When TAS2014 coverage started to hit the web one car immediately stood out among the over fenders, race inspired livery, FT86/BRZ/FR-S, outrageous exotics, and over the top VIP cars.
This awesome hot rod influenced Mazda Miata.
Styled unlike any Miata I’ve every seen I not so patiently  waited for more photos of the car to surface after the initial Instagram post by Ryo of USDMFREAX.
At first photos of the car came quite slowly  –as did information– but now that the show is well in the books a bit more information has become available.
As it turns out the car was built by engineering students at the WIZ International Institute of Technology. Not sure exactly what the assignment was but they saw fit to cut off everything forward of the firewall and replace it with a frame of their own design.
The suspension, dampers, grill, and such are all custom units while the motor is (so far as I can tell) mostly stock save for the individual throttle bodies and one off  header.
While there are a few things on the car I would change myself (the wheels being one, I like Seeker  DX wheels but not here) I admire the cars ability to stand out among a very competitive field.
The video below documents a little bit of the build and while I don’t understand single word said there does appear that they have built a VW Beetle. I’ll have to look out for that…
As always I am welcome to more info should anyone have some.
If you listen very carefully you can just about make out the sound of thousands of purists screaming over the image of a classic Mustang turned into a proper mud runner.
Yes, the clapped out classic on a truck frame isn’t exactly a new concept (heck I’ve posted a bunch previously), but something about this one being properly thrashed –on numerous occasions– screamed out “Post me”.
Presumably this car was in rough shape prior to this conversion but part of me wonders if it wasn’t and the owner did it anyway….
While catching up on a few of my favourite build threads over the weekend it hit me like a ton of bricks that Theme Tuesdays very rarely touch on fabrication. That sucks.
So wasting no time this weeks post is dedicated to frame/chassis fabrication and I’m sure I am not the only one who will be left thinking that it’s almost a shame to cover these up with a body when everything is said and done.
Awesome Chevy Master Sedan build that is going on over on Stance WorksInteresting Toyota Hilux build spotted on Mini Truckin’Relaxed Atmosphere build captured by FCVDODually build that was at SEMA in 2011 I believe… not sure if this ever got finishedAnother build that I wasn’t able to figure out whether or not it got finished…Jonathan Juarez’s S10 dubbed ‘Pure Hatred’. Another Mini Truckin’ Web featureThis Grant Fabrication Frame actually goes underneath a Pathfinder….69 Boss Mustang frame from Schroeders SpeedThis jungle jim goes underneath the Silver ShadowI couldn’t find just a photo of the frame of this Nova built by The Roadster Shop but I also couldn’t not include it. So crazyPro Street ’32. More photos are right hereThis frame had to be in this post. Matt did an insane job on it…
Can’t wait to see where Gary goes with thisIf you are wondering the answer is yes I will post this in as many Theme Tuesdays as possible
Should this Theme Tuesday see multiple editions? Let me know in the comments.
While I was gathering photos for the Chevy Belair Theme Tuesday I came across this Impala wagon that just about steered the entire post towards wagons.
It’s got a great stance, impeccable paint, and a set of wheels that, despite their simplicity, really pull the car together.
If anyone has more info on this car I’d welcome it.
In July of the 2013 the Canadian Chapter of the SunSet truck club hosted the aptly named “Battle At The Bridge” car and truck show in Lethbridge Alberta.
Like all great Western Canadian events contributing photographer Mike McConnell was on hand snapping away (his coverage also appears in the March 2014 issue of Mini Truckin’ Magazine), and based on what both he and Gabe of French Canadian Video have told me Battle At The Bridge is exactly the kind of event I would enjoy thoroughly. Great cars, great trucks, great people, and nothing but good times.
Perhaps one of these days I’ll be able to make a trip out to Calgary and check it out myself!
Start things off with this VIP Lexus that is no stranger to Mike’s lensThe Poor Form LS430 is also a familiar car here on SIEAlso showing with Poor Form was this gorgeous DatsunFrom the looks of things this car is absolutely spotless throughoutIt’s crazy how much forward movement gets introduced in VW suspension when you bag themJetta with tons of character
If you can get someone to bring an Esdel to  your event you are doing something right!Whatever is going on with the door of this Monarch interests meContinental kittedI can’t recall the last time I saw an 88 Accord on the road…This ’53 Chevy looks to be off to a great start sitting low with what looks to be a Vortec motor between the railsHard to beat a great looking Impala Wagon like thisMagnum Tint from Red Deer Alberta laid outThis just might be the only Buick Century I’ve ever seen modifiedLooks great too…Late 90s Rams are also another vehicle I don’t see on the ground all that oftenRounding out the not so often seen on the ground is this F150
Hats off to whoever sprayed this truck! Looks phenomenal in the sunAbsolutely grounded.Perfect for the streets of Cali, or the grass of AlbertaSuper nice I.C.E. and management setup in the back of the car tooNot super crazy about the wheels on this personally but I do love seeing turbo hot rodsA little bit of rat styling goes a long way
Not sure why but this is one of my favourite photos of the set…Another simple yet awesome shot
I would love to see the looks on peoples faces as this car drives by well under their windowsIt would probably look a little like this actually…
Hell of a long reach up to this shift knobOne of the better graffiti covered vehicles I’ve seenI’ve always had a bit of a thing for up-sized Iroc wheelsThe Ghost flames are a great addition to this GMCAs I type this caption about this GMC Scottsdale I’m watching the Barrett Jackson auction which takes place in Scottsdale Arizona… weirdFlipped Colorado lights and ‘Cali combo’ completely change the rear of this s10
This bear a striking resemblance to the Air Assisted FordThe world needs more low duallys
I’m sure you all agreeSimply incredible c10, love the sledsAwesome switch box choice tooSpeaking of things are awesome this trophy is certainly one
Great looking bagged v8 powered Path Finder
Lady driven 78 or so MazdaThis truck was recently in an issue of Minitruckin magazine……It also happens to belong to Steve Woodward one of the main organizers of Battle At The BridgeIf you want to see more of this truck check out Mike’s full set of photos here
Going to close things out with this truck which I just love……of course I’ve always been a sucker for white walls, purple, and pinstriping
Event organizer Steve Woodward and myself have already been in talks about the 2014 Battle At The Bridge and I am looking forward to sending out some product to help support an awesome show!
This week mother nature has pleasantly gifted those of us in Ontario with temperatures in and around +/- 2 degrees, but it is still winter which means there’s weeks of complaining on my part yet to come.
Chris however just keeps it moving with his Miata that somehow manages to still look good under all that salt and road brine.
Whenever I check the site stats and see that the “Cars With Mouths” Theme Tuesday series is still one of the most visited I can’t help but chuckle a little bit because I initially thought no one would really be into it.
I guess the fact that we are now into round three of said series goes to show the longevity of the famous “shark mouth”, and various other forms of automotive grins.
Do those look like BMW (e39?) headlights to anyone else?Which came first chicken….…or the egg?I could see how children would really get a kick out of this lookWorks pretty well on the early MKI’sAward for the longest rendition goes to…Really cool to see this on a 49 Olds, can’t be too many people doing it to classics like this. Thi sset of teeth also happens to be very well doneThe only set of metal fangs in this entire series…This was actually in part 2 which makes it a repeat, but this photo is really awesomeThis actually looks alright, probably temporary, but alrightThis Bel Air could have fit in last week, or in the Gasser Theme Tuesday as wellSame car doing what it was built forHow Japan does itWhen I posted this on the fan page people were torn on whether it was awesome or a complete disgraceBecause AustraliaEasily in the top five of all the three posts
Previously best known for their commuter cars and soccer mom moving compact sport utility vehicles, Hyundai placed their bets on quite the roll of dice when they released the Genesis line of vehicles in 2008.
Faced with a seriously uphill battle convincing the general public –never mind enthusiasts– that they could produce a luxury car, and a sports coupe, they had to come out of the gate swinging to grab any sort of market hold.
Now six years later they’ve managed to not only prove that they are in fact capable of doing both, but also convinced a number of enthusiasts to get behind the wheel of the other car with an H on it’s grill.
Being co-owner of a Hyundai Dealership Guillaume was an early adopter of the platform, and the car brought to you today, by SIE partner French Canadian VDO, is actually Guillaume’s second Genesis sedan, and third Genesis overall.
A fan of traditional VIP styling Guillaume sought to keep this car fairly refined yet still markedly different than factory form.
The Extreme Dimensions body kit the car wears today –which was molded from a one off version built for an ’09 SEMA car– needed quite a bit of customization to fit in a way that would look appropriate on a VIP influenced project.
After spending countless hours stressing over panel gaps Guillaume wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of an errant curb destroying his hard work, so he put the car on bags instead of coils.
Still a relatively new chassis Guillaume didn’t have the luxury of a bolt on kit and instead went with a UAS bag set-up over SMA coils.
As with most bag over coil configurations simply replacing the coil with an air spring wasn’t enough to put the car where he wanted, and Guillaume had to call in the services of his friend Martin Paul to fabricate custom top plates and rear bag brackets.
Giving the car the ability to rise up from the new lows  provided by Martin’s modifications is a completely self contained Airrex digital system.
The aforementioned Genesis sedan Guillaume owned before this one equipped him with the knowledge necessary to order wheels that fit between tire and quarter panel out back while being flush up front.
A VIP influenced luxury sedan simply wouldn’t be complete without interior additions and as such the prerequisite table, glasses, and Junction Produce rear view mirror garnishes found their way inside the car.
These accessories do a great job of adding to the cars air of class and luxury.
Despite being one if (if not the only) Canadian 09-11 Genesis sedans modified to this level Guillaume recently decided to part ways with the vehicle and move on to something else.
Given his employment another Hyundai is expected but he’s not exactly sure which model at this point in time.
However since he’s already got a set Dampfhammer Wheels on the way I don’t imagine he will remain indecisive for too much longer.
In the last eight or so hours one car, and one car only, has essentially dominated my various social media feeds, a car which in every single iteration has turned heads and caused considerable internet uproar.
That car is of course the infamous Kawashima Celica.
First earning notoriety as an unusual drift vehicle back in 2010 the car has continued to change drastically year after year.
When slid the Celica raised eyebrows not only because of it’s FF configuration but also because of the owners interesting methods for achieving the now signature negative camber.
However what really got the peanut galleries (self included) going  was the revision preceding the current, with insane stretch and exposed barrels.
At that point  it was extremely difficult (arguably impossible) to see where the owner was going, and hard to not just assume it was just another person seeking internet notoriety.
In short order people began to wonder exactly what the owner had in mind, and whether or not this iteration would be finished or just remain a talking piece like years previous.
Yesterday, Nori Yaro –who seems to media source closest to the car– released photos of the finished product and true to form it was shocking.
While Perhaps the most sedate angle of the car but it shows you just how much wider it is nowThe front fenders have been designed to just reach lock, though there is still some rubbing issuesThe rears (which based on progress photos I didn’t expect to turn out so good) do their best to try and contain the 12″ wide wheelsOf course no matter how you slice it (literally) 12″ wheels are still a handful to fit on a Celica
And yet as visually jarring as it is I personally find this to be the best iteration so far because it is the most finished and most polished.
At every other point the car looked like a collection of half thought, half started, ideas but now as outlandish as it may be, the owners vision has finally bubbled to the surface.
Sure the look is not for everyone but really this car has never been for everyone. It’s been exactly what the owner wanted it to be every step of the way.
The question myself and countless others are now asking is what can possibly be next?
I’m sure we all have friends who are so determined that when they say they are going to do something it is as good as done.
My friend Darcy Peters is one of those people, so about a year ago when he told me he was going to co drive a rally car I knew it was essentially written in stone.
Fast forward to today and he’s co-driven a number of events with Peter Nazarewycz and together as Team Argon their venture into the competitive sport of rally driving –in a green civic that could– has proven quite successful with a season highlight being a third place finish at their first national event.
Currently they are competing for a 2014 Champion Spark Plugs sponsorship and could use a little help making it into the next round, so if after checking out the photos below, and their video on alwaysachampion.com, you are as stoked on the team as I am be sure to click ‘Vote For Me’ over on the Champion site.
Note: If you are thinking “hey this is a good time to email Dave and ask him to help me win xxx contest” I will totally do it for you if you are capable of putting together an edit like this while being as awesome as Darcy.
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