Now that the big gravel parking lot next to the space used to hold the Street Car Nationals has been fully resurfaced, we might as well think of it as the show’s annex, such is the selection of cars that you can run across. About an hour before the show was due to end I [...]
Although it’s something that I’d love to be able to do, there is literally no way you could shoot every single car at the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals before the event closes at 3pm. So this year – like every year – it was all about being selective and concentrating on the cars that exhibited [...]
If you missed a certain American flair in the previous Spotlight-O-Rama from the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, then this selection I’ve put together should balance things out quite nicely. What better way to get things pointing in the right direction than by taking a look at a couple of traditional hot rods – the rawest [...]
Vintage USA tin and the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals might go hand-in-hand, but you won’t find one single American-made machine in this first Spotlight-O-Rama from the annual Tokyo event. I’m doing this to emphasize just how diversified Mooneyes events are in Japan, and – where you will at times – come across the most curious [...]
No matter how many times I attend the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, I never quite get over the visual impact the event creates on the streets of Tokyo’s Odaiba neighborhood. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t into customs or hot rods, the sight that these cars collectively create is simply breathtaking. Throw in an ever-expanding [...]
As car enthusiasts, I’d say there are generally two different ways in which we acquire new vehicles. First off, there’s the traditional route where we have a specific model we seek out – often looking at numerous examples and doing much contemplation before we decide to hand over our hard-earned money for the right car. [...]
So there I was, an Italian photojournalist in Yokohama’s Chinatown district, shooting an American hot rod, built and owned by a Japanese guy. I just had to smile. True passion obviously has no borders, nor do actual styles. And seeing how well Japan manages to integrate tradition, modernity and western culture – the choice of [...]
While I will allow my fellow Speedhunters to show us the wonders of the world wide Hot Rod and Customs scene during our “USA” theme this week, my approach will purely concentrate on the Japanese take of it all. Ever since joining Speedhunters back in 2009 I have began nurturing quite the love for this [...]
Don’t you just love it when things just work out without much planning? That’s what happened to me the other weekend, when, after covering the Nostalgic 2 Days event at the Pacifico Exhibition Center in Yokohama, I heard the Chop Sticks Car Club would be meeting up for one of their awesome cruises. So, after [...]
For all the great stuff I got to experience in Japan this time, one event I wasn’t able to make was the Hot Rod Razzle Dazzle in Yokohama. While I sit here and kick myself for not staying a few extra days and going for myself, my friend Hiroaki Kageyama from The KAGE Blog volunteered [...]
Divide and conquer. Sometimes that’s the best strategy. Last Sunday morning as Dino and Sean hopped in their borrowed BMW M6 and headed to Tsukuba Circuit for the Battle Evome event, I found myself bound for Honmoku in Yokohama where a very different kind of event was being held. Just after I arrived in Japan [...]
I think we’ve made it pretty clear that residents of Southern California are blessed with some of the most pleasant weather in the United States and also one of the most vibrant automotive scenes on earth. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the annual Mooneyes X-Mas Party. While a good part of the USA [...]
The Mooneyes X-Mas Party at Iriwindale Speedway. For custom car freaks and hot rodders in Southern California it’s become a December tradition as big as the Christmas holiday itself. For me it also marks my final Speedhunting expedition of the calendar year, and a fine way to wrap up a busy and exciting 2012. When [...]
Time to take a look at a final selection of cars from this year’s Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show, an event that year after year not only continues to get better, but defines how seriously and passionately the Japanese take this scene. I’ve kept the best American rides I came across for this last [...]
I don’t know why, but all of a sudden I’ve been running into quite a lot of DeTomaso Panteras in Japan. It’s like they are on a little comeback and with examples like this popping up at the Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show this past weekend, who in their right mind would complain! Aside [...]
