A decade is a long time to dedicate to anything. So much can change in ten years that it takes a truly driven individual, or group of individuals to repeatedly devote both their time and energy year after year to a free event.

The Toronto chapter of the Majestics Car Club is a perfect example of a group that does what it can to support its lane of the automotive lifestyle. For ten years they’ve been giving back and showing love to not only Toronto Area ‘riders, but Ottawa, Montreal and Beyond.

Now, technically, 2022 would have marked the twelfth anniversary but Covid saw fit to tweak the numbers a bit. Making this the tenth event that took place twelve years after the first. Two plus two equals 6 here but it’s fine.

Miraculously I’ve been able to attend most of them along the way. They’re a favourite event of my son’s, so I don’t see that trend anytime soon either.

As always the BBQ was held at a park down by the Lakeshore, west of the City of Toronto. The Majestics were present, of course, alongside other notable local crews such as Luxurious, Rollerz Only and Affiliated.

There was also a great presence from Oldies, and Aftermath a club that was established fairly recently.

Many of the cars from Aftermath are fairly familiar. I’ve probably taken a very similar photo of this car every year I’ve seen it. It’s hard to resist though. Look up lowrider Impala in the dictionary and this car ticks off all the boxes. Chrome, wires, hydraulics, stereo. Done exquisitely.

On the other side of the lot “Oldies” parked something a little different alongside a few of their classic Bombs. Trackers in general are rare birds here in Ontario. Seeing them outside of an event is pretty much something that never happens.

I have no idea where they managed to find one so darn clean. As the plates stated; nothing too crazy was done to this one, they just kept it G. Maybe for the next event, they’ll bring out a green Foxbody drop on gold wires?

I can hear Computer Love playing now.

As I turned away from the Geo I was shocked to see just how many cars had filled the venue. It seemed like the roll-in of vehicles was non-stop throughout the day.

The group has never used this parking lot before and may have already outgrown it.

Many returning events have suffered from the after-effects of Covid with attendance numbers on the decline. This BBQ didn’t have this issue, far from it really. They actually had to start parking cars on the street in an attempt to keep everyone at least in the same vicinity.

I don’t have exact numbers, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Majestics said it was one of the largest they’ve held thus far.

As a photographer and clear fan of lowriders, more cars mean more opportunities to capture the wealth of details owners pore into these cars. If anything I had a bit of an issue hyper-focusing on some cars at the sacrifice of bringing a broader coverage.

So if I did miss your car my bad, no intended slight, I’m just easily distracted by shiny things.

As you can see, there was an endless supply of shiny things.

Impalas and wires abound, which is more than ok by me.

This stroller was pretty rad too. I’ve wanted to build something cool for my son to go with my project, but let’s be honest by the time I finish I’m going to just have to build him a car.

You may have noticed that this post is fairly light on specifics pertaining to each car because quite honestly, I’ve broken down the science of these cars before, and it’s really not required.

With these cars, it’s just easier to let the photos do the talking and give those of you unable to attend the opportunity to take it all in.

Yes, taking it all in includes the fan favourite hopping. Hopping is one of those things that you either get you you don’t.

To me it’s like drifting, these cars are built for a purpose that’s a little different than their factory intended purpose.

From a functional and practical standpoint, it might not make a whole lot of sense, but it’s incredibly cool all the same. Life’s too short not to do what you love, even if some people will never get it.

There’s also a serious amount of time and dedication put into these cars to make them do what they do so well. As someone that appreciates fabrication, I love seeing cars hit bumper.

If you ever have a chance to see it first hand I suggest it.

So as always, my hats are tipped to the local lowrider community for their welcome and hospitality. See you at the next one.

Obviously, around here it’s assumed that I’ll be going to some sort of a car show anyway, but it’s still nice to have that ace up my sleeve one Sunday a year.

For 2022 my Father’s Day event of choice was the Toronto Hot Rod Kulture Season Opener. Some of you might remember I started attending these shows last year.

Host by the Road Reapers Car club these are charity events that take place typically one Sunday of each month, weather permitting.

The events are held at 75 Billy Bishop Way in North York which makes it a reasonable drive for most people in the Greater Toronto Area. However, some people do end up coming from pretty damn far.

As the name implies THRK is generally aimed toward Hot Rods. That’s fine by me because –as if you have not noticed– with each passing year I see to dive deeper and deeper into the local hot rod community.

Don’t worry Import guys, I’ll still make my way out to a few events. But, at least for Father’s day 2022 it was hot rods all the way.

The THRK events, much like Cars and Coffee, take place pretty early. Finishing up by 11 or so in the morning they leave plenty of daylight left for adult responsibilities.

Sure, you might have to wake up a little early, but the early bird gets the worm as they say.

Or perhaps in this case the early bird gets to see the Shelby Cobra? This was a seriously nice example of an authentic car.

One day I have to weasel my way into a ride in one of these cars. Real or Factory Five, I’m not too picky.

There were quite a few trucks in attendance, which is something I will never, ever, complain about. I’m not sure how many of you have been paying attention but the track market (I suppose like every other market) has gone absolutely mad.

Glad I picked up Project Why Wait when I did because I absolutely would not be able to afford it now.

Now I  just have to finish the damn thing so I can park up next to this killer Chevy.

Yes, I saw this truck last year, actually, I’ve probably taken photos of it at least 4 years in a row. Also, yes I am going to keep doing it as well. I’m sure you’re all fine with it.

Another car you can expect to see a lot of photos of is CJ’s turbo LS-powered Impala. I saw this car for the first time at Motorama.

My Motorama coverage was posted predominantly on Speedhunters and in that coverage, I mentioned he built the entire car in a single-car garage.

A single-car garage that lacks dedicated power.

That includes doing all the paintwork himself. Where there’s a will there’s a way as they say.

That’s probably my favourite part about Toronto Hot Rod Kulture events. Most of the vehicles have stories to tell.

If they don’t their owners do and most are more than willing to spend a few minutes chatting about what they’ve driven out to the event.

Or if they don’t have a real story they’re just plain cool.

Speaking of just plain cool, this COE was one of the coolest vehicles at the event.

It might be one of the coolest vehicles I’ll see all year. So much so that I’ll have a post up in a few days dedicated exclusively to it.

As I wrap this one up I need to give one more thanks to the guys at Toronto Hot Rod Kulture and the Road Reapers for doing what you do for the community.

If you want to catch the next Toronto Hot Rod Kulture event be sure to follow them on Instagram.

However the last two years have been absolutely crazy, so I guess it all makes sense. For the out of towners, Ontario has been one of the most strict provinces in Canada with Covid-19 restrictions.

This meant that pretty well every indoor show was left to hurry up and wait. Saturday April 9th marked that wait as over with ImportExpo Toronto.

It’s not at all a secret that I’ve been to a lot of events, on both sides of the Canadian and US border. With that info I can honestly say without hyperbole that ImportExpo was one of the busiest shows I have ever been too.

I arrived two hours after doors opened and there was still a line up around the building. Inside people were everywhere.

As a fan of the local car community it was awesome to see the support for the first show in two years.

As a photographer, I had a tricky job ahead of me. People make very poor windows so I had to pick my shots carefully.

The best tactic in most cases was portrait photos, as I had less of a chance of catching someone walking through the frame.

This makes this round of coverage a little bit different than my typical, but I’m always down to make lemonade from lemons.

If the numbers ‘Expo is are indication, it should be a pretty eventful show season here in Ontario.

During Covid the natural thing for car people to do is build and wrench. All this time meant many were happy to show of their latest round of modifications.

Cars I became accustomed to looking at one way remerged with visual or mechanical overhauls. Or often both.

This helped keep the show from feeling too repetitive overall.

I already gavethe Prazis Air JP M45 some shine but there were quite a few that had a remixed vibe going on.

One such example is the Import Expo NSX. Brett has had this NSX for many years now and every year he gives it a bit of a makeover.

For reference, the last time it appeared on the site it looked like the above. Sitting on mag blue TE37s.

The changes this year are much more significant than a new finish on the wheels.

The car is now freshly twin charged. With a supercharger on one end of the motor and a turbocharger on the other.

I don’t know if the car is currently fully tuned in this configuration, but it was incredibly impressive to look at none the less.

It’s a heck of a lot, in not a lot of space. Might have to see if its possible to get a closer look at this car on another day.

While we’re talking Hondas, its always nice to see more than one clean EFs at an event. Frank Vitulli’s we’ve seen several times before but the teal one is new to me.

I can’t help but shake my head at how many of these cars got sent to early graves around here.

Tuned By Nick also had one of my favorite Honda-powered vehicles at the event. Yes, I said Honda powered.

Nick has swapped in a turbocharged Honda K motor.

It’s really stuffed in there, but the car does work rather well if his YouTube channel is to tell the tale.

You guys already know I love a good off brand swap, and this one really at the Porsche Purists wondering if anything is still sacred.

Being as busy as the show was, the time went fast as a I bobbed and weaved the people who remained.

On my way out there was one car I absolutely had to take another look at this stunning red mk3 Toyota Supra

I think I may have seen the car before, but as they say wheels can totally change a vehicle.

The 3 piece conversion donr to these factory Toyota wheels completely changes their look and honestly puts plenty of after market wheels to damn shame.

As the Import Expo trophies say, Saturday Night certainly was live. Hopefully for the next event they can get a bit more of the venue to allow for both more cars and more people.

Either way I’m excited to see what Ontario has to offer for 2022. We’re back, finally!

For the locals I’m preaching to the choir but to the out of towners; Ontario has been in some form of Covid-19 related lock down for a long time.

But all that is finally showing some sign of passing allowing local groups to hold small meets for now, and eventually larger shows later this summer.

Last Sunday, July 19th, I popped my head out of the sand to take in one of Toronto Hot Rod Kulture’s summer gatherings.

These events, which started las year, are similar to Toronto Cars And Coffee events but with more of a hot rod focus.

Held in Scarborough they’re also a little closer to home for east siders like myself.

Chill by nature, these meets bring out a nice variety of cars, bikes, and people. It’s the type of meet that reminds me why I like the Ontario scene so much.

While we have some non sensical cruft (Takeovers can go straight to hell) the majority of us just love cars, period.

We also want to be around similarly minded people without drama and don’t need any form of trophy or awards. Just a good few hours looking at cars.

For a father like myself events like this are perfect. A bunch of awesome in short order, leaving the rest of the day to wherever the wind may take me.

Living up to ‘awesome’ is this 67 Camaro. I am on a real pro street kick lately so I am certainly here for everything this car is about.

Mopar fans fret not, you were all well represented as well. This GTX pulled in as I was leaving so I’ll be sure to get more photos of it next time.

The Hemi did sound pretty damn serious if you’re wondering.
I’ve seen this truck progress over the years from the above to the below.

It currently features a rather tidy turbo setup stuffed into a relatively small engine room.

It’s nice to see a nearly ten year long commitment to iterating upon a vehicle. I’m sure it’s quite the ride now.

What would a meet like this be without a small amount of engine porn? I’m always looking for engine bay inspiration for my own project.

Speaking of inspiration. This truck is no stranger to the site. I’ve posted it numerous times before from Motorama to Cars ‘N Coffee.

The tidy engine bay and flawless interior are quite elegantly done.

However, the most recent stand out for me has to be the wheels. They are made by Augment Wheel Company.

Essentially they are bespoke aluminum wheels made to look like steel wheels. Previously the car stat on Detroit Steel Wheels in candy red.

The Detroit Steel hoops looked good too but there’s just no denying this new set completely transform the look of the truck.

The owner Richie was great to talk to about a few things I had questions on with my build and wildly enough he owned the e36 that was one of the first cars ever posted on this site.

Neat.

Toronto Hot Rod Kulture plans to do more of these events throughout the rest of the year so be sure to follow them on Instagram for the next one.

It’s Saturday morning, I don’t particularly have much to do and my son doesn’t have a BMX race to go to. Summer might be slipping away, but on this particular day the weather was perfect.

Hot enough to be enjoyable, but not so hot that air conditioning is required. On a day such as this what else would I do but check out a car show?

Or perhaps maybe two?

Ash has been racing his bike a lot this year which has meant we’ve missed every lowrider show thus far.

I was worried Ash wouldn’t get to see a single “up down” car in 2019, but thankfully Rollerz Only likes to host their BBQ late in the summer and as I said before, we were both free.

This was my first Rollerz Only shindig, but, like every other Lowrider BBQ I’ve been to the three most important things remained great; the music, the food, and the cars.

The only downside to this venue, perhaps, was the space. It was pretty tight quarters, but you know how it is, get in where you fit in.

The two Cadillacs above were a treat to see, and I actually ran into them a second time later that day at the second show we ended up going to.

But we’ll get to that in just a second, first there’s a few more lowriders to let shine.

The Lowrider community in Ontario never ceases to impress me, even essentially eight years on from when I first discovered it.

Builds that have been “finished” for years still look stunning, and the new cars on the block have only raised the bar.

I’d really love to attend a lowrider event stateside and see how Canada stacks up in comparison.

After firing a few more shots at the Rollerz BBQ Ash and I headed about fifteen minutes down the road to the Road Agents Fourth Annual Car show.

The event was winding down when I arrived but there were still a number of pretty cool builds around. Including the 2.0T swapped MK1 above and below this text.

I also couldn’t help take a picture of this super clean Golf. Having not been to any Euro-centric shows this year I hadn’t seen many Golfs in 2019.

Beside the Golf was Alan’s absolutely beautiful S52 swapped E30. Alan has had this car for close to, if not, two decades and he’s done a tremendous job with it. If you want to learn a little bit more about this car I wrote a feature on it for Speedhunters a few months ago.

That’s all for this little Saturday romp, but here’s a couple more photos.

I messed up. Yep, I’m not too proud to admit it when I make an mistake. I messed up and missed what many have said was the best Jalopy Jam Up ever. I know that statement seems a little weird, given here I am writing about the Jalopy Jam Up but it’s true.

After covering the morning and early afternoon events of the show consecutively the past few years this go round I wanted to approach things a little differently. The plan was to arrive later in the day, and stay on into the night to catch some of the better lighting and passionate night life.

My reasoning for this is quite honestly I’ve taken enough shots in harsh light, and I’ve become quite fond of golden hour. I’ve also heard good things about the Jam Up party so the idea seemed sound.

Unfortunately my day leading up to the festivities didn’t go quite to plan and I arrived to the Rockton Fairgrounds nearly two hours later than intended. The last scheduled event ended around three, so, as you can imagine a lot of people had left, or were planning on leaving by the time I strolled in at half past 5.

While many had left, or were in the process of leaving there were still a fair number of people who hadn’t pointed there vehicle toward the exit.

Some were saying for the night, others just until then felt like leaving, either way instead of continuing to kick myself I focused my lens on the vehicles that remained.

So while I can’t exactly present this as all encompassing coverage of the sixth annual jalopy Jam Up I can at least present it as something.

Which is better than nothing.

One of my favorite cars of the event sat right near the entrance and made the trek from across the border.

Joe Siclari’s ’61 Olds was stunning. I can’t recall the last time I was so blindsided by a car.

There was not single unnecessary modification done. It was spotless everywhere you looked, the paint was phenomenal and it was driven.

I could have stared at this car for hours.

Speaking of cars I never tire of, Keith brought out the Binbrook Coupe which always looks good no matter the conditions or light.

My friend Mark brought his shovel head to the show. He built the bike in his garage and had been riding it as much as possible.

Don’t post a lot of bikes on the site but it’s too good not to.

One of the best parts of the Jam Up is that it caters to both hot rods and customs. As someone who likes both, it’s really the perfect show.

Even though I missed most of it, I could tell it was a good one even based on the few cars that were left.

As day continued to rapidly progress to night I took advantage of this custom Shoebox sitting all by its lonesome.

Chopped, slammed, frenched headlights painted in a deep black with razor straight body lines it was a pretty easy car to shoot as it really didn’t have a single bad angle.

Eventually the light got a bit too difficult to shoot in and I put my camera gear away.

That was pretty short lived as shortly afterward a couple cars equipped with flame throwers opted to put down a little heat.

Having never shot flames before I didn’t miss the opportunity.

All and all I had a great time at the Jam Up (as always) and can’t wait for next year, where I’ll hopefully have a watch that keeps me honest and gets me there on time.

Enjoy a few more photos from the day below.

Eurokracy, Formula D, Indy. Everything I’ve been to, with camera or without, has been incredibly on point.

Euro, import, domestic… it doesn’t matter Quebec manages to nail basically every genre. One of the groups out in Quebec that has been consistently operating at a high caliber is Low Level.

After popping up at Fitted a few years ago I’ve been keeping my eye on the group and have always been impressed. For 2019 they decided to give back to the community with Riverside.

Riverside was an event held to raise money for GEST (Groupe d’entraide Sorel-Tracy) an organization that helps equip kids with the supplies they need to be successful in school.

Along with hosting a seriously nice collection of cars Riverside raised $7800 worth of donations for the organization.

I wasn’t at the show personally but FCVDO‘s Kevin Chapdelaine was and he’s graciously provided his coverage for SIE. He submitted the coverage a few weeks ago but –blame the writer– I am just now getting it posted up on the site.

Better late than never as they say.

It’s pretty cool to see that the work of Chopshop stands out wherever it goes. Kevin has been steadily honing his air install skills over the past few years and he’s managed to crank out some outstanding installs and remarkable vehicles.

I love seeing people who are committed to producing quality, gimmick free, work succeed.

Everyone loves a good sleeper, and with the hood closed I imagine this IS300 would be just that. Sure it’s lowered a bit, but nothing outrageous and those large rear tires probably go unnoticed at first glance.

The stock body hides a bit as well but I imagine above 3000 RPM the Borgwarner fed fully built 2J is a hard motor to keep under wraps.

Not to be outdone however, Kevin himself popped the hood on his supercharged LS powered bagged s10. Again Kevin’s truck isn’t exactly a sleeper, per say, but if you were to assume this car only had a 4.3 during a highway encounter things might not go your way.

One detail I’ve always loved on this truck are the upsized Iroc wheels. S10s and Irocs I’ve always been a sucker for.

Speaking of love what is not to love about a Datsun 510 sitting on Wats with white lettered Toyo Proxes?
This Datsun is significantly up on power from stock thanks to a very cleanly executed SR20 swap. But that’s actually not the most unique thing done to this car.

It wears a Carbon Signal Hakobird kit which makes the front end of the humble 510 motor closely resemble that of the revered Hakosuka (the first Nissan GTR). From what I understand it’s the only one of it’s kind currently in Canada. Pretty slick piece of kit if you ask me.

I might have to bug Kevin and the FCVDO guys for a few more photos from events out in Quebec this summer. It looks like they’re hiding plenty of cool cars over there.

Take a look at a few more photos from the show below.

That said I have still been making it out to events as best I can and I’ve got a lot of coverage forth coming. I’ve also got a bit of a surprise I’ve been working on during the nights I can’t sleep as well.

In the meantime, here’s a bit of coverage from Fitted Lifestyle’s 10th anniversary event. I say a bit, because there’s more to come, after a similar post over on Speedhunters.

Don’t worry that will be soon…

If you’re not already be sure to follow SIE on Instagram (@stanceiseverythingcom) I update that pretty regularly between the longer posts I’ll be doing here.

Right before Motorama I completely ruptured my left Achilles Tendon. I’ve tried to convince myself this isn’t a serious injury in reality it is. I carried on as best I could for a bit, with the help of a mobility scooter, but my desire to do much of anything was at an all time low.

Not being able to put weight on your foot, get around without crutches, or sit without it swelling up will do that. When I was given the go to walk in the cast I focus nearly all my free time towards physiotherapy so I could get back into a shoe.

I’m happy to say that I’m now out of the boot. However it’s not all sunshine and roses. I’m pretty damn slow which makes getting from place to place quite trying.

I’m not sure how many of you have re-learned how to walk but it’s not easy. Both mentally and physically it’s perhaps one the toughest challenges I’ve been dealt.

I say all of this only because the 2019 Toronto Cars and Coffee season opener was absolutely massive and I was only able to cover a very small part of it.

I had actually considered sitting the event out, but what sort of Ontario media guy would I be if I did that?

Engineered Automotive has been growing this event, quite successfully I might add, year after year and the deserve their props for that. This event had to be the largest yet, with the turnout being absolutely staggering.

View this post on Instagram

We are truly honored to be able to host Cars n’ Coffee with such an amazing car community! We estimated over 1200 cars, trucks, and bikes for our Season opener! What an incredible turnout! Thank you to everyone who came out! Thank you to @momsbistroto for the coffee, strudels and breakfast sandwiches! Thanks @onlinedetailingstore for bringing some of your great detailing products. Thank you @scarfonephoto for what I’m sure will be some amazing photos. Thank you @lovejoy.productions for the hours of chasing cars and what I know will be an incredible video. Thank you @automotivewoman for coming out and featuring us on your YouTube channel! More big things to come! Thank you @djdavelive for keeping us grooving all morning! And thank you to @zhenya_dokanin for the drone shots! #eacarsncoffee

A post shared by Cars n'Coffee (@eacarsncoffee) on May 5, 2019 at 4:52pm PDT

What that drone photo above doesn’t show is just how many of the surrounding lots were also packed to the gills with cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

Spring 2019 has had a few stops and starts and a lot of rain so the fact that Sunday was beautiful certainlt didn’t hurt. People were eager let their summer toys, or winter projects stretch their legs.

Gil of the Scraped Crusaders was one of those people. He picked up an e46 Touring sometime over the winter and wasted no time jamming it on BBS wheels, which seems to kind of be his thing to do.

Brett Lyver, previous owner of one of my absolute favourite Lexus LS400s recently finished putting together this 325 e30 cabriolet.

Fit with some MTECH II style lower valances, ARE wheels and a healthy drop this car looks fantastic.

It’s a pretty simple in all honesty but that is what makes it so timeless. The fact he pulled up with his two kids riding along with him didn’t hurt the car’s case either.

Brett didn’t have the only e30 at the meet, there were several, but the only other one I managed to catch was this 325is.

Yes, I said 325is. I know it looks like an e30 M3 but it’s not, however it’s done pretty damn well for a clone. From memory a turbo M50 sits under hood as well, which is more reliable and makes more power than the temperamental s14 anyway.

Speaking of done well, Jag’s now Hemi powered bagged Jeep is the automotive representation of that. He’s already netted two best of show awards this year with spring hardly sprung.

I do believe this was the first event he drove the car too and from after the swap.

Inside, Infract Customs was posted up with both his small block powered mini and turbo GSXR1000 powered Volkswagen Beetle.

You want chaos with steering wheel? Then this is sure to be the ticket.

Also inside the EA facility was this twin turbo, big block, first generation Camaro. I’m sure this car is also a bit of a handful to drive.

A car that was really nice to see complete was this long-term Cyrious Garageworks Datsun build.

The last time I saw the car, during a shop visit for Speedhunters, it was well on its way to completion but not quite done yet. Looks like it’s all finished now.

Fans of detail would love this car, literally no bolt left un-turned bring the car to this standard.

However, of all the builds at my favorite was (surprise surprise) a truck. Cars and Coffee is one of those events where you’ve really got to keep an eye on the stock looking vehicles with their hoods up.

The inter-cooler gives the motor swap on this one away a little but, but that really can’t be helped.

Looking under the hood it’s clear there was very little room for the 1JZ in the stock first gen Tacoma engine bay.

I was hoping to get to talk to the owner about the build but I wasn’t able to track him down on the few occasions I revisited the little green truck. Here’s hoping this isn’t the last time I see it.

Words wise, that’s pretty much all I’ve got for this first event, but there’s a few more photos of this and that below.

Hopefully by the next event I’ll be in a bit better shape to do some more holistic coverage. That, or I’ll get my knee scooter back out and use that to get around.

Though that thing is pretty sketchy outside…

Falling after Motorama/Spring Fever, but before Fitted, predicting what cars will appear at the ImportExpo season opener is no easy task. This actually makes it somewhat of an interesting show to attend.

It’s impossible to know who will make the show and who won’t. Many of the notable attendees at other shows are absent at Expo. Thankfully the show runs a pretty tight ship in regards to who gets in and who doesn’t. The result of this rigor is an overall high caliber of vehicles.

Additionally there’s usually a fair deal of cars at the show I’ve never seen before.

Being a variety whore, I always like to see new cars at an event so hat tip to the Import Expo oragnizers for coaxing out some new metal.

As a show that’s early on the calendar people are eager to get their new looks out in front of as many eyes as possible. One of the cars making the most waves in that regard was this red 86.

The day before Import Expo vehicle sponsor Nextmod actually posted this car on their alignment rack. Due to the extreme working angles the machine actually laughed at the prospect of aligning the car, assuming the sensors were mounted incorrectly.

A careful read through the comments of that post reveals the camber is in excess of 20 degrees negative which is pretty hefty. In fact it’s some of the most I’ve seen locally.

It’s not to my taste, but as the saying goes to each their own. Hopefully the MTO is kind to him this year. Or at least if not kind to him, the rest of us.

I had the chance to talk to the owner of this car at Spring Fever and man, did it bring back a lot of memories or my early days as an e30 owner.

This 325is is a single family owned, Canadian car, and a shockingly clean one at that. The original paint shows well and overall it’s a well put together example.

Air ride and a timeless wheel choice go a long way. Expect photos of this one pretty much anytime I see it, sorry not sorry.

Another Spring Fever alum, is this turbocharged, b16 swapped Mini. I really didn’t think the owner would be able to fit a grill, or most of a grill, on the car but he sure proved me wrong.

The car isn’t quite complete yet, but it has all the makings of an absolute monster once shakedown is completed. So, the addition of the new neon green cage makes a lot of sense.

Maybe someone can convince the owner to bring the car out to a CSCS Racing event later this season. I am sure that I’m not the only one who’d like to see the car stretch its legs.

Another car that is probably an absolute riot to drive is this W10 MR2. As you can probably tell by the wheel and tire selection this car is set up for straight line domination.

So, naturally, I had to see what was going on under the engine cover.

Twin carbs, and a big bottle of giggle gas? That’ll get the job done. Performance modifications aside the car was also overall incredibly clean something that I always appreciate from a show car.

On the topic of cleanliness, one local car club that does things right is Team Mayzn. All of their vehicles are done to an incredibly high standard and subtly improve year over year.

They’re not a crew known for shock value modifications and I truly appreciate that aspect of their group.

Actually, to that point, I kind of feel like I got old all at once at ImportExpo. I directed an almost disproportionate amount of my time to vehicles that, at least from a visual aspect, could be considered lightly modified.

This Type R was more or less stock and I absolutely loved it. These were great looking cars in their day and in my opinion they’ve aged exceptionally well.

They also embody an era of cars that is pretty much done and gone, as we move closer and closer to generic pods with each blobby CUV.

Championship white has always been my preferred Type R color, so I really dug this Spoon brake and Mugen wheel equipped DC integra.

Of course I couldn’t help but notice the NSX behind it.

I’m not sure if I’ve seen this particular car before, and as a result I wasn’t familiar with the make of the over fenders. Some research revealed they are Chicochopshop pieces that have been installed without visible rivets.

The car is also apparently turbocharged, though I managed to miss getting photos of that. A bit of a flub on my behalf but hopefully the next few Hondas I’ve selected to end the post with make up for it.

I have seen this NSX before, and it belongs to @johndimsum who owns a seemingly endless fleet of mind blowing vehicles. No, your eyes don’t mistake you, that is a lot of not so factory piping under the opened engine cover.

The GruppeM supercharger on this car pushes the output to 512whp. His cars usually make closer to quad digit horsepower so I am almost thinking those might be baseline numbers…

Continuing the clean boosted, Honda/Acura trend this battleship grey DC is a car I revisited on a few occasions. Cars like these make me wish I was a bit more of a Honda head so I could pick out all the intricate details that are no doubt prevalent throughout the build.

I can of course pick out the obvious, like a high polished Jackson Racing supercharger.

The ultimate JDM showcase at the show belonged to Chase (@mugenbeat). Both of the vehicles are Japanese imports and each were some of the cleanest vehicles at the show.

Not only that, Chase has collected pretty much every Step Wagon bit of memorabilia there is, on top of hoarding nearly every possible Step Wagon accessory available.

As for the Van itself, it’s one that I could poke my camera round for hours and miss all sorts of details. If there’s a modification of accessory available, changes are this van has it.

The ability to coax out enthusiasts like this is what helps differentiate Import Expo from some of the other shows in the area.

Personally I wouldn’t mind if the doubled down on JDM legends at the next event at the sacrifice of some other vehicles.

That’s just my personal take of course. But I feel like we’re approaching, or in the middle of, an 80s – 90s JDM renaissance. Personally I’m 100% OK with that.

But like I said before, maybe I’m getting old.