Automass Rd. 3 (Part 3 of 3)

Wrapping up Automass coverage with a few more photos. We’ll keep this last part short and sweet.

Richard Fisher’s LS powered S14.

Chob in 2JZgte powered GS, plenty of power with over 450 whp. Josh of course accompanying in some tandem action.

Leigh’s Supra entering the vortex once again.

Larry from Project X having a quick meeting with the car show judges/volunteers in front of Everett’s aggressive S2k on Advan RGDs.

Christine’s 280z with a new subtle 240z front end. Gene’s Amuse 370z at her side as usual.

The Source crew appears to be huge fans of TE’s. The black S2K rocking the latest iteration of the TE37- the Rigid Tune version in blood red.

Evo repping “Stance Pilipinas” on Work Emotion CR Ultimate (Matte Bronze Finish). That is correct, “Stance Pilipinas.”

Chad’s sti on chargespeed aero and Work Meister M1R’s in a gold finish.

Since AJ was drifitng his IS, his BRZ on Work XT-7’s entered the show.

DS Max with a fresh new white finish on his Work Gnosis GS-5’s.

And last but not least, maybe the best bagged Scion TC I’ve seen in recent memory. Robear went with Work Schwert wheels for that VIP look. That’s a wrap of Automass coverage, but be on the look out for a few AUTOMASS vids over the next several weeks.

-jdmchicago

Automass Rd. 3 Coverage (Part 2 of 3)

In previous Automass events, the complaint with media coverage is that all the photogs ignored the show and simply concentrated on the drift portion of the event. I can’t blame these guys though because we rarely have the opportunity to shoot motorsports in the Chicagoland area. Most drift events are out in the boonies and aren’t really accessible to the general public. The guys at Club FR and TF recognized this and finally brought drifting to the local masses. So my point is- since everyone is so excited about the driving, sometimes the show is ignored. Well in part 2 and 3 I’m going to go more into the show, the people, and the entire culture of the event. I think this is a more interesting way to re-live the experience and see all aspects of the show.

Here is a shot of Mike’s Miata aka “Street Dancer. If I remember correctly, I believe he also won best slammed car at our Slammed Society event a month ago. Looks like the passenger here is pretty focused on holding on to dear life.

I’m not sure if this is a cool shot, or an ultra-creepy shot. haha Anyways, Maggie is one of the main reasons that Automass is always a successful event. She excels in organization and making sure things are going smoothly.

Max, Jason,and Ron were holding down the JDMC booth while I spent much of the day shooting. Thanks to these guys for really being clutch on such a long day.

Speaking of Ron, the unibomber look was being rocked by quite a few early on in Automass. Temps dropping down to the high 50’s in late July was a surprise.

Who would have thought that slamming a beetle and throwing on some Work Meisters would have made this car cool? Well Necos has once again done the unthinkable. Well done sir.

Miguel’s Scion FRS with Varis aero and SSR SP3’s in Spectrum Silver. We’ll be shooting this car soon.

Unfortunately Miguel didn’t realize this was a family event and this obscene hand gesture resulted in an ejection and scolding from Automass.

I never knew they made tripods for such cute little cameras. I wasn’t really sure what Edwin was doing until I looked over to see what he was shooting.

Well apparently an impromptu model shoot was going on.

Perhaps it was planned because homegirl had an outfit change later on that day.

Bagged Audi TT from Wisconsin. I’m not too familiar with popular Euro wheels, but these are 3sdm 0.05 in 18×8.5 and 18×9.5.

One of the guys from Vape4Life looking for someone and apparently not caring about his car’s roof.

The VIP section was completely packed and I’m sure sold out quickly. I wanted to shoot from here at one point, but there was literally no room.

Automass went with the “shorty” fence this year which turned out to be a great idea. It allowed for less obstructed views. Plenty of speakers around which played good music without getting too loud or obnoxious.

Mico’s GRIP friendly setup.

The food trucks were on point.

The Pork Tacos were amazing from Paco’s Tacos. The word must have got out because their line was for almost an hour at one point.

Team swag’s youngest recruit.

Nice looking IS300 on Advan T7’s.

3rd gen x70 Toyota Cressida on some vintage longchamps.

First place in the Mazda class, Justin Butt’s Mazda Premacy conversion aka Mazda 5.

Max and Robear. FYI, the hoodie that Max is wearing is almost sold out. I have only two left in small. Email us if you are interested!

Jay from Jay’s Media getting ready for a ride along. I’m happy to report that his DSLR survived the drive. I’m looking forward to his video!

Looks like Jay was stoked about the ride along.

Ryan Derrick chatting it up at the show.

Brad Sillars getting some shots of Ride Chi.

Decent showing of Honda Ruckus’ at Automass.

Jason’s e60 535 on Ordens.

Orlando’s AE86 on Work Equip 03’s always one of the nicer vintage rides in the area.

Nice looking e36 M3 on some refinished BBS RS wheels.

Zandro from Zandbox Photos VIP themed LS.

Based on the very official looking clipboards, I believe these guys were some of the staff/volunteers for Automass. From left to right… Fernando, Edwin, Walter, and Joe.

Nick’s WRX STI won best Subaru and Best of Show. The Varis widebody has taken his car to the next level.

First place in the Acura/Honda class went to Kyle Gessler. Wisconsin is really doing some great stuff as of late. Thanks for checking out Part 2, we should be back with one last section tomorrow or Thursday.

-jdmchicago

Automass Rd. 3 Coverage (Part 1 of 3)

Just wrapped up my first set of photos from Automass. If you didn’t attend today, you really missed out on a great time. Automass is a local “grass roots” style automotive event that combines a car show with live drifting. We’ve been helping promote this event since its inception, and always down to support. The overall vibe was great with food trucks, a dope DJ, and of course MC Felix holding it down all day. I’m going to have about three sections in this coverage. First we’ll go into the driving portion of the event, followed by the car show in part 2. Part 3 will finish up our coverage with a video and more drift shots. Also, if YOU took photos at the event, please share on our forums. Click here for the official thread on jdmchicago.

We arrived at Toyota Park around 7 am. Most of the drivers were already there and doing some last minute prep. Here’s a shot of Leigh with this MK3 Supra.

Regardless of the motorsport, there is always a driver’s meeting to make sure everyone is on the same page and to go over the rules. Simba on the megaphone along with Phil and Dave from Touge Factory.

Finally had the chance to see Chob’s GS doing some work on the track. I’m pretty sure Chob was taking entire families for “ride-alongs” at one point. I guess it goes with the territory when you have a family sedan.

I like Team Breaking. This is Derek Bianski’s FD.

Another shot of Derek’s RX7. I believe there were about 10 guys named Derek at Automass.

I remember seeing this very clean 350z at the last Automass. Glad he was able to make it again.

Looks like Tim put film making on hold to drive at Automass.

Spares on spares on spares.

Rhodes Race Cars came through with several cars for Automass.

Tandem action.

Leigh generating vortex.

Phil’s FRS with some mild upgrades.

Fred’s FC, one of the nicest in the area.

Dave’s rocket bunny S13.

Team Breaking again…

Ride Chi was also present at Automass to provide the crowds with some bike stuntin’ throughout the show. Bravo to this guy still doing his thing despite the physical obstacles.

One last shot for part 1. I should have part 2 posted by Tuesday morning.

NSX drive in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I’d like to welcome Dimer van Santen as a guest blogger today on JDM Chicago. As an NSX owner and enthusiast from Amsterdam, Dimer was able to connect with some fellow NSX owners in Kuala Lumpur. JDMC has covered all corners of the world, so this is definitely something we are excited to share. It’s always a thrill to see how others throughout the world share the same passion as us.

On Sunday morning I was invited for a spirited drive through the mountains of Kuala Lumpur by my friend and NSX Prime member Shaw (nsxinkl). Shaw picked me up from my apartment with his beautiful red turbo’ed NSX. His car is 20 years old, but with the facelift and the perfect interior it looks like it just rolled out of Takanezawa.

A very rare spoon dash.

When we arrived at the meeting spot there were already a couple of great cars: Ferrari 430, 458, Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0, 911 S and a GT-R.

Shaw already told me that he would come, but when I saw the NSX-R coming I got really excited! These badges are still readily available, but nothing like seeing one on a real NSX-R.

A few detail shots of the NSX-R interior. You have to be a major baller to own an NSX in Malaysia. Because of taxes/importation fees/etc- This car is easily valued well over a quarter million USD.

Another NSX with aggressive Marga Hills skirts with Route KS wing and diffuser joined the caravan.

It was time to drive and I was lucky to ride shotgun with the NSX-R. Great detail, the driver is a former F1, A1 and GP2 driver who bought the car new in 2003. Driving skills and 10 years experience in the R = double win! Needless to say that it was an unforgettable experience! We had a group of very fast cars, but no one could even come close to the NSX-R. Even on straights, the NSX-R managed to pull away from the GT3 RS 4.0, the only car that could kind of keep up. The rest of the cars were already long out of our sights. He only changed the air filter and exhaust and dynoed the car at 370bhp and weighed it at a bit over 1200kg with half tank.

Although this is a genuine NSX-R, the owner was not shy to add some modifications. Light weight Volk Racing CE28’s were added along with brakes from Endless.

A nice looking red NSX on black Advan Model 5 wheels.

Custom canards on the pop design bumper. This car sounded fantastic going through the hills with a GT-One 5.1 exhaust. Thanks again! –Dimer van Santen

Slammed Society Coverage (Part 5 of 5)

–Part 1 Coverage
-Part 2 Coverage (Video)
-Part 3 Coverage
-Part 4 Coverage
–Video Coverage by Mike Maravilla

Here is the last part of Slammed Society Chicago. As I mentioned in part 1, the show went really well and we cannot wait to host this again next year with Fatlace. Thanks to all the people who supported event! See you guys @ Automass this weekend!

Josh’s internationally recognized 180sx. The concave TE37’s are looking proper on his car.

Christine’s S30 took first in the vintage category as I expected. This shot reminds me that I need to order more of those windshield decals!

RJ defending authenticity, and AJ staring at the back wall.

Jeffy getting his power walk on. I think he was probably on his 5th red bull at the time of this shot.

Chris putting his whole body into traffic control!

Getting those nooks and crannies detailed.

Fatlace merchandise didn’t last long!

Overhead shot earlier in the day of some of the vendor booths in the showroom.

Leslie from Fatlace was holding down the Fatlace booth.

We even had a few exotics at the show.

Here is the larger JDM Chicago logo on my NSX, we’ll have these available at Automass and at our online store by next week.

A shot of my NSX with new downforce CF side splitters. I’m really glad I listened to Jason about these. I was always on the fence with this modification since drilling/self tapping screws are required to secure them. I’ve tried not to install anything that isn’t reversible, but since I don’t have any plans to sell this car- why not?