Tis’ The Season
With the weather reflecting the likes of Spring incredibly early this year, Amodei managed to photograph his new/temporary XXR wheel set up. The phrase ‘needs more low” does not apply.
FRENCH
Vacation
This past weekend I had the luxury of taking a short 3 day cruise to the Bahamas with the family.. After returning we met up with some family in Coral Springs, Florida.. I then get a message from Sheldon saying he lives 10 minutes away.. This lead to us meeting up and me snapping a few photos of his nicely put together AP1… Enjoy!
Full set can be found HERE!!!!
-Chris Amodei-
Full set can be found HERE!!!!!!
D2 Forged’s A7
When most blogs were busy filling car categories of the previous year to write about, I was presented with the opportunity to shoot D2 Forged’s latest creation, an Audi A7. Being a local company and knowing the caliber of cars they output the decision was very simple but the task was not necessarily easy considering the subjects monotone color palette. With the sun setting and the car being picked up the next day, light was in short supply. I already had an idea of what shots I thought would satisfy Derrick’s tastes from their previous shoots so it was just a matter of time before he informed me of the feature on TheD2Life.
FRENCH
FC’d Up
Occasionally, I come across a car that results in a frenzy! Searching Craigslist and scouring forums for model specifics and deals I lose myself for a bit discovering and satisfying my curiosity. As you can imagine I’m busy beasting on rx7club right now because of the FC below… DAMN YOU MAZDA!
FRENCH
Photo credit unknown
Round 2, Ashley’s Mini
Austin Powers: Your spy car’s a Mini?
Nigel Powers: It’s not the size mate, it’s how you use it.
Testifying to the “it’s not the size of the ship, it’s the motion of the ocean” phrase, Ashley has been sending waves throughout the internet with her Mini. Often times mistaken for her boyfriends car, don’t get it twisted, this gem is absolutely hers. Having already been featured by The Arthus, Here, the close knit community that is our own frequently sees reptition of cars of this caliber for obvious reasons.
Happy Holidays,
FRENCH
photos by the Amodeo formally known as Chris Amodei
Stolen
As much as I’d like to have a “daily” gum scraper like the EG bubble below or the Acura Integras I’ve been sharing, the idea of having it stolen at every moment is incredibly discouraging. SMH
FRENCH
photo credit: unknown
Seat Time
If you ever thought about going to the circuit you’ve come across the uninviting costs of doing so and like any competitive activity practice or in this case seat time it is what separates “the men from the boys” or is it? There has been a growing discussion among the Honda-Tech community regarding video games such as Gran Turismo 5 and Forza 4 and the idea that consciously playing them has benefited individuals when tracking in reality as the game physics are relative to that of the real World. Clearly not the only persons to think so as the television show, GT Academy was produced, note the word produced. In any case, the cost of becoming a respected driver ,if you do happen to believe the idea of simulators, has drastically been reduced and the Winter… well E and I are going to Miami for a few months :shrugs: Can anyone comment on Palm Beach International Raceway?
FRENCH
some more Integra influences
photo credit: unknown
First Class Fitment: Part Two
Canibeat’s 2nd annual First Class Fitment was a fine event. Being my 2nd year attending, the quality of cars has surely skyrocketed. As usual the Liberty VIP crew came in full force, sweeping the trophy podium this time. With a majority of the awards going to them, they’re a force to be reckoned with on the east coast. Enough with the talk, this is part two of the coverage.
-Huy
First Class Fitment…
It’s a fact. Some car shows are just better than others. Case in point: Canibeat’s First Class Fitment. Over 150 cars were in attendance. Some of the best the East Coast had to offer. VIP, Euro, JDM with every sort of fitment you could imagine. Static and air. There was plenty of scraping going on. The show was held at Princeton Airport in Montgomery Township, New Jersey. In addition to the beautiful blue sky, the airplane hangars and runway were a perfect backdrop for the event. It definitely strayed from the typical parking lot events we are used to attending. Car after car lined the driveway into the main event. A hangar stacked with some of the best vehicles in the show with Liberty VIP’s crew surrounding the area just outside. The competition was fierce but my buddy Vince ended up going home with the “Best Fitment” award for his 300ZX on VIP Modular wheels. Congrats! Here are a few shots from the day.
|brian|
Flickr set HERE.
Covered: Evo Vs. STi at Englishtown October 17, 2011
Englishtown Raceway, NJ once again played host to Evo vs STi. Although the event was scheduled the same day as First Class Fitment, competition always sparked our interest as creeping on another bro’s fitment isn’t as eventful as one would think. That being so the usual suspects, sans the Arthus and Huy who photographed FCF, and I advanced towards the 1320 early Saturday morning. After Spilner, Dirty, and F.Millan made respectable passes and quelled the doubts of a few, we packed up and made way to Atlantic City for an evening of debauchery and risk.
FRENCH
H20i featuring Scraped.Crusaders.
Although the weekend was filled with rain, thousands still traveled down(and up) to Ocean City, Maryland for one of the biggest VW shows on the East Coast. I met a lot of new people and had the chance to see some old friends. I got the opportunity to meet some of the guys from Scraped.Crusaders. Having been a fan of Gill’s Legacy for some time now, it was exciting to finally see it in person. If you haven’t already, you will definitely be seeing Matt’s, who goes by DeathLens on Flickr, photos floating around the net. He put together an impromptu shoot on our last night down there to really give the event a nice closing. Here is the result…
brian | arthus
Check out DeathLens’ Flickr HERE.
http://scrapedcrusaders.com/
H20i…
I am a man of impeccable timing. Just one week prior to departing for Ocean City my center differential decides to let go. No in it’s defense it has been warning me for the past year with it’s constant whine, so suffice it to say it’s been a long time coming. But why now?! The optimistic me says, “At least it didn’t happen 300 miles from home.” But broke, pessimistic me says, “Just my f@#kin’ luck.” My mood isn’t too soured though because, after all, I am heading down to Maryland tomorrow for the festivities. The drive down. The meets and get togethers. The parties. Even the drive home. It’s a weekend I look forward to each year. You get to see friends from all over. That is, if my car comes together tonight. It’s currently up on jack stands in the garage, nothing too unfamiliar. Parts are expected to arrive today so I am staying positive. It will all work out. So here are a few shots I took last year while I was down there. I am looking forward to capturing a lot more. Myself and Amodeo will have plenty to report on once we return.
brian | arthus
Little Devil…
When it comes down to it, the world of modifying cars is somewhat of a boys club. We spend our hard-earned dollars on those parts that will give us that edge over the next guy. Coilovers, wheels, exhaust. You know the deal. Every once in a while you come across a female that shares that mentality. It’s especially exciting when you have the pleasure of meeting a lady that has a great project to show for it.
Meet Ashley Rowland and her 2005 Mini Cooper S. The Mini was picked up earlier this year with the intention of building something new. Having previously owned a Mk4 GTI on coils and RS’s, she wanted to get out of the VW world. It all started with a 15% reduction pulley for the supercharger to add the little extra on the daily drive. The next step was a natural one. Suspension and some new shoes.
Replacing the stock springs and struts would be a set of BC Racing coilovers. After the initial install and some tweaking she realized that the stock front coilover springs were a bit too tall for her intentions. A new shorter set was ordered and installed as soon as they arrived. Now that the ride height had been sorted, a set of wheels was in order.
Using some Adaptec Speedware, Ashley fitted some 16×8.5 C4 Corvette Salad Shooters with a 205/40 Falken 512 tire for a nice stretch. The simple fact that Minis can pull off 16’s is something that I envy. The Vette wheels make for a great example. The static ride height speaks for itself and the fitment is on point.
This is only the beginning for this car. I look forward to seeing what is next to come. Ashley has already attacked the interior with some suede on the headliner and pillars. I’m sure she already has a new set of wheels in mind. Look out for this thing down at H20i. It’s a whole other experience in person.
Check out the full set HERE.
-Brian Arthus
New roller’s!!
Once again I switched up my wheel setup… I found myself not being able to hold onto a set of wheels for longer than a month to a month and a half… Sure I sold my Work XD-9′s and picked up a set of replica’s (Varrstoen’s), but truthfully…. I was totally over the look of my car with the Work’s on it, so I bought an affordable, more aggressive wheel.. Spilner has not stopped breaking my balls about it, hopefully he stops soon, but knowing him… he probably wont.
The rest of the photo’s can be found here!!!!
-Chris Amodei-
Slow and Slutty…
The Chevrolet Cobalt SS was one of GM’s entries in the world of sport compacts. With it’s Eaton supercharged 2.0L Ecotec 4 cylinder it certainly had the numbers to compete. The suspension was tuned on the famed Nürburgring in Germany. So it was safe to say it had it’s roots planted firmly in the motorsports world. Enter Mike Cosentino, a Long Island native that decided to make his Cobalt SS a little different.
Mike had a vision in mind that strayed far from the path of the average Cobalt owner. He fancied the fitment game and wanted in. There would be obstacles but nothing a creative mind and garage full of tools couldn’t tackle.
Using a set of ep3 Civic coilovers that were given to him by a friend he retrofitted the fronts and the project was underway. The Cobalt uses a solid beam for the rear suspension setup. Mike fabricated his own shims and dialed in his camber and toe by himself to get that rear fitment. He also shaped the rear fenders by himself in the driveway. Combine those two DIY mods with the addition of a mini-tub, he was able to fit the 18×9.5 -8(after adapter) Rota P45R in the rear.
Getting the front on the ground wasn’t exactly a picnic either. While the retrofitted coils allowed him to drop the front relatively easily the suspension was not happy. After going through a few axles Mike realized something had to be done to relieve the driveline of its geometrical woes. A custom lower motor mount and well as a rotated transmission mount were fabricated to solve this problem. This made for a much smoother and not so costly driving experience.
At the end of the day Mike is just another car guy doing his own thing. His build may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is his pride and joy. Blood, sweat and tears have been poured into it via countless hours in the garage. I applaud his DIY approach and this car definitely falls under the moniker of Built not Bought.
View the full set HERE.
-Brian
Worthless Words
Nowadays with expanding forums and internet discussion boards voicing your individual opinion for the world to see has never been easier and having the ability to hide behind an anonymous username while doing so gives people the confidence to speak their truth, right or wrong. However, the longer you hang out on these virtual chat rooms the more you tend to realize that with certain websites the people who speak the most typically know the least about what they’re arguing. Web trolls enjoy sitting on their computers accomplishing nothing each and every day except for ranting and raving in threads, filling them with useless information that nobody except themselves care about. Useless posts eventually lead to threads getting closed and while the troll feels as though he won, the only thing he did was make himself look pathetic. My good friend Vlad and his custom painted bugeye can certainly attest to these types. Good thing for us he possesses confidence and that “I don’t give a f*ck” attitude, which has awarded him ton’s of praise as well as a top 3 finish in the infamous “Top Scoob” competition on NASIOC. I’m happy to announce that Vlad’s Rota G-forces have come off and were replaced with a super deep dish set of Work xd9′s, which he was waiting months for. The car IMO looks spectacular. Kudos!
Photography by none other than Quan Duong.
-spilner
My kinda internet troll 
DooDoo Brown…
Mike Wasserman’s Porsche Macadamia Metallic bugeye has been one of my personal favorites for quite some time now. I was able to grab a few shots of it at this past weekend’s Island Import Day. I look forward to getting a real shoot in of it sooner than later. Take a gander at these for now.
-Brian
Meaty RSX
As if every post required some dramatic theme that has no relation to the car featured.
FRENCH
photo by Michael Elizondo
Holla Dolla.
Ignore the title. It was the first thing that popped into my head. I can’t really say why. It’s not that I don’t want to, I really just don’t know. The work day is nearing it’s end and I am feeling anxious.
I met up with Mr. Amodei yesterday to get some more shots of the Saab. After a little episode at the camera shop we were on our way to the top of a local university’s parking garage. The fact that they were now charging for entrance to said parking garage seemed to irk Chris quite a bit. I manned up and payed the 2 bucks.
Once we were up there Chris got to his thing. Then there was me with nothing else to do, so I started snapping some shots on my own of the freshly painted S2000. Whenever I leave the house I always seem to forget something. Whether it’s my sunglasses or that bagged lunch I actually prepare the night before to take to work. This time I forgot my tripod. Basically that’s my excuse for only getting a few shots. It was getting dark and I don’t have the steadiest hands. Anyway here are a couple I snapped. Check the rest in a set on my Flickr.
-Brian
Stay classy.
A little while back I had a pretty funny conversation with one of my childhood friends, Keith Tano, when I received a text about his interest in older gen m5′s, specifically stancing one. I was a bit caught off guard because an e39 m5 is something I had been contemplating picking up for quite some time in order to retire my STi from its’ daily driven lifestyle and turn it into an all out track-prepped race car. That night I began to take a closer look into these cars and after some research I’ve come to find out that while you’ll run into some typical problems as with any 10 year old German car, they’re pretty reliable as long as you take care of the routine maintenance. There are deals to be had, even on relativity low mileage ones, and their great sounding v8 still packs a pretty legitimate punch when you let your right foot hit the floor. The body lines are timeless and with some mildly aggressive wheels it can be argued that they’re the best looking m5 ever made. With the winter fast approaching, it might just be time to start shopping.
P.S. Make sure you like Keith and his music on FaceBook HERE.
-Brian Earl Spilner
Hella-f$%&ing Yes- FD3 RX7
Let’s be honest, we are all very enthusiastic about the way a hellaflush, dumped, poked, stretched, cambered, aggressive fitment car appears, that is as if it has some sort of unbelievable handling characteristics, for anyone having a hard time arriving to that one. But what truly arouses me is a car that not only has the appeal of a vehicle that has outstanding handling traits but also the ability to deliver justice. Below you see a Mazda FD3 RX7 properly fitted with CCW classics, a wheel that has managed to become a standard in the fitment communities, rounded off by, from what I can see, a body kit that actually has some aerodynamic benefits. With all the hype surrounding the low and slow lifestyle I have my concerns as to where the future lies for automotive performance especially in consideration of commodity costs, replicas and unemployment. Whose pushing the envelope?
FRENCH
About time……
The past 3 weeks of my life have been totally stressful. Before doing all the work, I thought doing a color change on an S2000 wouldn’t be that bad……………FALSE!!!! Not that it was terrible.. but it’s a serious amount of work. But in the end, it all paid off!! Also picked up a set of XD-9′s and went about an inch lower than I was on the old wheels…. Stay tuned for the full shoot/feature!!
-Chris Amodei-
Waterfest 17. From a different lens…
Even though it was a scorcher, much fun was had during that fine Sunday. The early morning rendezvous only meant that we would be heading home earlier that day but I was fine with that. It meant escaping the heat (sort of, my car has no AC ughhhh) and beating some traffic (not really, we live on Long Island cmonnn). Either way here are some more shots that were taken that day. (The rollers were taken by Fran Matura.)
-Brian
Full set can be found here on Flickr.
Frank’s ride for the day…
Rolling out of the heavens…
RS4′s were plentiful in NJ that day…
Did I mention it was really hot out? That might explain their lack of pants. I hope…
The BOSS…
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