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!!!!!!
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
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
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
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
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…
Summer Slam…
Waking up early on a Sunday is not something that I usually look forward to, but this past weekend I was headed out to Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ for the 16th annual Summer Slam. Being that my wheels were to be traded very soon I didn’t feel like risking any damage on those crappy NJ roads, so I hopped in with a friend and her Mini Cooper S. We were cruising with another friend on his Yamaha R6 so we were not alone on the drive. After some trouble with the EZ Pass and some paperwork at the toll for the Verrazano Narrows Bridge it was smooth sailing. I had never really been in a Mini for more than a short drive before so I was curious as to how the ride was going to be. Several weeks ago she had installed some BC Racing Coilovers and after we made some recent adjustments to them they rode great. Aside from some occasional rubbing from her stock wheels and giant tires everything was gravy.
After a short stop to take advantage of Jersey’s cheap gas and to scarf down some less-than-healthy BK breakfast sandwiches we pulled up to the gates at E-Town. Walking through the parking lot up to the grand stands and the pits where the show was held I could almost swear I saw the entire Rota wheel catalog. If the show was going to be anything like the lot was I was ready to head home, but I was pleasantly surprised once I walked through the pits. I was instantly bombarded with the potent aroma of combusted race gas. That combined with the style of drag cars present put a smile on my face. From the classic Toyotas, Datsuns to the old rotary Mazdas I was in awe of the actual size of these cars in person and the fact that they run sub 8 second 1/4 mile times at speeds in excess of 180 mph. From the pits we made our way over to the bulk of the show cars. Liberty VIP car club had some of the finest vehicles there. Those guys keep raising the bar every time I see them. There were a few hidden gems intertwined with the retarded sound systems and the Lambo doors.
To finish the day off, we baked ourselves in the sun on grandstands to watch some races. It started off slow but got really good as the faster classes took to the track. Watching a car dial in at 7.90 only to break out and watch the team get just as excited as if they had won was entertaining and refreshing as well. It’s that kind of excitement that let’s everyone know that they were really pushing the car to its fullest. All in all it was a great day and the event is definitely on my list for next year.
-Brian.
Check out the full set HERE.
East Coast Bash!
It was a GREAT time. Even though the ride there and back wasn’t the best time I’ve ever had (shitty roads in a slammed 350z) we had a great time!! There was a lot of great cars and drivers. I really give credit to everyone that participated and give credit to Club Loose for hosting such a great event!! And while I baked in the sun getting covered in rubber on the side of the track, Brian was on the other side of the park at the 1/4 mile races. Here’s what I came up with! Enjoy!
Click here for the rest of the set!!!
-Chris Amodei-
Click HERE for the rest of the set!!
Wicked Sun Burn…
This past Saturday I headed up to Stafford Springs Connecticut for the Wicked Big Meet. Spilner and Chris were headed up a little earlier due to the fact that Spilner’s car was to be featured in the EFI booth that day. I, on the other hand, was in no rush and was on the road by about 6 am. Those that know me well know I am forever late so this was after we had planned to be on the highway by 5:30. NBD.
The drive up could have been much worse. Being on the roads that early allowed me to experience the trip through metro NY without the usual bumper to bumper traffic. Win. This also made battling the warzone-like road conditions that much better. Let me tell you, NYC commuters do not appreciate you slowing down to 10 mph to go over expansion joints on the Throggs Neck Bridge!
We actually arrived about an hour earlier than the 10 am show time so we sat around and admired what was in store for us once we entered. This being an actual Subaru show I was hard pressed to find some other “fitment” enthusiasts. I did my best and scoped out a few including the BagRiders Impreza that was there. It was nice on the other hand to see the older GC’s in attendance with the numbers on their side. Definitely the most I’ve seen in one place. Some really nice representations as well.
Overall it was a great day. The venue was certainly large enough to support the 2000+ that showed up and it was really cool to see some race prepped vehicles doing their thing on the track. The one thing I did not plan for was the sun. I went home that day the same color as a lobster. Since the vendor area was hosted on the asphalt everyone baked out there. It was all worth it though. Vendors and attendees brought out their best to show off what the East Coast has to offer. Even a few from Canada made the trip down. I will be in attendance next year for sure.
-Brian
View the full set HERE.
They call it “Vintage Style”….
While browsing the S2000 forums, I came across this gorgeous MR2, and just fell in love with it. Synth19 Photo & Mike Maravilla did a great job with the photos and video of this car! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did… Click HERE for the write up from JDM Chicago!!!
-Chris Amodei-
Wicked!!
This past Saturday Spilner and I headed up north to Wicked Big Meet…..at 4am, but made some awesome time! Had to stop once on I-84 to re-fill the E-85, and knocked out (maybe killed) a little squirrel with Spilner’s front lip…. but after that, things went smooth. Here’s the shots I got and make sure you check out my Flickr for the rest of the photos!!
-Chris Amodei-
Click here for the full set!!!
And sorry to the kid that I iced!! But you took it like a champ, even though it was baking in the sun for a bit….
Island Import car show!
Spilner and I attended the Island Import show today. The Arthus showed up a bit late, but showed his face. Unfortunately the weather didn’t really want to cooperate with us, but at least the rain held off.. Very nice turnout with a bunch of nice cars. EEM was there as well with their nicely done VW’s and Audi’s. Here’s my coverage from today! Enjoy!!
Click here for the full set!!!
-Chris Amodei-
Green With Envy…
Please pardon the horrible pun but it’s been a long weekend. Although I do enjoy the rare and much appreciated 3 day weekend, this one wore me out. Between the constant eating and drinking, the sun finally chose to make an appearance this weekend. I have the sunburn to prove it. Suffice it to say I am not totally upset to be sitting at my desk in my air conditioned office. So as I begin my daily ritual of surfing the forums at work I was pleasantly surprised to find, amongst the loads of late model VW’s and E36′s that seem to flood the scene these days, this stunning Mk1 Rabbit.
I don’t know too much about this Bunny but I think I am in love. From the Manila Green paint to the polished euro-bumpers the simplicity and cleanliness just get me. Sitting on a set of what looks like a set of 15 inch BBS E30 Motorsport wheels the package is completed. The twin-weber’d 16v under the bonnet is another plus. It seems you will be pleasantly surprised as your turn every corner with this car. Enjoy.
-Brian
Photos by: krisclewell
Click to expand the photos.
Brian’s Saabaru, end of the world photoshoot!!!
So I met up with Brian today…. AKA “The Arthus” to take some photo’s… We wound cruising out to Northport to shoot at the first location. We then ended up driving back east toPort Jefferson.. having to stop a few times to put my top up due to rain… Sadly the place was crowded so we sat down an got a bite to eat. Turned out to be a pretty good day… even though the world was supposed to come to an end………
-Chris Amodei-
Full set can be found on my flickr
Always Late!
I’m still amazed by the turnout we had for the Italian Ice meet this past Saturday. Thanks to everyone that made it out! It was one of the best days so far this season. I look forward to many many more just like it. That being said I would like to share the point of view from my lens. A good portion of these shots were taken by Fran Matura, who was my co-pilot for the day, so I have to give credit where credit is due. Check ‘em out.
-Brian
Check out the whole set HERE on Flickr.
I Heart Wagons.
After seeing this thing pop up on WrongFitmentCrew I had to share. The owner goes by TheGeeWag. Enjoy.
-Brian
Photo Credit: TheGeeWag
Sunday Funday!
While the rest of the S2000 crew is out enjoying a Tuesday night S2ki.com meet, I’m home spending time with some pain meds, and getting acquainted with the new holes in my gums where my wisdom teeth used to be. At least I have some time to edit video footage from this past weekend.
As French highlighted yesterday, we took a ride out to Airport Plaza in Farmingdale for a small meet up and a Sunday cruise. It had all the makings of a good day: sunshine, warm (but not too warm) temperatures, an abundance of fast cars and bikes to play with en route, and of course all the hilarious antics that ensue when we all get together. We managed to capture some of it on video.
Enjoy.
-e
It’s been awhile…..
Its been long enough since I’ve posted. But my hard drive crashing a few days ago didn’t help things. I’ve been working on this shoot of Spilner’s car for a bit now and I’m finally done with it. It took a little while for us to agree on some shots, but it’s finally done. Enjoy!!
Full set can be found here!!!!
-Chris Amodei-
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