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   | I met up with Nick for this shot of his sti at Six Star Motorsports. The guys there were super cool and accommodating, but the location was a tad tight due to other builds and projects in the shop. In case you’re wondering, the suby is dressed in a rare Varis x Original Runduce Collaboration Aero Kit. We’ll be featuring his car again in a few weeks, but here is a teaser for now. Click on the image for a high res version.
Just when we thought Automass coverage was done, Mike Maravilla of Unscene Media Group drops his video coverage. Words and video by Mike Maravilla (Unscene Media Group) With the skies opening up most of the meet, I decided to let the focus of the video be able the people that make JDM Chicago such a cool community more than taking all my equipment into the rain to get a ton of car coverage. For the last couple years, this kind of weather seems to be the trend for the season opener, but rain or shine, tons of people came out to hang. expect 2012 to be a really awesome year for JDMC. Just the beginning! Gallery (Pics by Greg Szoda)                                             Here is the final set of Automass pics. Again,there are a ton more posted on the forums so make sure you check that out. In this set I’m including pics by myself, Matt Magnino, and Darian Duchan. We’re looking forward to Round 2 of Automass…which is rumored for August of this year. We can’t officially confirm or deny this rumor!
No Description needed……
Scott’s240sx/s13 that we featured last summer.
Another shot of Josh’s 180sx. Clearly, this car wasn’t very difficult to shoot!
Clean and simple S14 repping Junkhouse.
Another shot of one of the cleanest Z31′s you’ll ever see.
AJ’s e30 Vert with an sr20 swap.
No Power, NO PROBLEM.
Once again, Touge Factory’s Four-Six Customs Rocket Bunny widebody s13.
Another s14 in a brilliant white finish.
Even a Genesis got into the act…
Another shot of the FD Additional Pics by Darian:                               Additional Pics by Matt: Automass took place this past April 29th @ Toyota Park. One week later, I think we’ve finally recovered from the wind-burn. Chicago hasn’t had such a dynamic event since D1GP back in 2009. Sure, there have been smaller scale drift demo’s and what over the last few years, but nothing close to the coolness of Automass. The track had three different driving classes and I think entry speed was around 60ish mph. The off-track show had about 150 total participants, many of which killed it with their 2012 grand reveals. Although the drift event was more or less a demo, it allowed experienced drivers to show off their skill. Secondly, beginners had an opportunity to show off in a safe environment with plenty of room in case they got a tad too rowdy. Definitely looking forward to Round 2 of Automass, which you definitely do not want to miss. Based on the buzz of Rd.1, expect 3-4x the crowds and cars at the next Automass! Before we start our coverage, I have to say one thing- I think most of the photog’s concentrated on the drifting. We apologize if we didn’t get your car, but there are a ton more pics posted on our forum. Check the official post-automass pic thread by clicking here. We’ll start out with a set by Greg Szoda. Click on the photo for a larger res shot.
Nick’s VW Caddy with a K20 Motor Swap. Loving the woodgrain wrap.
Random Crowd Shot at Toyota Park.
XB’s were present as usual. Not sure if a license plate on a roof is legal, but “A”for effort here.
The awkward moment when you just realized you’ve been photographed.
Evo’s were represented. Weds Sport SA67R wheels are on point here.
A shot of the car show vehicles lined up. Thanks again to Larry from Project X for taking command of the car show as well as his volunteers who helped organize this aspect of the event. Ran super smooth!
JDM Chicago Booth with support vehicles…. The Honda Pilot was CLUTCH.
Nicely stanced “Hot Chocolate”Mini Cooper Clubman from Stancewi.com.
Another shot of the VW Caddy on Work Meister CR 01′s.
Good friends V2Lab represented on this s13.5.
Speaking of Larry, here is a quick shot of his 350z. The Meister S1R’s look really menacing with the yellow accents.
Nice combo on this WRX with the Super ADVAN Racing V2 wheels. Not sure if the color is stock, but looks like the Advan Dark Gunmetallic finish.
Best of Show VIP-themed Honda Odyssey on bags. Now that we got the show out of the way, let’s start with some Drift Pics by Brad Sillars, Matt Magnino, and Darian Duchan.
Baby Blue Miata tearing it up in the intermediate class.
Tandem shot of e30 vert and rocket bunny.
Because Drift Car.
Josh’s 180- definitely one of the crowd favorites.
Risky Devil IS300.
Another Tandem shot.
Rocket Bunny doing work!
Intermediate class about to start…
Another favorite of the show, FD RX7 on Gram Lights.
Leigh’s MKIII Supra.
Ilia’s banana FC. Build thread here.
Maybe the coolest z31, ever.
That concludes part I. Back with more pics tomorrow or the day after… Greg’s Set:                         Brad’s Set:                                    
Upcoming Feature of Tommy’s Miata. Photo by Ethan Caldwell. Click on the image for a higher res pic.
When: Sunday May 6 Time: 12:30pm –4pm COME EARLY TO SECURE A SPOT! Only about 300 official spots available! Sign up on Facebook! More info also on the FORUMS. PERKS: AL’s will be taking orders (outside booth) for you and delivering food outside so you can EAT and chill outside!
You may remember this car I shot last summer. The owner sent the photos to Honda Tuning who were interested in featuring the car. Since the editor (Rodrez) recognized my watermark, he contacted me to shoot the car again for print. Be sure to check out this car in the latest issue of Honda Tuning Magazine. Congrats to the owner Zack for not only getting a feature, but also making the cover! Click here for a preview of the actual cover. Below are some bonus shots: Gallery (click for high res):          So here goes the final part of our Wekfest Coverage. With over 24+ gigs of just photos (yeah, I shoot in RAW), here are some stragglers I thought were unique.
Mike and I visited Impact Performance in the San Francisco Area the day before Wekfest. Here’s a quick shot of the outside of the shop.
Inside the shop we found the world’s slowest Evo known to man.
…and the world’s dirtiest Mr2.
OK, now this is one serious Supra.
Here’s a shot of Mike I posted a few weeks ago on my Flickr account. I’m still kinda disturbed that several of my Flickr buddies fav’d this shot. Be afraid Mike…be afraid….
Here’s a nice Datsun 510 we spotted rolling into Wekfest.
While we’re on the Nissan tip, here’s a shot I took of this ultra dope z32. If you like this car, you may want to check out Brad’s shoot he did for Canibeat.
A few of us noticed a second level @ building one. Of course this section was not sanctioned, but who would have known?
Mugen M7′s…. accept no substitutes.
I have no idea who this guy is, but I like the DOF and “artsy” feel of this shot.
This S14 had matching shoes to go with it. Luckily the owner is a female.
While at the Fatlace Paddock we got a nice look at some of the project cars in storage. Gotta love Mark Arcenal’s s14. I didn’t crop this shot so you all can see the cool studio they built.
Who could forget one of the nicest EK’s at Wekfest? Here’s another shot from the illegal angle.
Skyline overload @ the Fatlace Paddock.
Really nice Corolla Wagon on Equip 01′s outside of the Fatlace Paddock. That’s it for our Wekfest coverage! Thanks all for checking us out, and special thanks to the newbies who have just recently discovered JDMC! Word.
In theory, the Lexus LFA was one of the most exciting vehicles released by Toyota since the MKIV Supra. After several concept models were leaked, the final production model was displayed at the Tokyo Auto Show in 2009. What was shocking to many was the hefty price tag of $375k and the limited production of 500 units for the first year.
Nonetheless, the car became an instant hit and pre-sold to ballers across the world. Of course the regular consumer criticized the excessive cost. I mean @ 375k, we’re talking about placing it in the same price point as other well established exotic/luxury/supercar brands. However, Toyota spared no costs. Regardless of the name, the build and materials are superb. Overall, 65% of the vehicle’s total body mass is carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) material while the remaining 35% is aluminum. I always looked at the LFA as a car that someone would purchase who already had everything. It would be hard to imagine that this car would be someone’s first exotic or dream car.
You can’t really tell from this shot, but what is covered up is a ridiculously capable 4.8-liter V10 engine equipped with dual VVT-i carrying the 1LR-GUE designation with a maximum output of 412 kW (560 PS) delivered at 8,700 rpm. Its maximum torque output of 480 N·m (354 lb·ft) arrives at 6,800 rpm. The gearbox itself is a six-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox, much to the chagrin of the traditionalists. Thanks to JDMC contributor Jeremy Cliff for stumbling upon this LFA in the wild. These pics were taken at the Autobarn Country Club, Joliet IL. |         | ||||
