In my opinion, Driven 2015 was the best one in Calgary yet. Everyone I spoke to agreed that this year the standard just seemed to be higher in terms of cars. It was awesome to see so many familiar projects sporting new parts and to see some builds that seemingly came out of nowhere. Vehicles were brought in from other provinces as well giving us a chance to see cars that we hadn’t before, and all together the selection of metal on display provided no shortage of ideas and inspiration.

In the weeks leading up to the show there was plenty to look after, not only with getting the Focus ready but also organizing ThreeTwenty’s group and keeping up with decal orders. Quite a few people were messaging me in the last days leading up to the show, all with an opening line that went something like “I know it’s kind of last-minute, but I need some decals for Driven!” haha. It made for some late nights but honestly, I had fun pulling the long hours leading up to the show. I also want to say thank you to everyone who ordered for supporting MacKenCo, and once again thanks to all of my friends who attended as part of the group for supporting ThreeTwenty!

This week I will be posting my coverage from Driven 2015 and after that I’ll pick up where I left off with the sedan and hatch. Following the last update the hatch has received a few more changes and of course the sedan was updated in time for May 23rd. Nothing major mind you, but rather some small updates and details that had been on my list for a little while.

Part 1 today will cover the night before Driven when we met up and got ready for the big day, and photos from the actual event will begin in Part 2. And with that, here we go!

The night before Driven…

Since Driven’s organizers wanted all the members of the groups to roll in at the same time, we decided to meet up first and then head over to the campus where we would enter the oval together. Vlad met me at my house and then we headed over to the location we had picked, Market Mall. Derrick and Yolanda had already arrived when Vlad and I showed up around 6 and it wasn’t long before others followed.

After attending Sunday School with us last year, Alex decided to enter his FR-S which is now sporting a Driveway Labs rear diffuser. Come to think of it, I didn’t even get a photo of that…trust me when I say it looks awesome. Haha

Along with Ketchup and Mustard we had one of the Mayos, Vlad’s ST. Recently Vlad fitted a Triple R front lip and gold Enkei RPF1s to his hatch, along with wing risers and a Fiesta ST third brake light (which is red as opposed to the clear Focus ST piece). Initially Brandon was going to be joining us but unfortunately had some issues with his car which prevented that.

For Driven 2013 Terence made us all commemorative decals (I still proudly display mine on the windshield of the Focus) and that started a tradition for us. For any major event we attend as a group I make up a batch of decals to display on the cars, listing the event and name under which we attended. I try to change-up the design each time to keep it fresh but this time around I decided to base the decals off of those originals that Terence provided; a car outline on top with the name of the group inside it, and that of the show below it. We had a Supra for Driven 2013 but for this year’s event I opted to use that of an R35 as a nod to Paul Walker. They were very well received by everyone and I’m very happy with how they turned out.

A couple of nights earlier Kanji came over and we applied a new ThreeTwenty banner as he had to get his windshield replaced and thus the old one was lost. This time he requested a Hazelnut background and Black Sparkle lettering. Hazelnut was selected to match his new wheels and the black happens to go with his new lip kit. He also threw on his Speedhunters x Takata tow strap for the show.

It was certainly a beautiful day for roll-in with the Focus’ dash showing 24 degrees! It was great to see the cars together and a number of passer-bys were checking them out as we waited.

Derrick’s Camaro is lower now, since coilovers have taken the place of his old lowering springs. He has another update which unfortunately couldn’t be completed in time for Driven, but I’m sure it won’t be too long before it’s installed.

Shane joined the group with his boosted Integra, parked here next to Yolanda’s 3. For those unfamiliar with his car, yes that’s an intercooler behind the bumper. At first glance it may look like is hasn’t changed since last year, but that’s only because the hood is closed…Yolanda’s 3 was back on its summer wheels and which were accompanied by new lug nuts and freshly repainted blue calipers peeking out from behind.

If you were wondering just how big Kanji’s new wheels are, they’re 19s! Honestly I thought they’d be a bit too big for the car but after seeing them in person, I think they work perfectly.

In contrast, Shane’s Integra was showing off new, meatier tires. He and Kanji have slightly different approaches when it comes to wheels and tires.

And still speaking of wheels, this was the first time I had seen RPF1s on a Mk3 in person, and they really suit the car well. Good choice Vlad!

After waiting at the mall for a little while we ventured over to the venue and rolled up to the registration desk to find out where we were going to be parked. As it turns out we were right by the main stage, which we thought (at the time) would be the perfect spot! The next day we discovered a couple of downfalls to the location but I’m still happy with where we were.

When we arrived our spot was being used to hold cars as they were being moved around, so as we waited we took the chance to toss some ideas around as to how to arrange our group. Soon we were called to park our cars so we brought them into the oval and did so.

After a couple of revisions we found an arrangement we liked, and more importantly one that fit in our space, and started making the final touch-ups to our cars.

Mario was absent from the photos taken at the mall as he met us at the oval. With some new brake pads his wheels actually stay clean now and new Work center caps finish them off nicely.

I didn’t walk around much at all as I was busy cleaning the Focus for the last time, but as I was getting ready to leave I found something that really surprised me – a Rocket Bunny RX-7! Being a newer kit I definitely did not expect to see one of these here so soon. You’ll see this again in the coverage of the show!

At around 9 the organizers asked everyone to make their way to the exit so the oval could be closed for the night, so we packed up and locked the cars. It was time to go home and get a good night’s sleep – May 23rd would be a long (but fun) day.

-Bill