Ten-year anniversaries for anything is a huge feat in and of itself but to have a car show consistently grow and be able to curate top builds from the East coast is an amazing endeavor. To mark this occasion, Edwin and I decided to design, fabricate and produce a Concrete Original award to be presented during the show.
The Concrete Original award was intended to be given to the owner of a car that uses elements of classic Japanese tuning but through personalized interpretation and originality. With the collaboration of our sponsors, Intrack Tires and Nostalgic Grains, we were able to make our ideas come to life. First, we fabricated a pyramid which resonates with our triple pyramid design of our logo. The triple pyramid represents our trials as automotive enthusiasts and our strive to always produce better cars than our previous builds through, knowledge, community and style.
Then Intrack Tires powder coated the pyramid gloss black. Our very own Edwin designed the graphics which was later laser-etched by Willy from Nostalgic Grains. Weighing in at about 10lbs since we used 3/8″ inch steel plates the award had plenty of heft. Vision, execution, and design were all significant parts of the award and it is reflective of the builds we partake.
Although the competition was intense, we both decided that Gene Siepka’s 370z was the most deserving candidate. Traveling from Chicago, Gene’s bagged and supercharged 370z sports a Varis Arising II kit, Esprit GT wing, Bride seats, Project Mu brakes, a set of Work Emotion CR2P, and a laundry list of rare parts from Top Secret, Tommy Kaira to name a few. Although the curated and authentic parts are amazing to see on a single build, the history behind the Z car and the couple that did most of the work really resonated with us. We have known Gene and Christine for quite some time now and they are both have attitudes which we could all learn from. Resilience, patience, camaraderie are all words that describe the both of them. The Concrete Original award couldn’t have been given to a better individual and in this case couple.
Liberty VIP // GT rolled in deep with Ty, Max, Nawshin and Nax bringing some of the best VIP and sports builds from the East Coast.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Liberty Walk R35’s.
Hondas are becoming a scarce commodity due to years of misuse, theft, racing and neglect but these examples were so clean.
We both really liked this Datsun with the Japanese Police livery. That’s thinking out of the box!
This sport-style GS was really well put together. Serial Nine with their Breed fender series really rejuvenated this chassis.
Harry’s totally custom Ruckus with a bored out Zuma on one-off Rotiforms was at the show collecting its fair share of broken necks but unfortunately didn’t win a single award at the show. It was rather disappointing given the 3 year build and the well-done finished product.
RWB Philly was on display and it was a beauty. Unlike the West coast, This side of the pond only has a handful of RWB’s at shows.
Veilside BNR32 anyone? This one looked really aggressive.
This W124 300E with its mix of JDM VIP and Euro fitment cues really caught my eye.
Kouki S14’s with individual styling were present.
This MP Built AP2 in its triple black form with ideal Voltex aero was suited for the circuit.
Miguel’s Varis FRS on white TE37s was a perfect combo. The updated louvers over the rear glass is a subtle touch!
Some of the other cars that caught our eye as we made our way through the massive show.
Tuner Evolution awarded the “Best of Show” award to this JZS 161 which goes against the typical VIP theme most owners of this chassis take. This is truly a four door supra. Well done!
We can’t deny how much fun we had with the folks at the show. The Philly cheesesteaks were an added bonus. Congrats to Jay and his crew for the 10 years and we wish you many years to come.
Until next time!
