It’s occurring to me now, as I’m looking through the photos and working on these posts, that Sunday School seemed to really fly by this year. Being that we were among the first group of participants to roll in, we spent the better part of several hours (less a quick trip out and back again for my mother and I) at the show, taking it all in. That’s not a lot of time in the grand scheme of things anyway – especially when compared to events like Driven that effectively span almost two days – but it still seemed to be much shorter than that. Chalk it up to the old saying of time flying when you’re having fun, I suppose.

While the event itself may seem to have been over before we knew it however, what it has left us with are not only some great memories but – for me at least – some solid motivation to keep working on the cars. Driven always brings out some impressive builds too, make no mistake, but being held at the start of the season it comes after we’ve all been working like mad over the winter months and those long nights and busted knuckles are still fresh memories. Fast-forward to August, after the cars have been out for a while, and iMSS comes along to kick-start the drive to get back to work and carry on with the builds. I’ll find myself walking away with renewed motivation to get back to work on the cars, some new ideas forming for the next season, and a desire to one-up what we’d put together for the present year.

Oh, and a slight sunburn. I almost always walk away with one of those too.

But back to the show coverage now: we start things off today with a couple more photos of Ryan’s MR2. I don’t get to see this thing much so I always take the opportunity to look over it in detail when I do. Chances are, he’s been building this thing longer than some of you reading this have been alive. I adore long-term builds like this that show such devotion to a platform or car in particular.

It seems everyone’s always after the Kouki face for S14s (to be fair, it’s hard to beat) but those that stick with the Zenki nose definitely stand out a bit more, such as this super clean LS-swapped example on GTs which you may recognize from previous iMSS photos.

Tommy’s ER34 was one of last year’s Honour Roll winners. With the hood down it’d look like a relatively tame R34 sedan (aside from the GT-R face) but inside sits a V-Cam RB30 swap making around 640 WHP.

This Supra, always representing VEX, is a regular sight at local events. Chances are it’s always one of the most powerful cars at any event it attends as well…

Another regular sight at events VEX attends, this R32 always looks pretty stealthy with the black paint and Wedsports. The clear timing cover was a neat touch.

Suzuki again, making a friend this time.

Alberta RS had quite a presence at iMSS to say the least. The constant joke was that, along with the two in our group (Mario and Ruzz) and those in the spectator parking, every single RS in Calgary was at the event that day.

“Which RS is yours?”

“The blue one.”

One in particular I was happy to see out was Leighton’s, which is always easy to spot with the highlighter accents and Tarmacs. I hadn’t yet had the chance to shoot it with my own camera, but had been following it for a while on Instagram (as you do).

Parked over near one of the corners of the lot was a real gem, a Hakosuka – and it was for sale! I especially liked the sole yellow headlight which was a wicked little accent and added a bit of character. Incidentally, I unfortunately didn’t get a shot of the dark orange Z next to it, but these two made quite a pair for vintage Nissan fans.

Wingz was surely on the hunt for other Miatas during the event. This one was absolutely slammed – look at how close to the ground the pinch weld was! I don’t know what colour the faces of the Works could be considered – bronze, copper, something – but combined with the chrome lips and white paint of the body, the combo was hard to beat.

I’d said I had taken a lot of photos of the car, so it’ll likely show up in all iMSS posts this year. Nick’s TCP Magic FD was just too good.

I’d have to say that next to the S15 (naturally), S13 coupes are my favourite form of the S-chassis family. This blue example is one I see out fairly regularly at events. Note the Ganadors, and custom tube front.

Probably my favourite part of it however was this; not the RB26 specifically, but the incredible paintjob on its covers.

North America has been short-changed over the years with Audi’s RS models but we did at least get the B7 RS4. I don’t know their sales numbers but they’re certainly much rarer than their M and AMG counterparts so it’s always a treat to find one at a show or on the road.

Jay’s ’04 Jetta looked a bit tiny next to this S-Class. I always like seeing it out at events because it’s an incredibly thorough build. The Benz however, I can’t really offer much commentary on sadly.

There was no shortage of FK8s this year, unsurprisingly. The red garnish above the lights and grille is one I’m seeing a lot of these days – a new OEM piece if I’m not mistaken. It looks amazing on red cars, but on other colours it has taken me a bit of time to warm to it.

No red garnish this time, but instead some nice red TEs to complement the factory pinstripe. Note that both of these had Varis’ rear door garnishes too, to fill in the gap Honda left with the rear flares. A mandatory piece for these cars in my opinion.

I should point out by now that Legit.Society is always near the top when it comes to local builds and for their showing at iMSS this year they once again brought some impressive cars. Both FK8s above were part of the group, but I think it’s fair to say they’re better known for Evo Xs and STIs?

This shot sums it up well. Quality parts everywhere.

It’s a bit hard to see in the photo but the TEs on this yellow STI were actually green. Along with the blue Brides, green Takatas, red tow hook and so on, there were a lot of colours all mixed together but it worked! The car itself used to be grey I believe but was resprayed this year.

I’m not sure I’ve ever specifically photographed a license plate bracket before but at the sight of this one, I had to. A titanium Varis bracket…what?!

This X – Kriss’ – was out at last year’s iMSS but you’d be forgiven for not recognizing it. I didn’t at first glance because it was a different colour back then! The old black paint made way for this stunning blue hue (BMW LSB perhaps? I’m actually not sure) and it looked amazing with the lines of the car and aero, plus made all of the carbon stand out more.

Selsun, Mustard, and Sriracha in an alternate universe? I’d be okay with this.

This RS3 looked quite good with a drop and some well-sized wheels. The colour definitely helped it pop though. Merlin Purple, I believe ?

This FB is one that recently started showing up to Menace meets this season. We had a chance to meet the owner and not only is the car quite a find – it’s a very (very) low-mileage survivor – but the owner’s father is someone we were aware of through the car scene as he owns not one, but TWO 1967 Thunderbirds! Regular readers will know that my mother has a ’67 Thunderbird sedan in her fleet so we were quite pleased to find a couple more located in the city. One of the pair is even a sedan as well, as it happens.

Trung’s S2000 continues to be one of the most recognizable cars in town. Last year at iMSS it was sitting on bronze TEs but this time was showing on black Advan GTs. The aero on this thing is super aggressive yet the paint really tones it down and can almost hide some of the lines for a touch of subtlety. If that’s possible.

Mr. Hoang’s Yokohama-sponsored FK8, looking good with a selection of subtle mods: clear side markers, pinstripe delete, springs, and of course the Advan GTs. I know the styling still divides a lot of people but I’d be game to have an FK8 as a daily. Such a cool, and significant, offering from Honda.

LOWCALS had a strong showing this year with both some familiar faces and new projects as well. It has been nice to see Brad’s R33 back out and about at some local gatherings.

David’s new Altezza project – I’m definitely a fan of his approach with this one. He has spent a ton of time tidying the body up and inside has even retrofitted a wireless charger for his phone.

Can’t resist a wheel photo when the logos are positioned so nicely. No Lifewithjson Dirty Wheel award here.

The LS-S14 again, but with the hood popped this time to show off that American heart. As a side note, something occurred to me as I’ve been putting this entry together – is 2019 becoming the year of Advan GTs in Calgary?

This is one of those shots that I didn’t expect to take but am happy I did. Ryan’s Ferrari always draws attention so I’d spent a little while waiting for a clear photo, but there was always a spectator or two somewhere in the frame. When these four then lined up behind it I realized that the better photo was one with people in it so I grabbed this, and am quite pleased. It’s a better representation of what happens when he brings the F355 out.

This Suzuki Carry had so much charm. I don’t think it’d be possible to drive it without having a massive grin plastered on your face the entire time. I didn’t get a full shot of it but in the bed sat a Ruckus in the same hue – I did get a photo of the exhaust on it though since it was a pretty intricate piece.

The mile-long line (I mean 1.6 kilometer-long line, this is Canada) of RSs may have distracted viewers from the treat hiding down at the end of the row – the Escort Cosworth was brought out to soak up some sun and sit near its younger relatives. Can someone make a kit for the Mk3 RS that mimics this wing? That could be amazing. Or terrible. Haha.

Anyway, that’s it for Part 2! I’ll get to work now on putting together the third and (what I expect to be the) final post for iMSS 2019, to hopefully have it up before the week’s out. Thanks for stopping by!

-Bill