Wekfest - San Jose 2024
Author: Kai Her - July 26th, 2024
I’ll start off this blog in letting you know how I am doing. Aimee is about a month away before her due date and we have been preparing ourselves in rearranging a lot of our wedding gifts to a shed we managed to put up earlier this summer. Almost every day, we are showered with the many gifts from friends and families from far away to help us with our soon to be baby girl. Aimee is constantly on her MacBook researching infant and baby products as I am trying my best in showing support and giving my opinions about what she have purchased. For the most part, we are doing well. Thanks for listening!
During my own down time and through all this beautiful ruination to both our lives, I’ll find time to edit photos and work on the blog. With it being one of the biggest shows ever in the nation, I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I managed to gather over hundreds of photos from the beginning of the trip toward the ending bits of it. After some sorting and dwindling down on my edits, it’s still so many cars to cover.
I started attending Wekfest San Jose since 2018! Believe it not, that was their 10th year anniversary show, so if you do the math, they started back in 2008. I wasn’t even an adult yet, at the time. Goes to show how new I am to the car show community. LOL! I never missed a year after 2018 and have attended and competed annually every summer thereafter.
I remember Kong and I would talk about attending the show back in 2017. We talked about how it was a tough screening of vehicles and if you get approved, only then, can you attend a Wekfest show. I started attending Wekfest San Jose by myself before Kong was able to secure his NSX later and then attended with me as well. We would encourage Simon to bring his EM1 out with us and attend as well and then Xue would join us the morning of the show as a spectator. As the years gone by, we would eventually reach out to more friends and family to attend with us.
Year after year, our line up gets larger! Mee would get in the line with us with his EG Civic. Thereafter, Tou brought his EG Civic and Jackson towed his AWD EJ Civic to line up as well. This year, we managed to have all the NnovatioN brothers as attendees at the show, and almost everyone was able to compete! Except Tou, as timing didn’t work well with him (especially this year), and because he had to concentrate on other matters, he couldn’t get his EG Civic to compete again or get his ITR ready for the show.
I think we finally got our meet up time down to the dot. We ran into many issues last year when we made the trip to San Jose with our cars. We call those unexpected issues: “Wekfest hiccups.” To avoid these hiccups and arrive punctually at the convention center in a timely manner, we would leave a few hours early, bring as much tools as we would need if we run into a problem on the trip, and ensure that when we arrive at the show with our fuel level only a quarter tank filled.
With a bigger group, you tend to run into the hiccups more frequently. I participated in a hiccup as well. When I finally arrived to our destination in Los Banos before heading up Pacheco Pass, Kong and Mee realized one of my screw from my Voltex side skirt have fallen off from the drive. It was literally hanging off my car and only held by two screws (one on the bottom and the other on the fender). Fortunately, I was able to source an extra screw from Xue and secured it firmly with some double sided tape provided by Kong.
If you thought that was bad, Brian had it worst. He decided to tow Smurf (EG Civic) to San Jose, and as soon as we started unloading his car off the trailer, he realized he left the keys to his Civic at home. LOL! So we had to slowly unload the car as it crept down the trailer’s flat bed and then pushed the Civic to a safe parked area. Lucky for Brian, the Filipino community is pretty close, as Brian contacted a newly acquired friend from the night before to see if he can run to Brian’s house, fetch the keys from Brian’s wife, and then deliver it to Brian before our roll-in time; since Brian’s friend was heading up towards the bay area anyway, it worked out perfectly. We arrived in San Jose at noon time and Brian didn’t get his keys delivered until late 5 p.m. When the Civic was finally operable again, he joined our line up to the convention center in hoping that his fuel level would be low enough to enter as well. I guess God was on our side, because we all arrived safely and were able to enter into the show easily. You can never predict a “Wekfest hiccup” from NnovatioN, because the least unexpected problem could serve to be a very big one.
Aside from those hiccups we faced, we still bullsh!t throughout our trip and immensely enjoyed each other's company. Like spending about $600 at Kenji Sushi and then another $500 dollar on dinner. Wekfest is a show the NnovatioN brothers and I look forward to the most! We bring the family, we get to enjoy cars, and most importantly, bond and elevate our relationship with each other through food, laughter, and beer!
Thanks for taking the time to just read through all of that. I thought it would be nice to share it just so you can also really live the Wekfest experience with us through your computer screen or mobile device. As you get to see Wekfest San Jose through my lens, be forewarn that I tried my best to capture different builds throughout the show; BUT you all know I’m a Honda guy! Therefore, be expected to see a lot more Honda builds than anything else in this coverage. I apologize in advance, but I really tried my best to diversify the quality of cars away from the Hondas and put myself into a learning space to teach myself about what I’ve been missing outside the Honda community.
We’ll start first with the S2000. With the newly added Nardo Grey/Army Grey Te37SL’s. I am running a squared set up with 18x10 +40 both in the front and rear. The look was inspired from Jackie Law’s S2000 in Canada.
Will was also from the valley, and he rolled out with us to the show in his beautiful Laguna Seca M3! Now with some Yokohama Wheel / Advan GT wheels and a Voltex wing perched up in the back.
Mee and his two boys chilled under a cool shade in this hot California heat that we are still currently experiencing. Mee’s air conditioning system wasn’t working properly, so his two boys and himself had the windows rolled down as they drove up to San Jose being kissed by the hot summer air.
Xue’s ITR made her way to San Jose with us. This time, Xue was able to compete alongside us against the many Integras at the show.
Smurf was safe and sound on the trip up north as Brian tightly secured down the Civic onto the flat bed. It was at this moment Brian have informed us he forgot to bring the keys for the Civic. LOL! Memories like these are priceless and I am sure Brian will never allow this to happen again.
Mee and the other NnovatioN brothers were being helpful to unload Smurf off the trailer. As for me, I just walked around with my camera capturing the moment. Mee’s EG rolling on some bronze Ce28s. What’s newly added on the Civic is underneath the hood!
Simon’s EM1 now sporting the J-Blood bumper again. Which in my personal opinion, flowed a lot better with his the silver MF10’s and the First Molding hood.
Another one of Mee’s EG! It was about late 12 p.m. during this time. Once we all stationed our cars outside the convention center waiting for our roll in time, we took an Uber to Kenji Sushi for lunch.
Once we made our way back from lunch, more cars have filled up the parking lot. Like this white Porsche you see above. Something to look forward to at Wekfest shows are these high-end cars around every corner.
Or if it’s not a high-end or super car, you’ll probably see imported cars. Like this Honda S660! This one, especially was different. It had on a wide body kit surrounding the small chassis and a GT spoiler in the rear. I enjoyed looking at the car so much! If I can ever legally import one into the U.S., I would utilize it as a daily to drive to work and back. I just love the design of it so much! Plus it’s a convertible too! It’ll look perfect next to the S2000!
As of this year, the R34’s are now easier to legally import them to the U.S. This year alone at Wekfest San Jose, there were a few R34’s at the show! Sooner than later, I’m sure Wekfest will probably open up a new judging category specifically for this legendary chassis. Or have they already?
A beautifully crafted RWB parked outside casually for us to see. I never really appreciate the idea and build behind these cars until I saw a small documentary about it and how you can get one built for yourself. It’s very interesting and you should read up on it whenever you get a chance, like I did. I believe Donut Media on Youtube created a video about it too.
John also attended Wekfest this year again. I recognized his NSX immediately because of the Mugen front spoiler and it being a Rio Yellow NSX. Instead of the bronze rebarreled MF10’s, this time, he was rolling on some NSX spec Te37SL’s in the beautiful and subtle magnesium blue finish! Fun fact, I learned a few years ago Magnesium Blue is the darkest blue you can get (especially in an anodized finish), but don’t quote me on it. I remember it was just something I heard when I took a trip down to Arizona to pick up my Regamater EVO II’s.
A few hours later, Darkside (San Jose natives) also made their way to the parking lot as well. I am not sure if James was a part of their car club, but he did roll in with them that afternoon. Now sporting some Regamaster EVO II’s in the satin white finish. In my opinion, it flowed a lot better than the wheels he had on before.
The next day, James told me about his despairing incident with his Voltex dry carbon hood. If you guys are familiar with that hood, there is only a few in existent in the U.S. and it’s a very expensive hood. However, if you have an engine bay clean as James’, what is the need for a hood anyway? Like what he did here, he drove the S2000 without the hood exposing the HKS super charger inside of it.
One of my favorite builds from Darkside’s crew was Loreto’s EK! The last time I saw this car was at Gridlife last year. The Civic was at the Annex Suspension booth at the event and it was not covered in the livery you see here and almost completely stock on the outside. For this show, Loreto went a different route in dressing up the EK with the C-West parts around it. I wonder if the teal blue stripes on the Civic was chosen specifically to represent his old Civic. What I love most about this Civic was that Loreto was not afraid to slam it to the ground. If you take a closer look, there is no tire gap at the fenders or quarter panels, but the car is not like stance too low as well, if you catch my drift. The C-West is aging well as you could clearly see it demonstrated here on the picture.
The car community is like a “swinging pendulum.” Body kits have gone out of style, but a decade later, it had make it’s way back to the community. I’m an example of that too since I’m running a 1700mm Voltex wing on the S2000. I’m sure years from now, we will drift away from the big wings and aero kits and then hop back into a simplistic look! Then eventually the big wings and body kits will gain its popularity again.
With that being said, I hope neon under glow lights make its own way back. Can someone please start on that trend and bring it back?
Hung was a very daring guy. I believe he is from southern California. That means, he probably drove about a good five to six hours to get to San Jose. Correct me if I am wrong though, about him being from the south side of the state. Fully dressed in Spoon gear and also certified from Go Tuning/Spoon Sport USA, the EK looked great both in it’s exterior and gutted interior. With so many front spoiler options for this chassis, I think Hung made the right decision to run it was a carbon fiber First Molding lip to match up the carbon fiber Spoon parts throughout the Civic. A very clean, yet subtle execution.
This EK was carefully chosen to be parked at Joey’s (The Chronicles) booth for the show this year. The EK is equipped with the new Exceed version 2 front spoiler. Not like the version 1, the new revision of the lip is now a two piece. The top piece was paint matched to the car and then the bottom piece seemed to act like a splitter, but in a carbon fiber finish!
Xue’s PY ITR patiently waiting to enter inside the convention center. I think Xue’s car gets pass up frequently because of how subtle it looked compared to its competitors at the show. In my opinion, as much as I love seeing the Mugen kit on these DC2’s (whether it be an LS, GSR, or ITR), at times, it is always nice to see a beautiful well-kept ITR like Xues’.
After about 5 hours in waiting for our turn to line up, we finally made our way toward the driveway of the convention center. Sua rolled out with us this year in his “resto” DB2 build. Restored in the Clover Green finish, Sua was still seen rocking some Te37’s. Something new on the Integra was that he took off the stock front seats and is now sitting on some Recaros.
Simon was right in front of Sua. The 5 lug conversion really gave a completed exterior look that it was missing. The yellow Recaro’s seemed like a hard execution to work with, but I think Simon did an outstanding job with it!
Brian was in a tough dilemma deciding which wheels to run to the show. That is something I will never experience (being sarcastic). LOL. Well, after writing to the NnovtioN brothers about it on the group chat, he decided that he would roll with the Club Edition Te37’s, which I believe he won from a raffle. Still running the PCI skirts Kong and Mee adored very much, but I think he is finally switching them out to a pair of Mode Parfume skirts (if you follow him on Instagram, you probably already know that).
As I went to the back of the line to try to use the restroom, I found this Integra trying to make its way off the drive way to line up with the rest of us. I loved the Back Yard Special bumper up front! Flowed with the Type R side skirts and Mode Parfume rear valences very well. The Mode Parfume side mirrors and Crow House fenders also looked great on it. Like Brian, the Integra also utilized a set of Club Editions as well. One of my favorite Integra builds at the show, for sure.
If you recall and have been reading my old coverages of Jackson’s EK, I have mentioned that I was in joyful anticipation to see the transformation of Jackson’s car! He did a real good job of not telling us anything too, but that is the NnovatioN way. Stashing secret JDM parts and then to debut them at a big car show, like Wekfest! The PCI skirts have been replaced with OEM ones. The fenders were no longer stock; the Mode Parfume fenders gave extra tire clearance so Jackson could run beefier tires up front for his AWD system. The fender extensions sat flushed on the sides of the OEM bumper AND the carbon fiber Tactical front spoiler have been substituted with a Mode Parfume. Jackson also paired it with their carbon fiber front splitter as well.
The Civic itself have gone through an exterior makeover and is heading the right “NnovatioN” way. I’m so happy for this guy and how far his build have come. Don’t trust me? Then compare this execution to how he had it a year ago. You would definitely appreciate what he has done to the Civic.
Mee’s Civic lining up to meet its worst enemy. The notorious driveway up to the convention center. LOL. No worries, though, he made it safely in one piece and his Spoon lip is just fine. Kong wouldn’t too happy if he cracked it again.
Something Kong was very proud of this year was that he was able to finally debut the Mugen wheels he purchased maybe almost about a year ago. Not knowing when to actually run them, he decided that it was best to show them at this show. If you didn’t catch on, the Red Recaro Pole Positions have been swapped out and now he is sitting on some yellow alcatra ICB bucket seats. The TaiTec GT wing have been put away and was exchanged to a BYS spoiler/duckbill.
Xue’s ITR got the golden glow from the setting sun! Something you can appreciate from Xue’s ITR is the OG Spoon wheels he got on ITR. In my opinion, is the best design from all the later variants. The new versions are a bit too round at the end when the spokes meet the barrel. The clear turn signals gave off a real clean look up front!
I do not indulge myself in perfecting my wide angle shots. It’s something I need to practice with, but I just couldn’t help myself after I parked the S2000 in front of these apartments.
A side view of the S2000. Aside from the new wheels I have acquired a year ago, there was something new on the S2000 as well. Look closely and you might just catch it!
Another quick one of Kong’s NSX. Let’s play another “I SPY.” Can you spot anything new on the NSX as well?
Rebarreled MF10’s are nice, but you can never go wrong with a classic look like the red on bronze wheels! The StopTec big brake kit gave it an extra flare as if everything on the car was not already enough. Pure execution to its finest!
Aside from all the wheels I have collected at home, I think this form of the S2000 was one of my favorite! I’m definitely shying away from the stretched wheel life and have decided to run bigger tires both up front and in the rear. Although it’s a tighter squeeze, I personally think it looked great on the S2000! This was probably one of my favorite angle of the S2000 at the event!
This photo and the rest under were captured the day after. Just in case if you didn’t know, Wekfest San Jose takes a whole weekend. Vendors and car show competitors show up on a Saturday to just set up and stage. The judges would utilize that Saturday night to begin judging. The next day would be the day of the show and open to the public then. We will get early entry access because our cars are staged in the show and if you purchased a VIP pass, you would get an early entry at 9 a.m. before the coward begins showing up at 12:00 p.m.
This was a Varis wide body AE86/BRZ. I believe the car have been wrapped after the wide body kit have been transformed to fit the chassis nicely. Beautiful wide body kit, indeed! When I think about it, I think it’s so crazy how people would buy a brand new car and then have to cut it up to fit a wide body kit. Very ballsy! I don’t think I can do that.
Danny’s (@garagekreations) white RSX. One of the few builders who built a car to stand out from the rest! The Mugen front bumper paired with the J’s Racing side skirts and the Mugen spoiler on the trunk was so perfect. I think he was running a pair of A-Spec rear valences in the back, but I could be wrong. The RSX was still on the OG Ce28n’s and now the motor is now equipped with a turbo kit. Besides from the red RSX in Seattle, this is the only RSX I can see that can stand next against it.
Mikey Bitanga’s GSR now on some MF10’s. I think at one time, he ran some Regamaster EVO 2’s, but that was probably years ago. The exterior remained unchanged with the painted Spoon lip and the Mugen Gen. 2 wing up back on the trunk! In case if you didn’t know, this is a Wekfest winner car. I think he won “Integra of the Fest” last year and the year before that.
Well you guys know me, I can’t really pass up an S2000 without capturing a photo of it. This one in particular, was fully dressed with Voltex gear. The Racing Green Ce28’s were quite tough to play with. The Grand Prix White did a pretty good job sporting the wheel color.
An aisle away from the white S2000, I spotted another S2000 in this custom blue color. The S2000 also had on some Ce28n’s and the choice of exterior parts was similar to mine. Up front is a Spoon S-Tai bumper that is accompanied with a pair of Voltex Street Version 2 side skirts. The S2000 utilized a pair of GP Sport rear valences and on the trunk was a Voltex GT wing as well. A black hardtop sat on top of the car and to fit the beefy tire set up in the front, the owner seemed to be running a pair of EVS vented wide fenders.
If I wanted to get a Japanese classic outside the realm of Honda, I probably see myself grabbing a Mazda RX-7 (FD). This yellow one, in particular, was seen running some titanium silver Work Emotion TR7’s? Side mirrors seemed to be Ganadors and a very nice and subtle wide body kit.
A white EF Civic spotted near the Toyo Tire Booth. The Civic also ran some Nardo Grey/Army Grey Te37s (like mine) and the interior was fully gutted and have been reinforced. PCI side skirts were paint matched to give the car a one color scheme. Inside the engine bay was a K series motor. An all motor set up utilizing a Skunk2 Ultra Series manifold and bored to match the 90mm K-Tuned throttle body. Engine bay have been cleaned up and redone and wires have been hidden away by a Rywire engine harness. What an amazing motor set up!?
A Yellow BMW Z4 (E89) was dressed in a wide body kit. The BMW relied on a set of front and rear R1 Concepts big brake kit for its brake needs. At the rear, the BMW had a chassis mounted GT Wing and the spoiler have been wrapped to also match the color scheme throughout the car.
Not too far away was Inspire’s PY ITR. Unlike like Xue’s ITR, this one have the full ITR kit. The whole kit includes the side skirts and rear valences in the back to match up the front spoiler in the front.
An NA2 with some Diamond Black Ce28n’s. Behind the Volk Ray’s wheels was a pair of Project Mu big brake kit. The NSX wore an aero front spoiler and and pair of side skirts. Some Spoon style carbon fiber side mirrors matched the black top and the black wheels.
This Subaru STI was made over with a wide body kit. A front carbon fiber splitter/spoiler matched up the carbon fiber wing in the rear. I feel like the new to-go wheel for Subaru guys are the Regamaster EVO 2 wheels. Correct me with if I’m wrong. This one sported a set in a Satin White finish with blue decals. I liked how it matched the Endless big brake kit very well. If you look more closely, you can see the HKS collaboration bucket seats and the STI was fully caged.
I’m not sure if these Nissan Silvia (S15) can be legally imported now, but one thing for sure is that instead of enthusiasts shipping these overseas to themselves, it would probably be a GTR instead. This Silvia had a body kit on it with 19 inch Te37’s?
In the midst of the car show, you won’t probably miss this car. Inspired from Paul Walker’s iconic Skyline from the Hollywood movie: 2 Fast 2 Furious, this R34 also wore the blue stripes around the car. If you have seen the Youtube rollout videos, the R34 also equipped some nozzles behind the bumper vents and was actually shooting out air as it left the convention center at the end of the show.
At the HHwHH Collectibles booth, you’ll spot Will’s M3 there. Will rolled out with us, but as soon as we got into town, he had to go get his car detailed right before roll in. During the award announcements, Will took home “BMW of the Fest.” Such a well deserved car, and I think he really didn’t need that detail because the car was so clean as it is already.
John’s NSX parked at the Street Vaderz’s booth. Like Will, John also took home an award that evening but for “Acura of the Fest.”
Another S2000 in the show. The car appeared blue inside the show, but I remember that when it was outside, it gave more of a purple tint to the car at certain angles as well. Unlike many of the Te37 guys out there, this owner left the Te37’s bare. I personally liked the car better without the decals on it, but if you are a sponsored or vendor car, you have to rock their brand.
This S2000 kind of got a spot to itself at the show. Aired out down to the bottom and sitting on some OG Regamaster EVO’s. The headlights have been retrofitted for a more modern taste. The S2000 was running a Greddy turbo kit, an ARP GT wing, Voltex front aero, and J’s Racing wide cut out fenders to accommodate the rear flares.
Walking back towards our area where we staged our cars was where the Darkside team were staged as well. This EG Civic belongs to Chris (DSR president). Now rocking a DSR livery and also a Falken sponsored car. The Civic took home “Honda of the Fest.”
James’ S2000 now staged at the convention center. The HKS super charger utilized a fabricated air box that sat next to the headers. James said that it’s actually very functionally and since he wanted a Spoon filter, the air box housed a FK8 air filter. A very creative automotive move!
Members Only’s Integra. This DC2 belonged to @tweeezyf. The MF10’s were Kong’s old set he have saved for a long time. After much contemplation with himself, he decided to sell the wheels. The wheels were redone to a silver finish and looked great with the AP Racing calipers behind it. The Mode Parfume spoiler up front and side skirts matched very well to the Mugen Gen. 2 wing in the back. Lastly, the DC2 is powered by a K power plant and the engine bay have been shaved and neatly tucked.
I believe this was the Integra that brought home the “Integra of the Fest” award. The ITR belongs to a DSR member. The car wore an Exceed front spoiler, the classic bronze MF10 wheels, and the Spoon side mirrors have been paint matched to the PY.
Hanzel’s Mugen themed NSX looked nice with the M7’s. Before, I believe he had on a BYS spoiler in the rear. I personally like his NSX with the BYS spoiler more than the TaiTec wing. Either way, it’s still a very beautiful NSX, especially with the Mugen MSZ seats!
You probably don’t see a lot of Civic sedan or coupe builds now. The most common Civic to-go chassis would probably be a hatchback; but for this owner, if you want to be different, you still can! This 98 sedan is powered by a K-series motor and rolled on some Advan RG’s. A carbon fiber Tactical front spoiler sat low and some carbon fiber mirrors I have never seen before.
As I made my way back to the DSR line up, Hung’s car was now fully staged in the line up. The Civic looked amazing with its Spoon catalog parts!
One of San Jose’s oldest still makes its way to the show. I’ve seen this Civic since the first time I began attending Wekfest and from all the changes I have gone through with the S2000, this Civic seemed to be left unchanged. It looked good the way it is so I probably wouldn’t change anything on it as well. The only Civic at the show rocking a Air Walker Japan bumper!
Loreto’s Civic hatchback at the DSR line up. It’s actually very nice to see Loreto still participating in car festivities. Attending Wekfest San Jose over the years, little did I know Loreto was a part of the DSR family. I guess I didn’t make that connection until I stumbled upon his Skunk2 feature Youtube video as he spoke about his Civic. Unfortunately, the Civic in that video and this one is not the same vehicle. I’m glad he got back to the Honda scene, because to me, he’s a bay area legend! Cheers!
Ninhtendo Tran’s black EG Civic sat unchanged from when I first saw the car at RaceWorz in Sacremento. He is still rolling on the 15 inch Mugen MF10L’s. Though the EG may look stock, it’s not! You can clearly see the swap inside the engine bay and was demanding a lot of Spoon Sport parts for more power. A lot of JDM parts seen throughout the Civic. A Mugen front spoiler, the side moldings were thin JDM side moldings and the whole interior (from what I recall) have been swapped into a JDM interior. The rear seats are foldable and the back of the seats can be utilized for more trunk space.
A nice “resto” build on this Corolla! I am glad there are still a few enthusiasts out in the car community still wanting to get their hands dirty on these cars. I am an early 90’s baby so I know the vehicle is years ahead of me. Does someone want to help me figure out what year is this Corolla? I would greatly appreciate that!
Here is another car way before my time. A Nissan Skyline! I don’t know what generation is it, but I would have never thought that a Nissan Skyline would look like this. Much has changed and it would only continue to evolve with the access we have to technology now. BUT, I guess sometimes having too much of something can be overwhelming, so owning one of these can probably make an owner feel like they can travel back in time. Thanks for sharing with us young ones you can still build a car just as good as the modern ones, or even better.
You’ll probably see a lifted Jeep, SUV, or truck at Wekfest every year. This year was a Jeep! I wish I knew what I was looking out than the fact that it was packed with outdoors accessories and things you can utilize in the wilderness. It would be so nice riding one of these vehicles as you take a family trip up the mountainous region we have in California here.
If not a family trip to the mountains, maybe you can take the family to a kid’s soccer game as you look cool in a van like this! Aired out to the ground and equipped with a full body kit. The windows were tinted, but if this much has been modified to the exterior of the van, I could only wonder what have been done to the interior as well. Something about Wekfest shows is that you never know what you will find.
We finally made our way back to the NnovatioN line up. Like I mentioned, Sua rolled out with us and he was at the end of our line up. He ran into some fan issues on the way to Wekfest. However, we made sure he got home safely as we followed each other back home after the show.
Simon’s EM1 sitting at its perfect stance at Wekfest. In representation of our sponsorship with Falken Tires, Simon committed in showing his support by utilizing the provided tire stands. It goes to show that that even though this is a Toyo Tire sponsored show, it would not stop us Falken guys from attending. LOL.
By now, if you haven’t seen Mee’s regular updates of his Civic on Instagram, you may not get on social media much. This year, Mee finally made the decision to take out the single cam and then swapped in a B18 (GSR) motor he purchased from Tou. He had a cousin rebuild the whole motor for him. If you know Mee, you know he loves Spoon. He was quick to grab as much Spoon B series motor parts and accessories as he could before the show, hence the radiator hoses, spark plug wires, radiator cap, oil cap, and reservoir covers.
This was Brian’s first Wekfest show! I think he really enjoyed the show. I can only say that because half of the time, he was speaking to his Instagram followers. That must be nice, because I would never know how it feels with the few followers I have. Brian took his hood off and of course, since I was a good friend, I helped him carry the hood from the convention center all the way back down to his SUV.
Xue’s ITR was staged in the middle of the NnovatioN line up. Since he was the only one with the yellow car besides Tou’s ITR, we wanted to make sure his car and color would stand out as it parked next to Brian and Mee’s Civic. I was glad that Xue made it out with us because he jumped to a few cars before he finally purchased the ITR. From what I can see, I believe the ITR is here to stay. Proud of what he’s done to the ITR.
Jackson’s AWD Civic looked so good with what have been done since last year’s attendance. Jackson would always joke about how my S2000 would overtake his build all the time when we both compete in the same category. I would laugh along with him, but I think Jackson doesn’t know how much he’s come with the build. I can genuinely say that if we both competed for the same award again, Jackson will easily dethrone me and the S2000 with this new set-up!
Close to the other side of the NnovatioN line up was my S2000. Not much to see about it because you practically know everything about it if you follow me on the socials.
Let’s see if I can bring out the Civic next year to park it with the S2000! I highly doubt it, but one can dream, right?
Since Kong’s NSX was the last car in our line up and he usually gets the edge, it’s much easier to capture content of his car. Or maybe I might just be biased? Well, although that’s not true, his NSX was much deserving to get a staging area by the edge. The two detailed pictures above was to let you know what was newly added on the NSX. The bronze Mugen wheels and the newest addition to his build was the scoop on top of the pixel glass.
One of my favorite R34 builds at the show was this white one. The white on white just did it for me AND since it’s sitting on a set of Regas too, oh come on, you can’t go wrong with that!
Another FD spotted by the Toyo Tires booth. This one belongs to an owner from team Inspire. The RX-7 is no longer running on a rotary engine, but it has been swapped out to a LS (Corvette motor).
Another S2000 in the show was this one with a J’s Racing wide body kit. The S2000 was actually parked right across from me. Later that day, during the awards announcement, the S2000 took home the “Best Track of the Fest” award. Later when we were able to leave the building, he had a battery issue. He asked to see if I can help him jump start his car, Jackson offered to help him instead because it was easier for Jackson to get closer to the S2000 battery location. We S2000 guys have to look out for each other you know. LOL.
My favorite Porsche at the show was this GT3 RS. Very beautifully executed and with Yokohama Wheel / Advan GT wheel was a cherry on top. I just had to get a picture of it before the show was over.
I am not an American muscle kind of guy, but when the C8 came out, I knew Chevy did it right. I think the mid engine placement really helped them figure out how the car would look like on the outside. I’m happy to see one here at the show and influenced with some carbon fiber parts and some JDM wheels. The Te37 Saga’s were a nice touch to the C8. I took a picture of it because I knew I’ll regret it if I didn’t since I don’t see many Corvettes with Japanese wheels on them, and when I do, they actually look really good on the car, just like this one.
Back at the Speed Element line up was a wide body STI. I was quite unfamiliar with what I’m trying to study than just the front splitter seemed to be from Voltex. The Te37’s sat aggressively on the car.
This STI sat behind the NnovatioN line up. The STI was also wide bodied with a Varis kit. Like many of the vehicles throughout the building, the STI also sat on some Te37s. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seemed to be the Te37v’s.
At and beside the Wekfest stage was Joey’s booth. In front, he displayed three Civic hatchbacks all differently executed to their own speical taste. Although there were only three cars in this line up, I just thought it worked out so well. The Civic’s spoke for themselves as Joey simply put up his banners in the back to let the public know he’s in the building….somewhere.
Each Civic had its own unique execution, but if I have to choose which one is your favorite, I wouldn’t know which to choose from. I would honestly be happy with one or the other.
It was a surprising conclusion for NnovatioN. Little did we know that we were going to place in some of our categories.
Brian placed in his category for “Civic of the Fest,” I placed “S2000 of the Fest,” and the most surprising award for us all was that Kong was chosen for the “Judges’ Choice” award. The awards this year looked very professionally designed. I have always preferred something less subtle and small, just like this design. That way, it wouldn’t take up so much space and that you just don’t throw it in the garage, but it’ll look nice on a shelf or in an office space.
Winning or not, the best thing you can get from a car show like Wekfest was the experience.
You get to meet the people who inspired you to build your car. Plus, you also get to see familiar faces and continue edifying those relationships. Lastly, you get to support those who support you.
Thank you Falken Tires for sponsoring the NnovatioN brothers! We were proud to take home awards in representation of the Falken Tire brand! Thank you for trusting and allowing us to really show you guys what we can do for you guys! A million thanks!
It’ll only make sense to end the blog with what I started. I asked and then kindly forced Aimee to attend the show with me. We attended the show since 2018. So now it’s a norm for the both of us to always attend Wekfest together. Aside from that, it’s one of the shows she rather enjoys in attending. Don’t worry though, she didn’t ride in the S2000 with me. I made her follow me in her Camry all the way to San Jose. LOL.
We are approaching Aimee’s due date and as each day gets closer, it’s becoming more real to me that I’m going to be a father in the next month. I will still try my best to attend shows, tinker with my cars, and mostly, still be a husband to Aimee and an outstanding father to my baby girl to be!
Well guys, this has to be one of my longest blog ever! I appreciate you reading everything I have to say in this coverage. I uploaded a lot of photos so don’t forget to check out the gallery below, as there were a few builds that I didn’t cover. It’s about 2 a.m. here and I haven’t showered. I have been writing this since 4 p.m.
I don’t get paid in doing this. I am only writing out of interest and just wanting to share with you what I have seen, so thank you again by showing your support and interest in reading or even stumbling upon my site! Well, that is it and I’ll see you on the next one! Signing off!
