Welcome all, to the fourth and final Throwback post celebrating the 5-year anniversary of this site! We started this off with Driven 2012, and then looked at the Beyond meets from that summer, so it’s only logical that we now move on to Sunday School as a conclusion. Let’s rewind the clocks to August 5th, 2012…
2012 was the first year that I not just participated in, but actually attended, Sunday School. The first time ill.motion hosted SS was 2011, but as I was out of town at the time I sadly had to miss it. Already a bit upset about that, looking at all of the photos that went up online following the show only further cemented my desire to never miss it again, and so each year since I have been present.
Naturally, each year I have not attended alone but with friends, with our group being different every time. From ’12 through ’15 it grew each year, then in ’16 it shrank but we had José up here and unveiled Mustard as an ST4, and then in ’17 it grew again with a sizable row of vehicles ranging from my mother’s 240SX to Vlad’s Lightning. The only constants over the years have been my Focus and Derrick’s Camaro, and those two cars made up the majority of our group in 2012…
…which was this – Mustard, Lowmaro, and my Grand Prix! Additionally, because officialTHREETWENTY was not a site yet, we were registered as the ‘Bill MacKenzie Group’. Seriously, that’s what ill.motion listed us as; you can even see ‘Bill’ written on the ground in chalk denoting our area.
As for these cars, Derrick’s Camaro was very lightly modified (intake, tinted windows and lights, spoiler, painted engine cover), and my Grand Prix’s mod list actually exceeded the Focus’! It only had parts like the Downforce lip, Volvo Rs, an air filter, rear sway bar, a few OEM Focus Titanium bits, and some vinyl work…but enough about our cars, on to the rest of the show!
First up, a photo which I very clearly remember taking. I recognized this car from online; it belongs to Jules, whom you’ve seen more recently on the site with her black Mk3 ST. This is her other Focus, a Mk1.5 5-door, which by this point I had seen many times on a forum which we both frequented. I never ran into her at the event but when I found her car I nabbed some photos and sent them her way after. We kept in touch following this and the next spring met in person for the first time when I was up in Edmonton for the 780 Opener. Since then we’ve usually met up a time or two each year when one of us travels to the other’s city for an event.
I believe I had just gotten my ultra-wide lens at this point, so I was happily using it (and exploiting its wide-angle capabilities) at every opportunity. This is Sonny’s old G, which was quite an animal despite its more-or-less OEM exterior suggesting otherwise. Behind the massive Advans sat an AP Racing big brake kit, which the car needed due to being boosted.
Kyle was showing elsewhere and had brought out both of the projects he had on the go at the time, his ’74 Celica and Civic sedan.
This thing was cool – a Fast and Furious-inspired Eclipse. We need to see more of these as projects again; it’s sad to me that these have all but disappeared from the landscape when it comes to builds. I’m hoping they have a resurgence in popularity and a second chance, so to speak.
Over in Lithium’s booth the crew had their Focus SEL out again along with some other cars, such as a Mustang (to the left) and M5.
I don’t always include photos of bikes but when I do, I have nothing useful to say since I know basically nothing about them. So here you go, a couple of photos of bikes and nothing helpful in terms of commentary. Moving on…
I didn’t know him at the time, but based on photos I’ve seen I believe that this was the prior form of Dustin’s (now Kaylee’s) S14. This would be the purple, Kouki-converted S14 that Kaylee drives and shows alongside Dustin’s S15 these days. Oh yes, and there was a DeLorean for good measure too.
Also, Super Advans are the greatest wheels ever made. I’d throw them on the Focus if they came in 5×108…(sorry Brad).
Another rarity at shows; a newer-gen Eclipse. Just the other day I saw for the first time a commercial for the new Mitsubishi Eclipse, which is a crossover. I remember that I completely skipped Mitsu’s stand at the Auto Show last year, and things like this are why…
Adrian’s Civic coupe was sporting a much more OEM exterior back in 2012, while under the hood it was powered by a boosted B-series instead of the K-swap it now has. Sadly, it was actually rear-ended at the end of last season but happily is being repaired, as despite the extensive damage it was not written off due to the amount of work that had gone into it over the years. I just saw a photo of it the other day, looking pretty sorry for itself with no quarter panel skins at all, but look forward to seeing it return following the repairs and looking showroom fresh once again.
Even though they have similarities, Jason’s old Varis STi in many ways could also be seen as the opposite of what his FR-S will be this season. White on white vs black on black, Subaru vs Toyota, AWD vs RWD, etc…
This is a rubbish photo, I know, and I’d have otherwise excluded it from this set (remember what I had said in the Driven 2012 post about most of my decision-making being based on whether or not the photos were even decent to begin with?), but I’d already missed showing this in other posts due to even worse photos so this will have to do. Haha
This was Kanji’s old Integra, which was his project prior to the BRZ. After he purchased the Toyobaru he parted this thing out and I considered picking up the shell from him as something to rebuild over time, but ultimately passed on that idea and did the ST front end on Mustard instead.
Rhys’ old 911, with that awesome RICER plate of his. It was perhaps more fitting on his MR2, but was still funny on the Porsche.
Ryan’s EP3, back when it had orange accents in the form of the banner and Volk SE37s; this was a really good look for it. As a side note, I think this was the year that ill.motion unveiled their new logo which is why the guys were rocking these banners for the show.
A rare sight – a classic Honda S600, and white on red as well which will always be a favourite combination of mine. No bias there at all, mind…
I remember taking this photo because this E36 reminded me of one a friend used to own (‘used to’ even as of 2012, yes) which was the same colour – Hellrot. It was a build that I’d always been a fan of but sadly came to an end when it was t-boned by a careless driver.
While it’s heavily biased towards it typically, here’s proof that Sunday School isn’t limited to just ‘tuners’ – a beautiful Mustang and Charger combo. Bonus points to the Charger for being Plum Crazy.
No matter the year, TE37s will not be in short supply in Calgary. This was a super clean STi, with the subtle aero, good drop, and well-sized TEs.
On the topic of wheels, I’ve always been a fan of Rotiform BLQs so any car with them will turn my head. That’s not to say that this MkV didn’t have anything else going for it mind you, because that certainly wasn’t the case. Note that the hood was carbon fiber, as shown off in the middle to line up with the black grille and flow into the roof.
The S13.5 from the last Beyond 2012 post; that rear fitment though!
I was so glad to find this shot in the folder as I was going through it – what a great one with which to end this set, right? Left to right were Rick and Gopesh’s MkVs, Diana’s Fit, Jackie’s NA1, Brad’s EM1, and Errol’s MkVI; all in front of the Calgary skyline. This is the photo spot where tons of people (us included) line up cars following each Sunday School for some shots as it provides that great background.
I have to say, going back through the folders and doing these few Throwback posts was a ton of fun – perhaps I’ll have to occasionally revisit this idea and toss up some more old photos in the future? In the meantime however, after a month of these I’d say the site is due for some content from this year, including a look at some new parts for the cars and World of Wheels coverage. Stay tuned!
-Bill