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.

A couple of weeks ago it seemed like just another slow day at the office until we received a phone call from our friends at Shell Australia. Last time we got one of these calls, we were invited to check out Shell’s role with the Ferrari Formula 1 team at the Melbourne Grand Prix.
Our quick phone conversation became a blur and I had to wait for an email to hit our inbox before it really sank in… “Hi guys we’re releasing a new formula of the V Power fuel and would like you to come to Sydney and experience it first hand behind the wheel of a Ferrari on the coast of NSW!”
Needless to say, we said yes without even having to think about it and jumped on a plane to Sydney!

After a quick flight from Melbourne, I arrived to the familiar faces of Matyas from Downshift and Luke from Full Boost. We checked into our rooms at the hotel and found something for dinner before calling it an early night.

I spent most of the night editing some more WTAC content to the soothing sounds of the nearby waves crashing into the sand that came in through the open door.

Like a kid on Christmas morning, I sprung out of bed bright and early and dashed down to the lobby to find these gorgeous bright red Ferrari’s awaiting us.

Was this real life? I had to pinch myself as I took in all the incredible details of the 458 Italia.

Every inch of this car was simply a masterpiece. Not a single bolt was the way it was simply because ‘that would do’, no every bolt was carefully selected and crafted to make this car every boys’ dream.

The interior was all about precision and excitement. All the controls were placed in the center of the steering wheel akin to its’ F1 brother. This is definitely a ‘drivers’ car!

Everywhere I looked I found the name or horse imprinted around the car… the engine, boot, seats and side steps. They’re very proud of their creations and it’s easy to see why after only just a short drive!

A few metres away was the other star of the show, another bright red thoroughbred, only this one had a folding metal roof. It was of course a California!

Next to the 458 this is a much bigger car with the hulking long bonnet housing Ferrari’s first front mounted V8. It was also one of the first to use direct injection technology, which we soon learned that the new V-Power fuel had been specially formulated with this tech in mind.

The California is just as striking as the 458, with beautiful round taillights streaming up into the body and four exhaust tips poking out through the rear bumper.

Further down the driveway was the now older brother, a beautiful F430 Spider. Despite the age of the car compared to its successors, we were actually pretty excited to drive it!
It wasn’t time for our drive yet though, so we headed indoors to hear about the new fuel.

Inside we were greeted by Dr Alex Cantlay, one of the Senior Scientists from Shell. Over the last 10 years Alex has been developing and improving fuels for Shell in the UK and is now based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

After a slideshow covering the new generation of V Power fuel, we were treated to a first hand demonstration of the benefits the new formula provides over inferior fuels.

Dr Alex Cantlay showed us two valves, one had a build up of fuel and the other almost perfectly clean. When set alight with a flame or the combustion inside the engine the dirty valve stays alight for a lot longer.
When tuning and running a high performance engine a short and controlled flame is much more desirable and helps increase responsiveness.
Aside from the higher octane we’ve come to love from V Power, the new formula contains powerful detergents that help keep the engine components clean. There has also been a vast improvement over the old formula thanks to 25% more friction modifiers, these play a vital role in helping to lubricate the pistons as they travel, helping to improve the response of the engine.
After just 60 days of use the new V Power can make improvements to nearly any engine!

After our time with Dr Cantlay it was time to sign our lives away for our scenic drive with the three bright red Ferraris out front, reading our disclaimer forms my heart sank…
“You must be at least 30 years of age to drive”.
With the air quickly escaping my lungs my shoulders fell back into my seat… it hit me! I wasn’t going to be able to drive these gorgeous exotic sports cars.

After fighting back the tears, Matyas agreed to be my driver for the day (he got twice the seat time of anyone else that day!).
He also agreed to not have any fun in any way, shape of form whilst driving that day.

Not 10 meters down the road, I learned that Matyas cannot be trusted! And with every press of the accelerator, he was quickly grinning like school boy in a candy shop!

Soon the sadness faded as I became aware of my surroundings… I was sitting shotgun in an amazing piece of machinery blasting along the beautiful NSW coastline on a Monday morning!!

The drive consisted of nearly every type of road imaginable, tight and twisting mountain roads, motorways, coastal roads and even the odd residential neighborhood street.

Our pace car for the day was an Alfa Romeo Giulietta and we all agreed it was a rather striking little hatch back!

It was hard to notice anything else on the road thanks to the amazing symphony of noises coming form the back of our 458.
Matyas backed it into first, then hammered through the gears utilising all 560 horses in the boot yelling “YESSS, OVER NINE THOUSAND!!!”

During our drive we pulled into a Shell service station for a quick refuel and car swap, the faces from all the Monday morning commuters was priceless.
You could see each person trying to work out what each of these six young men smiling from ear to ear holding the keys to these exquisite beauties did for a day job.

We hit the road again heading back into the hills.

We eventually came to a stop next to a field of horses and a mind blowing view through the nearby valley and coastline.

This was certainly the highpoint of our day, three beautiful cars, the peace and quiet of a country road and some roadside refreshments. This is certainly the life!

Next we jumped in the F430, it was rough in comparison to its’ younger siblings but we enjoyed it!

The sound from every shift of the gears was pure ecstasy to our ears!!

Everywhere I looked I was reminded of the theater and excitement that is driving a Ferrari! With vents everywhere, hand stitching on all the leather and of course those sounds and vibrations!!

Our friends looked like they were enjoying the Cali nearly as much as we did!

Our last stop for the day was right next to the water on our way back into town.

This made for some of our favourite shots of the day.

After our final stop we headed home to the hotel for one of the best lunches I have ever had!

To finish off our perfect day, Shell had booked out the local Seabreeze restaurant where we ate some truly amazing food! I couldn’t choose which dessert to get so I got all four!

I would like to thank Shell Australia for another incredible opportunity and an amazing day!
If you would like to enjoy some new V Power fuel for free then enter Shell’s photo competition.
Simply tweet a picture of your car with the hashtag ‘#ShellVPower’ and @Shell_Australia between the 4th of November and the 8th of December.
Shell will be choosing ten winners a week to receive a $100 Coles Express gift card!
Thanks for reading,
Gwyn.

The F1 Grand Prix is arguably the largest motoring event in the world and I feel ashamed to write that I have never actually sat down and watched an entire race and have never been to the race hosted in my very own city… How can I even call myself an enthusiast?!
Well this all changed for me just over a week ago, whilst I was sitting down in front of my computer (much the same as every other spare minute not spent at my 9-5 or at another car event) I received an email notification and began reading…
“Hi Gwyn
On behalf of Shell Australia we’d like to invite you to spend a day
with the Shell and Ferrari team for the F1 on Friday 15 March.”
I also received the same message on our Facebook page and I knew that this was the real deal!
So at the drop of a hat I arranged time off from work and eagerly sent my reply, which of course was  a “YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”


Fast forward to the big day – Friday the 15th of March.
I arrived at the main entrance to the temporary racetrack that is built around Albert Park Lake and without a minute to spare I met up with our tour group.
Looking around the circle of people, there were several big wigs from some of Australia’s leading online sources of automotive content, tech reviews and more.
One familiar face jumped out at me, it was Matyas from Downshift who had made the journey down from Queensland! Now that is dedication!
After the formalities were over we made our way through the club displays and into some of the more high security areas and before we were asked to switch off our cameras, I managed to snap a quick shot of this historic Skyline racer as the group moved into the pit areas and Shell Track lab.

This tight little cosy space is what all the fuss was really about though and was the reason for the tour and our golden ticket to see behind the scenes of the F1.
This is of course the Shell Track Lab and it is here the team runs multiple tests on all of the Ferrari cars oils and fuel.
Over the span of one day the fuel is tested at least four times and oil samples from the engine and driveline are tested for traces of specific metals that might help provide an early warning sign before there’s any major mechanical failure.
The lab goes wherever Ferrari go\. So this on-site office is packed up and shipped all over the globe. Shell really invests a lot of time and money into Ferrari’s success.

After being in the lab we were then escorted out into the pit lane!!
At this moment, seeing all the buzz and excitement around me I realised this was pretty special. The entire time we were in the pits the V8 Supercars were out stretching their legs and with every pass down the main straight the walls would rattle and the noise would echo off the grandstands.  All the while the pit crews continued about their tasks and seemed not to notice the end of world approaching with every top speed fly by from the throaty V8’s.

“Just stand in front of the garage and smile… or something” Being put on the spot for my photo I couldn’t muster up the energy for my best Derick Zoolander ‘bluesteel’ but managed this instead.
In all honesty, I think I was still in awe and couldn’t believe this was actually happening. We’ve now proved ourselves in having such a strong online presence that we are being invited to press days like this, what an honour.
It’s a pretty good feeling to be noticed by a little company that goes by the name of Shell Motorsports!!

After our tour of the Ferrari pit and Shell track lab, we then moved onto the Shell Marquee where we were wined and dined and kept entertained until the big practice session.

We were also treated to miniature Lego kits including various Ferrari’s and even a full pit crew! No one is ever too old for Lego!

Meanwhile there was several aerial displays being performed by the RAAF Roulettes and they even brought out a fighter jet but more on that later!

In the corner of our hospitality suite there was this magnificent simulator, sporting three full HD displays, force feedback and three very realistic pedals!

The seat itself was actually mounted on some hydrolic pistons which helped let your spine know if you were in fact driving on the ripple strip or even worse for your vertebrae… The dirt!!

After my turn on the simulator, I felt pretty chuffed to have made my way onto the leaderboard in the top 10, only to be blown away by Mr Downshift himself. Maytas.
He’d scored top spot but was later knocked back down and missed out on snapping up a rare Lego Ferrari kit worth a few $$$ by only two spots!

While we enjoyed our light lunch and refreshments, the course was being prepped for the big practice.

Shell had organised to have a few guest speakers come and share some insight into the motorsport world that revolves around Shells fuels and lubricants while we were waiting for the howling F1’s to hit the track.
The Dick Johnson team were the first to speak and got the intimate crowd’s attention for the rest of the speakers.

Then Ferrari test driver Marc Gené enjoyed a brief moment in the spotlight and shared some insights into his work for the team and his hopes for the rest of the season.

Our last guest speaker was Guy Lovett, Shell Technology Manager for Ferrari. Having just stepped into this new role he was all smiles and very friendly which is easy to understand given that he just landed his dream job!

After Guy’s time on stage we were allowed some time to have a quick interview with the man of the hour about his work and what the Shell Track Lab offers Ferrari what no one else can…
GSS: So how did you get into this? Is your background in chemistry?
Guy: My background is automotive engineering. I’ve been working with Shell since 2004, and I started in engine testing for commercial applications. Currently I’m working for both Ferrari and Ducati in similar roles.
GSS: How similar are the race fuels/lubricants to off-the-shelf V-Power and Helix?
Guy: With fuel, strict FIA regulations force them to be very similar. The rules are designed to ensure relevance to road technologies. But there is some scope to tailor fuels for the team. Having said that, we’ve run an F1 car on road fuel. Alonso drove it with fuel from nearest Shell at the Fiorano track, and BBC did a documentary on it. There was less than 1 second difference between them over a roughly 60-second lap. Racing fuel was better for acceleration though. In terms of oil, there are no regulations, so it’s very different to road stuff. We’re able to tailor everything very specifically to the Ferrari engines.
GSS: Does the race fuel have an octane number?
Guy: Yes, but I can’t tell you what it is. There’s a minimum though.
GSS: How much fuel do you guys ship to each race and how?
Guy: We ship in about 2000L of fuel for each race. But development and adjustments are ongoing, so the fuel the drivers start the race with is not the same fuel that they end the race with. The logistics can be incredibly complex due to lead times. We generally use sea freight due to the weight, but sometimes air freight is necessary. The cars have a capacity of about 150L. This will be reducing to about 100L for the 2014 race season.

GSS: What power are the cars making on a good day?
Guy: Upwards of 800hp. This may not seem like a huge amount, but consider that the minimum weight is 642kgs. The power-to-weight ratio is the key metric.
GSS: What are the most important things you test/measure for in the oil samples? Which engine parts or metals are you looking for specifically?
Guy: There’s a list of key metals, but it’s confidential. Combinations of metals in the liquids point in the direction of a component. We can pick up failures before physical faults occur. It’s really very useful info for the Ferrari team. No-one else has a dedicated fuels/oils team on site for every race, because space is very tight. But it shows us how seriously Ferrari take this partnership.
GSS: What’s the worst mistake you’ve seen or know of in terms of fuels? Have you blown an engine during a race due to fuel/lubricants?
Guy: If we’re not breaking engines, we’re not pushing hard enough. We’ve broken many on the test bed, more than I care to remember. And engine lifetime is designed to be about 3 races, which includes qualifying etc. So about 2 to 2.5 hours. But I think there’s scope for improvement in reliability and longevity.

GSS: And development on the new V6 turbo motor?
Guy: We have lots of experience in formulating new fluids. It’s a given that they will have a different appetite for fuels compared to the V8s. So as soon as new rules are announced, we start development straight away and begin mapping fuel and oil requirements. And the changes to motors make F1 racing more relevant to road cars.
GSS: Was there a defining moment when you sat down and realised: “Holy shit, I’m working in one of the best jobs in the world?” How old are you?
Guy: Not one, but several moments actually. I only started the job recently, so the first one was the phone call from the boss, saying I got the job. Next was my first trip to Maranello, where they design and build the Ferrari F1 cars. The next one was receiving this Ferrari uniform [points at self]. The next one was my first race. My most recent one was looking at my own Ferrari headset, with my name printed on it. And I’m 32 years old. But it can be difficult to manage a young family (daughter is 2.5, son is 1 year old) with continuous travel. And of course, I’m never off the clock.

Then for the rest of the afternoon I was left to my own devices, I walked half of the incredibly large circuit before I realised I was just getting further away from my exit.
Along the way I found a few tiny openings in the unforgiving fences that line the track.
These Mazda 6’s were going flat out with a mix of different celebrities behind the wheel and after the race is done and dusted the cars are made standard once more and given back to dealerships to then sell  for a cheaper price.

Earlier I mentioned a fighter Jet being flown by the RAAF for their aerial demos, well it may look harmless in this photo but this made the most horrific and loud sound I have ever heard in my life.
From out of nowhere this magnificent roar came from above sending a woman to the ground and nearby birds in a panic from their tree’s.
Words cannot describe the heart stopping feeling as my ears where attacked from out of nowhere!!

For the rest of the day I just tried to soak up as much of the atmosphere as I could and tried my hand at fence photography. These damn cars kept getting in the shot and ruining it.

I persevered with the fences to not much avail. On the plus side I did manage to get a rather nice snap of this Red Bull car screaming past.

I did spend a bit of time just staring down the main straight thinking about the chaos that would unfold on Sunday, a brief moment in time as the cars spring to life signaling the start of the race and the new season.

Over the weekend the V8 Super cars were out in force desperately trying to prove their new chassis now that there’s some new kids on the block, Mercedes and Nissan have really given the stale sport an injection of excitement and created some new rivalries.

There was high hopes for Mark Webber to secure a spot on the podium while he was on home soil but as fate had it a faulty ecu had set him back on the start line, Webber held on and finished 6th

One thing the surprised me being the naive motor sport fan having never been to the F1 before is how different all the cars sounded, the high pitched howl of the Mercedes and Red Bull cars compared to the raw clanking mechanical sound of the Ferrari’s down gearing through the corners. Those sounds will stay with me for a long time!

Red Bull was tipped to be the race leader with many teams openly comparing themselves to Red Bulls faster lap times from the previous season but Sebastian only managed to secure third place on the big day.

It was great to see Ferrari place 2nd after our guided tour just days before the race, the level of commitment from every man and woman that is involved in these cars is truly inspirational.

So going from complete F1 novice to being guided through the Ferrari Pit and then the Shell Track Lab, I’m sure many of you would be quite jealous reading this but rest assured. I now have the bug!!
Seeing what really goes into each car, the level of development and research that sees these cars constantly being developed throughout the race season within the guidelines to squeeze every single bit of performance out of both the car and the people behind it.
Thank you to Shell Motorsport for the amazing opportunity, it has been a eye opening experience and helped me become a better motoring enthusiast!
Thanks for reading,
Gwyn.
Additional images,
David Napoleone.
Getty Images.
2013 Australian Grand Prix Race Results:
1 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus 58 1:30:03.225
2 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 58 +12.451
3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 58 +22.346
4 Felipe Massa Ferrari 58 +33.577
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 58 +45.561
6 Mark Webber Red Bull 58 +46.800
7 Adrian Sutil Force India 58 +1:05.068
8 Paul di Resta Force India 58 +1:08.449
9 Jenson Button McLaren 58 +1:21.630
10 Romain Grosjean Lotus 58 +1:22.759
11 Sergio Pérez McLaren 58 +1:23.367
12 Jean-Éric Vergne Toro Rosso 58 +1:23.857
13 Esteban Gutiérrez Sauber 57 +1 Lap
14 Valtteri Bottas Williams 57 +1 Lap
15 Jules Bianchi Marussia 57 +1 Lap
16 Charles Pic Caterham 56 +2 Laps
17 Max Chilton Marussia 56 +2 Laps
18 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 56 +2 Laps
Ret Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 39 Hydraulics
Ret Nico Rosberg Mercedes 26 Electrical
Ret Pastor Maldonado Williams 24 Spun off
DNS Nico Hülkenberg Sauber 0 Fuel system

Yes it’s that time of year again, Motorclassica is back and bigger than ever! My plan was to get in early and avoid the crowd! but the crowd beat me.
The first thing to WOW me was this Australian built land speed jet car from the seventys, unfortunately it was never run to its full potential because of flooding on the salt lake but it still holds unofficial high speed records within Australia.


The usual cars were out on show, plenty of MG’s and e-type jags, yet the thing that caught my eye was this Citoren chaperon convertible, the same legendary DS goddess but with no roof.. love this!

What a killer project car / investment, imagine finding this in a garage and scoring it for a low price.

Even the classic Lamborghini’s have big bums! it seems to run in the family, when you have a v12 in the trunk you need all the space you can get.

Styling! all car manufacturers take note! this is how it is done! every part of this dash is its own work of art! plastic sure did kill the stylish look.

I can honestly say i have never heard or seen one of these before, get this a “V8 VL Commodore” known as the Brock HDT Commodore VL Director. This is one of 12 ever made! it’s the last model Brock made with HDT.

I’m not even going to try to identify what car this is! because i know i will get it wrong, the unique shape of it is what attracted me to this crazy little red car.

The royal exhibition building is one of the most grand looking buildings in Melbourne and there is no better place to host such a classic car show.

Formula 2 is where it is at! light aerodynamic and nimble. This 1960 type 18 Lotus is one exciting little machine.

1960 Lotus Elite Series II Super 95 looks very square from the back but up the front it very similar to the e-type jag.

Seems legit! road registered ! why not, i think they should remake these and only allow them in the city! this will fix Melbournes traffic wows.

Simple yet effective ! with a steering wheel from a bus and a bench seat this old MG would be really fun to drive in the mountains!

I never realized how crazy the doors on the GT40 really are, they are massive and have half the roof attached to them.

This has to be my favourite car of the show! Holden why didn’t you produce this? Torana Coupe concept.

Bold yet sharp, with body curves like a Swedish tennis player this concept car truly has style and an elegance that no Holden before has ever possessed. I just cant believe they have had this locked away in a warehouse of failed concept cars never to see the light of day, well im glad this one has relived its moment in the spotlight.

The show was not all inside there were twice as many cars on display around the royal exhibition building as there were inside.

The fiat Abarth, “what a crazy little scorpion of a car” imagine owning one of these back in the day, probably the fastest 500cc car of its time.

What is this you may ask? a Lamborghini Jarama the sportier version of the Espada and the much pretty looking version.

A big crowd gathered to admire the huge amount of cars on display outside of Motorclassica.

The Lamborghini Aventador, love it or hate it, it is a true piece of art and completely pushes the boundary’s on car design, like a supermodel it is both beautiful and ugly at the same time.

Nothing better embodies 70’s car design like Dodge, gone are the days of big heavy tuff cars with large loud engines.

Lambos for days! each model has a style of its own, it’s just hard to pick which one to go with!

The classic Ford Cortina, these things are just plain cool, lots of style, compact and fun to drive.

Factory fresh! look at this paint! this Ferrari looks like it has just rolled of the line.

So many prancing horses! so much red! so much money!

The classic 911 the car that i think really made Porshce stand out at the time and today it still looks and exudes speed.

I can’t go past this Austin Healey 3000, it is the ultimate sunday driving car! 11 seconds to 100kph and it was built-in the 60’s, there are modern hatch backs that are meant to be sporty” that struggle to hit the same speed in 11 seconds.

Why so much positive camber? i don’t think i will ever know the answer to this question!
With such a huge range of cars from many different eras it is not hard to appreciate this event and the amount of work that goes into it. Year after year the show just keeps getting better! i only hope that next year they bring along more old school concept cars.
Thanks for looking,
Grant

A few weeks have passed since Melbourne’s last JDM Style Tuning meet, but could it be the last for good?
After some appalling behavior the police were called to the scene and things escalated quickly with the event shut down and people told to go home.
Despite all this we saw some of the best cars Melbourne has to offer, read on to see more…


The moment we got close to the multi level parking the excitement was high with some music in the distance echoing down the street and a substantial line of cars crawling up the lane way to get in.
Pulling in we spotted a group of Lamborghini’s and even a couple of Ferrari’s so we were expected some quality cars in the car park.

The cars kept pulling in, from the rooftop you could have spent the whole afternoon just watching all the cool cars entering the car park

We followed this tidy little Nissan TRX into the venue, this is the first time I have seen one at a meet let alone one this clean!

After hunting for some exciting cars at the entrance we began our slow crawl up the multi level car park, as we got closer to the stop the music from earlier got louder and louder, expecting to see some decked out car audio display we were pleasantly surprised to see a DJ set up on one of the higher levels belting out the tunes!

Nearly every level there was something worth stopping for, we spotted a group of people huddled around this white 458 Italia surrounded by other exotics and tough euros.

An old favorite of the GSS team…

Heath’s Datsun 260 wagon, apparently since this event Heath has lowered the car a touch more so expect to see some more shots of this in the future!

On one of the higher levels we found this Z club with a large group all lined up for some shots together, some ranged from stock to the heavily modified.

With the estimated number of cars above the 300 mark this was some turnout and with the location the vibe was fantastic!
However the local law enforcement had come to investigate the traffic congestion and one thing led to another and a car was given a defect notice outside the venue…
Things got out of hand after someone from the top level had thrown a bottle down to the street were the police car was parked, this single action ended what was possibly the best event Melbourne import owners had ever seen.

We won’t focus on the bad points but rather take a look at what was achieved with absolutely no funding or support from anyone other than one single person that organized this whole event.

The cars were impressive everywhere you turned, these two ‘stanced’ Accords had a corner to them selves.
With some uber low suspension, how did they even get into the car park??!

Melbourne’s Honda scene is definitely alive and strong, the rooftop alone was littered with dozens of hot Honda’s, this is about the third week in a row we have put up a shot of this green EK hatch! We just can’t help ourselves!!

Meet the boss, this S2000 has been on our site a few times before as well.
It’s all business at the front and party at the back with an all out diffuser and wild exhaust.

The infamous JDM cop car, not to every bodies taste but it does take a nice photo or two.

The boy racers dream, Two racetrack ready MX5’s and an EF8 CRX!

The rooftop provided some great backdrops, unfortunately it also allowed people to get nice and close to the edge which in turn resulted in the incident that caused the police to retaliate.

We managed to snap this bright yellow DC2 Integra slowly approaching the entrance before we were asked to leave, the JDM front is one of the best designs to ever come out of Japan!

We are always on the hunt for more European cars to post on the site, As soon as I saw this matte black RS4 Audi I ran to take some shots of it parking. The cold wintery skyline made the wagon look right at home!

There was a number of Mazda’s hidden in the lower levels, this red FD RX7 stole a lot of looks from the people walking past.

Just one level below the RX7 we grabbed a shot of these two ballin’ MX5’s together, we still can’t un-see the smiley face in the front bar tho.

DR30 Skylines are on the brink of becoming a classic, just a few more years and these will start to skyrocket in value!

This DC5R belonged to Club ITR member David, with a killer wheel combo and carbon bonnet, all on his P’s too!!

There wasn’t as many Toyota’s at the meet but we did see a couple of Supra’s hiding out and quite a few older Corollas.

We have seen Ricky’s Honda Del Sol pop on a few blogs and no one has even mention the fact that it has an EG Civic front end, hats off for pulling off one of the first conversion in the country!!

This black on black R35 GT-R was one of the last cars we got to take a photo of before the police asked us to move on, we look forward to seeing more of these Skylines modified as second hand prices fall here in Australia.
What started as one of the most exciting events also turned into one of the most memorable for all the wrong reasons, with the best range of cars we have ever seen it really was a shame to see it all ruined by a hand full of people.
The future for large car meets in Melbourne will be shaky to say the least, we are still set to host our own show & shine event later this month at Calder Park.
Check our facebook page for more details!
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.