Chinook Mall.
For most people, that simple name won’t have much meaning – it’s a mall, so what? For locals though, and specifically for those who have been active in our ‘scene’ for a bit longer, that name brings up memories of one thing – the old Beyond meets.
For several years our Wednesday nights consisted of cruising over to Chinook and gathering on the upper level of the rear parking structure for a few hours. These were the meets where a lot of us met for the first time and where we were able to witness first-hand the growth and progression of our community.
Over the years they proceeded to grow and the cars got crazier, but unfortunately a couple of years ago something else began – misbehaving. Newcomers to the meets somehow got the idea that they’d be cooler if they showed off, and the idea persisted that it was okay to do so – but it wasn’t. After months of trying to stop the antics – even working with police to do so – the plug eventually had to be pulled on the meets and they were officially shut down.
That was when Justin set up the Menace meets as the successor to Beyond, and from day one they have been an awesome addition to the community (thank you once again Justin for all of your work!), but there was always that feeling that something was missing.
Earlier this year Aldrich started putting word out amongst friends, inviting them to meet up at the old stomping grounds (same Bat Time, same Bat Channel) for dinner at the mall, and while he didn’t keep it a secret he didn’t massively publicize it either. After seeing some images floating around of the first few gatherings I started making my way over to join them. As it happens, the timing works out and allows the attendance of both Beyond and Menace even though they happen on the same night, so I can show support to both Aldrich and Justin; and it also brings back memories of when we had both Grey Eagle and Beyond to attend on Wednesdays.
Reading this, you may be thinking I’m getting overly-poetical over a parking structure (perhaps I am a bit) but there’s no denying that there’s a shared feeling regarding these small gatherings, and it’s simply this – it’s good to be back.
Today’s photos are sets from two separate nights – and we begin with Lester’s K-swapped Mini with all of the torque steer.
Instead of bringing his GS, Punit took out his Integra instead – forever one of my favourite quad-eyed builds.
Calgary is Rays City, I swear. There are Rays on countless cars here, with Volk TEs being probably the most widely-used of the entire catalogue. Mind you, I’m not complaining!
A couple of close-ups of JC’s CT; his is pretty much the only CT I ever see here, so it seems.
Errol’s Tundra, next to Vlad’s scale model of a Lightning…oh wait. It’s alarming to see how much (all vehicles, but especially) trucks have grown over the years.
(Presumably) a legit DC5 ITR; thank you Canadian import laws! With the new CTR now on the scene we’re starting to get some opportunities to see impressive lineups of various Type R models at local meets and shows.
Miata club.
Alex M brought out some funny-looking Honda. Nice Ganadors and vented J’s fenders on it though.
The last shot from the first night – a nice, manageable group. More importantly though, a mature one with no antics!
On to the second night now – I showed up a bit early so I was able to grab a shot of Aldrich heading up the ramp once he arrived.
Parked up next to JC – the retrofitted front lip and wing actually work really well on the Element. The tow strap is a nice touch too, tying in to the other red accents.
I swear I see Danny’s Ruckus out more often than his TT these days – this little thing is a ton of fun from what I gather and it’s making me want to add one to that ‘future projects’ list.
Adding to the mix was this Porsche GT3, looking good in white.
Eric’s 1JZ S15 made an apperance too – man this thing is low. Look at the rear fitment!
Since Danny’s Ruckus was basically the colour of Squirtle, what did he do? He made a Build-a-Bear Squirtle and strapped it to his backpack of course! He just needs to add a spot of yellow somewhere to the Ruckus and the two will be a perfect match.
First Molding front lip, and now canards – this was the most aftermarket aero I’d seen on Brad’s car, ever. Also new were the ducts filling in the old fog light cutouts.
And finally, a shot with Alex M’s ITR. Swap out the S13 for a 15 and this would be pretty near my dream ‘tuner’ garage!
I hope you enjoyed this quick look at the new ‘Beyond meets’! As they currently stand they’re more of just a group of friends hanging out and grabbing dinner as opposed to formal car meets, but here’s hoping that they can carry on and grow a bit without any issues this time around. Thanks again to Aldrich for getting these going again!
-Bill