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

Street Vision’s Biggest JDM meet was planned well in advance. The group has been steadily building its fan base over the last six months and it was time to get the fans out and about. I arrived at Port Melbourne to find this amazing R34 GTR just siting in the shade among a variety of cars.

Could it be M power or just nice engine paint work? Either way it looks great! A small crowd gathered as the owner opened the hood and all you could hear was the gasp of air from the crowd as they admired this super clean engine bay.

With its subtle looks this Liberty is the perfect covert ‘go fast’ car and is sure not to attract the attention of the law. With a seriously dark tint and red highlights this is one tidy package.

Not your average 18 year old’s car! Not sure how they acquired this but one thing is for sure they had fun showing it off!

If you know your old Toyotas you will recognize this interior! Yep that’s right it’s the legendary Ta22 Celica. That short dash with sunken dials is so classic!

This Celica was even sporting a paint job that is so close to the original yellow that they were released in. Keeping a classic car is a big job especially if the car is over 30 years old! This is one true JDM car.

Not only were there heaps of cars in attendance but there was also a few Drift RC cars tearing up the bitumen. The smaller scale drift RC cars are really getting popular and these days it is very rare to see the old TT01 Tamiya that was once the most popular drift RC car.

I was very impressed by the wheel choice of this Impreza. It’s not often people get it right but hats off to the owner of this very well presented Subaru. Even though this is not the WRX it does look like one and still complies with the strict power restrictions that Victorian probationary licence holders have to adhere to.

A good variety of cars showed up for the meet and many that were not JDM! This is something that is now becoming a lot more acceptable. Bridging the gap between classes is something we as gripshiftslide tried very early on to promote with our own car shows and it is great to see the wider community continuing this trend.

It is not just stickerbombing that is catching on but also comic/ manga art is starting to make its way onto the scene. Mark my words you will see more of this cool collage work in the future.

This shape never gets old! It is hard to believe that the FD RX7 is now over ten years old and still looks this good. Mazda have plans to produce a successor to the RX7 which is due to hit the roads in 2014. We just hope it is as good and future proof as the FD RX7 was.

A crowd soon formed just to watch the new cars arriving. Many cars left in little groups but were soon replaced by bigger groups of cars.

You do not see many Corolla sportivos around as the popularity of this Corolla has declined. It is a hot hatch that often gets overlooked but one that has plenty of up and go and will chop the odd vtec.

There was a decent collection of Hondas that showed up including this tidy EK Civic. I like the fact this Civic hasn’t been ruined by cheap eBay parts and that its subtle skirts, spoiler and wheels make this Civic street worthy.

The MX5 is making a comeback; so many people are buying them up now it seems like everyone has one for a daily or a track car. This is one sexy MX5 with some seriously nice wheels and double spoiler action!

Here’s one JDM group with a sneaky euro intruder! There were a handful of euro cars scattered in the crowd, silently hiding and trying not to draw attention.

If you know your Hondas you will recognize this interior. Yes it’s the unmistakable S2000 interior! It’s very similar to the NSX interior but just a tad more modern.

It’s amazing that this car has now become affordable when once it was completely out of reach and only reserved for the semi wealthy. The S2000 is one car that looks great for its age and has to be one of the best convertibles made in the last 20 years.

Many cars came and went but not all of them stopped to stay and take part in the meet. A strange phenomenon happens at these car meets when a small crowd of cars develops yet no one waits around till it gets big enough to make waves.

Not much is needed to make a Nissan S15 look fantastic. Wheels, suspension, exhaust and a boost controller are all that is needed to make these cars a head turner. Out of the factory the car looks great but with these little changes the car becomes ultimately more sexy.

From here you can see the many different cars that turned out for the Street Vision meet including a wide variety of Hondas. These are the typical JDM car of choice being zippy, good handling with so many great after market parts. Why wouldn’t you have Honda?!

Here is a small selection of stickers seen on the day. It was great to see our sticker on may cars supporting Street Vision.

The KE70 has always been one of my favorites and a car that has steadily gained popularity over the years. This orange one caught my eye and the owner was nice enough to show me what was under the bonnet. Check out these trumpets hanging off the mean looking carburetors. This was one of my favorite cars of the day with its low and subtle looks.

Another great meet from Steet Vision With 5 times as many cars as their last meet! This huge JDM meet was great and we can see Street Vision becoming a bigger group in the future.
Thanks for reading,
Grant

When a bunch of Volkswagen’s get together, you know that a diverse range of people will arrive with them.
The show and swap meet was held this year at the Williamstown Maritime Association just near the main pier of Williamstown. With such a unique location, situated just on the waters edge, this show really made the cars shine.

Don’t be fooled though, the day wasn’t just for enthusiasts. It was also a family friendly day out with heaps of kids and of course dogs out and about enjoying the sunny atmosphere.

The variety of cars on show was huge to say the least, not to mention the amount of parts and unfinished projects that were up for sale.

This BUG was a true show stopper and with an almost Herbie style colour scheme and some summer decals, this was one phenomenal car.

Peering in through the window, this doesn’t look like a Volkswagen… but looks can be deceiving!

The Karmann Ghia coupe is one of the most sought after and collectible VWs. It has its own style and you can even see that hint of Porsche styling within the shape of this car.

Apart from the large collection of VW Beetles and Kombies, there were also a fair amount of type 3 Volkswagens on show.

This is not your average VW Beetle. With enough horse power to move a small planet, it looked truly intimidating. Everything on this car apart from the shell had been constructed just for this build and with the aim of going stupidly fast!

This wasn’t part of the show, but I found it lurking in the car park. I love kit cars, especially ones that are clubman style.

With the Sea Shepard’s “Steve Irwin” looking over the Swap Meet & Show, many people couldn’t help but take a closer look at the famous ship.

The one thing that VW owners know is character. Of all the modified and non modified cars we have seen none have as much character or are as individualised as older VW’s.

The Safari Kombie van is the slightly rarer version of the Kombie. However, in Australia we didn’t get too many of them and to see this one restored was a great sight to see.

This isn’t a VW obviously but Mini Mokes are a dying breed and it seems it’s the perfect run around for the Sea Shepard group. Check out its double canon exhaust setup! Plus its hardcore roll bars makes this little Moke ready for a fight.

What an impressive pillar-less VW custom type 3 coupe. Removing the pillar from this type 3 makes it look much cleaner and puts a new spin on an old favorite.

Some seriously beautiful pipe work here and a monster turbo to match! Love the side by side exhaust and screamer pipe set up.

All kinds of parts were on sale with these speedo’s catching my eye. Parts for these cars are getting so rare that anything in working condition is desirable.

It’s those individual touches that make VWs special. People add the most unique trinkets to their cars which adds real personality to them.

Stephen’s Notchback was looking amazing as usual! Such a clean ride with a great set of wheels to match.

There were lots of Kombies on display and even a few on sale. They are becoming the most prized VW and have seriously gone up in price over the last 5 years.

Not as popular as the Beetle but just as nice is the 1968 Notchback which has the advantage of being just that little bit lighter than the Beetle.

With so many parts and engines for sale this swap meet provided a haven for collectors. It gave restorers a good chance to source that hard to find part needed for their project.

The show had a rather early start so most people disappeared around midday for lunch. Yet there still were a few die-hard VW fans checking out the remaining cars.

There is always one in a crowd that sticks out! Rossko’s 1600 Squareback certainly does that! We first spotted this car at the Hanging Rock Car Show and may even feature it in the future.
The day was full of great cars and fantastic people. The Volkswagen community is growing with every year! With many of the members traveling interstate for this very show it truly represents their passion for these wonderful cars.
Thanks for looking,
-Grant

With so many sunny days in a row it was perfect weather for a summer themed car show, namely the I Love Volkswagen – Summer Sun show. We were all ready for one of the biggest Euro car shows of the year.

The event was held at Como Park which is a venue normally reserved for large, local sporting events however after arriving early, I noticed that this years event was much bigger than the previous year.

The space was very quickly filled by some of the best looking VW’s in Victoria and despite the fact that the show was predominantly Volkswagen, there was still plenty of variety to keep people interested.

Apart from the many Volkswagen Golfs, there were some standout classic cars as well. This Karmann Ghia was a true show stopper and it was looking immaculate despite being 40 odd years old.

This Golf was black as night and had a presence all of its own! It’s one Golf that does not ‘need more low’!

Looking at this VW engine bay reminded me of it’s true German engineering with everything mapped out and kept super neat and tidy.

Euro styling has come a long way since the eightys but I still love the appearance and square lines of that era. What do you guys think?

You don’t often see BBS style wheels on Beatles and we applaud people who decide to take a risk and do what others are afraid to do.

This has to be one of the coolest roof rack additions I have seen. An old school mini pedal car would normally be sitting in an antique shop not on the roof of some young guys modified ride.

Talk about getting it right! These wheels suit this A5 Audi coupe like a glove!

Volkswagen have really taken it to the small car industry with the new Mark 5 Polo.
With its sharp features and non-offensive design, this Polo stands out in a crowd of small cars that are all competing for the same space. With those great aggressive looking headlights it sure is a winner in my eyes.

Last year there were lots of MK1 Golfs on display but this year not so many! So what has changed? Did everybody choose reliability over restoration or is it a case of internet popularity driving model trends for Volkswagen?

Ever since the early days, I have had a soft spot for the Audi A4. This is a serious looking daily with top notch fitment. So flush!

Normally a Kombi Van is powered by an overweight mouse running on a wheel that turns the crank shaft but not this one! This is a serious looking air-cooled engine. I am not too good on my Volkswagens but at a guess I would say it’s the type 4 engine.

This Jetta brings new meaning to the saying tight fitment. Just look at the tiny gap on the back wheel; now that is precision!

Among the classics at the show, was this 1300, sporting some almost period correct wheels.

I was glad to see some hipster bike action at the show. This purple dragster had more mods than some of the cars on the day.

When I first saw this A4 it was sitting really high. As it slowed to park I heard that all too familiar sound and to the ground it fell. Bagged and sitting on a nice set of Rays, this is one fine looking Audi.

If you look closely at this photo you will see a very complicated system that converts ye olde speedo language to KPH. It is funny that it took the car industry 40 years to come back to using separate circular style dials but will they bring back miles per hour? I dont think so!

It was great to see that nearly every Golf model was on display and even the very rare VR6 Golf.

Unfortunately I was unable to stay for the full show because we were hosting our own car show at Caribbean Gardens. Apparently I missed the main show stopper which was a rat rot Golf all rusted up Mighty Mods style that sent the interweb into a wild frenzy.
All in all it was a fantastic show with plenty of variety. The VW and Euro scene is going through huge growth at the moment and we cannot wait until next year to see all the new cars dominate the scene.
Thanks for looking,
Grant

It has been almost a decade since the last Geelong speed trials, the Geelong revival is the reinvention of this great event. It has returned in bigger and better fashion. With a motor show, sprint and gala dinner, held over two days along the beautiful Geelong waterfront.

Since 1956 this event has captivated young and old. It has seen its fair share VIP racing identity’s, Sir Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, Bob Jane, Glen Seaton, Mika Hakkinen, to name a few.

Upon arriving i was greeted by a large group of mini car shows scared all along the shore line, up until the start line of the sprint track.

Some fantastic cars were on display, this has to be one of the cleanest fiats of the show, love the classy lines of this car.

I found this very yellow lotus 7 enjoying the sun.

Many more classic cars had grouped to form there own little show cases, this MG had prime position and lots people stopped to admire its unbelievable condition.

The fiat 500 never looked so good, these wheels set it off and make it look like a real life toy car. But this little toy car is the real deal, its the Abarth version.

In the pits the first thing to catch my eye, was these classic touring cars, in the eighties, these two dominated the scene and the mountain.

Some people needed a little helping hand to get there cars started, lucky many had a large pit crew to help out.

Im not completely sure what a PJC-2 2008 is but apparently this is it! a custom built car, mainly used for track events and club racing.

The classic mini, getting a quick fix before getting back on the track.

Slammed type 3, not your normal track car, but it was great to see a car with such character out there mixing it with the big boys.

There were plenty or replica and real cobras on show, with so many cobras together it was hard to see any difference.

These controls may look boat like, but back in the day this is what the dash of most cars would have been like.

What is a classic car event with out an e-type Jag? They always look so good and to date i have never seen dirty one.

A MG montlhery midget, it is not only a show car but also it has seen some serious time on the track.

With so many chances to mark his territory, this little dog had unfinished business and did not want to leave.

That classic shape! and those bold lines! you know it could only be 328GTS Ferrari

With more curves than a woman, this ultra rare classic car drew a lot of attention.

So many cool old school wood grain interiors around i felt the need to go black and white.

Soaking it all in, were these two blokes enjoying there morning coffee and the many cars on show.

You may recognize this car from regular rob roy hilclimbs, the Lancia Lambda Special is one large monster of a car.

This was one of the most unique cars on display in comparison to everything else

A true old school touring car, from the days when touring cars had some variety and were good to watch un like today’s v8 controlled layout. Thankfully the introduction of Nissan and Mercedes might make things a little more interesting.

This is one of only a handful of hot rods in attendance, most of these were scattered around the shoreline mixed in with many other classic cars.

Graham Alexander’s Evo was equal fastest on Saturday along with John Major in his R32 GTR, recording a time of 11.8 seconds over the quarter mile run.

A Custom built Diasio D962, i have never seen one of these before and it is almost like a small lemans style car, the best bit is its powered by a twin rotor.

Not to forget the bikes at the event, this is one of the more extreme side-car style bikes with no much to hold on to.

What i love about this event is the variety of cars, it is absolutely huge with over 200 cars across two days of racing.

Once a race class have raced on the track they are made to return on the same road, from here you can see the slight bend and incline they have to negotiate on there way to the finish.

The RED BUS racing team put on a great display, all of their cars were looking fantastic and many people stopped to have a closer look at the many fine cars they bought to Geelong.

Dont let the Showroom condition fool you!, this was one of the fastest cars to race on the saturday and the only other Nissan that came close to its time was the GTR VSpec 2 N1 2001 driven by Serge Alexander.

At the end of the straight you are forced to turn hard left and this makes for some interesting late braking.

Pit lane was almost as long as the whole track, with so many people walking around the pits it took a fair amount of time for all the cars to get on the track for their sprint.

Of the mazda’s entered into the sprint, this was my favorite, the paint job and the overall condition of this car was impeccable.

Here is another view of the cars returning to the pits, the Fiat X1/9, yet another favorite of mine because of its unique look and sleek lines.

Considering it has been at least a decade between the last Geelong sprint, this event has come together with military precision. With a massive crowd in attendance, it would have to be one of Geelongs biggest events of the year. We cannot wait until next years event if this is just a taste of things to come.
Thanks for looking,
Grant

Well another month done means another end of month meet for the JDMStyletuning crew, with record numbers at every meet things are still looking good for Melbourne’s car scene… Despite some very frosty weather there was around 300 cars at the meet!!


With those kind of numbers the small area under the Bolte Bridge was soon packed fence to fence, finding a parking spot was becoming extremely difficult with cars pouring out onto the street!

Regardless of the ‘JDM’ in the name, the meet always get its fair share of euros as well!
With a healthy amount of v dubbers in attendance there was more then enough variety for those bored of the Japanese cars on show.

It was really good to see an SW20 turbo at the meet, their popularity has really dropped off in the last 5 years and that is a real shame.
They are such a nice car and the GT model has one of the best interiors of the 90’s!

S15 Varietta, it’s a love hate for some…
We like anything that is different, with the roof down it is still one very attractive car!

Sticker bombing on a whole new level!
Next we will see a whole car… It’s only a matter of time.

Finally the brand new Toyota 86 makes it’s JDMST debut here in Melbourne!

From here you can gauge the scale of how small this car really is, being very similar dimensions to the mx5 which is a very good thing!

The hero car of 2012!
It’s vital that the FT86 succeeds worldwide to remind the Japanese auto manufactures that they need to sell performance based vehicles and they should never leave their heritage to die.

The Galant VR4 is often a car that gets overlooked, they’re an aggressive car with plenty of bang for buck and a heaps of boot space!
So much carbon fiber goodness too!!

Classic Toyota styling and one hell of a colour combo!

The perks of running an older car… Club registration!!

Sometimes simply really is best, factory lip kit, nice wheels and one of the best paint colours to roll of a showroom floor!

Yes its is the famous crazy loud RS Impreza, with a brand new set of teeth, the owner tells me that these teeth have already tasted blood!
Watch out for the feature on this car coming in the next few months!!

Ex Auto Salon car, check out this crazy interior!

There is nothing like a little sun shower in the middle of the day, Melbourne living up to it’s bizarre weather patterns like always.

A very shiny intake manifold on this Alfa, Everybody stopped to stare.

The little red AW11 MR2, still clean as hell from the last meet!

Old school with a touch of luxury, this Creseida would make for a killer daily!

Happy Euro is happy!

With nearly 300 cars at just one time there was nearly 600 people running around, ridiculous numbers for such an informal event!

This KE70 has graced our pages a few times, it’s great to see owners so active and attending so many events.

The cars kept creeping through all afternoon, trying to find that special empty spot.

This R34 was utterly perfect, such a rare colour for a GT-R and the wheel fitment and colour combo was spot on!!

Everyone dressed warm, those that didn’t huddled in cars for fear of dying in the sub 10 degree weather!!

Talk about setting a parking trend.

We spotted these gangster as valve caps on this little MX5, it’s the little details that make a car.

The Nissan S15’s seem to double in numbers at every meet.

The cars made full use of the area, bumper to bumper parking meant it was extremely hard to get a shot of just one car in particular!

A wild pack of Subaru’s appeared

There where no more sun showers, soon the sun faded and the rain came down hard!

Despite the downpour the cars remained and the show went on.

One of the good old Evos, these always remind me of the PS1 game Colin Macre 2

It’s a shame there is a fence between the meet and the water, this space would make for some awesome photo opportunities!

Some of the clouds passed just to tease us with a few final minutes of the setting sun.

Vyet’s track spec s2000 stopped the show for many who were in awe of this deadly little convertible, absolutely no hard parking here… This car gets driven!!

Awesome little Datsun 1200 Ute now with a new engine too!

GSS contributor, Melvin Tang’s Subbie hatch sitting very well on some Enkie wheels.

One of the We heart Car comp winners, Lon in her impressive little black MX5.
No wonder she won a prize!

New wheels for this familiar looking Datsun wagon, we are really digging the new look!

After some unsavory behavior from some people leaving the event, the meet was quickly over and cars started to leave.
A reminder to all those attending, don’t act like dick’s, dropping burnouts and the police will leave us alone.
With a massive turnout in spite of some rain and freezing temperatures we can’t wait for summer!!
Thanks for looking,
– Grant / Gwyn
Guest Photographer :Leigh Kelly
www.facebook.com/leighkellyphoto
www.whereisleigh.com

– Bigger alternator (very helpful in a old car)
– MK2 dashboard and console