Today we are back with Part 2 of our 2017 Sunday School coverage – let’s jump right into it!

We’re starting off today right where we left off; beside the S13 sat this awesome trio of Datsuns; it’s great to see some local enthusiasts building these up.

I thought that the finish on this Y33’s wheels was absolutely perfect for the car. It appeared to be a black chrome type coating and it fit in perfectly with the black/grey two-tone of the car’s body, while the silver lug nuts tied in to the trim pieces. Very well done – and the fitment was spot on too.

Down at the far end of the row were some of the cars from Lost Royalty, including this Liberty Walk G37 and 370Z with a Nismo bumper; the newer set of siblings from Nissan/Infiniti, following up the original and iconic G35/350Z duo.

Regular readers of the site will have seen this beast of a Supra before. Watching Dustin’s Instagram stories from a day or two before imSS I was able to witness via his point-of-view a quick ride-along in this thing; even with the race tires out back it was more than just a little rowdy, but 4-digit horsepower cars will be like that. I like that it had the mismatched set on for SS; up front it was street car vibes with the larger wheels and a CF lip, while out back it was all business with those monster tires stuffed under the stock body.

It’s hard to go wrong with a bit of colour coordination – especially with red on Hondas. Side note, but we don’t really seem to see Sparco seats as much as we used to; so it was nice to see a pair in this Teggy. Beside it sat Matt’s funky little S-MX complete with roof box and bike.

Sleepy S13 coupe – it’s rare to see one with a stock body these days, but I’d say the styling has held up well anyway so it’s a nice change to see one retain the OE look. Coupes were always my favourites anyway.

I’m almost certain this was a Suzuki Carry (apologies in case I’m incorrect on that) but regardless it was awesome. It was also neat to see it with the correct Kei-class yellow license plate mounted up front instead of a standard Japanese plate.

One of the Ruckuses (Ruckii probably?) on display that day. I can only imagine how much fun it must be to rip around on one of these.

Ashley came down to Calgary for imSS again this year but this time around was able to bring her MR2 along as well! Some may remember it was at the 780 Opener as well – with it up and running and thus back on the roads this year she’s eager to get it out to more events.

Blue wasn’t necessarily a rare colour for S15s but we still don’t see it much over here, so this one really stood out. The vented hood and fenders added a nice amount of aggression to it too.

Moving back one now, sitting between the MR2 and S15 was this SRT4 with a rather hard-to-miss turbo. Note how the cowl was cut out for the exhaust and screamer pipe; this thing surely must sound mental when it’s going. I don’t have an exterior photo but as seen in the reflection in the blue S15 it sat on white Tarmacs, so a thumbs-up for that! Haha

Mixed in with the privately-owned cars were a few demonstrators as well of course (as seen with the NSX already) and among them was this C-HR. I won’t lie, I think that on paper the idea of a mini SUV thingy doesn’t make much sense but they are at least certainly becoming attractive little offerings. Apparently the C-HR is getting a bit of an aftermarket too so there certainly would be possibilities to explore should one go this route for their around-town hauler. I picture a drop and TE37Vs to start…two-tone paint would be cool too but I’m not sure if I like or dislike the red/white combo that this one wore. I suppose it could go either way based on what other cosmetic changes were made.

This Scooby wagon had some nice touches, including the oil cooler placement; it was neat change to see an external cooler that wasn’t hanging out in front of the bumper but neatly slotted within the opening instead. Tying the red TEs to the banner was a nice move too and kept somewhat in line with the pink STI detailing around the vehicle.

LOWCALS were taking a break from working on their 240SX drift car (check the second-newest video to see some decals I cut for them) to enjoy imSS.

A wild Slowbro appeared! Bill used wide angle! It was super effective! Bill is a nerd! Moving on…

Starting off the almost-entirely Honda group that Balance Auto had was Alex L’s ITR, which surprisingly was for sale! Yes, this is indeed listed currently and it’s for a really good deal too due to the fact it was repainted and changed from its original Championship White. $15,000 CAD and it’d be yours…or about $7.31 USD.

I think my favourite phase of Punit’s Integra will forever be when it was on the custom-widened set of white Regamasters, but really it has looked good on all the various wheels it’s worn over the years. It’s another build that seemingly has been around forever but has held up and stayed current.

Brad’s Em1 was showing off its supercharged K20 swap and HOLY MOTHER OF GOD is it loud. We had the chance to hear it at full chat later in the day and the whine was all anybody heard. As Brad said, that awkward moment when your foot slips and you “accidentally” send it..

Goes to build track car. Builds immaculate SiR with fully tucked bay, enough high-end parts to make anyone envious, and keeps it showroom fresh at all times. And still tracks it. That’s Alex M for you!

I finally had a chance to see the hood popped on this EK4-look Civic, and see the K-swap that it too featured. The EK4 conversion is such a classic and good look for this platform; and is probably the one time you can add body moldings to a car and improve the looks? Haha

Josh’s Civic definitely crossed the line of when a modified car becomes a proper restomod instead, due to the time and effort that was put into the shell before a single piece went back onto it. There’s fixing a bit of rust and giving a car a refresh, and then there’s taking it down to nothing and rebuilding it to better-than-new. Guess which one Josh did.

It’s definitely safe to say that Jackie’s ITR is one of the most mental Hondas in the city, if not the most mental. It shoots fire out of the hood, sounds insane, and flies around the track like you wouldn’t believe. Honestly though, any car that can act as a BBQ by regularly sending flames skyward is automatically a psycho. Remember when you said it’d be a budget build Jackie? Just FYI, NOCHILL would fit on a plate…also would WENT2FR.

Alex M’s GS-R’s bay. Take notes – Mugen bolts everywhere, custom lines, strut tower extensions, etc; it’s all here. I like that the car overall has a muted colour palette so the details aren’t fighting for attention with a vivid paint finish on the body, valve cover or so on. There’s just a tiny bit of colour from the fittings and such which tie in to the red emblems and Spoon reservoir covers, but otherwise it’s nearly all silvers and blacks. I’ll also give the heads-up that I derped and failed to get a dedicated exterior photo of the GS-R. Sorry!

The new CTR – the elephant in the room for some perhaps?

A number of us had a good discussion about this one because it was the first time we’d seen a production-spec, customer vehicle up close and personal, so there was a lot to take in and look over since we finally had the chance to. I suppose if I had to summarize my feelings, it’d be that as a hot hatch, I like it – it definitely falls in line with the many wilder hatches these days and there’s no denying what it is. As a CTR though, or a Type R in general, I don’t know. I always appreciated how the older Type Rs were subtle; you basically had to know what they were to know they were special. With this one, everyone and their dog will notice thanks to the crazy styling and wings/fins/scoops/vents everywhere.

I do think that the front fenders are cool, as are the rear flare add-on thingys (but those would look better with door pieces to match. I’m calling it, I’m betting the aftermarket will offer filler pieces for that), but there are some odd details like the blank slots where parking sensors would go on another trim level. I also still can’t get over that you can now have freaking 20” wheels on a Civic from the factory.

So while I like the styling, I guess I don’t think it fits with a Type R…but then again you could argue that so many older CTRs/ITRs get crazy aero as they’re built up by enthusiasts anyway, so what’s the difference if it comes from factory with it? This debate could go on forever…

To get back on track with the show coverage (though sticking with the Type R theme) we now have Alex M’s Phoenix Yellow ITR. It was interesting to see the crowd split as some gravitated towards the new NSX, while others seemed to be blinded by the ITR instead and didn’t even care that the new flagship was sitting next to it. Haha. This ITR definitely needs to be seen in person as photos don’t do the cleanliness justice.

I’d say a definite benefit of having Max Bell serve as the venue for Sunday School is that you can see Calgary’s downtown skyline from the lot. It’s a nice little way to mark many photos with a Calgary signature, if you will.

Punit’s other project was also at the show – this Lexus GS450h. I like how he chose two very different cars to build, showing a diversity in styles and the ability to go two very different routes.

Steve’s GT-R, sitting on a massive set of TE37s. Here’s a crazy fact – we’re only a handful of years away now from being able to import and legally drive RHD R35s in Canada. That’s perhaps also slightly terrifying; where’d that decade go?

Jason’s FR-S was next up. The Arise Sports offering is such a good-looking kit for these cars; it flows nicely with the lines and adds a decent bit of attitude at the same time.

If I remember his old Honda Tuning feature correctly, Ryan has owned his EP3 since new. I love cars like this; long-term builds that have continually progressed over time and that the owners have seen through from bone stock to fully built.

Aldrich’s Element was last up in this row, and parked next to the tent from which he was providing music for us all day. Aldrich always does things a bit differently and his Element is another great mix of functionality and his own style. I wonder if we’ll ever see these pick up real momentum and become more commonly modified vehicles?

Parked on the other side of the tent was Les’ (Aldrich’s brother’s) K-swapped Mini. Talking to Aldrich, he said this is an absolutely out-of-its-mind little pocket rocket. An NA K-series isn’t a 1000-hp powerplant by any means but it’s all about power-to-weight here, and with that light car housing it the result is a wild ride. Tires the size of bicycle tires help with that too. Haha. Note the custom front end (I’ll assume it’s an offered kit like they have for B Series swaps) to house everything, and the one-piece nose to cover it up.

I had never seen the plate before so as soon as I spotted it I started laughing. It works in a couple of ways with the car being an Austin Mini, and Les apparently also liking to live dangerously by putting a K Series in it.

Of course on the complete opposite end of the spectrum for making a wild ride is the method of just getting a boatload of power out of a car and not worrying about it being the lightest thing on the road. Look at the size of not just the turbo, but the charge piping on this Supra!

With the hood shut it would have been a relatively unassuming MkIV; with it open it was anything but.

Note the added covers in the rear corners of the bay to hide some of the accessories and clean up the whole appearance; nice.

I don’t know what else I need to say here really, just look at it; FC RX-7. 2JZ. Widebody. Full cage. The boys at Blackbird don’t mess around.

Kasem’s new Porsche GT3 was gorgeous – I absolutely loved the Acid Green accents in the form of the calipers, decals, and cage. I believe (I could be mistaken on this) that Porsche only ever used that colour on the calipers of hybrid vehicles, so it keeps it OEM+ while being a combo that would never be seen on a GT3 from the factory. Matching just a few parts like that with a suitable accent colour adds a nice little pop to an otherwise subdued car, colour-wise.

Ryan’s Ferrari 355 on Meisters is definitely a neat build; some Japanese styling mixed with a Ferrari platform is an awesome combo. I always wonder what hardcore Ferrari purists think though.

One more shot of this trio because why not.

This isn’t intended to be a shameless plug but rather a quick thanks with which to end Part 2 today; others had larger displays/setups of merchandise at Sunday School but I wasn’t focused on that, because as far as ‘work’ went my concern was getting coverage for the site while at the show, and not selling shirts or decals. Still though, I made sure to bring along a few items in case anybody wanted anything and I wish to say thank you to those that purchased something! I hope you enjoy!

And with that, Part 2 is over – please stay tuned for the next set of photos later this week as we continue with our imSS 2017 coverage!

-Bill