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Nobody Calls Me Chicken, Needles!

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Wow, 2015, we’ve finally caught up to the year Doc Brown found the technology to not only reach 1.21 gigawatts of power without the use of lightning, but also defy gravity and negate his need for roads.

When I started (admittedly quite haphazardly) penning posts for this site in 2009 I never expected to be still be doing it so many years later. I figured –like many of my ideas– I would grow tired of it in about a year, two tops, and move on to something new.

But that never happened.

Day by day, and post after post, I discovered new events, met new people (several of whom are now great friends), and gained access to automotive opportunities previously inaccessible to me, and with each year being better than the one before it I saw no need to stop.

As time went by the ‘blog-sphere’ changed fairly significantly. In 2009 Instagram didn’t exist, and Facebook pages were a new shiny thing, today those two technologies make up the entire on-line presence of some brands.

The word ‘stance’, which was more or less up for any interpretation, is now almost exclusively tied to aggressive fitment, and has been drug through the mud and shoved into the beginning, middle, and end of hundreds of “lifestyle” pages that bring next to nothing to the table.

Simply put now is perhaps one of the worst times to be an automotive blogger.

However every time I feel like throwing in the towel, every time I think about packing it all in and sitting on the side lines disgruntled, I get an awesome email, read a great comment, or meet someone who says my blog helped influence a blog of their own, or better still their current build.

The fact that I’m still here doing this today is without a doubt because of all of you reading this, so before I kick off another year I must say thank you, thank you for the motivation and overwhelming support.

It’s that support that keeps me going from event to event taking pictures and writing posts, and writing is something I plan to do a bit more of in 2015.

I share a lot of my own thoughts about the scene and attitudes within it on my own personal Facebook, and often I’ve been encouraged to do the same here. This year I’m finally going to listen to those urging me to record my thoughts and try my best to write op-ed pieces on at least a bi-monthly basis.

So in addition to Theme Tuesdays, WTF Fridays, event coverage, and features brought to you by myself and Drake Nolte, Chris Johnston, Nathan Powers, and Mike McConnell who make up the contributing photographers, this year you can expect to read more about what goes on between my ears.

The hope is to encourage thought and meaningful conversation instead of ruffling feathers, but we’ll have to see how it goes. The first few might be a little rough while I “find my voice” but hopefully you guys will stick around and see me through it.

Thanks again for reading, and welcome to 2015!

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WTF Friday: Is This North America’s Kawashima Celica?

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When it comes to building cars Kevin Ehm (@framebanggang) doesn’t just go against the grain, he flips the entire table on its side, cuts it up, and re assembles it in a way he thinks a table should look.

His Mazda 3 has changed significantly the last few years; stock body lots of camber, flared with stretch, flared with meaty fitment, two door olive drab and now platform no man’s land.

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Despite stating numerous times that this isn’t how he intends to leave the car, people have already begun worshiping the ground he walks on yelling ‘Game changer!’, or throwing their arms in the air screaming ‘Too much!’

For those of us who’ve been looking at low cars for far too long this all seems a little familiar. Remember the Kawashima Celica when the owner/builder started its most recent incarnation?

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The stretch trick –1″ larger step lip on the outside, and the tire mounted to the step giving the visual illusion of insane stretch– and unfinished body work provoked knee jerk reactions from damn near everyone (self included) because put bluntly it didn’t look very good.

However when the final version came to light a lot of people (again self included) said ‘ah, so that’s where he was going’, and I predict the same for this car.

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Is it something I would do to my car, or something I want to see a lot of? Nope not hardly.

Am I willing to keep watching and see where it goes? You bet.

Ten Trends Of 2014

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Like any hobby car enthusiasm isn’t immune to trends (good or bad), and in 2014 there were a few that really stood out in my travels across Ontario, Quebec, and the USA.

There’s a good chance I missed one or two so feel free to contribute your own in the comments!

Flares

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What can really be said about this trend that hasn’t been said already? Executed both poorly and exceptionally in 2014 flares are something we are going to continue to see a lot of for years to come.

With no intentions of wailing on this dead horse any further, I’ll let you decided if this is a good or bad thing.

Tire paint and Tire Stickers

Often seen housed inside fender flares, tire paint really took off in 2014 (especially with street cars) to the point where several companies are now selling stencils that allow you to spray their brand on your tires, or simpler still sticker kits that take the guess-work out of it.

While not for every tire (there’s no reason to advertise Triangle brand) this look really suits those running ample rubber.

Quick Release Bumpers

Quick release bumpers were the tow hook of 2014, spotted on a lot of show/street cars but few track cars.

The elastic ones can be a bit of an eye sore, but the dzus ones that started to become more common at the end of the season are much more visually appealing solution to a problem I didn’t know so many people needed solved.

Big Wings

Completing the race car inspired group of modifications is the big wing, an emerging (and suggested) trend in 2013 well endowed wings started to show up in places you really wouldn’t expect them to in 2014.

Blast Pipes

Another that could have made the 2013 list, but really took off in 2014, was the ‘blast pipe’ style exhaust.

Upturned, shin bangers, or short and sweet, welders and tube benders got creative in 2014.

Niche multi-piece Wheel Brands

Three years ago when it came to new (ie founded within the last five years) mutli-piece wheel brands Rotiform was pretty well the only one releasing wheels with widespread appeal. Now there’s almost a limitless number of new manufacturers to choose from.

Brada, MtehcnicaK3 Projekt and Dampfhammer are just a few of the brands that have reaped the rewards of people thinking outside of the Work, BBS, SSR and CCW bubble in 2014.

Vossen Wheels

The Vossen Marketing machine kept churning in 2014, further establishing Vossen as the go to brand for those looking for affordable, large diameter, single piece, cast wheels.

Known for their eye-popping visual media Vossen switched things up slightly in 2014 by offering a limited edition, small run, wheel known as the VLE-1 to their catalog.

Magazine Closures

Photo: Jalopnik
Photo: Jalopnik

Budget cut backs by large publishing houses forced the closure of several long-standing automotive magazines in 2014.

While it could be argued that blogs like this one are what have contributed to the decline of print, I still feel the physical medium is of great value and I hope that those magazines that weathered the storm have figured out how to keep the doors open long-term.

Dapper Stickers

When it comes to Dapper brand I’ve heard everything from it’s a car club full of genuine enthusiasts focused on quality, to it’s a bunch of spoiled rich kids who get a rise of being exclusive.

While the authentic stickers may have to be earned, your local vinyl cutter can probably cut you one on the low making Dapper the Illest of 2014.

Big Talk, Small Game

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Many of those who talked about killing the game in 2014 really didn’t do much of anything memorable, while the ones who didn’t talk about what they were doing and just went out and did it actually delivered something new and innovative.

My advice to the blowhards; stow your ego, remain humble, and have fun building your car for you.

Theme Tuesdays: My Favorite Photos Of 2014

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Time to send off another great year of Theme Tuesdays with a collection of my own favorite shots from the 2014 season.

While some of the more recent photos are fresh in my mind, a few of the earlier ones I completely forgot I had taken until I went back and started curating this list.

Narrowing things down is always pretty tough, but as of this moment I’m happy with this lineup.

Humble Beginnings

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The Canadian International Autoshow is always a great way to wind up the event coverage machine, and one of my favorite cars of the entire show as this Heffner twin turbo R8 from Pfaff Tuning.

Any day but media day this shot would have been impossible, but Pfaff Tuning‘s Marketing Executive Matt Berenez hooked it up by removing the stanchion for me.

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Fitted Lifestyle 2014 was an epic event all around, and the coverage here on the site did tremendously well.

Shooting the roll in at this event always yields great photo opportunities, and when Low Level out of Montreal rolled up it really made for great photo-op.

There’s no denying that crew is all about their aggressive fitment!

K.I.S.S.

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This GTI is a perfect example of the K.I.S.S. philosophy. Nothing crazy or over the top but still stands out all its own. Seen without being scene.

Photo wise this shot is really similar to a shot I took of Luke’s bug last year which is equally clean.

Inside Shot

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An extremely heavily trafficked post for 2014 was the feature on Trevor’s VR6T powered s14. I’m really happy with that entire feature as a whole, but interior shots are always something I’ve struggled with so I was really pumped on this.

Of course since Trevor is changing basically everything I doubt it will look anything like this in 2015 and I will have to shoot it all over again.

A Nickle and A Dime

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JP has been worked on this car tirelessly for 2014 and after he took me for an all too brief ride, I thought I should pay him back by getting a decent snap of it.

Silly me left it to literally his last session on the course to even attempt the feat. Luckily I managed to get this photo with both he and I are pretty happy about.

Jover Rules

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Ask anyone who’s met Jover and they will tell you he rules. Super nice guy, been involved in the scene forever, and pretty much always has a smile on his face.

I’ve tried to get a decent shot of him drifting for a few years now and it has always alluded me, but not this year!

Deuces

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From the first time I heard about the Jalopy Jam Up I knew it was going to be a special event, and I’m still pretty jazzed that the soggy coverage managed to go live over on Speedhunters.

The event organizer Jeff Norwell has one of the best traditional hot rods in the area, and it is just extremely photogenic. I had a hard time picking which of the two photos were my favourite so I’m giving him two shots.

California Sunshine

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This shot was a bit of a scramble. I saw this rag top leaving Classics On The Square and only had a few moments to get into position before the car got too far down the road.

As luck would have it the shot worked out fairly well (it’s a little soft) and had it not been shot at a pretty notable Mississauga location one could almost believe it was California.

Number One

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As far as drifting goes Dylan is a photographers best friend. Predictable lines every time and lots of smoke.

He’s also a bit of a showman; case in point this qualifying lap where he threw up a peace sign, then flipped the bird.

Like Father Like Son

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While setting up for the lowrider hop off at the Reunited Car Show this shot just happened to present itself.

Lowriding really is a family affair, and I think this photo really illustrates that.

Big Yellow

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Four years had passed since the last time I saw this truck so I made sure to take quite a few photos of it at Northern Showdown.

I sent this shot over to Speedhunters as a sample of the coverage hoping it would be enough to entice the powers that be to let me do a second guest post.

I couldn’t be happier that it worked.

In The Weeds

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I fell in love with this Ford Monterey the first time I saw it, and when I spotted it again at Northern Showdown inspiration struck when I noticed the tall grass.

It’s some kind a miracle I didn’t kneel in goose poop.

Urban Outlaw

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This photo was really just a right time, right place kind of moment. In this shot the Urban Outlaw himself was walking a friend through the finer details of his latest build.

Here it almost looks like he’s hyper focused on a small detail everyone else would miss.

CATUNED

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Once an e30 kid, always an e30 kid.

CATuned did an exceptional job with this car, and I found myself returning to it over and over at SEMA. It was almost enough to make me want to get another e30.

Almost.

Up In Smoke

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The traffic going to Eurokracy is less than ideal and a bit too much fun the night before, combined with a bit of a scramble to find an ATM, meant I actually missed most of the burnout contest this year.

What I did not miss however was this A3 laying serious waste to a pair of tires. I don’t do black and white pictures much at all but this one really lent itself to it.

Ash

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2014 has been an unforgettable year mostly because of this little guy.

Pfaff’s year-end show was right around the time his personality started coming out in full force and I feel this shot really captures it so you’ll have to indulge me with a little proud father moment.

Onward and upward for 2015!

Slam District S2000

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While reading Wekfest Miami coverage over on The Chronicles I read the following about a really, really, low s2000:

The other notable modification to his build is that it appears lower than any S2000 you’ve seen before because it is actually frame-dropped, meaning that the body has been chopped to get the car to this current position.

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Body dropped unibody you say? Well that happens to be right up my alley so I hit the ‘net to see if I could find any more about the car.

I didn’t find a build thread, or photos of the body drop, but I did find a few photos of the car when it was silver.

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Shortly after I found those I also came across a few photos of the car while it was under the knife for the full color change.

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Nice to see that the quarters were done properly instead of jammed with bondo, and it’s awesome that the kept the stock body appearance as well.

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The body and paint work was done by De’Caudella’s Custom Refinishing and the owner seems to be affiliated with Miami’s Slam District.

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Nice build, still on the hunt for those body drop photos though!

Theme Tuesdays: ‘Tis The Season 2014

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Being the time of year filled with holiday cheer, I am going to keep with what has become a bit of a Christmas tradition around here and dedicate this week’s Theme Tuesday to photos that have a bit of a holiday vibe.

I’ve tried to stay clear of photos you may have seen a thousand times over already, and especially shy away from ones I have personally already posted!

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Gnarkill PBR fueled Christmas
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Philip Awad with a great capture of a 190e pretending to be Rudolph
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Kind of ironic most of these photos have no snow at all… heck we have no snow in the GTA right now
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Juan’s Gen Two among some flashing lights
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Tidy Miata lurking in a suburban neighborhood
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Why yes of course I’ll go get the Christmas tree honey it’s why we got a wagon!
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If you scroll down I’ve included this video
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Luxurious Montreal showing their Christmas spirit with the only picture with snow in this entire post!

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Santa recruited a few helpers and a few alternate sleighs this year

As promised a few videos to go with the still images:

Hopefully this time of year is shaping up great for all of you reading this and you will be enjoy the time with those who are important to you.

Merry Christmas!

Worth A Watch: ELTA Summer Bash

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At the Reunited Car Show last summer, Ratso Italiano owner John Wooley told me about an event that took place a few weeks prior called the ELTA (East London Timing Association) Summer Bash.

His description of the event involved hot rods, closed roads, fire, music, and burnouts which are all the essential ingredients for a good time.

The video below is a small snippet of what went on but enough to make me want to add this to my event calendar for 2015!

Pinkies Out – Christian Melchior Designs

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Since the initial lines were laid sometime in the ’50s pinstriping has been an important part of the enthusiast culture, because a true pinstriper can accentuate the lines of a vehicle just right, or provide that extra bit of flair a build needs to truly be complete.

Pinstripe artwork is something that I’ve always wanted to incorporate into one of my cars so last year I sought out an artist to add a bit of visual sugar to my freshly color matched air tank. After asking around my circle of enthusiasts friends one name that came up repeatedly was Christian Melchior.

Christian is a serious local talent when it comes to wielding brushes, and while I wasn’t immediately familiar with his paint work, I was familiar with his truck that was featured in Truckin’ magazine a few years ago.

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His S10 was actually one of the first canvases he used to showcase his work, sneaking a few carefully placed lines underneath the arm rest, and from there he did a little work for friends, and friends of friends, building up his clientele and becoming more experienced each brush stroke.

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As word of his talents spread he did a few trucks at Performance World and Vanfest, one of those trucks being Gary Donkers Ford Ranger.

It’s the subtle artwork on the door jamb of Gary’s Ranger that assured me that Christian was the right person to reach out to with my idea.

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From our initial emails, to the first time we met, I knew Christian was the artist for the job because in addition to being extremely talented with his preferred medium of 1 Shot paint and pinning brushes, hes is also a trained graphic designer.

This meant that in my particular case instead of dropping my tank off and hoping for the best, I was able to see a very accurate digital vector rendering of what my idea would look like prior to paint being laid.

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When I dropped off the tank at his house I noticed that Christian clearly wasn’t the only enthusiast in his family, so on my return trip I brought my camera along to take a few photos of his earlier work, and chat about how he got to where he is today.

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Skootermedia.com

Surrounded by cars –Christians father is an accomplished Pro Touring car builder/driver who is extremely proud of his son’s work– and art supplies at a young age Christian confesses that he has always been a huge fan of hot rods, trucks, motorcycles and kustoms and that being able to work on them now on a regular basis is a dream come true.

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During our conversation Christian also described the surreal experience of being one of the youngest people in the pinhead lounge at Performance World a few years back.

Those veteran artists that made up the panel, who realize the importance in passing down the trade instead of letting it die with them, really helped push Christian’s work to the next level.

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When not laying lines Christian designs websites and does vinyl installs as a stage 2 3M vinyl installer. He’s even begun to dabble in doing stripes with vinyl to see if this new technology lends itself to the older art.

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Talented, humble, and enthusiastic Christian has a bright future ahead of him and it’s an honor to have some of his work in the hatch of my car.

Christian can be reached via:
christianmelchior.com
@christianmelchior

Theme Tuesdays: Slammed Trucks Haulin Stuff

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I was really, really close to doing a bed dancer Theme Tuesday this week but I decided to play things a little ‘safer’ and post up slammed trucks that still live up to the name truck by hauling various goods around in their bed.

Everyone needs a friend with a truck, so why not have a friend with a slammed truck?

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Start things off locally this Tacoma built by 519 Kustomz regularly hauls around a Ducati
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Best of both worlds perhaps?
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Or maybe this is the best of both worlds?
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Show truck…
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..show bike
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Really curious how the bike got in there with a Cali combo but either way it’s in there

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BMWs and S10s actually have really similar bolt patterns but it’s still super rare to see BMW wheels on a truck. These look like M Parallel reps
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I’ve never ridden a quad but this one looks like it might be a lot of fun

 

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Cool to see OEM RX-8 wheels on a B2200, they actually look right at home
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Love the old school styling of this truck, and the fact that it is being put to use!
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The owner admits that there was a lot of drive shaft rub on this trip but the s10 made it none the less!
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’tis the season after all
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This truck from Stone Custom Fab is actually up for sale right now
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Izzy’s Rod Shop‘s shop truck is one of the best around
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This truck is absolutely hammered, and the bike is awesome
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Weaver Customs ‘Long Haul’
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I tried really hard not to include trailers in this post but I had to slip this one in

….would any of you be interested in a bed dancer Theme Tuesday?

Impulsive Decisions

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This Impulse N2 wide body equipped Levin popped up in my news feed over the weekend, and despite the fact that it will probably appear everywhere over the next few days I couldn’t resist posting it.

The use (or over use) of bolt on fenders has been a thing of some controversy lately, but I’m sure even the harshest of critics will agree they fit this car to a tee.

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The color choice is also phenomenal, and the Work Seeker wheels work exceptionally well.

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The tidy, intact, interior the car has is just the icing on an already delicious cake.

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The car is known as the Natty Dread and belongs to Robert Limtiaco who also took these photos, more of which are on his flickr.