As we start to wrap up Interview Month, we wanted to get in touch with Mark Arcenal to get his thoughts on car life, the stance movement, and his own inspirations.
If you aren't familiar with Mark, he's the father of Fatlace, Hellaflush, and was already a mover and shaker in the car world when I was still in high school. He also has one of the coolest car collections ever…
Speedhunters: Your Fatlace brand encompasses all sorts of things outside of cars, but cars are one of the big parts. How was your automotive background shaped? Any major influences growing up?
MA: I was very influenced from old tv shows like Dukes of Hazard, Knight Rider, The A-Team, Miami Vice and movies like 007 but the one show that really got me into cars and the hustle was "No Man's Land" with Charlie Sheen. Nothing is better than stealing Porsche's and selling them. I believe Fast and the Furious took some of that movie script and rewrote it into theirs. I never got into racing but watched Indy quite a bit. Emerson Fittipaldi was someone who I watched and definitely wanted a set of his wheels.
Speedhunters: Something we have to ask. What was your first car? Did you do anything to it?
MA: My first car was a 1984 Hand-Me-Down 318i BMW. The day I got my license was the day my mom stopped driving. I became a chauffeur that day. I did plenty of things to that car from 2 paint jobs to cutting the springs and watching those springs fly off the cup on the freeway. I didn't have any money so I invented things but in the end, I still loved that car.
Speedhunters: How did your automotive tastes evolve from there?
MA: I've always loved cars. Lowered and tuners ones the most. I went to my first VW show when I was 14 and fell in love with that lifestyle. There's a difference with having a low cars that are drivable and those that aren't. All my cars drove and drive with no issues. If it rubbed, I would figure out a way to make it not. I can't stand cars that rub when driving. It's just an awful sound although scraping the floorpan and smelling rubber isn't so bad.
Speedhunters: You are known as one of the pioneers of the "stance movement" or "Hellaflush: here in the USA. Where did you first catch wind of this style?
MA: I loved the style back when MaxPowerUK was still in its infancy. My first car you can say was "hellaflush" but the word wasn't around yet.
Speedhunters: Now that the wide and low style has exploded in popularity, how do you feel? Has any of the originality been lost?
MA: I don't know if originality will be lost since low lifestyle has been around for years and people love riding low.
Speedhunters: Is there a point where you think the wheel fitment thing goes to far?
MA: Yeah, Im not into mega cambered cars. I've never been into it but to some degree when you're drifting or even when I'm on the track, I like to have camber. MEGA camber is fun with RC's.
Speedhunters: A lot of people say that fitment and stance is just latest trend. Do you agree with this, or do you think it's something that's here to stay?
MA: It's not a trend. Artists draw concept cars with no ground clearance and very flush wheels. Once those guys start drawing to spec, then I'll have to say it was a trend. Also, we started our site in 2004 and the style has been around years before we started the site so It'll be here for years to come. Its funny cause guys/girls that are into fixing up cars aren't going to change their wheels to stock sizes with lots of rubber. Trends are Louis Vuitton wrapped bride seats 
Speedhunters: Any other thoughts on the stance and fitment matter?
MA: Other than people taking it too seriously, no. If you don't like it, there's 10 billion other things you can get into.
Speedhunters: Back to your personal cars. What does your fleet consist of right now?
MA: Right now Ive got a 2003 Eurovan i'm going a bit nutty on, LR3, and BMW Wagon for daily drivers and the cars that I tinker around with are the S14, Hakosuka (Skyline), Datsun 411sss Wagon, 911 C4 and going to start messing with the Civic again.
Speedhunters: Tell us a little about your most recent addition, the Hakosuka.
MA: I love the Skyline. I've always wanted one but never knew how to get one. I got lucky and with a few introductions and picked it up for somewhat a good deal. I picked it up in "GT-R" spec but took off all GT-R spec related stuff and decided to go my own route. It seems small but its actually a long car. I added coilovers and new flares for the front and rear, ditched the bumpers, chrome stuff, and the watanabe's and put some TE37v's.
Speedhunters: What about your S14 drift car? How's that coming along?
MA: It'll be done very soon. I've drifted this car since 2003 and I'm so excited that it's coming home after being gone for a year. It's been a year since it left to get a Titan motor put in but unfortunately we ran into a ton of hiccups and I decided to go with a built SR by performance options. So if anyone wants a titan motor, G35 Tranny and adapter, hit me up.
Speedhunters: No doubt your collection hasn't stopped growing. Any ideas about what your next project might be?
MA: I really want to do an NSX. It was my dads dream car and I after Im done, I'll probably give it to him cause I want my 911C4 back. He's driving that around while I sort out space.
Speedhunters: You've owned and built some incredible cars, but what would you consider your dream car?
MA: 1972 John Player Special Lotus F1 Racecar. If I can buy a shell, I would and put it on the wall.
Speedhunters: We all have automotive heroes. Who are yours? Drivers, builders, etc.
MA: Lewis Hamilton is my favorite Driver at the moment. Dude is raw and drives like a maniac. I follow him and Button.
Speedhunters: You just threw an event called the Fatlace Classic. Can you tell us a little more about this?
MA: Classic, or Klas:SIK is where we bring all our interests into one show. We plan on having more of these. The last one was about Drifting and Showing. 50 non pro drifters going at it while some of the nice cars from around the area show.
Speedhunters: Thanks so much for your time, Mark. Anything else you want to tell our readers?
MA: Take the time to spend on things that keep you moving forward. Negativity is backwards thinking.
Thanks to everyone that supports us and we hope to bring lots of surprises in the near future. Look out for more drift and track events from us come 2011 and drive safe out there.
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Eventhough I love my coilovers, riding low, and rolling fenders, I personally I cant stand fatlace/hellla flush. Or at least 95% of the people who claim to adhere to the "lifestyle" or whatever. They become like highschool spoiled girls arguing over the other's fashion and whose' shoes are better......
But props on the good work on building a brand...just not my cup of tea.
And since that hakosuka is beautiful...so + points in the end
For someone who takes pride in being the leader of a movement concerned with stance, you'd think that the Hako would have a better stance. Something about it just seems off.
great guy,great collection,great movement,great article
@dickie, dude are you looking at the same car as I am? That Hako' is super nice and has a great stance.
Thanks Mike!
@J:
hey man, its totally cool if you dont like fatlace/hellaflush, like mark said "If you don't like it, there's 10 billion other things you can get into."
wow...!!! living the dream, must be hard work. much respect.
yes say no to hells tucked negative cambered out wheels!
LOL hellaflush is a trend, dont kid yourself
@ Kenny.
You know, I got nothing against the Hellaflush movement-to each his own, and like Mark said, if you don't like it, there are other 10 billion things to do.
What I hate though is how many people in the Hellaflush movement come out as they know-it-all. Claming that their cars drive super nice and it's "hellafast" (which in 99.9% of the cases is not).
So again, nothing against this trend, but please folks don't talk like your car can handle, because it doesn't.
That's all.
I remember when they said Rj Devera and Chip Foose were pioneers.. now they're just has beens.
Man he had throwing star replica's on his e30. That shit's rare!
Great interview.
Nigga please.... This tool must have the biggest ego and not even know it..
You are not the pioneer of "Stance" Fagot.
I agree with Mark when it comes to MASSIVE negative camber, it has just gone too far these days. I have been rolling fenders for several years now and I came out of the San Diego S2000 low offset moement, and I definately think it has gone out of control. I saw a sticker once that really captured what I think fitment should be about. The sticker said it simply "HELLA FUNCTIONAL''. I think hella flush should be flushed down the toilet quicker than a bag of sticky icky when the cops are at the door!
Great article, Great Cars
So in his closing thoughts he is hating on haters..?! Hahahaha! The irony! The idiocracy!!! I actually was interested in reading this interview, but he just came off like a tool.
Great article. Mark is truly an innovator. I love his brand and his interest. He ain't the leader of this movement. He was just the first to come up with a legitmate name for this so called look. VW's have been doing this look long before his site in 04 came up. To all the haters of stance cars, go find something else to look at. This look ain't for everyone, so get over it.
@henry you have no idea what you're talking about. hating on the haters? where do you get this from.
good read
Great article, Love all the cars and great insight.
" Take the time to spend on things that keep you moving forward. Negativity is backwards thinking. "
Individuality!
Fatlace Klas:Sik was a great show & drift.
Peace
Mark STILL rules.
Keep it up, man!
wow, some of you needa calm down, Some readers become tough people when they get there hands in a Grey Comment box... idiots
Great write up.
hellaflush is hellagay... simple as that. People that think cars are such fashion statements... just keep this in mind.. trends and styles are always going to come and go.. but building a fast functioning car will never go out.
Wrong lotus haha. But sick article nonetheless...
Hella flush is hella stupid.
HellaFlush is hella retarded.
HellaFunctional needs to be what people aspire to.
not lowering your car until its suspension geometry is so whacked out that the car actually handles worse than it did from the factory.
HellaFunctional forever.
cool.. love the JPS racecar..
Always loved this guy...still do. Did you guys read the same article? He says he likes to be low but also requires that it's functional.
Mark/Fatlace/Hellaflush are awesome.
The Hakosuka and S14 are all Win!
Even the VW van with its low stance look great!
the skyline looks awesome. i too want one!!!
KPGC10 original please, with a work L20. oh yeah.
loving the s14 too dude. just looks oh so right.
awesome is that a ruckus i spy =)
Everybody is allowed to do what they want with fashion. Yet, I don't really know if this Hellaflush and Fatlace movement is really about cars. My stupid two cents, can mean nothing to fan boys / girls, and with no disrespect to Mark; collecting everything sounds childish and trendy. Perhaps I'm wrong and people are entitled to their own concepts of what they want to do to achieve success. So for all means go out and do it. But be honest to what you really want. On the other side of the coin haters could start an anti movement as well and capitalize off it, but then you are just giving in to what the next guy is doing. Be original, be yourself, and if Hellaflush, ILLest get replaced with a NON- stickered phase, or sprinkled colored VOLK's in the automotive arena then we will hear it all over again. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If someone in Japan, or some where else in the World does it, and someone else copies it, and starts telling their friend to jock it; then hate it or not; it will grow and then fade. My stupid two cents.
Speedhunters wouldnt be Speedhunters without the haters.
Haters gonna hate, At least some people move forward in spite of negativity. All I can say is at least Mark does what he does. Instead of sitting around and hatting on the net. I hope he keeps on keeping on.
The internet chicks and dudes...Hard business.
"Other than people taking it too seriously"
"the style has been around years before we started the site so It'll be here for years to come."
Did most of the just skim the cliff notes? Go back and read it without being hipsters.
Love the Hako, Mark!
Kev from JNC
Great article, great guy.
All the haters need to take a step back and realise that SH interviewed Mark for a REASON, he has played a part in modern car culture. The only reason your angry and poorly constructed opinions got out there was because you used the comment box.
Also he gets to own and work on sweet cars all day whilst designing cool shit to pay the bills. You just sit in your dead end jobs getting angry because this guy is better at life than you.
I LOVE THE SKYLINE
Gotta love the the people that read the article, have something negative to say, but stick around to write hater comments... the concept isn't that complex. There are definitely better things to do with your time; go read a book or have an actual hobby.
Suck dik much? Not every one that hates on the guy has a dead end job or drives shitty cars.. GET A LIFE..
haters gonna hate
Ha! ha! Haters gonna hate right?... ridiculous. I'm sure he's plenty used to this by now, I find speedhunters is much better when I don't read the comments
Nice collection of cars Mark, especially the Hakosuka. Keep at it.
Pioneer. The end.
wtf is a "hellaflush movement"? sounds like euphemism for taking a shit. vw guys have been doing it for well over a quarter-century. shit ain't new. and it definitely is NOT a trend. it is what it is.
i like cars with great stance that looks good, and is functional....as most of you do as well
but the "hella flush movement" is just plain retarded.
It's not "cool" to buy stickers to put all over your car that say stupid shit like illest, hellaflush, fatlace, or pandafucker. It's not cool to wear purple and green checkered patent leather nikes, with skinny jeans and an invisible penis trucker hat.
Just because you built a car that is on hellaflush/fatlace, doesnt mean you're the greatest of all time and know everything about everything concerning cars and "being hip".
Anyone can go on ebay and buy a set of rims and coilovers, and have a car look just like all of them.
You can tell how successful you are, based on how many people are hating on you.
If you don't understand Hellaflush, keep it to yourself and stay ignorant. You sound like idiots talking in circles. Honestly, who cares what you fools like. Stop being so emotional.
haha This is funny, I say good article and props on doing what your doing Mark.
Everyone has their own shit.
Friends let other friends to duck sick themselves. The in crowd, The out crowd, The haves, The have nots. We all need cheerleaders, even those with tight pants, new era hats, flannels , and stickered up cars. Yeaaa, another episode of WB, ( want better) sh*t. Look back at alot of things done in the past. Really, are people going to honestly man up and say they pioneered something, if you can now find out on wikipedia if they did or not. HAAa really, right now everybody is typing in Hellaflush, ILLest, on Wakopedia. See the pipe piper strikes again. Gotcha. Peace. Someone start importing coilovers from japan for s30's here in the states, many 2010 JCCS s30's running around with some Hellabunk springs.
"theymad"
This is in reference to everyone that wants to post comments on Speedhunters.
I've noticed time and time again, if you want to have an enjoyable experience reading Speedhunters, it's gotta be like going on YouTube.
View the main content, skip the comments.
Everyone in the car community always thinks they know what is best for everyone else's car. If you're not building it according to their specs, it's stupid, dumb, and you should burn the car.
All I gotta say about that is...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z74tiVtFSgY
You can tell how successful you are, based on how many people are hating on you.
99% of those pushing the "Hella Flush" style know absolutely nothing about cars. I also doubt that many have any interest in motorsports other than the car being an extension of their fashion or "individuality".
I love how this whole "hellaflush" thing is basically being exploited by him to sell his own products, further his brand and put money in his pocket.
And all of you trend-whoring, hypebeasting douchebags with no concept of doing your own thing eat it up.
The man is a genius.
great interview guys, honestly he came off like his companies style. Simple, clean, and demands respect.
"MA: Take the time to spend on things that keep you moving forward. Negativity is backwards thinking. "
I see a lot of comments on this just to talk smack, and although I'm more grip and function over hella flush I will never down a show or style built car for being what it is. That owner achieved there goal and even if it wasn't the route you wouldn't of taken isn't that the beauty of this game? For me it's all about finding that better part or setting to run a faster time on track, for them it's about finding that new style or accessory to complete there car just right. Respect...
@Joey are you sure about that? He owns fatlace so he makes his money off clothes, stickers, and gear. Last time I checked the fatlace site he's not selling car parts ... yet. I know it's a future plan but people have been stanced out before his site, and they will be stanced out after his site. With this digital age we live in this movement has gained momentum so much because surprise a lot of people will click on a picture of a stanced out car because it looks good. If the same people clicking were face to face with the stanced out car and a true track car though and you offered them a ride, they would pick the track car, or they will be disappointed when the stanced car couldn't catch up to the car they should have picked and won't be making that mistake again.
if you want HellaFunctional, get a mini van. or your wife made you already and that is why you are such a hater.
@Mel T - You are so right
Let's see a post of all the haters cars. All these internet thugs hiding behind their monitors prob haven't fixed/tuned up a car in their life.
Love lowered functional cars but tired of hearing the term Hellaflush. His view on lowered cars is similar to mine though. If car can't be driven its either a trophy or junk. I've seen some comments by haters and to be honest I have to wonder if they read the article at all or they just got emotional and started typing.
Can someone please explain the logic of how success is proportional to the amount of people that "hate" on you? I'm pretty sure success depends on yourself, not others. Haters don't make you rich, get you promoted, or attain your goals for you.
It's funny how everyone plays follow the leader. I just think the whole Fatlace/Hellaflush concepts is really trying way too hard. Some of the cars look dope, but every dude driving one looks like a immature douche-bag poser.
How is it trying hard? Fatlace has been around since 1999. Some of you tards skim thru the photos and base your opinions on the comments without reading the entire article. He's not the pioneer, he just pushed it to the level it is today.
For all the haters, what have you done? Fatlace was a hobby and turned into a culture. Cars are just a part of what they do. You guys need to read cause you sound like a bunch of idiots.
Nice article SpeedHunters. Mark is as humble as they come. I don't think success could've happened to a better person. The movement is what it is, and if you don't like it then that's cool. It will continue to move forward and change direction at times. Trends come and go, but Some level of wheel fitment will always be around.
Im mostly against this flush movement at some times or at a degree
but reading this interview gave me big respect and understanding to Mark ...chauffeur ,cutting springs, Fittipaldi, old JPS special , car passion and roots etc ....he didnt forget where he came from and yet still humble
keep on lookin forward and doin positive things