Last Sunday marked the end of year for the JDM Style Tuning Melbourne family and after such an up and down year for these meets, organisers were unsure how another large meet near the city would go.
Thankfully everyone was well behaved and the day was a smashing success!


With over 150 cars on display it can get a bit crazy so here are just some of the cars that caught our eye.
Neil from Primal Garage brought along his new 180SX, closely modeled on his previous black 180Sx. We expect this new one to be quite the head turner when he is finished tinkering.

Sitting pretty on a set of AME TM-02’s with some wide fenders to finish off this aggressive look nicely.

The car park chosen was just a stones throw away from the regular Bolte bridge location. Melbourne’s Monash freeway provided a fantastic backdrop, almost looking like a famous ‘Daikoku’ Japanese car meet. Rather fitting for a JDMST meet, don’t you think!!

With some regulars coming along for the afternoon it was almost a ‘best of’ JDMST looking at the year we’ve had.

This KE70 has been a regular attendee all year and with a considerable distance to drive to each meet we are impressed at the owner’s dedication to the club.

Now I am a big Honda fan (please don’t hate me) so this turnout really impressed me with some amazing builds that have been hiding somewhere in Melbourne.

This factory green EK civic was covered in cool parts; type R wing, spoon mirrors, carbon bonnet, Recaro seats and BBS wheels.
Another cool addition that only Honda nerds will pick up on or even appreciate is that the owner has installed SiR rear seats with headrests!
Amazing stuff we know but thought we should point it out for non-Honda fans.

Some more Civic’s that have snapped a lot if necks in their time no doubt, This USDM inspired duo have taken Honda’s in Melbourne to a new level.
Throw in some K series engine’s and these cars would be world class!

Both cars have been finished to such a high standard it really is an impressive sight seeing the two together. The Midori green hatch has CCW’s on all four corners while the Electron Blue coupe is wearing Sprint Heart CP-R’s. A classic choice amongst Honda aficionado’s.

Last Honda I promise!!
This DC5 Type S Integra was covered in hot parts like an aggressive looking lip kit, Spoon brake calipers and a set of Work 11R’s.
We’d love to see some more of this and maybe even under the hood!

The three lowest cars from Ballarat!!
The X7 Cressida’s were back out again and this time they brought their Skyline friend along. This R31 was so low it was scraping the whole way even at low speeds.
Ballarat is over an hour out from Melbourne so that would have been one intense drive!!

Here is Heath’s other car when he is not driving his cool Datsun wagon. That’s right, a convertible left hand drive Porsche!!
Very unique and we can’t wait to see if Heath adds any of his flare to this classic Euro beauty.

Evan from Rpower Motorsport came out with his R33 GT-R to see what all the fuss was about. Word on the street is that Evan is working on some exciting stuff at the moment.
We can’t wait to see what come’s of Rpower Motorsport in 2013!

The star of the show despite all the controversy over fake wheels and real stickers was by far this RX-7. It is one serious looking car, that wouldn’t look all that out of place in a batman movie, wouldn’t you agree?

Chris has been building this Mazda for quite some time now. The car originally started out white and has since taken on a very menacing look!

While no expense has been spared in the build, Chris’ RX-7 has been a hot topic of conversation since the meet thanks to some ‘fake’ wheels with genuine stickers. However these are just a temporary fit until he can decide on the perfect wheel for his pride and joy – according to Chris.

Gordie’s little Fiat showed up for its last Victorian meet ever. After the meet the blue Fiat was being picked up and taken back to Queensland with its new owner.

Something we would like to see done more here in Melbourne is the Subaru Forester. We have seen show and we have even seen a few with some ‘go’!
We are still waiting for one with the perfect balance. If you have a Forester or know of one that fits this description please send us an email on enq@gripshiftslide.com

More fuel for the ‘fake’ wheel fire! This Mazda hatch looked like a perfect daily streeter and we think the Jap hatch on Euro wheels is a winner!

Andrew’s Bug eye WRX has been stealing plenty of looks lately thanks to an impressive set of Work XD9’s wheels, with a size of 18×9 in +20 they’re rumored to be the only set like it in Australia!!

Believe it or not this little truck is a 1990 Nissan Sunny. Another rare thing to have in the land of Oz… as this is actually a long wheel base model!
Something considered rare as rockinghorse poo and is rumored to be the only one in Victoria!

Gareth’s MX5 has recently acquired a supercharger and has been enjoying some spirited mountain drives. We’re sure that this little roadster would be a heap of fun through some nice twisty roads!

Despite the obvious high front end. this S14 was near perfect! With tough looking front fenders, 2UP 3-piece wings and some huge Work Meister’s under the guards making it look the picture of perfection.

All in all, one of the best meets of the year. We take our hats off to the organisers for putting in all the hard effort to secure a location and for putting up with all of the stress worrying if people will behave our not.
With the day showing that there is hope for the Victorian scene yet, future events will see more entertainment and food etc available too.
Well done to all those who have participated and come along to any of these meets over the year, we have seen numbers grow from 20 odd cars to over 400!!!
Something we hope continues along with all the good behavior!
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.