Northern California. NorCal. The Bay Area. Whatever you want to call it. This region isn’t exactly known for its awesome car shows/meets and vast car scene. In fact, the only event held here that people ever get hyped about (excessively, might I add) would be Wekfest. I was pleasantly surprised that the HJCC gathering was going to be held at the Marina in San Leandro. I knew that I had to put this down on my calendar, and would not miss this for the world. Even though it was Spain v. Italy in the UEFA finals, I already knew Spain was going to win. It made the decision to drive up to the East Bay that much easier.

I kept referring to it as SkylineMania only because I had found out that JDM Legends was going to be bringing its entire entourage of 70′s and early 80′s Skylines. The Hakosuka (C10), Kenmeri (C110), and Tekkamen (DR30) all showed up and to say that they “stole the show” would be an understatement. I would probably say that 80% of the time, attendees were hanging around these cars moreso than most of the others. I don’t blame them. You’ll rarely ever see these cars stateside unless they all congregate in one specific area. With that said, here bring on the Skylines!

We met Eric from the widely-circulated Depth of Speed video “Taking the Plunge” featuring his newly-acquired Hakosuka Skyline from JDM Legends. If you’ve already seen the video, you already know that the he and the car were meant for each other. At the meet, Eric explained to us that he had literally called JDML non-stop from October – February. The fine people at JDML knew that he was the right person for the car, despite the fact that he was far down the reservation list. If you want it that bad, you’ll find a way.

Here is a picture of Eric straightening the Hako with Robert in the background looking on.

As many of you may (or may not) know, Robert is a die-hard fan for this chassis. For him, this event was Japanese vintage heaven, and he was overwhelmed by the sight. He couldn’t help but keep talking to Eric, who might I add was very approachable. He asked about the process, how long it took, and could not express anymore how badly he wanted to own one in the future. I remember Robert telling me “You think I’m freaking out now? Imagine when I actually own one.” Robert isn’t easily amused, but when he wants something very bad, he will think about it over and over and over etc. The reminiscing and “ughs” and “WANT!!” commentary can go on. Point is, Robert wants it more than anyone else.

Some group pictures of Robert and Jason talking about the Hako and Eric’s experience.
(Y U SLEEPING JASON?)

What makes Eric’s car great is that he doesn’t mind driving it around everywhere. He doesn’t care about breaking necks or causing traffic jams. For him, he enjoys the ride, and when he acquired the car, it felt perfect for him and he knew that it was the car that he truly wanted. Aside from any mechanical fixes, Eric hasn’t touched the car since he purchased it. I’m glad he did, because it looks amazing in person.

These photos don’t do the car justice, but they’re the best I had, unfortunately. Pardon the photography slump.

Because Robert and I had gotten there a little past noon, a lot of the cars that were there earlier that already left or were in the process of leaving. Despite the fact the event was slated to end at 5pm, many people chose to leave early. It felt more like a Cars and Coffee meet because of all the “early to arrive, early to leave” mantra of the attendants.

This lone Datsun 510 was sitting next to the water. I found that the venue was a great place to hold this event. The parking lot was right next to the water and had a gorgeous view of the Bay.

As more cars started to leave, I found myself looking at some of the leftover cars a bit more. I ran into a couple of builds that were aesthetically pleasing.

In my opinion, this Corolla is pretty clean. Although it was simple, the Work Equips matched it well.

The Performance Options S30 on Equips:

Their Corolla:

Here’s a car you’ll rarely ever see in your lifetime: A Fairlady 2000. This thing was a beauty in person. I had intended on going back to take more detailed photos of the car, but as soon as I was able to break away from whatever it is I thought was more important, the 2000 decided to pack it up and go home

A snap of a Datsun 2000:

Pretty sure this flared out S30 caught my attention right off the bat. I still want one….. very bad.

Another picture of the lone 510….in color!

I was able to capture this 510 as it was leaving:

This green 510 caught my eye too:

Apparently Work Equips are very popular with these vintage cars. I appreciate the period-correctness.

A 260Z with minimal flaring.

This S30 was particularly interesting because it was very clean, low-key (no fender flares, and yes, I know the color is bright), and the engine bay looked immaculate:

Soon it was time to head out too. Robert HAD to give his last goodbye and a handshake to Eric. They vowed to see each other again soon, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we run into him again. I guess you can say that this picture represents a future owner meeting a current one (or something like that).

In terms of pictures, that’s all I have, but the experience was not one to forget. I spent most of the time roaming around and looking at the builds instead of taking pictures. The Hakosuka is quite the car to see in person. In fact, I’d argue that the Japanese cars in the 70s were and are still difficult to beat in terms of aesthetics. It takes a special person to be able to own and take care of these classic cars. I would also think that it takes a lot of patience to maintain one as well. If you really love your car, you’ll always find a way to keep it looking good.

Finally, thanks to all who showed up and brought their cars. You’ve provided inspiration for my friends and I. Thank you to the organizers of the HJCC. You made this happen, and thanks for holding it in NorCal.

Thanks for viewing!

Here’s apreview of a later post for the Historic Japanese Car Gathering in San Leandro, CA that I had attended with Robert and Jason.

I took a decent amount on pictures, but for me, quality > quantity. I had to keep with the theme so there’ll be a lot of these style of pictures.

Credit: Al’s Car Stuff

As soon as I saw this, I had to go see it. I honestly have never seen one in person, even though I’ve come across a Silvia S15 (Formula D) and Skyline R33 (street-legal). I shared the link with Robert and Jason and within a few days, we were on the road and on our way to Pleasanton.

Upon our arrival in Pleasanton, we casually rolled through the area until we came across the big warehouse screaming “Specialty Sales Classics.”
Obviously we were in the right place, so we parked and made our way towards the entrance.

As soon as we walked inside, we were greeted with various sports cars crammed into small spaces. It seems they were fully intent on utilizing the entire size of this building,

We all strolled around a bit to take a look at the inventory. There was no salesman to greet us, so we were unsure about entering the building. We didn’t immediately unpack our cameras as to play it safe. We walked to the other side of the complex to look at the other cars where there actually were people. Again, all we saw were more cars crammed ever so carefully. It looked as though our shooting opportunities would be limited due to the constraints presented to us.

Despite this, we walked back to the side of the building where we entered and started our shooting from there.

Outside the entrance of SSC was a BMW 2800CS. Jason was drooling over it because it is his dream car. It isn’t a 3.0 CSI though, so he was a bit bummed out. The asking price, according to Jason, was not a fair price given the fact that it was a 2800CS and not a 3.0CSL. I’m not a BMW guy myself, but I’ll take his word for it.

This first picture of the E9 was provided by Robert:

The E9 was pretty cool to look at and I can appreciate a classic Bimmer. After looking over the E9, I focused my attention to the main attraction: the R34. It helped that it was right towards the front of the building, but it did not help that there was no shooting room for the car. With that said, here are the pictures that I did manage to take of the R34.

I has asked one of the workers there that we started having a conversation with to open the hood of the Skyline to which he gladly obliged. Seeing the famous “RB26″ stamped on the valve cover made me smile. The engine in its stock form isn’t the greatest, but its top-notch construction does allow for a desirable HP output increase.

I was glad to have seen the car in person. The R34 was a high point of the day, but I didn’t want to leave just yet. There were other cars that caught my attention. I don’t have a lot of descriptions for the upcoming images, but I may have some here and there.

Another shot supplied by Robert:

This car was pretty cool. Apparently it’s a 1930 Gatsby. I don’t know anything about this car, but the craftsmanship on this car was intriguing.

Saw a nice Ford GT:

Austin-Healy 100-6:

1961 Corvette:

Pretty interesting how low the Corvette’s shifter was:

The beautiful dash:

A nice LaSalle:

Worn out step:

Fairlane 500:

Pontiac GTO:

DeLorean DMC-12:

Overall, a pretty good day out. Not a bad collection of cars left for consignment. I wish there was more room to shoot more of the cars, but eh, what can you do.

Thanks for looking!

Everyone under 25 has flocked to get it, new 16 year old drivers yearning for it, and insurance companies getting ready for the impending doom Toyota’s new RWD sports car is going to bring.

People enjoy talking about their firsts. Their first steps, first shot, first love, first race. Whatever the case may be, your “first” is always something memorable. Unfortunately for this fellow, it wasn’t.

An owner of a brand new FR-S recently transitioned from a Honda CRX. Because he’s attacked a certain corner in a certain way before, he thought he could do it with the FR-S’ control off, just for kicks.

Needless to say, the results were not pretty. Here’s his forum post.

The end result:

I hope this comes as a lesson to not practice your “awesome” driving skills in your new car (or any car) on a public road. There’s a difference in “spirited” driving and “reckless” driving.

I came across this one, titled: The Pagani Huayra Story – A Documentary

I found the video to be more that interesting. It shows that art can truly be expressed in the form of an automobile. I particularly enjoy the precision and craftsmanship of Pagani. I envy the factory workers. Must be great to work there. I wonder how people end up with jobs as cool as these.

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did.

Rolex Historic Automobile Races, Monterey Calif., August 2006

Credit: jbp274

The garage. The car. The life.

Anyways…

Last Sunday, my friend Joseph and I attended an autocross event at the Marina Municipal Airport, about an hour and a half away from here.
I never thought I involve myself in the world of autocross because I frankly thought it was boring. Before this event, I strongly preferred track over autocross, but this changed my mind. Although I didn’t personally navigate the course, I was able to ride along with Shaikh for two runs (one with street tires and one with his super-sticky Hoosiers). The course was fun overall and Shaikh’s best time was a 44.1. Pretty good for a Miata against the plethora of Porsches.

If you look closely, Shaikh is giving a thumb’s up to that notion.

Handling over power, especially in autocross. It also helps when you’re an experienced driver too. Speaking of power, there was a pretty cool 1978 Ford Fiesta Mark I at the track. It had a Chevy 400hp V8 in the rear, does 0-60 in 3 seconds, and is all street legal. If my memory serves me correctly, its best lap time was in the 43s. Joseph spoke to the owner of the Fiesta, and aside from the crazy fabrication it needed to get the engine in the rear, the Fiesta also had an automatic gearbox. Although it doesn’t sound ideal, the owner explained that it was more reliable than the manual gearbox. Another interesting aspect of this car was that it was featured in the October 1986 issue of Hot Rod Magazine. I guess the owner had this car since it was first introduced.

Among the nicer cars that were in attendance, I ran into this Porsche 930 Turbo.

In addition, there was this 1955 Chevrolet 210…

…as well as this Dunebuggy with a Subaru WRX STI engine:

Here are some shots of Shaikh’s Miata:

They’ve always said, “the worse thing that can happen in an autocross event is that you hit some cones.” Unfortunately for these cones, they look like they’ve been hit one too many times.

Even the finishing line cones look like it had its share of run-ins as well:

And to round off this post, here some other snaps I took during the event. I got pretty lazy towards the end, and I found that a lot of cars pretty much left as soon as their runs were up.

Clever license plate, bro.

Well that’s about it. It was a blast to be there. I may want to autocross my new NB in all its stock glory really soon. Thanks for the autocross bug, Shaikh!

What an NSX. *Droooooooool*