Car Meet – Gripshiftslide

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

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 :: The Night Life.

Grant — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 07:17:49 +0000

The sunlight of day 2 began peaking through the hotel curtains, like a kid on Christmas morning I was too excited to sleep in. This was our second day of the trip and the plan was simple… Do some exploring, catch a train to Yokohama and get our rental car. Easy!

The view out our window was a perfect snapshot of how densely populated most of Japan is. The buildings press up against one another like people in crowded lift, with dozens of air conditioner compressors thrown across the rooftops. We actually spotted plenty of rooftop gardens with their owners tending to them in the early hours.

Back on foot after we checked out of our first hotel, we wandered Ginza in search of food and treasure.

They hustle and bustle of Tokyo was all around with the sound of sirens constantly blaring.

There always seems to be something happening, we found two police cars and an ambulance outside this building.

Only a few hundred meters away from all the traffic and noise of the city was Hibiya Park, one of the smaller parks of Tokyo it was still a beautiful place to sit and rest.

With several flower gardens and two large ponds it was still rather large by Australian standards.

Benches!! We finally found bench seats!

We also found some strange “free range” kitties running around the park. It seemed they would become a regular sight of our two week trip.

Within the park there was also large amphitheater too.

Across the road we found the king of monsters, Godzilla!!!

This amazingly detailed statue just happened to be outside a First Kitchen, so we decided to stop for breakfast.

First Kitchen is kind of like Macdonalds but better in a few subtle ways, it by no means is to be considered great food but the pancakes sure hit the spot!

After finishing our meal it was time to wander back to the train station.

Along the way we spotted all kinds of cool restaurants, this one was tucked away underneath the train tracks.

The warm glow from the lights from this restaurant was very inviting underneath the bridge, they certainly waste no space at all here in Japan.

We walked back through some of the alleys of Ginza just to take in as much of the place as we could.

It wasn’t long till we were car spotting again, Ginza really seems to be the home of exotics and high end European cars. This California would have been our 4th or 5th Ferrari spotting in 24 hours.

Being our first trip to Japan I have to admit I was quite taken with all the tiny Kei cars and strange wagons. The Honda N-Box seemed to one of the most popular.

The council was busy all morning hanging up these banners from all the posts in the streets, it seemed everywhere was getting ready for some kind of festivities. With the Cherry Blossom/Sakura’s ready to bloom there really was a lot happening in all the towns.

One of the things we quickly noticed was the dedicated smoking areas around Tokyo, it seems it is very much frowned upon to walk and smoke at the same time.

After a surprisingly quick train ride we arrived in Yokohama and managed to pick up our rental car. The next step was finding our hotel. It was an easy find as it was the tallest building in Yokohama (2nd tallest in Japan!)

This thing was huge!!!!!!!!

After dropping off our bags we descended into the basement car park. Of our brief 15 minute drive in Japan this was possible the most daunting task. The car park was at least 3 levels deep and there was motion activated sirens at every blind corner to alert other drivers you were approaching.
Given the fact we couldn’t read the signs it was an intense few minutes. Once we relaxed to the soothing sound of car park music (Yep they were playing music throughout the car park!) we parked in the “whale section. (Yes they also distinguish the different areas with things like whales and grapes!). We parked up near this tough looking G Wagon.

The elevator propelled us to the 56th floor at an astonishing speed, lucky our breakfast was only small as it was rather sickening traveling so fast in a lift!

This was the largest hotel room of our entire stay, it was also surprisingly cheap compared to hotels back home. This room was less than $200aud for the night.

The view was awesome!! There was also a large window sill you could sit on so we spent most of our time with our noses against the glass.

Everyone looked like ants!!

After a few hours of staring darkness fell and the view changed dramatically.

Lights as far as the eye could see!!

We ventured out to get dinner and kill a few more hours, the amount of light coming from the Cosmo clock was insane!

This giant Ferris wheel is the worlds largest clock and we were amazed at all the different light patterns it had. Every hour it would perform a spectacular light show.

Now it was closer to 9pm we decided to go back and get the car, it was finally time to head to the holy grail of car meets… The Daikoku Futo parking area!!
Out in the middle of a man made island in the Yokohama harbor is a spiraling network of expressway ramps leading down to a public car park. Here a few food stores and shopping outlets welcome tired truck drivers to stop and rest.
Many years ago it was also the staging grounds for a lot of street racers to meet and scream off into the night, now with increased police activity it has become the go to place to see some of Japan’s best street cars.

The drive from our hotel was super short and after only 15 minutes we had arrived!! The experience of driving down the ramps leading into the parking area was breathtaking. I was truly speechless, the atmosphere had all the hairs on my body on end! The sounds of engines revving, cars downshifting as they made their way into the car park was one of the greatest things I’ve ever experienced.
Check out our full coverage of the Daikoku Futo PA here.
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

Melbourne Car Meets :: Bundoora

Grant — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:59:49 +0000

A new group is on the scene “(MCM) Melbourne Car Meets” Not knowing anything about them I decided to go and check out one of their local events. It was held at Bundoora Park; a place where many hot rod shows and fundraisers are also held. With a wide open grass area and plenty of room to park cars this is one seriously good trouble free spot.

Entry was made easier with the aid of some planks of wood to lessen the dip in the driveway. Although the entrance of this public park is littered with speed humps many very low cars made it in.

If you know your Toyotas you will know what car this interior belongs to. Beige and brown are colours that are set to make a comeback in the not too distant future.

I arrived late to this event yet I was not the only one. Cars continued to roll in for the next two hours. As the area started to fill up the weather set in.

Not your normal street set up with Nitto semi slicks and brake discs larger than a family pizza. This 200sx had obviously seen some track time.

This event was much larger than I had ever expected. With cars from one end of the park to the other there was plenty of variety. Melbourne Car Meets early success indicates exactly how eager the car community are to show off their cars.

The EG Civic is one of the best Civics made. It is small light and rigid. The EG is often used as a good base for FWD time attack / track cars. They also make a fantastic daily especially if they are running a b16a under the hood. Love the JDM look with crystal headlights and amber indicators.

While we are on the subject of great Hondas; how about the S2000? They are everywhere now! Even Mighty Car Mods have one now! This one is looking sharp with its BBS style rims and red highlights.

Mmmmm ..polished lip! With more reflections than the mirror room in Enter The Dragon, these rims are distinctive. Yes that’s right this is the work of Primal Garage! One of the best car stylists from Melbourne.

Like seeing an incredibly beautiful girl you can’t help but stare. The car that put Primal Garage on the map belongs to the one and only Neil Gray. Truly one of the sexiest 180sx’s in Australia!

From behind the fence several wild beasts were pacing up and down while the unsuspecting crowd drooled over cars. A gang of giant evil mutant chickens sat only 20 metres away from the car show just waiting for their chance to strike.

Black on white is always a good combo especially with a set of Work Meisters. Not only do they balance out the large footprint of the FD RX7 but they are also very classy.

The Honda Accord Euro has gone through waves of popularity over the years and it seems it’s making a comeback. With sharp edges just like Global Knives these Euros have the right proportion of straight lines and curved panels.

They look great slightly stanced and dropped. This owner has gone for a balance of black and silver on white which really makes this car stand out. There were a lot of euros in attendance and all of them had their own individual style.

The new Lancers are growing on me, especially Evo styled Lancers. With larger side skirts, Evo bonnet and a nice set of wheels this Lancer was a real head turner.

This Lancer had undergone a huge re-trim with custom captain chairs and interior highlights. This car had entered into show car territory. Even the rear seat had be luxuriously rebuilt with Mercedes like comfort.

Love it or hate it people love to sticker their wheels to show off their offset. Does it ruin the look of the car? I don’t think so. It adds that personal touch to the car.

The Ke70 Corolla has gone up in price in the last few years. However, smart kids know that if you stalk the streets enough you find an old person with one in amazing condition for the right price. With a tucked rear wheel and what looks like chopped springs this little Ke would of been scrubbing and bouncing all the way to the event.

One of the best Honda’s ever build, the NSX is a car you don’t often see but when you do you make sure you have a good look. As the number plates suggests this car is truly unique.

With a custom MH Design Wide Body Kit and a set of shinny Volk GTC wheels this is one beautiful NSX. The customisation does not end there with a crazy professional audio setup by Pac Audio and a custom red leather interior.

Talking about beautiful cars this Nissan Z was spectacular with flares, a great set of wheels and f1 style mirrors.

This was one evil looking Subaru with black on black and some small red highlights and a sinister smile.

There is always a car that rolls in and steals the show and this was it. The two tone S13 was so low it was removing grass as it drove into the park. With Diamond Racing up front and Speed Star MK2s at the back this ride was in its own league.

Once it parked people slowly gravitated towards it like a moth to a flame. There was something intoxicating about this s13; was it the the fact that this car wasn’t bagged? How did the car make it to this event without being stopped by the po po? We will never know but for this reason I think the crowd had mutual respect for this car.

Our friends at Zenki Wear were in attendance with two very nice Toyota 86s siting either side of their stall. If you have never heard of Zenki wear your missing out! If you like Japanese cars and t-shirts then you will love Zenki wear.

This is such a distinctive car. Not only does it look great but this livery design is simple and effective. The sumods boys were at the event
with a great selection of parts that they import and sell. It’s good to see groups like this getting together to make aftermarket parts more available in Australia.

Melbourne needs more car meets and events in general. With this type of response for a new car group it shows how passionate the modified car community really is. A trouble free event with many awesome cars and great people. Melbourne Car Meets are doing everything right and we can’t wait to see what they organise next.
Thanks for reading,
Grant

Fiat :: Pheasant Creek Catch Up

Grant — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 21:52:40 +0000

After driving in circles around Kinglake on the hunt for the cafe meeting spot, I found myself a little lost. That was until I spotted a Fiat, gave chase and luckily it led me straight to the meeting point.

This is such a nimble looking car, very light and balanced. Once I laid my eyes on it I knew there would be more than one unique gem at the meet.

I really wasn’t expecting this Lancia Delta S4 in the flesh (or metal)! Okay, it’s not the full blown twin charged legendary monster of my dreams, but it is the closest you can get. I was truly blown away.

No parking under trees for this classic!

The Fiat 124 Spider was by far the most popular car on the day, for good reason.

Just look at that face and those clean lines! This is a prime example of how many cars used to be completely original. This is a contrast to many of today’s designs, which all seem to be cast from the same base.

From old to new, this Fiat 500 did a great job of standing out in the crowd, not to mention how it wears its colours with pride.

It’s a real shame that the days of the hood ornaments are long gone.

Forget the Model-T, check out this Fiat 501. It was amazing to see one of Fiats first major cars alongside some of their newer models.

Classic rally cars don’t get much better than this.

The set of semi slicks shows that this car is no garage trophy, and is used to being driven hard on a regular basis.

Nice and simple up front, but in the background you can see the fire extinguisher is in prime position, not half hidden under a seat.

When you see an angry scorpion you know it means business!

It’s great to see Abarth are making a comeback with the Fiat 500 and Punto.

This is the little Fiat I spotted and followed to the meet. From a distance I thought it was a Fiat 500, but on closer inspection…

I love the little cooler hanging off the front!

Simple and functional, this interior is solid and definitely not made of cheap plastic.

One of the best things about this car is that it’s equipped with suicide doors!

These guys definitely know how to care for their cars. I don’t know what their secret is but I’d love to find out.

Nothing inside but timeless quality.

From this photo you can see how Fiats style extends between models.

This subtle racing harness almost passes for a normal seatbelt.

The may be generations apart, but on the day most of the family was there.

I have a soft spot for a mid-engine car. Despite the pain of fixing them, nothing drives like a mid-mount!

Not just a coffee and chat style meet, the event later moved to a large garage. Hoping that this wasn’t a glimpse of what lay inside, what came next was more than I anticipated.

This simple looking Clubman was one of the many interesting projects within this garage.

It may be mistaken for the fuselage of some type of aircraft, but in actual fact it’s the body of a Formula 2.

A very popular series, this 1100cc Formula 2 ran from 1955 to 1958. This shows just how light and advanced these cars were back in the day.

Everywhere you turned there was another ongoing project. This one looked like the beginning of a miniature hotrod.

One of the newest additions to the garage was this very rare and sought after Lancia Flaminia GTL Touring Coupé.

This car was in very good condition considering its age. Check out that gear stick!

What garage would be complete without its very own fuel bowsers?

Under these sheets lay many legendary cars. It was incredible to see so much history in the one place.

You don’t see many Isuzu Gemini’s racing anymore!

The collection had something for everyone as shown by this Cortina, one of three housed in the garage.

This interesting looking frame looked like it has the potential to become something truly great.

By far the youngest person at this event, I was surprised by the number of cars and the amount of knowledge in one place. It was definitely the most interesting car meet I have been to in recent times and I hope to attend many more like this.
If you would like to see more Fiat action check out the Fiat Club of Victoria
thanks for looking,
-Grant

JDMST :: End Of Year Meet

Grant — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:10:10 +0000

With the end of the year fast approaching JDMST.com Vic members banded together to have one last bash. With the turnout expected to be pretty good, Grant and I eagerly headed out after work.

There were a few cars in attendance that are becoming quite the star of the local scene, one being Heath’s wicked Datsun Wagon.

This was the only mx5 that came to the meet and in blue too! It was great to see something a little different to the rest of the crowd.

What started as around 20+ cars spiraled out of control when it seemed that the meet got invaded by the local Ozhonda community.

Some Honda’s ranged from the meticulously clean to the more ‘USDM’ inspired with roof racks and all!

I think that that the AUDM circle headlights are growing on me a lot, now that every man and his DC2 Integra has a JDM front end conversion.

The common trend among Melbourne cars at the moment and I’m sure most cars around the world is ‘fitment’.
Having unique wheels with aggressive offsets or getting the wheels to sit as flush with guards as possible is the aim here, trolling through the internet I think most of Melbourne’s modified cars are getting this part very right.

Flush, tight and sweet, just how we like it.

Drift pipes are becoming very popular over here, loved the sound of this R32.

The Honda’s certainly dominated this meet, followed closely by Mitsubishi Evo’s. At one stage I counted around 15 Evo’s.

White and black were the choice of colour for the Evo’s, checkout this line up of spoilers.

Nice list on the back of this one.

In total the meet had around 130 cars, it’s a rare site to see such a large group like this in Melbourne and it didn’t go unnoticed by the local ‘boys in blue’. Thankfully most attending behaved well and there weren’t any incidents with the police.

This Supra is clean!! It puts most new model Supra’s to shame, nothing tasteless here.

This Skyline’s owner went out of his way to get a matching yellow sticker for his windscreen.

The location looked like a shopping center carpark during Christmas, the small path around the cars became blocked pretty quickly too.

One very nice looking Evo X.

The award for the most modified car goes to this incredible FD Civic, sporting Carbon everything and a K20 swap it had a crowd around it all evening.

The location was spot on and is easily the best place to hold a meet of this size, I personally would love to see a car show held here in the gritty docks of Melbourne.

The loudest car was this Subaru RS Impreza, it was a bit of a love hate relationship with those who attended. Some loved the sound while most fell to the ground having seizures it was that loud!

Sprint Hart CPR’s and wing lifters made this EK Civic stand out, little touches that the Americans have been doing for awhile are making there way here. keeping the modified scene fairly fresh.

The three black Em1Ccivic coupes stole the show at the beginning of the night, they looked so good together. All in the same colour and ride height!

What a line up!

For some it’s a way of life.

In the words of Dave Chappelle during the Rick James skit “darkness is here, darkness is here everybody!!”

Evo’s for days…

And days!

The crazy FD Civic again, loved those Carbon fenders.

Hello Domo!

Hate it or love it, roof racks are here to stay it seems.

Another impressively clean Evo.

It seems that it’s still pretty cool to be fashionably late, a group of Skylines arrived a bit later and stole the show.

Especially this menacing R34 GT-R.

Mitsubishi Legnum is a very rare sight on the streets.

The Skylines looking down on the rest of cars.

No one had any idea this end of year meet would become the monster meet it became. The crowd was great and it was a pretty positive gathering for the local scene. Only a few bad eggs at the end made some noise as they were leaving and the police made their presence known but didn’t flex their muscles at all.

It was a great way to end the year and I can’t wait to see what’s in store next, with loads on the drift calender and the World Time Attack in August as well as some regular feature cars, there is plenty going on!
From the team here at Grip Shift Slide, have a wicked Christmas and a safe new years!
Thanks for reading,
-Gwyn.