Photos and Words by Joey Lee (@Stickydiljoe)

It felt different this year.

I know it felt that way to me but it’s interesting to hear that the people who attended the show this year also felt  a similar sentiment. It’s weird though because I didn’t think this day would ever come. Could it be possible that it took nearly a decade to finally see this shift in the East Coast? Were there outside factors that contributed to this, or has this show actually been helping to reshape the community over the years and we’re finally starting to see it? Maybe a bit of both perhaps, but I’m happy to say that Wekfest East is finally getting to a point where it is starting to finally feel that sense of camaraderie and community that we’d been hoping for all this time. I wanted to say this during the awards ceremony that both David and I have now taken over the reigns of but everyone was having such a good time that I didn’t really want to point out that fact that when we first started doing the show out East, people didn’t even clap when the winners were announced…

Think about that for a second. In a car show with about 400 cars, inside a venue filled with a ton of enthusiasts and spectators, there was no applause when awards were being announced. Some would applaud here and there for their friends but for the most part, there was just background noise. People would chat amongst themselves but they didn’t even have a reaction when someone won something. That’s crazy to me. There was no other stop that created this lack of reaction, other than Japan of course, but their lack of reaction stems from cultural upbringing—not obvious competitiveness. I remember after that first New Jersey show that I attended with Wekfest, I was befuddled. People didn’t even want other people to win, lol. They just wanted their award or to be upset for not winning. I don’t know how many people even remember that whole scenario but it definitely was something that I always held onto. It made me almost dislike the East Coast car community because it didn’t seem or feel like they supported one another.

It really had that “It’s me or fuck you” type of mentality and I worried that it would eventually kill their car community…

But we stayed on course. We (Wekfest) continued to do things our way. I wanted to create this narrative of community and help to sort of, I don’t know, usher in the winds of change without making it so obvious as to deter people from wanting to be a part of it. The change was gradual but in 2019, I think we finally felt and experienced it in the physical world…

Obviously we can’t take all the credit for it. There are so many in the East Coast that help to shape that community and make it what it is now, and I hope it continues to move forward in this direction. The guys from PRIME NYC and SNTRL deserve a TON of credit for being staples in the East Coast car community. They host events, meets, gatherings, cruises, and more which help to bring people together and that’s wonderful. Just the media coverage alone helps to steer people in the right direction by providing proper examples. I’m glad they have been on-board with Wekfest since the beginning to see this growth come to fruition…

I’m having fun going out to the East Coast now. I don’t know if I could ever say that before. It’s always been very enjoyable to go out there to see the cars and to experience something different than what we have at home but it always felt more like work. A means to an end, if you will. Now I look forward to our East Coast trips. The vibe is just different. The competitiveness is still there of course, I don’t think that ever goes away, but people are trying to find that balance now where they can compete and still have fun at the event. There were some bad seeds in the past who seemed to only bring negativity but it seems like they have either grown out of it or stopped attending altogether. Internally the group running the show is better than it has ever been and what we have now is a mixture of all these things that are resulting in this growth. Yasu wanted to experience the East Coast car community since he had never been out to that part of the country before and this year was honestly the perfect time for him to go. He got to see some solid builds and everybody seemed so welcoming, which was also weird, lol…

I should also point-out that another key factor in reshaping this community has been the willingness of its participants to actually leave their comfort zones. Guys and gals are now flying out to different parts of the country, some even to different parts of the world like Japan, and trying to get a grasp of what car culture is like away from home. I have long said that the East Coast has always felt like it has been trapped in its own bubble, stubborn in its lack of desire to see what else is out there. It seemed as if they felt like they were the best and it didn’t matter what else existed. They moved with that chip on their shoulder. A big chunk still appears to move that way but many more of opened up their minds to the possibility that there is so much more out there. In the last couple of years, I’ve occasionally run into guys from out East during my own travels all over the country. That’s great.

Now, one must beg the question… Have the cars gotten any better? It’s great to have that sense of community but some people just want to get down to the nitty gritty. How are the cars themselves? You must be wondering… Well… That depends entirely on your perspective. In the span of about a decade, I think the cars have improved slightly. That’s not a bad thing, because the East has always been offering some great builds from all over. That isn’t exclusive to the Tri-State area. Different cars have come from different states surrounding the Tri-State and the cars have always been good. Most are rooted in tradition, based purely on classic examples provided by our friends in Japan, and some have been entirely unique, adding their own flair to the traditional “JDM” style. Some…are…to be honest…a little strange. I think there is a huge gap between what is really good out there and what is very obviously enthusiasts who are either just getting started or learning from the modern social media platforms. That’s not exclusive to the East Coast of course. Social media has been dictating how a lot of people have been putting their cars together for a few years now, being that it is such a easily-accessible point of information. Often times that information isn’t particularly the greatest but there is so much of it floating around that it’d be difficult to not be consumed by entry-level car people. We are in the “information age” but there is so much saturation of it that you really have to dig deep to get to the right stuff. Much like the saturation of info is the over-abundance of automotive events. Some shows just don’t do any type of screening or care to host quality builds which provides better examples to the car community. These “pocket shows”, as I’ve coined them to be, are merely in existence to make money. They’ll have as many events as possible, flooding their show with as many cars as they can fit, just to get as many spectator dollars and merchandise sales as they can in the short time they are around. They’ll offer you a false sense of community by presenting you with a space to share with other car enthusiasts but they don’t give a shit about growing anything but what is in their wallets. What these shows also do is give participation awards out to cars that are competing at their events that give some of these enthusiasts a sense of entitlement where they expect to win something at every event. That’s not a good thing. That’s actually quite annoying. The worst thing you can do is create this idea that everybody should win something merely for showing up…

The solution to that is just to stay in our own lane and continue to provide examples of what we like to see both in competitive automotive builds as well as growing the community with the right people around us. 2019 has been the best so far for the East Coast Wekfest event. There is so much more room for growth and I can honestly tell you know that I am looking forward to going back. It sounds kinda cheesy to continue to reinforce the idea of community but it is so incredibly important. Anybody can enjoy their car in their own space and on their own time, but that creates this tunnel-vision that prevents self-growth long-term. Share your hobby and this thing that you enjoy so much with your fellow car enthusiasts. Go make some friends or enjoy it with the ones you already have. All we can offer this world in the time we have are the experiences we had doing the things we love with the people we care about. Everything else is just background noise…

With ALL that said, let us get to the second and closing portion of the 2019 Wekfest East coverage. As mentioned, I didn’t take any photos inside this year. I enjoy shooting outside way too much to even attempt to spend any of my time getting photos inside that dark convention hall. It’s fun to actually be there in that environment to see the cars, but it never presents a great space for photography. The lot outside is so much more dynamic and looks so much better with the sun rising in the distance. At the end of the show I also shot some photos outside while watching the cars leave. Thank you for taking the time to read my words and to look at my photos. It is much appreciated…

One of the only images I posted that busy morning of Wekfest on my Instagram page was Jose Velazquez’s Civic hatchback. I loved how his Civic hatchback looked in silver with the Sergeant front bumper, Rocket Dancer front lip, Chargespeed front fenders, and front-staggered Volk TE37 wheels…

One of the builds that looked like a prime example of a car you’d see at a HDay car show these days is this “Spoon”-themed EP3 Civic which carried the blue/yellow scheme throughout, even down to the smallest of details. Whether that is a good or bad thing is left entirely up to the eye of the beholder…

Evolution VIII/IX wearing some Varis bits and Volk ZEs covered in a custom HKS-inspired livery…

Velazquez’s Civic from a rear angle showing his roll bar, J’s GT wing and a exhaust that has been modified and tucked into the rear bumper…

H22A turbocharged Accord Wagon running a GReddy front lip and black Work Meister S1 2-piece wheels…

One of the cleanest builds of this year’s East Coast Wekfest show was this BNR33 Skyline GT-R which looks like it has gone through some extensive restoration and cleanly executed modifications. It looked so simple on the outside with period-correct Volk Daytona wheels but the engine bay offered a much better look into the extensive work put in by the owner…

The engine bay has been shaved smooth and cleaned-up hosting a RB26DETT which still retains the factory twin-turbo set-up with a host of aftermarket products from companies like Top Secret, MINE’S, VeilSide, Abbey Road Company and more…

TOUGH CLUB had a strong showing with some nice vehicles like this Kouki S14 in burgundy paired with bronze Volk ZEs…

This ‘pig nose’ Subaru WRX STI looked fantastic with a complete Voltex aero set-up with little to no vinyl aesthetics and a set of ZE40s that fit just right under the widened body panels…

SCRAPE brought out a trio of convertible E46 M3s bagged on BBS wheels…

One of the better S2000 builds on the right-coast wearing ASM, Spoon Sports, and J’s Racing aero, sitting on a mismatched (but also matching) Volk TE/CE set-up…

Ray Perez’s Japanese EG6 Civic SiR hatchback with a classic Spoon Sports carbon front lip, First Molding mirrors, First Molding carbon vented hood, and concave-face TEs…

A couple of Rudi Qyu’s Spoon Sports-themed EP Civic as it made its way down the roll-in line…

Chesterem1’s Honda Civic SI coupe had some nice parts on it with an authentic Mugen SS front lip, Spoon Sports brakes, and polished Desmond EVO wheels complete with center caps…

One more of the silver AP2 from earlier. I dig the mixing of the Volk TE/CE wheels, especially when they have a matching fit and finish…

Andres’ Japanese EK4 SiR Civic has come a long way since he first acquired it, looking great now with a traditional Spoon Sports-look. Somethinga bout a white EK with Spoon SW388 wheels which always induces this feeling of nostalgia…

Chris Panchoo’s Integra running a similar set-up as I saw it in 2018 with the P1 front lip (minus splitter), Voltex GT wing, OEM ITR lip kit, and bronze Volk TEs. Newly added are the turn signal delete/blink air ducts in the front bumper…

The East Coast has no shortage of Spoon-themed Phoenix Yellow ITRs, this one owned by Raff Rivera…

Another shot of Chris’ blue Integra…

I felt like this Berlina Black S2000 was one of the more slept-on builds of this year’s show. It looked so simple on the outside, especially in black, but the car was filled with high-quality goods from Powerhouse Amuse and ASM…

It was surprising to see less EM1 SI coupes this year since the East Coast Wekfest events have always been the show that had the most coupes exhibiting…

Ride height and tire sizing are so important when trying to get a car to stand-out, especially with a car like a Civic which often has so many others running a similar style and theme…

One of the builds that I was surprised to see make an appearance at Wekfest this year was this Touge Factory-built Z33 race car which wears full Voltex aero and is powered by a built Nissan SR-swap. I thought it was a car that stayed in the Midwest but its actually owned by Siks Tehn Racing…

Ridox Supra Turbo from Naizo Garage in black…

Clean and simple is the way to go for this NA1 Acura NSX sitting on bronze Mugen MF10 with blue anodized caps…

Willy’s EK4 Civic SiR looking good on often-slept-on Volk SE37K…

Ray Perez’s EG6 Civic is looking for a new owner if you guys are in the market for a clean imported Civic…

One can never go wrong with a ’90s Honda on Mugen MF10…

Nice, subtle, front staggered CE28 set-up on this silver Integra…

Best vanity plate. Those who know, know. And those who know, probably fap…

VIP-styled Acura RL sedan with some modified bodywork to host a set of custom Work VS-KF wheels…

Nice to see some aero parts made by friends out on the other side of the country in the form of Victory Function front fenders on this Subaru BRZ…

The most-interesting creation that popped-up at this year’s Wekfest East was this Toyota 2JZ-GE powered rat rod built by Long Island Tire…

Crazy to think just how big the FK8 Civic Type R looks next to an NSX. Cool to see them both on Regas though…

Spoon Sports-themed S2000 on bronze Volk CEs. Interesting to see it without the usual GT wing set-up. The side pieces and low-hanging rear diffuser makes the front look like its missing something however…

Turbocharged EJ1 Civic coupe wearing a Rocket Dancer front lip…

Japanese EF8 CR-X SiR wearing factory body parts sitting on 15-inch Regamaster EVO wheels…

I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen a set of Riverside Trafficstar RTV wheels but they looked great renewed and refinished on this imported Nissan Y32 Cima…

George’s NA2 NSX is looking great these days with NSX-R headlights and I thought it was a nice touch to paint-match the NSX-R rear wing…

George entering the building with Nikki Closs’ FK8 on matching Regamaster EVO wheels leading the way…

Once again, I didn’t pick the camera up again until after we ended the show so the rest of the photos below are from the roll-out during sunset…

I had to get a shot of the Voltex Circuit Version III S2000 from Crown Speed Lab exiting the building since we rarely get to see photos of this build in motion…

You can imagine how difficult it is to get this car around with the aero being so low but it definitely looks good moving around even if its only in a parking lot…

One of the cars that I really wished that I had found the time to get more photos of was this turbocharged DC5 wearing Mugen aero from Massachusetts. The engine bay was very well done and the whole car just comes together very well—I just wish I had captured more of it…

The Corolla FX16 with Corolla GT-look was a rare but pleasant sight at this year’s Wekfest…

Desmond Regamaster wheels seem to be the current popular wheel choice for the new generation Civic Type R…

FK8, EK9, and EK4 Civics together for a rare photo op….

Two guys who deserve a lot of credit for helping out this year were two individuals who don’t even work for the Wekfest event. They were just friends of ours who wanted to display their cars and lend a helping hand…

Ferdi Rivera has been working hard on his Integra Type R lately so it was good to see it with the Spoon front lip and blue headlights. If you guys recall, he actually had a paint-matched Spoon lip last year but decided to go back to a more traditional look. He mentioned the blue film was coming off the ITR headlights but it actually looks kinda cool…

Jon will probably forever be remembered as a Honda guy but he’s definitely been tinkering with a lot of different cars since he got rid of his EG years and years ago. He had an Evolution IX for a while and did a lot of stuff for it but lately he’s been all about BMWs. This Yas Marina Blue F80 on black Volk TEs is his current project…

And with that, we conclude the 2019 Wekfest East Coverage. Thanks to all who attended, all who continue to support both The Chronicles and Wekfest, and those who continue to make an impactful positive influence on the East Coast automotive tuner community. Cheers.

Of course, thanks to you for looking…