaps not exactly rats but were in and amongst the rat rods so I included them anyway.
I’m open to doing another Rat Theme Tuesday down the line so if some of you have some cars/links to share…
Bad Vibe
Originally a dilapidated barn find Bad Vibe is a 1930, 383 stroker powered, Ford Tudor sedan built owned by Kevin Sheenan.
The camshaft between the frame rails was a unique touchThe square tube headers were also pretty different
Oddball Kustoms
Oddball Kustoms was the featured builder of this years show and had a bunch of very different rides. These cars are fairly love hate, but either way you should be able to appreciate the work behind them.
This is the Hemi-Roid mark III, a crazy combination of different stylesGull wings on a rat had never occurred to me before, everNow known as 'The Bootch' this car started as a 4 door EssexIt's been chopped, extended, and obviously droppedThis roadster was more of a traditional build than the rest of Oddball cars
Bottom Feeders Car Club
My friend Keith hangs with these guys apparently so I might see if I can tag along with him at an event to check out the rest of the club.
Looks like this truck brought everything including the kitchen sinkLyndsey actually spotted this shifter before meOne of several pick ups from Bottom FeedersLooks loud and meanAnother Bottom Feeders truckSomehow moving from the back to the front I forgot how to focusBig fan of this one, could see rolling in one of these if one day I am so fortunateSickest signboard of the snow, hands downThis one started as a 1947 DodgeThe Copper painted details on this was a nice touch, as is the spider web grillThey brought a couple of bikes with them too with just as much style as the rods
While I’m on the Theme Tuesday topic big props to Aidan and Ollie for sending in content and suggestions. Should be some cool ones soon.
After reading other sites with weather envy all winter it felt pretty good to head out to a local event and get some photos this weekend. A lot of people have said that PW wasn’t as good this year in regards to turn out but I think for a show at the end of winter the turnout was pretty good. It takes a lot of dedication to get your car all cleaned up for three days and then drive it back out in the muck right after.
This year I’ve decided to switch things up a bit by posting the more modern Imports, Euros, and American cars first leaving the rat rods, traditional rods, and muscle cars to later.
Chevy
To tell you the truth I wasn’t sure what days coverage to post this Corvette in but because it’s not a classic, and doesn’t really fit in with the ‘Tuners’ and Euros but I’m sure none of you really mind that it’s in today’s mix.
ETC Enterprises did a crazy job on this carSits on 20x10 21x13 iForgeed Legacy V2 LSX 376 crate motor puts down the power
Toyota’s and Mazdas
There wasn’t really much from these brands at the show but here is a couple
This Chaser was practically hiding in the Direct Auto Imports boothLast time I saw this car someone was sleeping in itHonda/snail propelledVeilside Widebody RX-7 on 20s all aroundCustom audio by Natural Sound, really crazy looking setup in personThat rotary puts down 464 HP/379 tq
Mini’s
Out of nowhere this year there was a bunch of Mini’s at the show, I’m not complaining as some people (Ollie)* have got me hooked on these little buggers.
These cars just look like so much fun to driveThe Baur e30 of Mini's?I wonder how hard it is to find tires for Mini's...The Magic School BusK-swapped Mini!The roof was CF (or CF over layed) which was a nice touchand it was AWD (CRV rear end)
Honda’s and Acuras
Not always a huge fan of this generation Civic but this one was very niceClean K swapped EKThis cars been all over the net and back and still grabs my attentionI'm always glad to see this car has stayed the same, the owner got it right first timeGreat looking rear diffuserThis S2K is another car I am glad stayed very close to what it looked like last yearDo not think I have seen this NSX beforeThe Importexpo livery covered NSXBuddy Club wide body RSX I last saw at Rish's BBQAnother Import Expo decal-ed AcuraEvery time I see this EL I take a picture
Euros
This reminds me I should try and make it to Vagkraft again this year.
Shudder to think of the retail on these wheelsHell ya thisTuckin' Porsche wheels hardM-Tricks wide body 2002Have to give it to these guys, the car went through one hell of a transformation4 door on Sportmaxx's I might know the previous owner of this car, not 100% sureThe Modified Society e36That wide body e46 from High End was back and as rumored had a cage and forced induction
Sic Ryde
Had to cruise by the SIC RYDE display and see what was up for the beginning of 2011. He had his usual cars out as well as a few I had not seen since before going under the knife. Of course Sic’s personal Lexus had new wheels.
Overview of the SIC RYDE displayI saw an older gentleman stop his son in his tracks and tell him about when he had one of these carsSic's got his late model Benz game right tooClassy CLS 500Accord on 20sThe wide body turbo vr6 CorradoUnique filler setupSic's other Corrado which he bought brand newSpotless Type RRepsol Honda CBR that looked like it had an extended swing armPorsche dropSic's LS400 is on 22s this season, 22x10.5 out back...Another shot of the LS just because I don't know how he got those to fit
Division R
Division R means business in 2011 they came this year with a lot more cars then I knew they had and the cars I did know they had all had new modifications.
Division R Fairlady, love the white lettersWonder if the look is just a look or if he tracks itPerdo Kicked his SSW's to the curb for some LM's, good choiceFollowed this build on Maxbimmer, pretty crazy the work that went into itRed CF hood, very nice touchThe setup is 19x10/ 19x12 and the quarters are all metal off a different e46Been awhile since I had seen Randy (empowered) his e46 has gone through a bunch of changesHadn't seen Andrew in awhile either so we shot the breeze for a bitSam got a set of VS-XX wheels for this season, they look greatI'll see this car a few times this year I'm sureBeautiful
I’ve got a lot more to come from this show over the next few days so if your wondering where the Muscle, Rods, and Minitrucks are don’t worry they are coming down the pipe.
Sometime last year I made the decision that 2011 would be the year I do two things. One rock an aggressive fitment wheel setup on my car daily and two actually learn to drive my car better on a more functional wheel and tire setup via driving schools, auto cross events, and lapping days.
As you probably already know the first is well under way, and on March 27th I will be taking the first step in the right direction of the second goal by attending Sweetie Girl Racings Advanced Driver Training clinic at the Toronto Motorsport Park, Cayuga.
While I don’t believe myself to be a poor driver I also don’t believe that I couldn’t pick up a few pointers from trained professionals.
Because I’m not necessarily looking to become a faster driver, just a better one, I realize jumping into the lions den with seasoned lapping veterans isn’t the best thing for me right now so the SGR clinic is the perfect thing for me because I will be surrounded by other drivers who are there to learn, and instructors who are there to teach.
SGR’s Advanced Driver Training clinics cover the following topics in the all day (8am – 4pm) in class/on track course.
Seating, hands & feet position
Collision avoidance exercises
Cornering and passing techniques
Vehicle control
Weight transfer theorum
Vision training
And as an added bonus all participants will be provided with the opportunity to do slalom exercises in Scions equipped with Sailun Tires to compare, back to back, the performance differences between all season tires and winter tires.
Once that is complete the participants will go for a quick lap around the track in a Scion Driven by a trained professional, finally all registered participants will also be entered into a draw to win a free set of tires provided by Sailun.
More information on the Advanced Driver Training events can be found on Sweetie Girl Racing’s website. Spots for these events fill up quick so act fast, and tell them Dave from Stance Is Everything sent you.
Here are some photos from a previous Advanced Driver Training event put on by SGR:
The skills learned at the SGR clinics are great for any track conditionTruth be told I hope it's a little warmer when I goPorsche drivers ain't scared of the snowEven Elements are getting in on the funLook it's Chris De La Cruz from the Cool Kids driving straight!
If you can’t make the March 20th or 27th training events don’t fret because SGR does these all year round and will be having spring summer and fall courses on the following dates:
Saturday June 4, Saturday August 20, and Saturday September 25.
If you want to keep up with what Sweetie Girl Racing has got planned next like their page on facebook at facebook.com/teamSGR, if you want to know more about Sailun tires visit facebook.com/sailuntires, and finally if you want to keep track of Scion Canada check out facebook.com/ScionCanada
Anyone who’s coming on March 27th say hello to the guy with the dropped Mazda 3.
Since Jalopnik has over 50 thousand fans on facebook and over 18 thousand followers on twitter I am going to assume some of you may have already heard a little about this story but I feel the need to talk about it anyway.
Two days ago someone tweeted from the Chrysler corporate account “I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to fucking drive“, today the person responsible for the tweet no longer has a job and Chrysler didn’t renew their social media contract with this company.
That’s crazy because I assume the contract was at least 100 thousand dollars which makes that a very expensive 140 character mistake.
The expensive mistake thanks to Jalopnik
This situation is really interesting to me because, stepping out from behind the Wizard of Oz curtain for a second, I work as a web developer for a large media company that’s in charge of multiple twitter accounts and what Scott Bartosiewicz did is a pretty easy mistake and could happen to a lot of my fellow co workers (heaven forbid).
The best (worst?) part about it all though is that what he said was funny. No amount of money Chrysler has thrown, and will continue to throw, behind their ‘Imported from Detroit’ marketing campaign can change that fact.
Coles: When Red Cross employee tweeted that she was out getting slizzered with her friends Red Cross didn’t fire her, they instead partnered with Dogfish Head Beer who offered a pint of beer to anyone who donated a pint of blood and it ended up being very beneficial for both parties.
Chrysler could have done something similar, imagine if they teamed up with a local driving school and offered Chrysler owners a discount?
It could have been something like “Lets prove that Chrysler drivers are the best in the motor city“.
There were so many options that could have been employed rather than a firing of the individual and terminating the contract, shame.
Chrysler if you want someone new to run your twitter holler!
(Sorry for the nerdy WTF Friday but it’s rare my work and passion cross paths).
Site Updates
Nothing crazy site wise as I announced the winners of the SIC RYDE contest in the previous post.
Personally I am on 1000 grit wet sanding for my first wheel lip and I’m hoping to get the rest of the wet sanding done Sunday night so I can try out my polishing kit.
Finding time so far is the hardest part.
Flashback Friday
I’m sure most of you saw this coming, check out last years Performance World Coverage if you have not already.
Well that time has come, its Friday at 11:00am and Performance World 2011 should be officially open.
I messaged Sic last night get the final number of sic ryde. pass it on slogans in the display area and he let me know that the final number would come in at 10:30 am and until then to ‘Expect the Unexpected’. Sure enough at 10:30am I got an email with the final number.
After a week long of prepping and a few last minute unexpected incidents the SIC RYDE booth clocked in at a fully carpeted and stanchioned 3000 square feet of space containing 9 cars and one bike.
The total amount of ‘sic ryde. pass it on‘ slogans within that show space is 314 which was counted by Sic himself.
This number was correctly guessed on the button by Dave aka noobMeister.
Thanks to everyone who entered and SIC RYDE for donating the prizing.
Dave I have sent you an email regarding how you can pick up your passes and key chain, send me a quick email back to confirm.
The Sic RydesIf you want a set of these key chains for yourself, along with T-shirts, hoodies, hats and more stop by the SR display
For everyone else see you at Performance World, I will be there on Saturday wearing a Stance Is Everything T shirt. I’ll have my stickers with me so if you want some just come up and introduce yourself. I’ll be doing discount pricing at the event.
Part one of my Performance World Coverage will be up Monday morning, but let me know in the comments which of the two you want first: Muscle, Minitrucks, and Hot Rods, or Imports.
