Today we arrive at the end of our look at the 2018 Wekfest East show. I had a lot of fun going through these photos and I honestly didn’t even have any idea just how many I took that morning. The natural flow of the morning just went so well that I found myself at ease, just pulling the trigger on my dSLR every time a car caught my eye. What I do appreciate about this show is the diversity. There are just so many different styles of builds of all makes and models. In fact, I think this is what makes it a worthy counterpart to the two big West Coast events. The variety of cars that were showcased shows just how deeply rooted in the import automotive community the East Coast is. Sure I say that personalities are different and mentalities don’t always match, but I really do appreciate what this area brings. You have your very traditional builds, some based more on speed than style, some more say, Spoon-dedicated than your more current West Coast-themed Honda build, and there are just a shit ton of RX-7s everywhere, and they’re all pretty great. I like the appreciation for Japanese tuning and old school Japanese tuning culture that is represented well in the East. The good thing about things not changing as rapidly as they do on our side is that you get so many of these builds that are true homages to the great builds we’ve seen in Japan in year’s past. Everyone takes a lot of pride in their work out East but the one thing that stands out is that people aren’t chasing trends and doing whatever is popular like you see out here, and that’s commendable. Perhaps that is the one good thing about them being so caught up in their own bubble and never looking outside. You don’t worry about it being a chase to see who is doing what first. Sure, you have some guys that want to put a claim on everything, like for example, you’ll always run into those enthusiasts who write some shit down like “First _________ in the U.S.” but often times it is either not true or something incredibly ridiculous like “First black EK9 Civic Type R with three door dings and stock Type R floor mats in Queens” or some shit. Like we know that’s not true, but it doesn’t stop you from wanting your own claim to fame, right? Haha, so we let it slide. If it is that big of a deal to you, then fine, you can claim that. Whatever floats your boat. Nonetheless, I do enjoy all that cool stuff out there that is legit, like all the RX-7s running RE Amemiya aero, the hoards of rare Mugen or Spoon stuff that seems to pop-up from time to time, and people just wanting to still do complete builds with audio, engine bay, and custom paint. It was also incredibly cool to see some of these older builds like Chris Rios’ Integra still together and out and about. You figure some of these cars would have been parted and sold like ten times over but no, they are still intact and just hibernating in garages. It’s always good to see classic, timeless, builds appear out of nowhere. I think the younger generation can learn a lot by seeing these cars and not just doing overnight builds and then selling to get something better, or different.

Anyways, I had a great trip out there this year. I did a little bit of everything from exploring NYC, walking around Central Park, eating everything in sight, and even going out and getting drunk at some rooftop party. All in all, it was a successful trip. Thanks to everyone out there who came by and chatted or said what’s up. I may seem busy but I always enjoy meeting people who have been so supportive over the years. Enjoy these last bit of photos and come back for more content. I got other stuff to show you guys as always….

Adam and friends checking out his newly-refreshed engine bay in his EK9 CTR…

Carlos’ turbocharged K-series Integra running a Spoon Sports front lip, Spoon Sports side mirrors, and 15×8 Volk TE37…

Side profile of Shyam’s Mugen aero-equipped DC2 Integra Type R…

Andres’ Civic coupe running C-West front bumper and sideskirts…

Bagged twin-turbo Lamborghini Huracan minus the rear bumper to showcase the turbo and exhaust set-up…

Traditional white/black two-toned AE86 Corolla utilizing overfenders to fit the SSR Longchamp XR4 wheels…

Rudi Qyu’s EP3 Honda Civic with JDM CTR conversion, bronze Volk CE38N, and a Spoon Sports-theme…

Behing the CE faces are a set of Spoon Sports brakes…

I thought this was a pretty cool shot as Rudi was rolling in with Ferdi’s ITR in the distance running the same wheel and brake set-up, along with the underlying Spoon Sports theme…

It’s actually pretty interesting to see how much influence Spoon Sports has out there on the East Coast. I guess it really does pay dividends for Ichishima and Spoon Sports to actually go out to events there and to meet enthusiasts. Talk about a lasting impression…

Badou’s Subaru WRX wagon running an air suspension set-up, Voltex front, and Rotiform Six wheels…

More of Adam’s Spoon Sports-themed EK9 Civic Type R, complete with Spoon SW388 wheels and brakes…

Staying true to the Spoon-look even with the giant Spoon Sports decal plastered on the rear windshield…

I really dig this RD1 CR-V with JDM OEM body panels and white Work RSZ-R…

Clean black AP1 S2000 on silver Volk CEs, Amuse front bumper, and ASM rear bumper…

George’s Champ White NSX looking pretty damn good on Desmond Regamaster wheels…Nice touch with the black Spoon mirrors to match the black top…

9th generation Accord sedan riding nice and low on Infinitewerks wheels…

Slammed and static IS300 on Work Equip Anhelos that I posted another shot of in Part 2 of this coverage. I think the owner recently installed some Blitz Type O3 wheels on and I gotta say, it looks way better…

Orange S2000 running a pretty aggressive set of Work wheels and a lot camber. Nice overall theme with the orange, possibly Imola Orange paint?, paired with contrasting white wheels and a white roll cage tucked under the OEM hard top…

Martin’s AE86 Corolla with J-spec Levin conversion, Runfree aero, and SSR Dori Dori wheels…

Mazda 6 airred down to the ground, sitting on Luxury Abstract wheels…

One of the more intriguing builds that I was looking forward to finally seeing in person was Chris Kane’s Ford Model A project with a chopped roof and a set of GTR-face Volk TE37 wheels. Talk about an interesting combination!…

Even cooler was looking up front, where a recently swapped but not nearly completed Toyota 2JZ-GTE sat…

It’s still a work in progress but this will indeed eventually be a running 2JZ-powered Ford Model A!…

It’s still in its very early stages so the engine appears to be more of a mock-up than anything but it was great to see the current progress…

I’m sure this is a bit of a polarizing build in terms of powerplant, style, and selection of parts, but I gotta say, it’s always nice to do less than conventional things to stir the pot a bit and get people talking…

How interesting to see it from this angle with a set of Toyo R888s present…

Inside the Ford, under the chopped and lowered roof was a set of confetti-patterned Recaro seats…

Through the window I saw a Momo steering wheel mounted to a custom steering column…

From this perspective, you can see the angle of the steering wheel and the fabrication work involved with getting the column to mount to the frame…

Louvered trunk lid still in its raw metal finish. I guess the theory really does hold true that Volk TE37s look great on just about anything…

Sometimes you gotta sit back and admire your own work, as seen here, while Chris was snapping photos of our friend Al Norris attempting to fit his big ass in the small cockpit of the Model A…

Another car that I was hoping to finally check-out in person was Ra’s Civic hatchback build on SSR EX-C Mesh. I spotted this Civic on Instagram a few months back and it was cool to see it for myself. I really wish I had taken more photos of it, especially with it airred-down and cleaned-up but unfortunately I didn’t get enough time to go back shoot…

Datsun 280Z wearing a nice coat of dark green, with carbon fiber over-fenders mounted to the body to house an incredible deep set of RS Watanabe wheels…

The rear bumper has been deleted and from this angle you can see just how wide the rear wheel is…

The Watanabe wheels look to have been custom-built with new lips and custom painted faces complete with original caps…

Another shot of Shyam Sookram’s Mugen-themed PY ITR…

…as well as George’s NSX as he was cruising into the building…

Since the Model A wasn’t quite in running condition yet, Chris and friends teamed-up to push it into the venue…

Soon after, the gate closed and it was time to get to work on judging the cars and running the show with the rest of the Wekfest staff. I put my camera away and didn’t shoot again until after the show. I was hoping to catch the sunset after the awards ceremony but it was pretty overcast in the early evening, but I still was able to catch some of the cars leaving as it was getting dark…

Jesus’ Mazda 13B-powered RX-7 on Weld wheels exiting the building…

Didn’t catch this Varis-equipped Evolution early in the morning but it was nice to see it as it was leaving…

If I remember correctly, this Celica-Supra was powered by a 1JZ-GTE swap…

Purple BMW M4 coupe on BBS RS-II…

Caught Shyam as he was leaving…

Teamwork makes the dream work. A running start also makes the dream work…

The twin-turbocharged Huracan I showed you earlier…

Interesting flat yellow finish on the Volk CEs and rear roll bar of this AP2 S2000. Looks like an INGS front bumper and Sppon rear diffuser installed as well…

Adam chillin’ outside watching the rest of the cars leave in his CTR…

One more of the Imola Orange-painted S2000 from Litos Customs…

Chris cream 9th gen Accord from Mezurashii Mob. Looks like there might be a nail in his tire. Hopefully it isn’t…

And that was about it. We had an extra day out in NYC before flying home in the evening so we just hung out in the city and ate…

Had to stop by Katz’s Deli for their famous Pastrami sandwich…

And if you ever find yourself out there in New York, look me up on this mail box just outside Katz’s…

That’s a wrap on Wekfest East. Hope you enjoyed it!…