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Nismo Festival (3 of 3): The Lot

dresearch — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:31:02 +0000

The final part of this feature is of course all about the parking lots. I learned from attending the Hellaflush Japan event that the parking lots are swarming with tons of cars that would put a lot of show cars to shame back in the states. The parking lots at this event was Skyline heaven. Every year, every model, and more. It’s just amazing seeing so many ’71 Hakosuka Skylines parked like it’s just some other car. Every vintage car there was in pristine condition; I can’t imagine the time and effort each owner took to maintain their builds. You may find a lot of repetition in this gallery, and you’ll probably be sick of Skylines just as much as I am after this event.

Nismo Festival (2 of 3): The Track

dresearch — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:30:45 +0000

Part 2 features the various exhibition races that went on throughout the day; focused primarily on the Historical Car, DNA Run, and GT-R races. Being able to see years of Nissan engineering all together racing on the same track is such a beautiful sight.

Nismo Festival (Part 1 of 3): The Paddock

dresearch — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:22:35 +0000

The Nismo Festival happened this past Sunday at Fuji Speedway. My second event at this raceway park, full of sick cars and excitement on the track. Just traveling to Fuji was a breathtaking experience, being that it was a clear day the view of Mount Fuji was crisp and clear. Throughout the entire day there were events going on simultaneously throughout the entire park. There was something for every car enthusiast, from classic ’71 Hakosuka Skylines to the newest Nismo Leaf full-electric circuit cars. Just like Hellaflush Japan, I have to break the day down into three sections to keep things organized. A lot more racing shots from this event, definitely an experience seeing what I only used to see while playing the Gran Turismo game series. This part showcases the cars docked in the paddock at Fuji Speedway in between races.

Hellaflush Japan (Part 3 of 3): The Track

dresearch — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:07:21 +0000

Part 3 features Fuji Speedway’s circuit course and the miscellaneous events going on. The sound of cars flying through the course’s 1.5km straightaway while looking at some of Japan’s finest cars at the Hellaflush car show definitely adds to the experience. Being a roadster enthusiast from before definitely made my day even sweeter being able to watch the Roadster Cup and seeing the cars up close at the paddock while they were being tuned for the next race. There was also a karting and Vitz Cup race going on at the same time and we were able to view the kevlar bodied go-karts being tuned as well as the Toyota Vitz’s also being prepped for the races ahead.

Hellaflush Japan (Part 2 of 3): The Lot

dresearch — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 10:53:11 +0000

Part 2 features some of the many show-worthy cars that were in the parking lots throughout the day for Fatlace’s Hellaflush car show at Fuji Speedway. It was literally an extension of the car show; an overflow of quality builds that I hope everyone else that attended took the time to see. I know I missed a bunch of cars that left before I could snap shots of them. It’s not everyday you see a classic Skyline sitting in a parking lot like it’s just another car.

Hellaflush Japan (Part 1 of 3): The Show

dresearch — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 09:59:16 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve attended an automotive event, and I was long overdue in going out for a taste of Japan’s import automotive scene since arriving here in February. When I heard Fatlace was to bringing their Hellaflush car show to Japan, I was a bit skeptical to see how the show would turn out since it’s a U.S. based car show. It definitely caught me by surprise, the love and support the Japanese automotive community has for Fatlace for all they are doing to revolutionize the automotive culture to what it is today. I’ve been to quite a bit of car shows over the years and this show totally blew up all my past expectations I had for the quality of car builds in a car show…

It saddens me to see how primitive the builds are back in the states compared to the quality of builds in Japan. So much effort and detail are put into every little component, fitment is always on point, no half-assed bodywork on the fenders and quarter-panels, etc. and I’m only talking about the cars I saw in the parking lot while walking to the car show. Every car in the show (and the parking lots) would give some harsh competition to even the most elite cars I’ve seen online and in magazines. It just amazed me to see so much perfection all in one event.

Fatlace definitely did it right by hosting their show at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture. There were events going on simultaneously including a small drift-session at the Fuji drift course and miscellaneous races being held on the Fuji circuit from go-karts to the Vitz and Roadster Cups. It was definitely a day full of excitement throughout the entire park. I definitely felt the respect the local enthusiasts have for each other. Many people were so thankful to see people taking pictures of their cars, or just showing any kind of interest in their cars.

I snapped so many shots yesterday that I have to divide up the day into 3 separate parts to keep it organized. This part features the actual Hellaflush car show. So many quality cars all in one lot. I can only imagine what next year’s event would look like. Congratulations to Fatlace again, for another great show. Please enjoy all 172 photos from this part!

WEKFEST – Long Beach, CA

dresearch — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 06:41:01 +0000

While hitting up illest in Japantown, LA one weekend, I just so happened to come across a flyer for WEKFEST happening the same weekend I was up there. Goes to show how out of touch I am with the automotive scene… We were able to make it out to Long Beach to check out what SoCal has to offer. This was actually my first mainland car show experience, and it definitely did not disappoint. Tons of great builds from all different aspects of the scene; luxury, drift, grip, drag, etc.

Lance’s Accord Wagon

dresearch — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 05:36:05 +0000

A day before I left to Japan, I had the honor of shooting Lance’s wagon. I’ve watched him build up this car ever since he bought it, and I must say, it’s come a long way from the stock, family station-wagon it was before. This beauty made its first appearance in 2004 at Hawaii’s elite local carshow, Street Car Showoff, as a sleek-black VIP’d out wagon on polished Work Meister S1 wheels. The car was just as immaculate back then as it is today, but the fitment wasn’t perfected since it was before the whole “flush fitment” craze. He entered it in a couple other shows, then it suddenly disappeared in 2007. I had heard that Lance supposedly got bored and threw the car under the sheets for storage. I guess he was getting busy instead because a couple years later he messaged me to show a couple pictures of his car with a fresh coat of paint and custom body work done to the bodykit to add chrome accents. I was astounded to see that he redid his car since his jet black paint was already perfect.

I also need to mention that Lance does his own work for everything, he’s an expert in everything he touches, whether it being a master videographer and photographer for the nationally recognized website, teamrice.org, which he co-owned and operated with his cousin, Justin; or an expert automotive mechanic, bodywork and paint tech. He does it all, with perfection. He may have received some help from his friends from Team Ultraspeed to throw in his Japan-spec H23A motor swap with automatic transmission, but he is still quite the seasoned mechanic.

When I got a call from him saying the car was finally going to make an appearance in its new form at Fatlace’s Hellaflush show, I jumped at the opportunity to shoot it. Seeing his car in its new form was shocking, so much subtle things that made it so much more crazy; the custom re-barreled MAE Crown Jewel wheels to obtain perfect “flush” fitment, custom slotted Inspection body kit to accept chrome garnish trim, and custom xenon retrofitted Japan-spec Accord headlights with Acura TSX projectors and BMW E46 shrouds are a few things to note.

On my hectic Sunday this past weekend in Japan, I received word that Lance won best in show at Hellaflush the same day Saturday in Hawaii. I was glad to hear his work was appreciated by mainland judges and that his car would obtain the proper worldwide exposure it deserves. I can only wait to see whether or not this beast will go MIA again to mystify its existence for another time. Enjoy the pics, as this will be the last of my limited automotive photoshoots in Hawaii for a long time. Aloha.

Helluva Rides 3

dresearch — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 03:43:29 +0000

SPOCOM

dresearch — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:35:27 +0000