With two major events having already taken place almost back-to-back and a third now on the calendar for not long from now, I think I might be abandoning the blog’s regular posting schedule for the next little while – instead just getting these out whenever I can pick away at the accompanying text. Tonight for instance, I finally have a chance to sit down and write up this entry so that the rest of Driven’s photos can be shared and I’m making a point to not get out of this chair until I’ve done just that. Driven Part 2, here we go!
I didn’t see who drove it in (to verify if it was the same person and therefore car) but I’m fairly certain this is the R32 from which I got the Meisters for the S15 a few years ago. Extremely tidy, with a very low-key colour scheme.
Happily, there was an opening in the crowds so that I could finally grab a full shot of this E36 – in recent years I’ve found myself drawn more and more to this generation, especially as the current BMW lineup has literally nothing I’d ever want. Haha
This 914 was a favourite of the day for me, and that’s with the platform being one I typically never paid much attention to. The Gulf colour scheme was perfect, and I especially enjoyed how little details like the pulls straps, belts, and even some brackets were all matched to the orange of it. It was also a lesson in how to detail and present a car at a show. Top marks!
Bugeyes will probably always be my favourite generation.
Erin and Francois were standing out from the crowd just a bit with their Parnelli Jones Boss 302 tribute. This thing never fails to turn heads when it rolls into the A&W gatherings, or anywhere for that matter.
A beautiful Laurel, with a less-is-more approach doing wonders. Tidy aero, great fitment, and very good condition overall.
Totally not my style, but I can appreciate the dedication to the theme. The heart-shaped side markers were the best part if you ask me.
I have no idea what kind of specs C-HRs run, but the Advan GTs on this one had a surprising amount of lip and concavity. It’s cool to see people building these things up a bit!
Even with the flares and diffuser, this was a relatively restrained approach to the chassis which worked really well. Also, props for the plate – take a letter off and I could use it.
Volvos are cool, race cars are cool, therefore this was doubly cool. Inside was a seriously robust-looking cage, a custom array of aftermarket gauges, and (naturally) not much else; behind the passenger side headlight trim sat the air filter, perfectly positioned for fresh air through the mesh screen where said light used to sit.
This Evo wagon was a hard one to get photos of given the number of people it was drawing over. The Voltex bumper was perhaps a bit aggressive as compared to the rest of the exterior (in my opinion) but you couldn’t really fault this thing; every area was touched and it was putting out some serious power too. Of everything done to it however, it was the pair of kiddie seats in the back seeming to get the most attention.
This thing hauls around kids. And looks like this.
Doritos purists had better look away now. I was actually surprised the Hellcat powertrain fit, or at least in regards to two of the three dimensions. I can’t imagine how fast (read: bloody terrifying) this thing would be with a heavy right foot.
As the values of R32-4 Skylines continue to rise and more and more are kept in closer to stock configuration these days, seeing wilder examples like this are even more of a treat. Veilside really did have some great designs through the years.
Widebody Evo 7 on some insanely deep Meister L1s. Also, still more evidence that underglow has returned.
No useful commentary from me for this one – I don’t even know who owns either. Haha. Both did look very good though! Z33 cravings are getting stronger…
It’s awesome to see Skyline sedans still getting some love; note the 34 sedan behind this 32 as well, sporting a 2F2F-style livery! R34 sedans > coupes, sorry. Haha
To make up for the Hellcat FD, here’s one that still had spinny triangles. Happy now?
The exterior shot I had of this Mini didn’t turn out unfortunately, but I can at least share the hatch setup it had – you can also just make out the iPad displaying some auxiliary gauges as well. A little bit of race meets a little bit of VIP/luxury.
The lighting at the Oval is known for not being the best for car shows, but it seemed the Redline girls’ photos suffered the most of any in my collection. Regardless, I did what I could with them and we’ll start off with Jynelle’s Miata, which I also had to crop really tightly around due to the crowd. Haha
Justine’s FR-S was sporting new custom-powdercoated 57DRs, which suited it perfectly. I don’t think this car can get any brighter; I’m sure she’ll find a way though.
Alyssa’s RS5 debuted a new look with a fresh purple wrap and some Rotiform CCVs.
Becca’s Veloster N also had a fresh wrap to debut, with my favourite part being that it was a satin finish to really highlight the bodylines of the car.
Yolanda’s ST will be seen more on the site (and YouTube channel) in the near future as we will be properly documenting the install of her new carbon fiber fenders. I think we had said “oh, it’ll only take a couple of hours” and then proceeded to spend the entire day in the garage.
Maggie’s ’13 R had some paintwork done late last year and was looking better than ever for it. I also need to specify “’13 R” now because earlier this year she picked up a ’12 R as a new daily; this is the kind of insanity I can fully get behind. Place your bets now on how long that one stays stock.
Mel’s Jellybean was also present despite some supply chain issues holding up the delivery of the new heart. We’ve suggested solutions involving Mochi and a giant hamster wheel but it looks like the new engine is actually getting close now! We’ll just tuck those plans away as a backup.
To finish off the Redline cars we jump back to the other aisle with Brooke’s Q60, dumped on the ground thanks to some new air suspension. Both photos were honestly “meh”, so both are posted to try and make up for it. Haha
Top marks for a trunk display here – on top of the lighting and display cases, note the unreal paintwork on the air tank!
It took a couple of rounds before I had an opening in the crowd allowing me to capture this Soarer, and all of its 80’s boxy glory. I swear, 80’s cars look better and better to my eye every year; soon I’ll start bringing a lawn chair to all of my shows and going on endlessly about how modern cars suck.
With the day starting to approach its end by this point, I tossed on my telephoto to play around for a few photos. Here’s the Pandem MX-5 seen in Part 1, shot from up in the top row.
BLQs are still one of my favourite wheels of all time and I’ve even owned two sets now, but only one ever saw the hubs of one of my cars and it was for all of just a few days. Maybe the third time will be the charm.
I highly doubt any of us will ever see one of the original Mugen RRs in person, so this tribute was a neat encounter. I wonder how many people realized what they were looking at?
Those of you who follow for the Focus content, here’s another for you: Jonah’s bagged 3.5, sitting on some new Enkei NT03+Ms.
With that, we now jump ahead to after the awards; specifically, roll-out. Our cars were out of the way so we didn’t need to head out immediately and I was therefore able to sit back, watch the Oval empty, and grab a few final shots with which to close out this year’s coverage.
This Mazdaspeed Protege had been in a really awkward spot for photos so I made sure to at least get a couple before it headed out of the venue. It was a truly nice example, it just happened to be tucked at the end of a row and very hard to nicely photograph during the show itself. These photos are a bit toned down as compared to the rest of the set because I felt they worked better that way.
Part of the lineup, waiting to head outside into the rain that was starting to fall that evening; at least it was during roll-out and not roll-in! What year was it, when everyone had to re-detail their cars once parked because it was pouring buckets outside during the setup day? 2012?
And last but not least, a final shot of our two Nissans together – this was the first time they’d attended a Driven together! In fact, the last time we had been in the Oval I hadn’t even yet found the S15, let alone bought it.
After a few years away, it was nice to be back at the Oval for this season’s kickoff. No, it’s not the best for lighting or spacing but it brings a sense of familiarity and honestly, it doesn’t really feel like Driven if we’re not there. This year was a welcome return to the the old venue, a day of celebration – with friends taking home numerous awards and my mother taking the OG Award from the Driven crew – and the opportunity to say that car season ’22 had truly arrived.
On that, stay tuned for the next show coverage to start here soon; this has been a rapid-fire start to the season so far to say the least! Back to editing I go.
-Bill