There is much that could be said about the Texas Wekfest event this year. I think privately some enthusiasts who attended were a little upset by some of the criticisms that were passed-on during the awards ceremony, at least that’s what I heard from people anyway, but nothing was said to deliberately hurt feelings. These things were said with good intentions because we want this region to flourish like it has in the past. I think there might just be a generational gap or something where social media has mislead some enthusiasts into thinking that only certain things are important when it comes to creating good car builds. Perhaps they haven’t been presented with proper examples to help guide them in the right direction. Or maybe people just stopped caring? I don’t know. It’s a bit of a mystery to me….

I used to rave about Texas, I loved going there to see and experience car culture. Things were going so well. The community was thriving, there was an air of excitement that came with every event, and people from all over the country were making the trip to come see what Texas had to offer…

And then it just stopped. All of it…

I’ve been told that in this current social climate, to be ‘fair’ to everyone, you have to express your criticisms as a ‘sandwich’, meaning that you have to say one good thing in the beginning, the ‘bad’ thing you really want to say, and then finish it off with another good thing…

A Sandwich.

Or else constructive criticism will be hard to swallow.

What has happened to us? Lol. Where did we go soft? I’m just kidding of course, sort of, but I love sandwiches so let me make one for you guys.

Texas has always had great car culture. It’s always been one of my favorite places. I’ve met and know so many great enthusiasts there, whether it be in Houston, Austin, or any other part of the state…

There’s been a shocking lack of understanding of general fit and finish, as well as proper execution of a thorough car build in the last few years. Paint jobs of quality have become few and far between, at least from what we have seen at events. It is as if having a decent photo of your car online is good enough to pass your car along as a ‘great build’.

That’s not only in Texas however, it has been an epidemic throughout the country, hell even the world. But Texas was a huge reminder as to where the car community is in 2021. Now, obviously, there are some GREAT builds in Texas. I can name a bunch off the top of my head. I say this because people are going to say that I need to put some respect on Texas’ name or whatever. I’m not trying to disrespect anyone. It’s just an observation of a generation as a whole. We’re struggling right now—as whole. Someone mentioned that Texas has plenty of great car builds, they just don’t come out to car shows or do events anymore.

Well, that’s obvious. I know that. That statement can be made about any state or any region. Every area has it’s great car enthusiasts. They just stay in hiding because they choose too. Or maybe they also understand the current climate. I’m only speaking about the cars which we saw or have seen recently at events. This doesn’t speak to each individual. I can only create an idea or understanding based on what I see. I can’t change my mind based on everything else I don’t see or that I am not exposed to…

Perhaps the opinion is a bit skewed because we, as a group at Wekfest, had just experienced an incredible run of events that took us from Seattle to Los Angeles, and San Jose before we arrived in Austin, Texas. Though I also feel like Southern California isn’t what it once was in terms of car quality, I can say that as a whole, there is still a standard being set out here. I could go into a whole deep dive on why I don’t like how things are going here as well in California, but that might be too big of a sandwich for everyone to stomach, lol. The trio of events was going to make it very difficult for Texas to surprise us. I think we all knew that there was going to be a bit of a ‘come down’, when it came to Austin because the show itself would be smaller than the previous three we had just done, and it was the end of the year already. Maybe there were guys getting ready for 2022 who weren’t actively trying to participate in anything car-related right now. So let’s just say we went in with lowered expectations…

That afternoon, in the judges room, we felt like we had to say something. Perhaps expressing some constructive criticism would help. When I got on the microphone to present the awards, I asked everyone if they wanted to hear our thoughts on what we saw that day. Some said they only wanted to hear positive things, but many more were willing to swallow the proverbial sandwich. In their minds, there were probably going to be a lot of things that I would point out that they already saw for themselves and understood. They just needed a voice or mouth-piece to say it for them so the whole room could hear it…

I think I made a mistake because I didn’t deliver it at that time as a sandwich. I just gave them the meat of criticism. Still, people applauded. They agreed with the assessment. Most did anyway. Some probably never want me to come back ever again and some probably don’t give a fuck about what I have to say because they have no idea who I am. Nor do they care. But, it doesn’t make what I have to say any less important to the people that chose to hear and process it…

I don’t even think it was unfair to say. Of the majority of the cars there, I’d like to think that maybe 10-20 of them were solid, well-built potentially award-winning cars. The rest struggled. General fit and finish was lacking, the builds lacked polish, and some cars, to be perfectly frank, ONLY looked good in photos. Some had some body damage or imperfections that you’d never want to see at a car show. If your car has that much work that it requires, why would you bring it out? Wouldn’t you want to bring your car out when it was at it’s peak form? Why give people the memory that your car is a bit fucked-up and needs work? I don’t understand that mentality of just bringing a car to bring a car. Sometimes these cars squeak by the screening process because they hide the damage or poorly executed jobs are hidden from view and when they show up, they get turned away. Why would you put yourself in a position to get turned away entering a car show the day of because you thought you got one past us by hiding something? We will see it when you arrive! That’s embarrassing for you and for the people who have to turn you away. Nobody wants that for anyone. If you want to be an exhibitor at one of the premier car shows in the country, please bring your A-game to compete with others who have pride in their work and have also brought said A-game…

Nobody wants to give you the sandwich. But the sandwich should nourish you and help you grow. It ain’t always going to be delicious.

But we also don’t want to have an event with a bunch of cars that have poorly executed work, paint jobs, or panels that don’t fit or align. Those should be very basic things you expect from a car event. It’s not a car meet where everyone can just show up and park. People pay to come see good cars. Every year we try our best to improve and be better, not only as a car show but in life. Why not put your best effort forward?…

And with that I have photos for you guys from Wekfest Austin. I didn’t shoot much because I really wanted to capture builds that caught my eye, that were well-built, well-executed. The “Car of the Festival”, or best of show winner, is a brilliant shining example of what we expect and enjoy seeing. There are tons of photos of it below in this post because it deserves all the attention for the amount of time and craftsmanship that has been dedicated to making that car what it is. Enjoy…

Eric made the trip all the way from New Jersey to showcase what is likely the most-thorough Mugen-equipped FK8 CTR in the country, perhaps the world, at the final Wekfest stop of the calendar year…

Eddie from Team 5star pulled-up in his freshly repainted Phoenix Yellow Integra Type R…

An R35 GTR from Jotech Motorsports freshly unloaded off of a trailer…

Side profile of Eddie’s ITR featuring a Mugen Gen. II rear wing, Mugen sides, and P1 front lip…

Drew King’s Turbocharged LS2-swapped S14 240SX from Team Apokalypse representing Houston…

Mike Phan’s NSX gently being unloaded to clear the Pride rear spats…

A trio of clean Volkswagen builds rolling-up to the staging line…

Two of three builds from Team Square One on an auto transport that arrived shortly after roll-in began…

The third on the transport was this Cantrell Concepts widebody NSX…

If I remember correctly, this NSX is originally a Pacific Northwest build by Julian Chiu. If not, it features the exact same set-up with the Sky Design front bumper, Cantrell Concepts widebody panels, NSX-R intake duct and a full carbon fiber replacement hatch…

Richard Saenz opened-up his enclosed trailer to reveal his Pandem widebody R32 Skyline…

Fernando’s JDM ITR-face Integra Type R lined-up with Eddie’s USDM-face ITR…

Like Eddie’s Type R, Fernando also has a Mugen Gen. II wing and side skirts but his completes the package with the Mugen front bumper and MF10 wheels…

The Mugen-themed Integra also hosted a set of AP Racing front brakes to compliment the classic MF10 wheels…

Eddie’s R has a bit more of a mixture of parts that aren’t limited to Mugen like his Ganador mirrors, Spoon Sports brakes…

…and 16-inch Volk Racing CE28SL wheels…

Mike Phan aired his NSX out and then loaded-up a bike onto the back of his NSX…

This two-toned Volkswagen Golf didn’t have a bike mounted on it but instead had a chopped shopping cart up top…

Subaru WRX STI wearing bolt-on over-fenders and aggressive Work VS-KF wheels…

Erick Marin’s Industry Garage widebody Lotus Exige from Team Square One…

This R35 is one of the first I’ve seen with a fully molded TRA Kyoto Pandem kit with modified front fenders and custom pearl white paint…

Another look at the NSX which is owned by the same guy who built that R35 just above…

I got distracted so I didn’t get a shot of the exterior of the car but here is the really well-executed engine bay of Joe Gaska’s LS-swapped Honda S2000. Normally I can’t say I’m a huge fan of LS-swapped S2000s but when they’re done right, well… they’re done right and you can’t help but appreciate them…

Starting to see more and more Work Meister L1 wheels pop-up here stateside on all kinds of different builds. This Subaru BRZ was running a pretty aggressive set tucking tightly under the fenders…

Manny from Square One’s Full Race turbocharged DC5 RSX looking great as usual with full J’s Racing aero and bronze Rays Gram Lights 57F…

Izzy Ruiz’s super clean SR20DET-swapped Z32 300ZX on Nismo LMGT1 wheels representing Squirrel Squad from San Antonio…

Absolutely loved Craig Guttierez’s Chevelle on custom-built Work VS-KF wheels…

This Civic Type R featured a rarely-seen Varis Arising-II kit and GT wing…

The owner event went as far as to create his own variation of the spoke decals for his white Volk TE37SL wheels…

Marc Le Gallo’s bagged Mercedes wrapped in Optimus Blue vinyl seated on Work Wheels…

Jr Ortega ran into some mechanical issues earlier that morning trying to get his Mugen-kitted Civic coupe to the show but managed to get some assistance from a few other Team 5star members to get him into the building in time…

Here’s a perfect example how ride height and wheel fitment do wonders for the FK8 platform. This one sat just right on Desmond Regamaster EVO II wheels that the owner also color-matched to the OEM Championship White…

This first generation Honda CR-V not only featured a set of BBS LM wheels but also a host of rare Japanese market-only Honda Access components throughout…

Nick Diaz (not the MMA fighter) from Team 5star brought out his supercharged CL9 TSX to Austin with a full Mugen aero kit and Desmond Regamaster EVO wheels…

The first time Fernando Huerta ever brought out his Mugen-themed DC2 Integra Type R to a Wekfest event, I was actually in Japan so I missed-out on seeing it. He made sure to bring it out this year though, and I was able to capture some pretty decent photos of it, even in the poorly-lit, thoroughly browned-out Austin convention hall…

The engine bay isn’t nearly as reworked as his previous del Sol build, but it does feature some familiar components we’ve seen before on his cars like the Kinsler individual throttle bodies…

Once Eddie’s ITR was staged, he was able to get it cleaned-up some more and opened everything up for showgoers to see…

Unlike Huerta’s DC2R, his R still retained the B18C powerplant which featured a good collection of Spoon Sports products…

I’ve had an opportunity to see Roy Moncada’s custom widebody IS300 quite a bit over the years, and I think I’ll always remember it when it was red but the white makeover is a nice touch…

Eric’s Mugen-complete FK8 Civic Type R LE on full display with a mirror underneath the engine bay to show-off his Mugen oil filter and other small, but important, details…

I know these forged Mugen MDCF 20-inch wheels are a bit polarizing for the FK8 platform but I personally like them on the CTRs, they just have to have their ride height dialed-in and the wheels look good. Definitely not a wheel you should put on anything else, mind you, but I understand why it flows well with the rest of the Mugen package for the Civic…

Chris Huitron’s BB6 Prelude was easily the best build of the Wekfest event in Texas this year. I don’t think there was much debate by anyone, really. Not only has his Honda been one of the best in this region for a few years now, he’s also continued to develop the car to keep it at the top…

Not only did he have a whole new engine set-up this year, he also had the entire car resprayed before the event and his paint wasn’t even that bad to begin with! He just decided that the paint wasn’t to his liking anymore and had the whole car torn apart and repainted in Electron Blue Pearl….

The last time the car won “Car of the Festival” at Wekfest, it was still powered by a supercharged H-series. Now inside the shaved engine bay is a turbocharged K24 swap. Some of the signature details of the engine bay still remain, some stuff has been re-purposed but the K-series gives the car an entirely new look within….

One of the key modifications that hasn’t changed after the swap is the oil filter relocation to the firewall which still retains the bright yellow Mugen filter…

The GruppeM intake used to be on the opposite side since the intake routed to the passenger side before when the car was supercharged but now it is being used as the filter element for the Borg Warner turbocharger…

From this angle you can see how the turbocharger is routed along with the custom intake arm and fuel set-up. The K24 almost looks natural inside the BB6…

I feel like the bronze Mugen MF10 wheels he had previously was the perfect set-up for this build but I understand the necessity to switch things up so he opted to run Mercury Silver Volk Racing TE37 wheels for this year’s WF event…

I made sure to ask him if he still had the Mugen wheels and he said he definitely does…

A nice touch to have the Mugen badge mounted to the grille of his Mugen front bumper, with just enough of a window to see the Sheepey intercooler behind it…

Just an incredibly well thought-out engine bay set-up, not only with the custom fabrication work for the turbo set-up but also tying in the carbon fiber to different parts of the engine as well as maintaining a traditional feel with Mugen accessories to compliment the overall aesthetic of the build…

The PracWorks carbon fiber intake plenum with the carbon runners flows so well in terms of appearance and also serves as a very functional upgrade…

The interior is properly themed as well with a host of Mugen accessories and custom-mounted gauges to provide essential engine diagnostics from the boosted K24. The black leather Recaro seats also look like they should have came with the car from the factory…

Mugen BB6 rear wing with the proper Mugen decal at the ends which is rarely seen…

Overall this Prelude build is a masterclass in how to properly build a car that would win top honors at many car shows, not only Wekfest. Every section of the car has been customized at some point, the build carries a theme that is consistent throughout, high-quality aftermarket products are being used, paint/body work is on point, and there is just a very cohesive feel to it. Even if you knew nothing about Preludes or Mugen parts or K-swaps, you’d look at this car and say that it was built right….

A real deal JDM Honda Civic EG6 SiR with a First Molding hood, front Flugel Plate, J’s Racing front fenders, Volk Racing CE28, and custom yellow Spoon Sports front brakes…

Spoon Sports-themed Japanese Honda Integra Type R in Milano Red…

Another Japanese-market EG Civic, this one with the factory single cam engine still within but sitting nice and low on custom Mugen M7 wheels…

As it turned out, Ortega was having some problems with the transmission of his Mugen-themed coupe but he was still able to get it cleaned-up for the show and no one would have known the stress he was experiencing early that morning…

Though his Civic is an original EM1 SI, the B16A is long gone and in its place is a K20 swap with various components from K-Tuned, Hybrid Racing, Mugen, and Rywire…

I actually finished judging early enough where I thought I could get more photos, but after I captured this VW Cabriolet, I started running into a bunch of people who had questions or comments. By the time everyone was done talking it was already time for the awards ceremony…

I did manage to capture one more photo however, of Jimmy Lam’s bagged twin-turbo A80 Supra from Square One…

And with that we come to the conclusion of the final Wekfest event of 2021. It felt great to be back and traveling again, seeing new and familiar faces, as well as seeing some many great cars from around the country. We are hoping that we have a full schedule of events again in 2022. Things are always changing but I really hope we stay on this positive trajectory. I don’t know if we will return to Texas next year though, as we might be shifting our focus back to Florida to see what has changed out there in the last few years. It remains to be seen but thanks to all who attended the show and were so great about accepting constructive criticism. There’s so much potential in this area and we have experienced so many great events in Texas in year’s past. Here’s hoping to a bright future for them. Thanks for looking, happy holidays and have a happy new year!!…