For years now Joey Lee's "The Chronicles Meet" has been a favorite for So Cal Honda guys. There are bigger shows/meets as far as quantity but I can confidently say this is annually THE gathering of the best quality Honda builds in California. It's a pretty intimate event and that's part of what makes it really cool. You usually know at least half of the guys there so it makes for a fun day of catching up and BS-ing with old friends. The dudes at Auto Fashion grace us with 90's hip hop all day, you drink that 6-pack of Modelo you and your co-pilot snuck in and life is good.
This year the guys at Hybrid Racing decided to make the trip out from Louisiana to attend the meet. We recently became their West-Coast distributor so we thought it would be cool to host them at our booth. They brought out a bunch of gear and a few new parts that we will be posting photos and details of on our Instagram next week. It was a busy day but our shop photographer Misa found a little time to run around and snap some shots before people started taking off. He actually got 3-4 times more cars than we are sharing below, but since we are in the middle of a transition from a crazy SEMA week to a back-to-back event weekend we just don't have time to process and post all of the photos. We'll share more photos on social media over the next few weeks. This is just a teaser anyway, I'm sure Joey's coverage will be a lot more detailed than ours. Hope you guys enjoy the preview!
Tommy Nguyen’s DC5 debuted with us at our booth and we were extraordinarily happy it made it out. Anthony Gonzalez of Encore Auto in Indio, CA has been putting this one together for quite some time so we were happy he and Tommy were able to debut it with us. Titanium piping and a ridiculous amount of gold dipped pieces throughout, the boys wound up taking home Best Engine Bay. An easy decision I'm sure. Amazing work guys, we're looking forward to seeing it next summer once it's 100% dialed in.
Positioned on the other side of our booth and making the trek all the way from El Paso, Texas was Johnny Ortiz and his aggressive track EG Civic build. Fitting a 275mm tire under the wide Chargespeed fenders should tell you everything about how much power this turbo’d, K-Series hatch is putting down. Johnny runs JFA Repair back home and this EG is a sample of what they can do. If you're looking for some help on your next build in the El Paso area make sure to give him a call. Thanks again for making the trip Johnny!
Chuy Navarro of DPK showcased his immaculate 98 Spec Integra Type R. He’s really been enjoying it on the Mag Blue Volk CE28N’s lately and we don’t blame him. You may notice that one of the differentiating factors of Chuy’s car has been put back to normal, with his custom headlight air scoop and titanium intake being swapped out for an OEM headlight and Comptech ice box intake. It was supposed to rain on Saturday so Chuy was just being prepared for the worst.
Jimmy Uria brought out his awesome Mercedez Benz W108. You may have seen this car in Super Street a couple months back, and while it may look subtle, there are so many extremely rare OEM optional parts on this car that it isn’t funny. We love the W108 Jimmy, but bring the Del Sol out some time soon!
Year 8 was the debut of our sponsored driver Jeremy Allgier’s Prelude. An engine bay adorned with ARC goods retrofitted from other cars, we are truly proud of how far Jeremy has taken an often forgotten Honda chassis. Though not fully complete yet, we wanted to congratulate Jeremy on winning The Chronicles award and an overall amazing product!
Matt of M’s JDM Motors and Dimes Performance brought out his unforgettable EF hatch with a little bit of a different look. Usually on Carving Lover Souls, Matt switched it up with a nice set of Mag Blue TE37s that blended in nicely with the shade of his paint.
Our friend Adam Elghriany brought out his real deal Civic Type R all the way from New Jersey just for the event. We spent a ton of time with Adam over the weekend and will have more on this car in the future.
Mike Schietroma also came from out of state, bringing along his highly decorated EM1. Crazy that a full year after its' debut it is still winning best of show honors. Congrats Mike!
Dave Chik didn’t bless us with his beautiful DA Integra, but he did bring out his supercharged S2000 on Desmond Regamaster Evo’s. Always loved Dave’s car for featuring a rarely seen S2000 piece with the Mugen 3 piece rear spoiler.
Ho Dao did bring out his DA Integra though, on rebarrelled Mugen MR-5’s. Always a favorite simply due to those wheels alone.
Loi Hua of Loi Spec Garage brought out his personal ITR which features a plethora of amazing aero. Crow house fenders, First Molding hood and lip, Spoon mirrors, and more. The ZE40s were a nice touch on the car and they fit right in with the older Honda platform.
Marcus Thomas came from northern California in his ever evolving EG hatch. Notice small things like the shaved side moldings or R32 Skyline wheels up front and you’ll quickly see Marcus loves going against the grain. We recently helped him acquire his J’s Racing GT Wing and it only added to the aggressive styling of the car.
Marc aka Down_Since_85 always showing just how down he is. This guy comes out from Arizona for anything and everything. His DAP hatch gets driven often but it still looks damn good. Mark was sporting a set of Sprinthart CPR’s on the passenger side, with SSR Type C’s on the drivers.
The Palafox Brothers EK is just one of those builds you will truly never forget. Painted in an off white “pepper” color, it’s simplicity does so much justice to the EK chassis. Equipped with a Mugen SS lip and EC works mirrors on the outside, the inside sports Spoon bucket seats and a Miracle X Cross bar.
Randall Ang never brings his 96-98 spec Civic coupe out, but it’s always nice to appreciate it when he gives us the chance. Turbo charged with minor exterior goods like SiR Bumpers and Spoon mirrors, Randall switched it up with his wheel set up and showed up on Advan RG1’s.
Juan Leon’s midori EK Civic is such a looker. Proof that a Honda doesn’t need much to look absolutely stunning. Pictured on 5 lug Spoon SW388 wheels, it truly is such a timeless look.
Sponsored driver Jonathan Monteith brought out his track bred EG hatch. We seriously love this car, and I swear it isn't just because hes sponsored ;) The red accented engine bay, interior and exterior flow really nicely. The wide fenders, canards, gt-mirrors, cut rear bumper, J's exhaust and Js GT wing create such a balanced aggressive look. Everything is executed way more meticulously than a track car ever needs to be. The fact that he actually puts all of these fancy pieces to work at Vtec Club regularly just adds to the total package.
Rob Perez brought out his super clean Spoon EG hatch. Rob has been taking a hiatus from bringing the car out due to some incredibly small imperfections that only a perfectionist like Rob would notice, but it is always a pleasure to see it out and about.
John Cruz brought out his 98 spec ITR that sees regular track use. I love the use of Work RSZ-R wheels, as it looks so period correct.
Again, we left a ton of really clean cars out, but I'm sure you can catch them on The Chronicles when Joey releases his coverage. Great to see everyone last weekend, now back to the SEMA show, then the Turtle Garage meet on Saturday and Auto Fashion's VIP Fest on Sunday. Then a full day of micro-naps at our desks on Monday...
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