I almost didn't make the drive down to NYC for 7's Day this year. I was kind of in a funky mood and wasn't feeling it but my signature move is complaining and saying I won't go to an event and then going anyway. Needless to say I decided to make the trip and do both 4 hour drives in the same day to save the hotel money and sleep in my own bed. It also helped that the homies Arron and Jing had the same idea doing the day trip in Arron's S2000. I brought my Honda too so it was a noisy drive down!
Arron's S2000 was just refreshed with a whole new look. The front end is all Amuse while the rear is an ASM rear bumper and flare, Voltex diffuser, and Car Shop GLOW tails topped off with a legit Mugen hard top. The new aero was a good excuse to change from it's OEM gray to Grand Prix White contrasted by black accenting and the red Recaros inside. Monster 18x10 TE37s fill out the widened fenders.
On the way down we linked up with Matt Lee and his IS300 wagon. The three of us didn't like him because his car was automatic with comfortable seats and a stock exhaust so he didn't suffer like we did. He was a lot lower though so he had to worry where we didn't. This IS is fairly perfect in my eyes. JDM Altezza Gita aero and grille adorn the outside with crisp fitment over BBS LMs makes for the perfect cruiser. I was genuinely jealous on the drive down and back!
I figure I should start with the rotary cars for this rotary event and this FD3S was probably my car of the event. The insane aero package comprises of an RE Amemiya front end with R Magic widebody and skirts. Believe it or not, but Car Shop GLOW isn't just a tail light company; they build time attack cars...and OBS Chevys...and this car runs their rear diffuser and end plates mounted to the massive Esprit wing. The aero package on this car alone is so extensive, there's just not enough space to list it all!
The 13b produces about 500whp put down through masssive 18x10.5 Volk CE28s to put that aero to work. A Project Mu BBK with matching 2 piece rotors keeps that power in check. I snapped a photo of the interior and the bay but they came out blurry; however the bay presentation was excellent and the interior was equally as intense as the exterior. Bubble Tech's aluminum dash and door panels are joined by Bride Zeta 3s, a cage, and a legit fire suppression system. This car really was insane!
Hardy brought out his newly completed FD3S featuring R Magic aero and an incredible engine bay. I love a bay that looks cleaned up but still looks like a functional engine bay.
I had to grab a picture of this FD because Advan RCII are some of my favorite wheels of all time and are rare to see out.
Something I never expected to see is something like this Austrailia/New Zealand style RX3. Those countries are notorious for putting big Simmons wheels on these classic rotary cars and it's a pretty cool look. I'm sure if you live there you might get tired of it but it's exciting over here! The owner tells me he's prepping it for a 20b swap.
I think this is a Mazda 626 aka a Mazda Capella depending on the market, but don't quote me on that because I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, it's a pretty looking coupe. Very 80s simple with a cool greenhouse. The wheel setup are OEM on the FB RX-7 Savannah but were also able to be purchased aftermarket from Toyo Industries. One spec was available in a tiny 13x5.5 +25.
This FEED aero FD was styled like a pretty cool street machine.
Moving to the non-rotaries, this Honda Acty made me giggle a bit because it's running Mugen MR5s which I've never seen on a kei truck but, like...why not?
I liked how this NA owner worked the typical PS Duce style on his car. Typically Miata dudes go wider with three piece wheels but this one went with taller monoblock Enkei RP01s to match the taller aero. I wish more went with this style fitment when running this aero.
That said, there's a reason small, wide wheels are in vogue for big kit Miatas. This NA ran a combo of SSR Vienna Kreis fronts with Hoshino Impul G5s out back.
I have no idea why, but there were a lot of Lotus Elises in attendance. I counted at least 4 which comparatively isn't a ton but keep in mind this was a meet centered around Mazda. This Series 1 was a Euro plated, Euro import on color matched Regamasters and it wasn't even the only one. Probably one of the most surprising cars in attendance.
This Series 2 Elise also had color matched Regamasters! I wonder if there's some kind of tri-state area Lotus group chat they coordinated with.
Most likely my favorite Euro in attendance was this 190E Cosworth on BBS RS. I'm not the biggest fan of RSs but they looked good on here. The W201 chassis is one of my all time favorites from Mercedes and it's on my short list of cars to own some day.
Speaking of my short list of cars I want, an Integra Type R sedan is high up there too. The simple Spoon look suits the more reserved looking sedan well.
The DC2 crowd from Not Another Ricer rolled through heavy as always putting the North East on the map for Honda builds.
It's been a long time since I've seen a Honda stance build that really excited me until I saw this. The execution on this EK was excellent with a perfect balance of gold plating and polish adorning the B series and its accessories. Bonus points for the clear coolant hoses! The color scheme is tied into the exterior well with the polished lips and gold hardware on the Work Equip 05s. This build was a throwback to when Civic stance builds rivaled classic VWs for their cleanliness.
Loved this HCR32 wearing what I think is an Origin Stylish kit. Underneath that rare JUN hood is an SR20DET swap which always feels so right. My favorite part of all though were the set of Gram Lights 57 Pro, a wheel that is definitely on my hit list! This GTST definitely had a cool street style to it!
This JZS147 Aristo looked like it was from an early 90s Wangan video. The exterior was stock except for the conservative spec BBS LMs and what I think is a Wald rear wing but powering it was a 600hp 2JZGTE backed by a V160 which was always baller but these days is an enormous flex. Inside were Recaro SP3 Tomcat reclinable seats. This is such a cool period build.
More Spoon themed Fits, please! It's understandable why so many people build Spoon themed Civics but it does get tiring at times seeing so many similar builds. With Fits on the other hand, it's not so common seeing one sporting the whole Spoon catalogue so it's still exciting to see. The stock Fit Sport aero is accented with Spoon mirrors and a Spoon wing that I didn't even know existed. Obviously no Spoon build would be complete without SW388s and Spoon brakes.
What was probably the most exciting car to see, based purely on the silly surprise that it was, was this Suzuki Alto Hustle - a factory modified, high roof version of the 5 door Suzuki Alto. This one had the Alto Works aero and hood slammed over Hayashi Streets. I adored everything about this little fella!
The other end of the "JDM little fella" spectrum is a Suzuki Wild Wind on TE37XTs.
I'm a huge Subaru fan, especially of Subarus that lean more into the circuit vibe of things. This WRX was awesome running a Voltex front and skirts. This car was built with a street/touge kind of style, but there were nods to it's rally roots the roof vent, L'aun Sport Group A mirrors, and Enkei's kind of Compomotive-reminiscent RC-T5s. This is how Subarus should be built!
I've seen a few FL5s in person but Ken from SNTRL's is the first modified one I had seen in person. As an FK8 owner, I do like how they look a lot, but the FL5 is more classic Type R to me with it's much simpler, discrete styling. I've seen a couple on the road I didn't even realize were Type Rs until I saw it from the dead front/rear and noticed how wide it was or until I spotted the wing.
A good comparison is this similarly modified EK9. This one had a Mugen front lip and Seeker wing but otherwise retained it's OEM aero which, to the untrained eye, wasn't as attention grabbing over a base EJ6 as an FK8 is over an FK7. Other Type R Hondas were the same until the UK took over Type R design and production outside the FD2 creating things like the FN2, FK2, and FK8. The FL5 is a return to those original design principals.
Will Do's GT86 has evolved to have an intense presence. This kind of GT style isn't as popular on the ZN/ZC chassis in the north east as it is on the west coast which is a shame since it suits these cars well. The aero is a collection from a bunch of manufacturers but looks perfectly cohesive. The front lip is a Greddy Gracer item, the skirts are TRD, and the rear spats are Modellista. The main kit is accented with a Varis hood, Voltex wing, JUN mirrors, and those rare baller carbon TRD fender fins. Inside a single Bride x Narita Dogfight Zeta IV steals the show.
This R34 GTR gave off a very early 2000s tuning shop vibe.
David Bob made an appearance with his Futago Line BRZ drift car on AVS Model 6s.
I'm don't believe this is an original N1 GTR, but this Top Secret homage BNR32 had a fair few N1 parts on it from the Z-Tune manifold to the bumper ducts, skirts, and rear trunk lip. Besides the obvious Top Secret gold, the tuning shop's front lip, hood, and rear diffuser were also put into service.
Two sides of the same kyusha vibe with this Corolla and 510 - both stock body over classic, small wheels.
Classic look for a AE86 with OEM Trueno aero and 14" TE37s.
Evo Vs don't really need much since they already look like they're sporting some crazy aftermarket aero stock. A little drop over some Regas is all you need.
After the first meet up spot, I just rolled around and hung out with friends. I didn't bring a tripod or anything so at the final spot, I gave up quickly on shooting in the poorly lit side streets but still wanted to snap a few phone pics of some cars I wanted to show you all.
This EK3 Ferio was what sparked me wanting to snap a few quick pics to show off some cool stuff. The owner used to have a Spoon themed Integra I was obsessed with at Wekfest 2019 (as seen here) on 17" VS-XX and this is his latest creation that's equally sick and standout. The exterior seems stock but the front fenders are Mode Parfume x Exceed's design which keep a stock look but significantly increase the width and radius to help house some fat R comps on black Regas. MP x Exceed's front lip and mirrors are also featured as well as EK9 headlights and an EK9 grille. I'm excited to see how this car shapes up since the build has just begun.
The 3rd gen Forester is a heavily neglected chassis in the tuning world but I think they're a - potentially - good looking base to build from. This one looks sick on TE37SLs with the factory Japanese aero.
There's few cars that carry an aura like a battle ready S2000!
Lastly, I had to show this bananas looking 993. The fenders are off the 993 GT2 and are filled with Rotiform CUPs.
The full album from this event can be found in the link below:
I have a backlog of California trip content to sort through and some killer events coming up I plan to cover so keep your eyes out for more coverage!