Car Meet – Gripshiftslide

HRM – Drift Cadet workshop grand opening

Grant — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 23:18:04 +0000

A grand opening that has been a long time in the making! Why? because of Covid that’s why! Finally Pete and the Drift Cadet team were able to share their new headquarters with everyone.

HachiRoku Motorsports is another new venture for pete, not only will he be running Drift Cadet out of this premises but also HachiRoku Motorsports. A place where car groups hang out or get their Toyota 86 fixed!, Pete is an expert mechanic when it comes to the 86.

When you own more than 6 Toyota 86’s then you gather some serious knowledge over the years! Running Drift Cadet for many years has taught Pete so much about the 86, especially the performance side of them.

More than just a workshop and drift events company, they also sell tiny cars! yes that’s right. If your a fan of 1/64 cars or just collect Hotwheels Pete has you covered with a great selection of rare and collectible JDM favorites.

I’ve heard that our friends at onesix4garage even supply them with wheels and diorama goodies to spice up your diecast collection. Pete and Linh have a great amount of their own collectible on display within the HachiRoku Motorsports workshop.

It wasn’t just cars and humans invited to the grand opening! Four legged friends were also on the invite list.
The infamous YOYO from SaintSide even made a special appearance!

Dunlop Tyres Australia are a major supporting sponsor of Drift Cadet. They help the Drift Cadet team to run drift demos at big events like Summernats and MotorEx.

I found some other interesting things hiding in the back of the workshop, maybe this is for a future AE86 project?

More than just and AE86, the driver of this very tidy AE86 is by far one of the very fastest GoKart champ’s I’ve ever driven against.

In a world where JDM car prices are hitting all time high’s! it’s great to see owners out and about at special events like this.

Dont mistake this for a Honda Prelude! It’s actually a Nissan S15. A very unique body kit! One I have never seen in the wild before.

Pete is well respected in the motorsport industry, he has run drift demos in nearly every state in Australia! His business Drift Cadet is one of the best ways to learn to drift in Victoria.

What’s an english vehicle doing at a JDM style event? Well rumor has it that its is owned by well known street wear brand that is infamous around Melbourne!

Food, fireworks and simracing! what more could you want at a workshop opening event. Pete pulled out all the stops when organizing this small prestigious event.

The Advan Oni is one of those holy grail JDM wheels! I would bet the wheels are worth much more than the R31 Skyline wagon they sit on top of! We love it!

Having driven many Toyota 86’s, I can confirm they are a little slow but with a turbo kit or Harrop supercharger they become the car you would of thought they would be.

More creative number plates! The new GR Yarris is a weapon and I would kill to have one, being a big 3 cylinder fan!

A super tidy interior! or maybe the dash mat is hiding a nasty crack in the dash… we will never know!

The classic panda AE86 will never get old! Its timeless! with pop up lights and a hatch! Its the type of car that can do anything and that’s why they are so classic. But mainly it’s the pop up lights!

Time attack WRX or daily? I’m not sure but it does look the business! One thing is for sure, you need down force when doing your local run down to the shops.

Racing seats in general have been suffering from Covid tax not as much as cars but they are becoming more valuable with age. So make sure you hide all your cool racing seats then sell them ten years later or better 20 years later.

Its not just boy’s that love the R34, believe it or not this one is driven by a girl! Brian O’ Conner would be proud!

Its hard to find an IS200 that has not done 300,000k’s and cooked! A car I wish I had owned and still wish I could get my hands on. A great looking car that has lots of potential and some of the drift build’s of these getting around the internet are insane.

The HRM – Drift Cadet workshop grand opening was a great event, Pete is one of the hardest working drift advocates in Victoria. He has moved mountains to arrange and be part of some of the largest events within Australia helping to promote drifting to the general public while also teaching newcomers how to drift.

Thanks for Reading,
Grant

Saint Side :: 8th Annual John Street Show and Shine

Grant — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 01:45:34 +0000

Every year the Saint Side John Street Show and Shine never fails to impress! This is the 8th year in a row that Saint side have run this event and closed down the entire street to celebrate the birth of the Saint Side brand.

St Albans basically goes into shut down mode when the annual Saint Side John st celebrations are on! With hundreds of custom bicycles on display and a massive range of cars, whats not to like about the Saint Side Show and shine.

Saint Side fans are dedicated, loyal and fanatical! After eight years the Saint side family has definitely grown and it show’s no signs of slowing down.

A subtle yet appropriate styled R33 Nissan Skyline sat among hundreds of custom bicycles that formed a line from one end of john street to the other.

Dj Rod G kept the tunes going all day with some very cool 90’s classic hiphop, with a mix of new jams squashed in between those hits we all know and love!

This TE27 corolla drew my attention immediately as i walked past, its funky Superlight wheels original paint job and missing front flair gave this corolla some real character.

This annual event always attracts a diverse range of cars from Low Riders to Hot Rods to JDM and everything in between!

Because the show and shine takes up the whole of john st other cars are forced to park a few streets away. I always take the time to walk around the surrounding streets to see the other cars that were not able to fit into the main show. This murdered out FG falcon was so evil it made small children run while dropping and abandoning their beloved comfort toys in the street!

Private Bike shows started to spring up across the road from the main show, Saint Side have reinvented the custom bike by supplying fans with the hottest parts out of america and around the globe.

I’ve spotted this very R32 on the freeway in my daily commute to work, boy does it stand out with that bright teal color and 4 stud conversion complete with Hoshino wheels!

This Chevrolet Pick-up truck was stunning with it period correct signage and wooden side extensions plus it also was carrying a tricked out custom bike in the back!

Next year I think Saint Side should run a dog show alongside the other festivities that take place through out the day. There are so many proud owners and there puppies that come to the Show and Shine. Why not put them on show as well as the cars and bikes.

A good variety of cars showed up to the event with many wildly different cars sitting next to each other. For instance take this track driven 86 and a VIP ride sitting side by side.

Do not mistake the Toyota FJ for an over sized Fiser and Price toy car! From a distance this FJ did not look real! but up close you could see its larger than life personality.

This is the first time I have ever seen a two wheeled General Lee! Love the detail they have gone to with the CB radio on the handlebars and confederate flag on the back!

Denim jackets, gold wheels, red beanie’s you could be forgiven if you thought this was a picture from the nineties!

The Saint Side four legged family was in full force showing that not all Saint Side fans have to be human.

Every detail on these custom bicycles was hand picked and placed on the bike’s for a specific purpose.

Likewise the lowriders had equally as much personality with custom pin striping and chrome to match.

Not to mention there where a few tastefully modified classic Hot Rod’s in attendance. Yet the real focus of the show was the custom bikes.

There where so many bikes it was hard to concentrate on just one! There was a bike to satisfy everybody’s taste!

With a huge mix of styles and influences blended together extending the entire length of john st.

Just like a Harley right? The owner deserves credit for creating such a beast!

When the restoration of low-rider bicycles, streetwear, and collectibles come together you know that the Saint Side crew most likely has something to do with it!

The Japanese influence runs deep with plenty of classic Toyota’s and Nissan’s helping to decorate John st.

The Saint Side event brings together Americana, west coast, custom and vintage lifestyles, for a truly unique experience. Mark and the team have been slaving away behind the scenes to make this years show an absolute hit.
With new clothing being released monthly Australia’s favorite streetwear boutique Saint Side is soon becoming a household name. It is by far one of the most well loved shows of the year and we cannot wait for next years show.
Thanks for stopping by,
Grant

JDM :: Docklands Meet

Grant — Sun, 18 Sep 2016 23:34:37 +0000

On a stormy night at the foot of the Bolte bridge a small gathering of JDM cars were preparing to come together for a car meet and mini photoshoot. I decided to tag along to see what these JDM enthusiasts were up to.

The first car I saw as I arrived was this chunky KE70 sitting on a nice set of Superlight’s with just the right amount of offset. This had me excited for what I might see next!

This tastefully modified GC8 WRX caught my eye with its clean paint work and classic wheels. It soon became apparent that this JDM meet had a strong Subaru presence.

The Subaru Forester seemed to be the most popular vehicle of choice, being as they are almost inconspicuous to the highway patrol. Apart from when you have the mighty rising sun painted on your intercooler.

A popular engine swap for the older Foresters is the EJ205/EJ207 from the WRX, this type of thing would definitely make a great sleeper.

There is always a sneaky euro at a JDM meet and this time it was a rather sleek BMW Z4.

The owner of this E85 BMW Z4 M coupe made sure to park away from the main action so he could make a quick exit encase the boys in blue arrived.

Siting on a nice set of XXR 521 wheels this turbo second generation Subaru Forester looked just right and not overdone.

It wasn’t all Forester’s there were even some Nissan’s in the mix, this 180sx had a louvered/vented hood giving it a seriously aggressive look.

A nicely modified mix of both 86 and BRZ were competing for the best spots under the bridge. Even a recent recall on the 86/brz power steering rack didn’t stop these guys from attending.

Although there were many Subaru Foresters in attendance this is the one that really stood out among the others with its clean black look and huge STI wheels.

Considering how cold and crazy windy it was, to see so many cars attending this car meet for the JDM store was great to see. It was so windy that with every large gust of wind I had to hold down my camera on the tripod to stop it tipping over! The JDM store looks like it may host more car meets soon and we can’t wait to see them gather more momentum in the scene.
Thanks for Reading,
Grant

Eastside JDM :: Under The Cover Of Dark

Grant — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 00:27:41 +0000

On a dark Saturday night a large group of JDM car’s descended on a car park somewhere in Melbourne’s east. Although not all of the cars where exclusively from the east, some traveling from the north for a chance to meet other JDM import owners. Many cars were seen scouting the area even before the meet had started at nine thirty, presumably looking out for police or defect stations.

Other cars where seen doing blocky’s just because they were lost and could not see the meet point. With a vague location listed on the Facebook event page a fair group of cars found themselves congregating around a nearby MacDonalds.

Once a small group of cars lined up next to each other then it was a simple case of follow the leader. Streams of burbling WRX’s arrived with a pack of Nissan’s bringing a chorus of turbo flutter.

It wasn’t just Subaru’s and Nissan’s that brought the JDM flavor but also a few Mitsubishi’s that made an appearance.

There were even a few Euro invaders sneaking in slowly amongst the herd of JDM cars, quietly they found parking spots close to the main action.

Not may people are brave enough to add a bold contrasting color that attracts attention but the red highlights on this R34 help to give the car a bit of an impact.

Rare and unique yet not a JDM car this Ford Sierra Cosworth was hidden up the back of the car meet where it didn’t seem to attract the attention it so rightly deserved.

Among the sea of regular JDM cars was this little and rare semi softtop suzuki swift. I’ve never seen one before however it does make sense that Suzuki would create such a thing especially in the nineties.

Now For the heavy hitters! The crowd pleasures! A supra with some serious power and a full blown drift car driving around on club plates. These two cars pulled the biggest crowd of the night they also attracted the attention of the police who were keeping a close eye on the car meet.

Another euro invader, a mini with some chunky BBS rims and plenty of style.

You can never go wrong with the traditional black and gold combo that’s why the John Player Special livery is one of the most loved race car livery’s.

Two cars that share DNA parked right next to each other! The real question is when will Toyota release a turbo 86? There are plenty of bolt on turbo kits but no factory option, we have only been waiting five years and still we wait.

A rather clean S14 with a fresh looking kit never fails to impress, the S14 is like a middle child it never gets the love it deserves.

Who needs shiny wheels when you have a striking paint job like this!

Selling merchandise at car meets is starting to gain popularity, not only where there all kinds of stickers for sale but there was also hot donuts and coffee!

A strong representation from the AE86 crew with a nice mix of hatch and notchbacks all in a row.

You cannot go wrong with an FD RX7 remarkably this one has a massive front mount intercooler tucked behind the front bar for a bit of extra oomph.

Classic Japanese style smaller negative offset wheels with fat tires, whats not to like about this Onevia!

A change of parking spot brought a whole new crowd to these two show stoppers. Unfortunately the Insane Customs S13 Drift car was not appreciated by the highway patrol who threw the book at them for driving on club plates after 12am.

Looking a little worse for wear this MX5 is mid restoration yet i bet we will see this car with a completely new look very soon.

At first i did not recognize what car this was, I soon discovered it was a Subaru Impreza with some special tuning from AVO. This Impreza goes by the name of GPVII and has it own following on Instagram.

Parked way in the back, ready for a quick escape was this beautiful R34 weapon. It sat quietly in the shadow of darkness just begging for a photo.

Having owned an import i know the feeling of always watching your back when driving in Melbourne, being a target because you have a loud car or something that looks relatively fast does not mean your a criminal. Car meets like this bring together like minded people to share their creations with the rest of the car community. Eastside JDM are helping to keep a good group of JDM fans together much like the original JDMST group and we hope to keep a close eye on this forever growing movement.
-Grant

Cars and Coffee :: Truganina

Grant — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 03:16:19 +0000

It has been almost one year since i have been to Cars and Coffee Truganina, these regular Cars and Coffee events seem to be expanding all over the place. This particular Cars and Coffee event has been running monthly for a couple of years now yet it is one of the originals.

All types of cars started to stream in, including a stanced Audi that was on show at the prestigious 100mm car show.

The que to get into the event continued to grow steadily until 10am. Lots of interesting cars made their way into the parking lot looking for the best spots to show off their rides.

It looked as thou there were a few interstate visitors with plates from NSW, QLD, TAZ. The real question, had they really traveled all that way for this monthly event? Or was it just a case of new car purchases from other states?

Regardless it was great to see such a good variety of cars at the meet. This classic Ford Escort was in great condition! looked like it could have maybe been a barn find originally.

There were plenty of nice Subaru’s in attendance including this charmingly stanced Swagon with some very nice mods including some gear from Like Wise.

This photo does not do justice to how low this R34 is! It was really dumped! full commitment by the owner, sporting tucked wheels at this low static ride height especially on a daily and points for the number plate!

A tidy white on white combo saw this RX8 turning heads! Not only did it attract attention but it also has been spotted and mentioned a fair bit on social media.

Damien from JNC Otaku has his very on unique style and you can see it at play in his classic Honda civic interior.

Although the hype over RocketBunny kits is starting to fade they are still damn impressive to see in person! Especially when combined with a great looking wing.

A little touch of color goes a long way! The right set of wheel nuts can really help to bring attention to your wheels among the sea of modified cars it can be the one thing that draws the eye of any onlooker.

Subtle yet effective this Nissan R32 is siting at just the right height to tuck and still be able to get over speed humps and enter driveways it is really what everyone dreams about.

The latest STI looked at home jammed in between its modified friends, I wonder if the STI needs 5 buttons pushed before it will go fast like the new standard WRX does?

No this is not some type of rare Pokemon! Although many people were hard at work playing Pokemon Go at the event this Gozilla wasn’t part of the hunt for Pokemon.

A good crowd for a Saturday morning, the weather was good which made all the difference plenty of cars in attendance which helped create a great vibe for the event.

Its not to often you see a supra running the classic TRD Supra Aero Bonnet! but by the sound of the car and chequered tuning sticker you know that this car will be packing some serious horsepower.

A car that is really starting to grow on me after the years is the mx5, for the longest time all i saw was a hairdressers car but with the right treatment and a few mods this is one of the best bang for buck cars around.

Interesting steering wheel, from the era of car phones and tape players when you needed 4 horn buttons just in case of a random road rage attack.

Spotted some interesting stickers and sights from the day including plenty of Hanging with the Homies air fresheners and even a few of our stickers.

In prime position were 2 stanced RocketBunny 86’s and 2 other equally stunning cars plus our good friends Saint Side selling plenty of rad merchandise.

Could this be a tribute to the Fast and Furious Eclipse from the original movie? The colors are close!

That’s one serious front splitter very time attack inspired with massive canards and plenty of carbon to match.

Not as popular as the standard R34 the four door still can look great with a good set of wheels and small drop kit to set the car off.

As far as wagons go these BMW’s are one of the most luxurious comfy to drive wagons you will find for the price they look great and run like a dream.

Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, Burt Reynolds was the won who undoubtedly made the Pontiac Trans-Am famous! As a kid i wanted one so bad! It was awesome to see this one in person! Such a classic car!

From one extreme to another! Welcome to Bag town where touching the ground is essential.

An unlikely pair, running a mexiflush setup on a commodore is a statement and a half! Notably bold in comparison to the little mx5.

This KE70 looks like a work in progress with plenty of tasty mods, it also looks like it could be hiding a secret under the bonnet.

The growth of this event is very evident, with increased parking guys helping to fit all the cars into the space while arranging the cars into position. This Monthly event may soon out grow its space come summer! only time will tell if they will have to find a bigger location.
-Grant

VMC :: Car Wash Catch Up

Grant — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 05:04:07 +0000

Vendetta Meets and Cruises started back in 2015 and has been steadily growing in size. We recently dropped in on their car wash meet at South Morang, amongst the everyday cars we spotted a few cars that took our fancy!

Its almost like the fear of the dreaded defect is lifting and people are starting to take chances again despite the recent window tint crackdown craziness.

Only a handful of the people at the meet washed their cars everyone else had pre-washed their car before the meet which almost defeats the purpose of a car wash meet.

There were plenty of drive by checks to see if the meet was worthy but most cars did a blocky then parked up next to the others.

It was nice to see some quality parts under the bonnets of some WRX’s that made an appearance. There were plenty of popped bonnets with color coded intakes and sway bars as well.

P-platers have such a great choice of cars these days! they are buying cars that were considered dream cars back in the day.

Its not a car meet without someone revving their engine while others look on in a zombie like coma.

Great to see our sticker on a few cars at the meet. kebabhunters

Only brave men rock colored wheels especially when they are drift style, bright on the front dark on the back.

The color scheme continues into the 350z’s engine bay where you can see that Tracy approves of the mods on this Nissan.

Nissan’s chameleon, that’s right it’s a VL with the classic walkinshaw kit looking very legit! its one Holden that really decimated the road in its day.

Grandpa spec Toyota Corona with some great attention to detail not something that i would expect to see at this type of car meet.

85% Mitsubishi Evo 15% Holden Commodore, this meet had a great variety of cars with a mix of Aussie and Japanese cars scattered around the car park.

All of the Evo’s were tastefully modified! which was a true pleasure and something that is not often the case.

Saving the best for last a car that even mad max would be proud to drive, with all of the essential extras a blower and fat tires on the back. Vendetta Meets and Cruises is one of the better groups on the north side with some very dedicated members who are helping to grow this group’s numbers quickly.
Thanks for reading,
Grant.

MCM mini meet #25 :: Docklands Undercover

Grant — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 12:56:20 +0000

It’s been a while since we have attended such a big car meet! Held in docklands Victoria, in a spot where only three years ago the police blocked off the road, car park and all exits to create a massive defect station. Thankfully that did not happen this time around.

It wasn’t only humans in attendance! there were at least five k9’s that we know of including this husky! I arrived early to beat the traffic not knowing exactly how big this meet was going to get.

At first it was raining lightly and I thought this may stop many from bringing out their pride and joy. Regardless the cars started to stream in like its was boxing day sales.

Most creative exhaust award goes to this little Nissan micra! unfortunately it didn’t sound like star’s not that I know what stars sound like!

This has to be one of the best combo’s I have seen on this model of Celica ..period. The wheels work well and the ride height is spot on!

A lot of attendees drove straight past the meet point opting to park outside the area just in case the boys in blue turned up. Luckily there was no trouble and everyone behaved themselves.

Amongst the sea of cars many were showing of their ability to ride static at dangerously low heights, the others that were riding on air came in low and scraping.

Suddenly a wild DeLorean appeared! iconic film cars are in hot demand right now but the DeLorean is one car that will never loose its luster.

These are no angel eyes, they are straight up devil eyes! happily sitting upon an aggressive set of Work Meisters.

An odd couple I found posing together was this WRX and its brother from another mother. Every so often I came across some cars posing in the spot light, waiting for admires.

With so many quality cars it was hard to know what to take a closer look at. Yet when this BMW rolled in everyone took notice! heads snapped so quick it was like a thunder clap.

There were so many nice cars on show that some super clean cars got ignored. I caught a few hiding between cars and people.

Look closely and you will see some interesting features on this R34. Custom LEDS built into the front bar, mirror and shaved lines combined to make this R34 one of a kind.

Vinyl warp is taking centre stage lately, this 86 was no exception. The brightness of this blue almost paralysed a few people! The way this vinyl refracted light was very impressive! to say the least.

I was very surprised to come across such a well modified WRX. With a serious hint of stance and nothing but quality parts decorating this sexy Subaru. It was hard to not be entranced by its beauty.

Tucked, sitting only millimetres off the ground. Dressed in white with a few hints of red and gold this show stopper continued to stun onlookers for hours.

The king of the streets! the mighty Nissan GTR. This car meet had more variety than a two dollar shop. With super-cars, classic cars, track cars and daily drivers what more could you ask for.

Not all the cars where lowered / modified. Some classic cars had entered under the radar. This VW beetle was super straight and in perfect original condition.

A throwback to late eighties touring car livery’s, this E30 was looking the part and turning some heads.

Another car that pulled a crowd was this super sexy RX7. As soon as it arrived people were climbing over each other to take a closer look.

Packed and ready to go? or just trying too look part of the scene? Regardless its an interesting approach to a style that has been creeping its way into the Melbourne euro groups lately.

With 4 levels full of cars there was a hell of a line to exit the car park. Only a consistent trail of brake lights could be seen for at least 30 thirty minutes while the crowd of cars left the huge car park. The Melbourne car meet group continues to build momentum whilst not compromising on quality. We hope this trend continues, it almost seems as thou MCM is a breeding ground for 100MM entrants and that’s ok in our book!

Japan Day 2 :: Daikoku Futo PA

Grant — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 09:32:31 +0000

After 36 hours in Japan we finally hit up some car action at none other than Daikoku Futo PA! This tiny car park in the middle of a man made island in the Yokohama harbor is a thing of legend. If you’re into Japanese cars chances are you’ve seen more than a few photos from this location. Here car owners from different walks of life all gather and soak up the experience that is Daikoku Futo any night of the week and during the day on weekends.

Staying in Yokohama meant the parking area was just 15 minutes from our hotel. So hurried back after dinner and set off on our adventure.

The very first sight we were greeted by as we drove down the long spiraling off ramp into the parking area. This ‘Tron’ looking BMW convertible that had light glowing from everywhere. We parked up and ran around like kids in a candy store.

I can’t explain the ‘fizzy’ feeling you get standing in this spot at night… The cars, the orange light and the sound of engines revving is just unlike any car meet at home. The scale of the freeway ramps that circle you create this theater filled with the sounds of cars entering and leaving the car park. It really is just massive!!

The amount of cars even on a quiet night like this was staggering, cars were coming and going all the time. It was impossible to keep up when shooting on a tripod.

These three where all friends.

We loved this bumper-less Crown. It was also refreshing to see a modified Crown after the sea of Japanese Taxi’s getting around Tokyo!

The wheels were on the smaller side for a car of this size bit it still looked great all together.

Our second night in Japan and we were already treated to the sight of a Hako Skyline.

It was beautiful!!

This matte green air-cooled Porsche was a very cool sight amongst all the domestic cars.

There was a small army of MX-5’s out in force.

I’ve only ever seen one or two cool looking MX-5’s together at home so it was awesome to see more than 5 at the same place.

This little dark green one was rocking some wide wheels on the rear. Photos don’t do it justice!

Our favorite MX-5 had to be this BN Sports kitted black number. The level of dish was high with this one!

There was a few Honda’s out and about too.

This little blue EG Civic was sitting stupidly low, it looked awesome from every angle.

The greatest Civic Type R in our eyes… The EK9. These things are just pure awesome!

Another Type R on the same TE 37 wheels.

Over in the corner some local bosozoku bikers were meeting and revving their bikes. When I got closer I realised they were playing songs. They had each made up their own song and began reciting them one after another simply using their engines.

This was one of the coolest aspects of the parking area, getting up close to these amazing machines/people I’ve heard so much about.

Old Suzuki’s and Honda’s seemed the bikes of choice and they all had their own personal touches.

Our personal favorite of the entire night had to be Kazuki’s flawless 86.

The subtle red glitter in the paintwork was beautiful. We were digging the mismatched wheels. Work Equips up front.

TE37V in the rear.

This is seriously one very cool street driven hachiroku!!

Not to far away we found some very nice looking Infiniti’s.

This FX was dropped on it’s airbag suspension while it was parked and had heaps of top end audio gear inside. The roof racks had a very cool flower wrap on them too.

The G-Series sedan was sitting low on a set of 3SDM 0.08 wheels.

These wheels looked the business gleaming away under the street lights.

As it turns out the Toyota Prius is one of the most modified cars in Japan, seriously every second one we saw had blacked out taillights, wheels and an exhaust. This one was a little bit different and certainly had a bigger budget then most sitting pretty atop a set of fifteen52 Tarmac wheels. This thing looked killer.

From big budget to low budget this ‘diy’ Legacy wagon would look at home at most grass root race events. The matte black paint and custom front splitter design along with the rear wing made for a menacing looking street car.

One of the few Supra’s we saw, this was definitely the more wild looking of the bunch. Check out the rear diffuser setup!!

The car park fell quiet for a short time, the silence was quickly interrupted by the unique burble of this Porsche arriving. The sound stuck out like a chip packet being opened in a church.

One for the rotary fans. This spotless white FD RX-7 was certainly worthy of a few photos.

The body kit seemed like a simple lip kit at first but became all the more extreme when you got closer. The rear diffuser alone was a work of carbon art!

A late and brief attendee was this Evo wagon, such a shame we don’t see more of these in Australia. I’ve only ever seen one in real life before this.

This Scion XB was pushing the camber out on the rear wheels, lots of character here. mismatched panels, rusted bonnet and stone chips galore. This was cool!

This tiny Suzuki Alto was just tucking these 14″ mesh wheels in the rear.

It had some patched up fender damage on the front from running so low around Tokyo’s streets.

Later in the evening another cool 86 arrived, this time a coupe!!

In the infamous two tonne black & white combination and on a set of Watanabe wheels… Perfect!

It doesn’t get much cooler than this, sitting behind an idling Toyota Sprinter in Yokohama.

There was truck loads of Toyota’s by this point. Check out the crazy fitment on this Crown.

This Chaser was in pristine condition and funnily enough had the loudest sub woofer I’ve heard on the street. It was ridiculous!!

It had a nice amount of dish too!

One of the toughest looking cars of the night had to be this black Nissan Cima.

The big chunky wheels set it off perfectly.

It’s hard to describe this car without using the word “gangster”…

Even more Toyota Crowns!! They’re literally everywhere here! We were about ready to call it a night before the police did it for us After a few too many cars got a bit loose when leaving the car park.

Then this arrived… The hero car of the night. a sky blue liberty Walk R35 GT-R.

The huge over fenders of the rocket bunny kit perfectly covered the massive rear wheels.

This thing was big!!

Seeing a car like this here in Japan was really a special moment for me, I stood still just enjoying it not even touching my camera for a few minutes before I felt the pain in my feet that comes from a 15 hour day of walking none stop.
So that was that we called it a night and headed back to our hotel.
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.

Custom Cars & Coffee :: Melbourne 2015

Grant — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 06:00:40 +0000

Melbourne is arguably the home of Australia’s best coffee and also home to some of the best street cars getting around, when these two things come together it means it’s once again time for Custom Cars & Coffee…

Victorian’s are a lucky bunch indeed if roasted beans and automobiles are your thing, with regular Cars & Coffee meets held by our friends over at RTR in the west every month which can see over 100 cars or more if the suns out, while “Custom Cars & Coffee” (CC&C) sees only two events a year and proves to be the bigger affair.

This was the second ‘CC&C’ meet held again at Sandown Raceway, this time the weather was undoubtedly some of Melbourne’s “finest” with frequent showers all morning… Despite the rain there was a considerable turn out in the hundreds, the ‘CC&C’ events seem to make for one of the most eclectic car shows around. I’ve not been to any other event that has anywhere near the variety you’ll see here.
One of the first cars to steal my attention was this pristine Camaro Z28, some muscle cars really don’t do it for me. This however has some of the best lines of any in it’s era.

This rusted Holden HZ premier had a few people making some puzzled faces. We loved all the little details and the ‘curb feelers’ were the icing on the cake!!

This MG MGB Roadster was a big win on the euro front, the superlite wheels really changed the demeanor of the tiny convertible. It’s nice to see some people aren’t afraid to add some character to a classic.

While on the subject of European cars ‘CC&C’ did not disappoint. There was something on display from nearly every major stable. Although it seems Germany is the country of choice for most.

There was a handful of Porches like this duo in white, a beautiful 911 and a road ready-racer GT3.

Hands down my favorite V8 powered saloon car. The Mercedes C63. The 6.2L engine creates the most euphoric noise simply by mixing petrol and air! Amazing!!

Between spats of rain when the heavens finally closed up the sun came shining down resulting in some quick costume changes for some.

Despite being on the ‘plumpier’ side compared to the old model, tipping the scales at almost two tonne. The new BMW M5 can get up to 100kph from stand still in just over 4 seconds… The M5 is definitely punching above it’s weight!!

I think I saw a bunny wabbit!! A MK1 Golf aka the Volkswagen Rabbit in the US. The original Golf has always been a charmer, before these guys “Hot Hatches” didn’t exist.

Aside from VW’s as far as the eye could see there was a healthy amount of BMW’s filling out the lines at the show. This E30 was picture perfect sitting atop it’s mesh wheels.

The Z4 M is one of the most underrated roadsters of the modern area. With a punchy straight 6 engine and great handling just add some iconic Japanese wheels and it’s winning combo in our books!

At every show there’s that one car, that one you wait just a little bit longer for people to move out of the way to make sure you get the photo…

This was ‘The car’… This stunning E92 BMW was menacing from every angle.

There’s no denying the wheels are the hero here. 3 piece Work Meisters in satin black.

The fitment is spot on, the owner is brave to be driving around like this in Melbourne for quite a few reasons!

All the cool kids rock up late these days and nothing says cooler than a fresh yellow sticker from the boys in blue. The owner of this Golf also scored some airtime on the “highway patrol – TV Show” so keep your eyes out for that episode when it airs.

It’s easy to see why it got so much attention from side on… Absolutely slammed on a set of Porsche wheels, check out that dish!!

More AMG goodness, this time a coupe. We miss hood emblems, stupid inconsiderate pedestrians ruining it for everyone!!

Another comfortable German four door packing a V8 under the hood and mated to Audi’s renowned 4WD system makes this one quite capable in corners and off the line!

Speaking of 4WD… Not many can come close to the mighty Nissan GTR. The Victorian chapter of Skylines Australia had a huge display of Japan’s greatest export on show.

Round taillights as far as the eye can see…

There was plenty of R35’s on display and amongst such a large group it didn’t take much to stand out, just some wheels and a nice drop in the ride height and this grey number was looking great!

One of the most Iconic colours for the R34’s. Bayside Blue is always a favorite of ours.

We were pleased to find two GTR’s wearing blue at the show, if they were girls at a party they would NOT be friends right now.

This track spec R33 GTR was looking nice thrown into the mix, definitely not the most popular GTR model but this one was very aggressive! It just looked like it was itching to get out onto the track!!

The V35… Some love to argue it’s not a “real” Skyline at all. Others simply see it for what it is… A sleek and sporty luxury coupe. They were a big hit in the US.

The bad weather meant many entrants were running late, cars kept flowing in all morning.

Everyone’s favorite. A Ford Mustang. The blue was great colour on the classic body and with a bigger chin than a man from a Bonds commercial too!

Now to a local hero… The Holden SL/R 5000 Torana. With hulking wheel arches from factory and the green hue it certainly was looking angry!

Remember when I said this was the most eclectic car show around? Down the front we found a giant Dodge ‘truck’, wrapped commodore and wrapped Monaro.

The ‘loud’ looks of the other wrapped cars were dulled by this gleaming Mercedes coupe. The gold wrap had a mirror finish, we were just happy the sun was tucked away behind the clouds!!

In between checking out all the cars there was often the distracting sound of some cars blasting around Sandown circuit, this was the perfect backdrop for the car show.

We don’t know why this guys been hiding from all the Classic Japan shows… A pristine Mitsubishi Galant GTO is a rare sight to be had!

Onto some more classic rides from the land of the rising sun. There were a handful of beautiful Z’s on show.

This was our favorite 270ZX of the bunch, super clean, wheel flares and dished wheels. Perfect!

There was even some quality cars for the little guys at the show! Any kid rolling around in the driveway in one of these bad boys is sure to be the envy of all the other kids in the street.

It seems there were also a few nice cars out in the car park.

We found Daniel’s MX5 adorning a few extra additions.

The new spoiler is a killer piece to finish off the look of the car.

Now we’ve all seen manga art used on a car but we’ve never seen a panel this big done entirely in manga comics.

While it’s pretty extreme it is nice to see some quality artwork up close.

One of the more ‘wild’ looking 86’s at the show, this one paying homage to Toyota Racing Developments ‘TRD’.

Hybrid and electric cars are for rain forest loving hippies right? Wrong!! Tesla has been changing people’s perception of electric powered cars since 2008. Thanks to some ingenious engineering, some 600 newton meters of torque and over 300KW of power.
While range is still the biggest issue for these types of cars speed certainly isn’t a problem anymore.

Easily one of the most curious cars at the show… The English sports car known as the Ultima GTR.

It’s offered both as a fully built road ready car and funnily enough as a (do it your self) kit car. The car is however far more advanced than it’s diy origins let on.

Utilising a tubular steel space frame with a fiberglass body it’s light, really light!! Weighing in a smidge under a 1,000KG.

Inside is one of the simplest interiors we’ve ever come across. No distractions here just some pedals, a shifter and a steering wheel. Surrounded by a generous splash of Alacantra and this is somewhere we simply refer to as our “happy” place.

The engine found in the “turnkey” version (factory built) is a small block V8 sourced from Chevrolet mated to ether a Porsche gear box or Getrag Transaxle unit. Recent builds have been putting out over 500kw… That makes for 0-100kph in about 2.6 seconds!!!!

Now the exotics. Custom Cars & Coffee really has it all. There were Lamborghini’s, Ferrari’s, and Maserati’s for all to see.

Lamborghini’s have always been the pin up poster car of choice for young enthusiasts but it wasn’t until the Murcielago came along in 2001 that Lamborghini really took the mass produced super car fight to Ferrari. Paving the way for the Gallardo which sold more in total than all previous Lamborghini’s combined! The Murcielago was however the more extreme of the two featuring the companies biggest V12 engine to date.

The Murcielago really is one of the most striking cars in person and easily one of the widest at over two meters wide!!

What would an Italian super car be with out scissors doors?! It really adds to the theater of the angry Italian bull.

The heart of the beast. A 6.5L monster of a V12. One of the last we’ll ever see thanks to stricter emission laws.

Lastly another V12 terror from the land of pizza. The Ferrari Testarossa. One of the most Iconic supercars of the 80’s and also known for it’s ridiculously large side mirrors.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Custom Cars & Coffee and can only imagine what the turnout would have been like if the weather was on the dryer side.
This is hands down the best mix of cars we’ve seen on home soil and really captures the feeling we get seeing all the photos from some of the coffee meets from Irvine, California.
We’re look forward to the next big event these guys conjure up, to keep up to date follow their Facebook page here. Customcarsandcoffeemelbourne
In the mean time if you have a craving for early mornings, roasted beans and gorgeous cars then check out the regular monthly meets held by Road Track Rally – Cars & Coffee
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.

Beyond Blue :: Show 'n' Shine / Meet & Greet

Grant — Sun, 25 Jan 2015 02:33:48 +0000

What better way to start off the new year than with a big car meet?! Held at Moorabbin Super Centre this Facebook only event had huge numbers confirming their attendance. All were there to show off their rides whilst supporting the great charity Beyond Blue.

The first car that really caught my eye was this uniquely painted Chrysler Sigma Scorpion. It was airbrushed in a military aircraft style complete with rivets and imitation surface rust.

At first glance I thought this was a modified Mitsubishi Starion! As I got closer I was shocked to find that this was a Chrysler. With the classic standard wheels dressed in matte black the car is not screaming for attention yet the paint work really draws you in.

Although this car meet was mainly made up of Holdens and Fords I chose to focus on the imports and cars that caught my attention. This R34 decided to create his own car park as the space was seriously getting limited.

The award for attention to detail has to go to this Hz Holden panel van! It featured a shiny new V8 that was cleaner than most cars in attendance.

The cars continued to roll in! This immaculate 86 flew past bringing with it many new cars to the meet.

The pair that really stood out for me were these amazing 86’s. Both had their own style and both were real neck breakers.

It’s the small details of a car that really give it personality. Take for instance this Snoop Dogg air freshener which helps give the car some attitude. Unique air fresheners are becoming popular; our friends at Saint Side have all the gear to make your car stand out.

An automotive icon, the Toyota Supra, is a car that will always stand out even if it’s not painted in bright yellow! It has most likely the biggest ass on a 2 door car you will ever see! This along with its performance makes it a true modern day classic.

Pretty much sex on wheels.. so lots of people are not into stance but you have to respect the look of this immaculate 86. With iconic Work Meisters wheels and a beautiful static ride height it’s hard to believe how this car can be driven daliy with out any guard damage.

Want to make your Commodore and your bike stand out? Vinyl wrap them in blue camo! Wearing some funky star shaped shoes this Holden had a style all of its own.

I was surprised to see this type 3 VW at a car meet like this. Usually more suited to a Euro meet it was great to see a mix of car makes on show.

A true combination of modern and classic merged together this interior is very individual while being subtle at the same time.

Modifying an Audi takes balls. Not only is the car expensive but also the parts! In saying that this looks great and we wish more people would make their Audis look dope.

There were lots of cars that turned up and I mean lots of cars! With 4 car parks full the car meet scene is starting to heat up again this year with plenty of new players.

Luxury cars never looked so good. Dumped on its ass this Mercedes embodies extreme luxury with plenty of style.

Neo would approve of this paint job! Heavily airbrushed with heaps of detail! Although this style was extremely popular in the late nineties you do not see much of it these days.

Why take a Ferrari to a local car meet? Because you can! As soon as it parked a huge crowd formed and the questions started. So how fast have you been in it? Does it get you the ladies?!

As the Boxter becomes more affordable we will soon see a lot more modified Porsches on the road.

The purple engine bay adds a lot of character to this s15. Dressed all in white with some classy gold wheels and a nice kit it’s hard to walk past this beast without a second look.

As the sun went down the cars started to leave and what was left? A genuine Tommy Makinen Evo that had been hiding behind the crowd of Commodores and Fords.
This was the biggest car meet I had been to in some time. It was similar in numbers to HWY yet with less trouble. It looks like there will be plenty of large car meets and cruises this year and we look forward to checking them out.
Thanks for reading,
Grant