Now that I’ve given you guys a look at what went down on Saturday during the Offset Kings Car Show at Formula Drift Long Beach, I want to continue my coverage with a closer look at six of the most notable cars from the event. From American VIP style to a tough AE86 and an immaculate old school Civic, I think I rounded up a pretty interesting selection here.
Let’s begin, shall we?
The lineup at this event included several examples of the Scion FR-S, but none got more attention than this red machine prepared by an outfit called Street Faction right in Long Beach.
I can pretty much guarantee that this one is going to generate some colorful comments down below, but I think that’s the whole idea.
The wheels are deep-lipped Weds Kranze LXZs, and even crazier is that this height was achieved with an old school coilover setup. Yes, it somehow actually drives at this height!
In the end, the FR-S took top honors in the Slammed class, which in Offset Kings speak is pretty much the equivalent of best in show. Not surprising at all considering how much buzz this thing was making over the weekend.
It’s not very often that we feature a Nissan Altima on Speedhunters, but I found myself being quite impressed by this VIP-inspired example.
Along with the bippu style exterior, the interior of the Nissan had all the requisite VIP elements as well. Curtains, tray tables and of course the fusa knot hanging from the rear view mirror.
Perhaps the coolest thing inside the car was the shifter, which as you can see uses the handle from a samurai sword. Also note the controller for the air suspension setup.
Like the aforementioned FR-S, this big Nissan is running a staggered set of Weds Kranze wheels that further enhance the luxury look.
The Altima surely isn’t the first car that comes to mind when you think VIP, but that’s exactly what made this one stand out. It’s always cool to see people thinking outside the box with their cars.
Old school cool
Let’s jump back to the ’80s now with an MX73 Toyota Cressida that’s been given the full Japanese street racer treatment.
It seems that each year these guys get more adventurous with their builds, and I have to say this Cressida is one of the more faithful interpretations of the style that I’ve seen outside of Japan.
There are many nice little details, like the wide steel wheels that have been sprayed a cool metallic purple color.
Let’s not forget that trick sunshade that sits in the rear window – something you gotta have while cruising around sunny SoCal.
We actually got in touch with the car’s owner Casey to arrange a full shoot, so you can expect to see a more detailed feature on this Cressida in the future.
Let’s stay in the ’80s for a moment with another Toyota – this badass AE86 hatchback that was part of the Project Zero crew.
I usually think that stock body lines work best on the 86, but this one looks damn good with its aftermarket FRP bits and big over fenders.
And sitting under those wide fenders are a set of Work Equip 01s – a timeless choice for the good old hachiroku.
And how about that Nardi steering wheel? There’s just something about the simplicity of the Toyota’s cockpit that makes me want to hop in and go for a spin.
I’ve owned way too many cars in my life, but some of my fondest memories come from driving my AE86s. Seeing cars like this one only makes me miss them even more.
Clean or crazy?
It’s impossible to go to an event like this one and not see some cool Hondas. Of all the example on show, this Civic was by far my favorite – unpainted bumpers and all.
It surely wasn’t the most heavily modified car at the event, but that’s what made me like it so much. You can’t go wrong with simple and clean.
And when I say clean, I really mean it. The interior was immaculate, and I just love the the fact that someone has kept this thing in such great condition over the years.
Then there are the wheels – 15-inch Manaray Turbina S to be exact. So perfect for the old school tuner look.
With so many cars grabbing from your attention, you just can’t help but appreciate the simpler things sometimes.
When it comes to grabbing attention, few cars did it better than this E46 sedan which was also representing the Project Zero group. ‘Subtle’ is a word you’ll never use when describing this Bimmer.
The wheels are five-spoke Work Equips, which are naturally sitting mere millimeters from the edge of the fenders.
And speaking of those fenders, they were also sporting plenty of custom work – including these vintage-inspired louvers up front.
And why not top everything off with a gigantic GT wing sitting atop the rear decklid? I can only imagine the looks this thing gets while running down the freeway.
Well, there you have it. Mild, wild, old, new – and a little controversy as well.
Love it or hate it, that’s Offset Kings for you.
Mike Garrett
Instagram: speedhunters_mike
mike@speedhunters.com
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Perfectly fine with stancing an FRS or the feux M3 I imagine giving up on making those fast happens a lot
Feature on the kombi?
The Honda wins for me
Aww yeah, repping Circuit Soul.
I guess the proverbial "writing" has been "on the wall" for some time now: Speedhunters has a real soft spot for the "stance" and "hellaflush" fads.
Digging the Cressida, but the tailpipes are still a little hard to stomach. Still, I do appreciate the big "F YOU!!" attitude that they give off.
ITRbroham Except those "fads"(you really like quotes) make up a huge part of the import car culture. The truth is that it'd be really strange to do all the stories on drifting and car shows and NOT have this stuff included. I'm not really into the stance scene personally, but that doesn't mean that I think sites like Speedhunters should just completely ignore a major segment of the scene and cater only to the track bros and car snobs.
So really the solution is very simple. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it.
This 'stance' you quote to be a fad has such a scale that you can not define and will not just blow over, for a lot of people that are not into the 'stance' scene think it is crazy fitment, stretched tires and negative camber but that is not always the case! The way this stance style started where drifters fitting wide wheels on there cars, using stretch to eliminate soft side walls and camber in the front to gain contact patch on angle! From there it has been taken to new levels from 'stance' cars with practical fitment to took good and work well to all our static VIP cars with crazy camber and on the floor! Don't get me wrong but a lot stance cars don't serve a purpose of function but of form and that's what they are building it for! So in short don't over look stance as stupid kids trying to follow a fad but all car lovers coming together under many car manufactures to enjoy the same style of tuning!
I'm not a honda guy but that civic <3
Hanma ITRbroham You're right and I don't read them.
That Altima is sweet! Not really a fan of chrome wheels but I dig the chrome on black look.
Paizuri_4g63 Faux M3? They never an E46 M3 Sedan....and it has no M3 bodywork aside from the CSL front bumper..
Faux...
These Manaray Turbina Wheels seem to be Ultra Rare!!! But they're soooo nice.......!!!
Honeydew Cottage Plus rear arches, CSL bootlid and rear bumper. Doubt many if any of them are genuine parts, the bonnet looks like either Vorsteiner or replica Vorsteiner and I imagine the same is probably true for most of the other bits given that they're already made in saloon fitment (so why would you bother massaging OEM stuff?). The 3-series is so nearly awesome but for the rear camber and tuck up front. Not a huge fan of the wheels either. Every time I look at it I just think how much better it would be on a set of WTCC BBS single-pieces and a static drop with a purposeful, rather than ridiculous, stance.
ITRbroham Hanma Don't read it but you drop by to complain about it?
People forget there are plenty of other style first forms of modification that are a part of car culture that SpeedHunters also covers. But 'stance' posts always seem to prick the most toes...
DaveT ITRbroham Hanma I can't say I'm a fan of stance culture, but I do understand that some people are attracted to it. That said, I also understand why it actively repels so many people in the enthusiast community.
To me, and I'm sure the same applies to others, it's no different from bolting huge body kits onto Vauxhall Corsas and filling the boot with subwoofers. It's tasteless (subjective of course) but also impedes what I consider to be the most important aspect of modifying cars- improving the way they perform or drive.
I wouldn't ever dream of asking people not to show it just because I personally dislike it, plus I get a laugh out of how idiotic it looks. That said, some of it does border on the actively dangerous and that shouldn't be encouraged- not on the public road anyway.
That E46 would get you arrested quicker than you could turn the key here in Germany. About every mod on this would be illegal here, especially that Polizei "livery"
Here is a question for you, would you rather data a 9.5 with an IQ around 85, or a 7.5 with an IQ north of 120? Now think about how that analogy applies to cars.
)
Some people want to date the hottie and don't care about brains or performance and beauty is a subjective matter.
Also realise that Speedhunters is a business, and they are trying to make money. Controversial issues bring more views which bring more money for them. Personally I enjoy how this site tries to accommodate many different audiences, but I'd love to see more motorsport coverage (world challenge for example *wink wink*
I like the louvers on the bimmer. Nice touch.
How am I complaining? I merely made a statement. The conversations usually up the same way once an article about "stance" is posted. Those who so adamantly defend it are the ones whose whole foot gets pricked, let alone their toes. Just look at the title....LOL!
@Philipp Ulrich Hab mir gerade das selbe gedacht
wheatgod Yeah I didn't notice Altimas much before seeing that car, but that one has made me realize that they do in fact look pretty sharp.
@Philipp Ulrich Haha, a slightly ironic isn't it?
Gianluca FairladyZ Yep, I'm not sure if I can recall seeing another set before these.
tokuku Yeah it works well there.
Michael Atwell That's more or less the idea haha
ITRbroham Yep, just one part of the huge scene that we cover.
132000 I'm sure that can be arranged. Actually, I need to head to the Bay and see what's going on at The Paddock soon.
Is that... is that a stock bodied FR-S?! I didn't think such a thing even existed...
Tom Rebetzke Underbody lights, scissor doors,
altezzas.. those were all over the place on a huge scale as well, but
it's gone now, as it should be. Camber and "stance" is basically the
current generation's "tuner thing". It'll blow over eventually and
people will move on to something else, like always. I personally don't
like it, but I don't mind seeing some of the creativity in some of it.
I've always been a "it's your car, do what makes you happy" kind of guy
anyway.
I believe the music you listen to has alot to do with the influence of your cars style...The frs guy prally listens to alot of drake.
California style really turns me off. A bunch of snap back wearing sneaker head mofos. You might as well start bowing down to the wu. East coast Iis the nitty gritty
I have to say, as much as I love all of these cars, especially the Cressida, I simply cannot stand the whole culture involved. I think lowered cars look awesome, I just don't understand why awful fashion sense and terrible music have to be a part of it as well. Kind of hard to admire the detailing on a show car when dissonant, sexist garbage is blasting in your ear three feet away and half the merch at the stand consists of snapbacks.
@Philipp Ulrich haha it's my car. this car gets me into a lot of trouble in america too
sivis Honeydew Cottage rear arches are OEM bmw metal, radiused and flared. rear bumper is OEM m3. rear bootlid is a replica, but in carbon fiber. front bonnet is vorsteiner and double-sided cf, as good as it gets for the sedan. front bumper is vorsteiner, also double-sided and made for m3 fitment, the best replica out there for the csl bumper OEM. front fenders used to be OEM m3 fenders flared onto an OEM fender, but i recently replaced that with fenders off a GTR, which i had to mold to an OEM sedan fender since the m3 gtr wheelbase is much wider than a stock sedan.
sivis Honeydew Cottage and the car is actually bagged, hence the fitment. i'm throwing on some 18" ssr koenig monsters up front to replace the work equips. the equips are too big. i used to be able to lay on the floor with my old CCW wheels. that's why i'm going back to 18s. trust me, if i used parts made for the sedan, it would not look good. the parts specifically made for the m3 are naturally wider and shaped differently. just look at an m3 bumper made for a saloon/sedan and an actual m3 bumper. the oem bumper will have sharper lines and a more defined shape.
DWQuattro Paizuri_4g63 there's actually TONS of m3 bodywork on the car
I'm one of the haters. A car is for driving. Putting your wheels in crooked doesn't add to that. And I really hate the word stance nowadays.
booogs sivis Honeydew Cottage Thanks for the info. Most of the converted saloons I've seen in the UK that aren't directly trying to be M3 saloons (that is, using as many OEM parts as possible) tend to use replica bodywork with the mounting points already designed for the saloons, but aping the width and fitment of the M3 stuff. I can't imagine how much work went into customising the coupé bodywork to fit. I thought the CSL bits would likely be replicas (albeit excellent quality- I'm not knocking the quality of any of the parts in any way) given that they're NLA across most of the world.
Like I said before, of all the cars here the 3-series is definitely my favourite. The bodywork looks excellent, very OEM+. Just not a fan of the bagged-and-dropped look in general.
sivis booogs Honeydew Cottage thank you! yes my car is very confused lol. and yes there was a TON of work that went into the fenders. i've documented a lot of it on my instagram and youtube account. i actually thought the oem m3 fenders would fit and be a simple "bolt-on" with the exception of the turnsignals, but i was mistaken. i had to buy a new set of fenders (didn't want to cut up my already radiused ones) and modify the GTR fender into a skin and then bond the two together. now i have a GTR m3 fender that fits the saloon!
yeah i notice a lot of people will just use the "m3" fenders made for a saloon, but they don't usually have the same shape or width since there is no wide m3 bumper to match made for the sedan/saloon. for a proper conversion, it's best to just use the oem fenders and bumper. most of the replica stuff isn't truly wide and looks off.
Mike Garrett i can't believe you posted my car! i own the bmw. my buddy owns the corolla :fangirl:
I'm curious what you think is good fashion style and good music taste. That's not a dig... Just interested.
I love this car!
Maybe I'm biased, after seeing stanced this and stanced that for so long, the only car that was ground-breaking in this feature was the Civic imho (oh maybe the Bimmer just to keep things fair).
Pinky1984 Nice huh...there's just something about it that I can't put a finger on.
honestly there's no such thing as enough kranze lxz so more lxz next time please?
never thought id hear "old school" and "coilover" in the same sentence
A crippled frs, such a waste
ITRbroham Fair you didn't actually complain. But people do typically seem to go on and on about it.
RodChong Looking back, that was really, really harsh. I hope I didn't offend anyone, it's just that everything beyond the cars in the whole scene is just really, really not my style and c'mon, this particular scene and style is dominated by this kind of music and fashion. I just want a bit of variety or something.
Just noticed the Hood Releases used as quick release on the bumper of that BMW.
Nice touch.
where do you get a samurai sword shift knob!?!? I have the same car... but that shift knob is fucking dope.