Welcome back everyone, today we continue with Driven Calgary coverage and move on to photos taken during the actual show itself. As noted in Part 2 I decided to separate its photos and these based on the show’s 1PM start time, as I figured it was as good a way as any to find a place to break up the set.

As per usual with car shows I did my best to get clear photos without crowds in the way, but the show was incredibly well-attended this year, meaning there was no shortage of people wandering around – but that’s what we all wanted to see anyway! As a matter of fact, not long after the show started Brandon stepped out for a minute and shortly afterwards I got a text from him saying the line to get in was absolutely massive! It was awesome to see so many people out supporting Driven and checking out the cars.

As we get into the continuation of the photos now, I should note (I perhaps should have said this earlier but anyone who’s a regular reader will be familiar with the process) that not every vehicle that was present, will be shown. If you don’t see your vehicle (or a vehicle that you had wanted to see more of) here, chances are it was either constantly blocked by people or had some form of barrier around it (*cough* supercars *cough* haha) preventing a clear shot.

Anyway, let’s move on now! There will be one more set of photos as well as another video to wrap all of this up with, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves – I hope you all enjoy Part 3!

We resume today with this Integra, one that I rather like. Not only does it wear some of my favourite aero for the chassis but it has an amazing bay and even a turbo B-series housed within it.

This year Lowcals are the ambassadors for Driven and will be doing the full tour with the show. They had a large area set up with their cars (most, as unfortunately some couldn’t be there), merchandise, and even drinks which I’m sure were appreciated by many.

David and Brad had the white Nissans together with their S15 and R33 respectively. The S15, originally a naturally-aspirated model, was turbocharged over the winter for a good bump in power.

Rob’s LS-swapped 240 received a new Type X front bumper to go along with the existing widebody…and I’m showing a photo from the back. Trust me, there’s a Type X bumper up there. Haha

Alex’s S13.4 – maybe it’s me but I feel like we don’t see as many 240 hybrids like this any more. In any case, when we do it’s typically S14.5s but in my opinion S13.4s are hard to beat, especially with a coupe; the lines work so well together.

Jesse’s Supra looked mean on its new black Enkeis with their meaty tires; an excellent case of just how much of an impact wheels and tires can have. To match the wheels he and I applied a new silver and black banner – and anyone who has seen the Lowcals’ driven video will know we not only applied it last-minute on the day of the show, but did so using borrowed exacto knifes and his wallet as a squeegee. Sadly it worked better than some of the actual squeegees I’ve had…

Mark’s LB Granturismo looked great; as mentioned earlier in the coverage I had never been able to see it in person prior to Driven. The fitment of the kit was flawless and the wheels’ specs were spot-on too. Interestingly, it seems to be the colour that divides people more than the fact that a Maserati was cut up.

Dustin’s S15 – SLOWBRO – was showing with VEX this year. This thing is gradually and methodically evolving, always to enable quicker and quicker lap times. Speaking of evolving, it’s worth noting that SLOWKNG (That would be Slowking, shortened to fit on a license plate) has now entered the picture as Dustin and Kaylee just picked up a 350Z!

403 Media had a pair of matching 240s (13/15) and Rob’s WRX, unfortunately not accompanied by Brent’s Legacy. It will be something to behold once it gets officially unveiled if all of the teasers and mock ups are anything to go by. Crazy-wide flares with “tilty wheels” as Brent would say…stay tuned!

Derrek’s Integra ended up taking home a couple of awards – specifically Best in Show Acura and Best in Show Engine Bay! This is definitely one of the best bays in town, featuring a full tuck, shave, and details like the battery terminals on the firewall.

The S4 is one that I remember seeing at Grey Eagle regularly, back when those meets were running. We found it at Driven this year with a new roof box, mounted using a rather unique system. It ran off of the roof and had stands which suction-cupped to the rear window to hold up the back of it. I had seen a few similar setups on supercars before, but never something like this. Also, I’ve always liked how the very subdued exterior is broken up by the pop of the yellowy-green calipers.

Perhaps it’s an illusion but the last year or so I swear I’ve seen a rather substantial increase in R33 Skylines around – the once seemingly overlooked generation seems to be way more popular now, though it would make sense given the way R32 and R34 prices have gone. In any case, one local enthusiast decided to go all out in regards to the R33 platform and imported a stunning, 1-of-44 Nismo 400R! This was a definite highlight and talking point of the event and rightfully so – to have such a rare and special model sitting in front of us was quite a special opportunity. I made sure to stop by multiple times during my rounds just to admire it.

It deserves another photo, even though it’s a similar angle as the one a couple above. This was in the blocked-off section with some supercars so we couldn’t get close to it, but I wasn’t going to skip taking photos given how special of a sight this was. I really hope we get to see this out more at events around town so that more people get to witness it for themselves.

This S6 looked crazy dumped on the ground. Note the Akrapovic exhaust too, identified by the subtle logo on the exhaust tips that were just peeking out. Throw in a more aggressive set of wheels and this would be a hard to beat daily cruiser I think.

Victory Vinyl had a booth set up featuring some wrapping demos by Justin, and Curtis’ crazy-sparkly S15. Spotlights were set up to show off the colour-changing nature of the flake in this vinyl to ensure no one would miss it; in person it’s something else and photos never seem to do it justice.

Of course, dollars alone do not a good build make, but when someone goes all out and gets the best of the best it’s hard to ignore – such as this GT-R which has been seen before. Volk TEs, Varis kit, Alpha powered.

Being a fellow Fiesta owner of course, Mario was eager to check out Reid’s freshly-finished FiST which had come down from Edmonton. For this season it had received a big brake kit, big turbo swap, and a widebody which was finished just in time for the show. It was suggested more than once that this is what Sriracha needs to be for next season…haha.

For Driven Justin switched things up by wrapping his bagged Prius in yellow with a full taxi theme, which I thought was hilarious. He does what he wants and runs with it which I applaud.

I had no idea that Ruckuses (Rucki? I’m sure there’s a proper term out there) were as old as they are. Danny’s is a 2003 model, which has undergone a huge amount of work to turn it into the teal creation you see here. It must be a ton of fun to tinker with these things and make a proper project out of them.

Not far away from the Ruckus was Danny’s other project, his TT. Another thing I learned from reading his info sheets was just how rare his Rotiform DIAs were – 1 of 50 sets in the world – or that the TT itself was too, being one of 2 produced in this spec for the USA. It always pays to read the information that owners display at shows!

The hood was off on this bright green FD to better show off the 3-rotor 20B engine powering it. The green theme, seen carried through to the brakes and lug nuts, was also carried on to said 20B with some of the components being finished to match.

Bags have definitely caught on in Calgary but with our roads (and especially our winters, for those cars that get driven year-round) it certainly makes sense to have the adjustability. Beyond the air this S4 also featured some subtle carbon additions and an RS4 grille.

With the blue being a wrap, this EVO’s engine bay isn’t matched to the exterior but with the piping and other components being matched instead, it almost ends up making the bay itself the accent which is kind of cool – if that makes sense. Think of it as the two-tone exterior/engine bay look that used to be the norm.

The RC-F is a platform that always stands out with the crazy styling they have from factory. Drop it a bit, throw on some wheels, and it only looks more aggressive.

I had to laugh – by chance, the photo I took of this Datsun 280Z was file number 666 on my memory card. Fellow fans of Wangan Midnight will get why I find that funny (I know the Devil Z was a 240, but you get the point). This one had a built 3.1L engine, plenty of carbon fiber, and a pretty focused interior with a cage, buckets, and harnesses.

Also in the Japanese Nostalgic Cars of Alberta booth was this ’72 Skyline 2000 GT-X, featuring the common (relatively speaking) GT-R exterior conversion along with some tasteful upgrades to compliment it. These are truly beautiful cars and this ended up winning Best in Show: Classic Import.

Davenport’s LSA-swapped ’66 GTO meanwhile, ended the day taking home the award for Best in Show: Classic Domestic.

Moving back to more modern stuff now, this Lexus IS featured a pretty wide set of flares which housed some deep red Work Meister L1s. I don’t believe I’d seen a set of these wheels in person before; the design really is rather nice.

370s never seem to have caught on with the ferocity that 350s did when they first came out, so it’s always nice to see a modified example, especially with high-end parts like Work wheels and a Varis kit. It’s hard to believe that the 370 has been out for as long as it has; perhaps that’s helped by the fact you just never see them.

This S13 coupe was not just one of my favourites of the show, but seemingly a common top pick based on talking to others. RB swap, widebody, beautiful livery, and tons of custom work; it had so much presence and was impossible to ignore.

A better look at the swap and some of the custom fab – note the extensive reworking to the bay with the tubs, and the removable crash structure up front. It was all well thought out and well executed.

The Consulier is always neat to see. A seemingly largely-unknown part of automotive history, it’s fun to see the reactions it gets as people try to figure out what they’re looking at. I noticed the wheels had changed from before and it now had tire lettering too, but otherwise I’m not sure what else had changed. It of course still had the BANNED license plate, a reference that requires knowing about the car to understand.

Richard’s Mustang on CR Ultimate Kiwamis is another car that’s always nice to see. I’m a big fan of it not just for the end result – the build as it sits – but for the story behind it too; the fact it was a father/son project which started with a Mustang that I’m sure not many saw much potential in.

There are certainly a few LS-swapped 240s around here, but each still maintains its own unique character with different body styles, styling choices, and so on. This one in particular had a super clean exterior but one which could perhaps be called understated; it certainly didn’t hint at what was under the hood!

We’ll wrap up today with another S13 coupe (I was very pleased to see so many of them), finished in a stunning deep purple with some nice white accents to offset it. Yummy.

Thanks as always for reading, and check back for the final set of photos – and video – still to come from Driven Calgary 2017!

-Bill