It’s been a good few years since I’ve been back to Chicago for a Wekfest event. I think the last time was in 2022? I have fond memories of it but I typically miss this event because it falls on my schedule when I’m in Japan already. Now, I’m not saying Chicago is bad or anything, but it’s hard for me to NOT go to Japan if I were given the option. There’s usually so much I need to get done overseas during that time but fortunately for 2025, I was able to be in both places. Chicago came around a little bit earlier this year so I was excited to go back. It’s always nice to re-visit a city you haven’t been to in a while. There’s a particular energy about it because you just don’t know what to expect. For me, it was just an opportunity to spend some quality time with my friends and see some cars. That’s the main reason why I do these Wekfest event in the first place. It’s more for spending that quality time because most of us are just older now, many of us have families or obligations at home. When I see my guys it is usually on these trips. Honestly it’s rare for us to see or run into one another at home unless there’s a specific event we are all going together and that usually takes a good amount of planning. Some of us don’t even live near each other so a flight needs to happen before some of us will see one another in California…

Chicago this year was a good one. The weather is always very random but it’s still the cold season so it’s a little unpredictable when it comes to precipitation. I’ve had messages from the locals asking if we can do this stop a little later in the year when the weather is better but honestly it’s just tough because our tour has redetermined dates that we have to book a year or so in advance. The venues need advanced notice to accommodate us since we are a bigger event and so our schedule doesn’t allow for a lot of movement. Chicago isn’t an annual stop for us so we rotate it out with other stops like Texas or Florida so it’s hard for us to lock in a date for Chicago because it may or may not happen. It just worked out this year that we were able to schedule it where it didn’t collide with the Wekfest Japan dates. In the past two years the people that worked the Chicago show had to fly directly to Japan after and it was just a mess because time zones are so different. It’s also difficult for many of the guys because we aren’t spring chickens anymore and working Chicago, then taking a 12+ hour flight to Japan and immediately working that event the following day is taxing. If it were up to us, obviously we’d want this Chicago stop to happen during a different season when things aren’t so cold and damp but these are the compromises we face just to be able to fit this on our collective schedules…

Compared to 2022, I think this show has improved slightly in 2025 when it comes to overall car quality. I miss seeing all the guys that I typically see at Final Bout from this area that attended the show before but there seemed to be more of a Honda presence in 2025. There were so many drift cars the last time I was here which I really enjoyed. When I think of Chicago, I think of Final Bout, the guys from Proceed, and the cars that regularly street drift or have ties to that community. Maybe the next time when we go back I’ll get to see them at a Wekfest event again. I don’t mind the upturn in Hondas that come out for the show, it’s just more work for me, lol. But I love seeing the good quality shit come out to represent the Midwest. I didn’t do any video this year because I wanted to get back behind a dSLR and shoot purely photos again. Enjoy, and I will see you again when I see you Chicago. Thank you for the hospitality…and rain…

Miguel Garcia’s K24-powered NSX with full Marga Hills aero and Volk Racing 21C wheels…

Jorge’s FD2 Type R styled Civic sedan with Mugen aero, Spoon mirrors, and Mugen RR style hood along with a set of Volk TE37 in Mag Blue…

Chris Lee’s Varis Arising-II FK8 Civic Type R…

A closer look from above reveals a set of Volk Racing NE24 Club Sport wheels and upgraded Paragon brakes…

Chris has carefully themed his FK8 with the traditional white, black and red motif synonymous with the Type R but he appears to be missing his rear window visor which either didn’t stick correctly or just flew off altogether…

I stopped by this man’s house while I was in Illinois to pick up something only to discover that he and his brother and friends all live in the same neighborhood complete with an NSX is basically every garage they occupy. Kinda cool but very random at the same time…

This view from above the Navy Pier ramp into the venue proved to be a great viewpoint where I could see cars like Royce Santos’s FK8 Type R at an angle I normally wouldn’t get to capture…

The Chicago stop of the tour proved to have a good collection of newer Civics, all styled slightly differently to set them apart. This Phoenix Yellow Type R LE had what seemed like practically every Mugen component ever made for this particular chassis…

HCR32 Skyline sedan in yellow earing BN Sports aero…

Another look at the Varis Arising-II face on Chris’ CTR…

Nice meaty tire set-up on Jorge’s Mugen-equipped Civic…

Apparently I was informed that this was an original RX-7 from the famed “Mid Night” racing team and upon further inspection later on during the show, I believe it…

You know what’s the first thing you should do after you get headlight covers? Get new headlights of course. Nice C10 Skyline coupe with the factory fenders cut and radiused for flares to fit Watanabe R-Type wheels…

Another NSX wearing Marga Hills aero, this one with double-staggered Work Meister S1 wheels…

The RX-7 formerly from Mid Night wears full RE Amemiya AD-GT aero and a lightweight set of Desmond EVO wheels…

This FK8 had a solid collection of Mugen products throughout. It also sat nice and low on thise 18-inch bronze MF10s…

Ken from Wekfest taking some time away from being a new dad and photographing some cars…

One of the best features of the Navy Pier venue in Chicago is being able to see the city skyline as your backdrop during roll-in…

This DC5 RSX had a pretty simple set-up on the outside, running an OEM A-Spec kit and Regamaster EVOs, but I found out a little later that the custom engine bay was the centerpiece of this build…

It’s been cool to watch the continued evolution of Joel Zabel’s NSX. I remember seeing the previous set-up with the Marga Hills aero and his multitude of wheels but his style has become more refined with age. The current Advance aero is a bit more understated and the car just flows with subtlety…

Keith Robert’s Porsche 996 Carrera with a Milesworks Automotive Ultra Wide aero kit…

Danny Dang’s weekend track warrior Type R on some fancy custom polished Mugen MF10 wheels. The “Polished” on the side of the car isn’t about the wheels. He actually owns a nail salon lol…

Phoenix Yellow ITR also on Mugen wheels with some EDM/UKDM bumpers and other Mugen add-ons…

Brand new Mugen Group A aero kit color-matched to the OEM Sonic Gray on this Civic Type R. For what it’s worth I think this is the first color-matched Group A kit ever…

Admittedly I don’t know much about Porsches but I thought this made for a good photo and I also know the guy who decided to make these GMR Forged R5 wheels because he used to be my roommate…

Continuing with my theme of “I’m not quite sure what I’m looking at”, we have this 991 Porsche 911 Carrera on Volk TE37 wheels and what looks to be a Maxton Design front lip…

A little bit of everything lined-up down the street awaiting entry to the first Wekfest event of 2025…

This imported Honda Kei truck probably rips with a K-series swap sitting on top of the rear wheels but I can’t help but think that it could also possibly be a death trap with the exposed rear and much more power than you need on something so small/light…

But it makes for a great conversation piece and is pretty fucking rad. Mind you when the owner was driving in, it was also raining lol…

A gutted Japan-imported Honda Integra Type R with ARC winglets, J’s Racing GT wing, and bronze 16-inch Mugen MF10 wheels…

One of my favorites builds this year was this R33 GT-R that I actually saw toward the end of last year in Texas as well. It’s simple aesthetically but has actually gone through an extensive restoration and under the hood is a Tomei-built RB28 engine!…

Toyota Mark II (JZX100) from Charm car club wearing full BN Sports Type II aero…

Love the custom taillights on this Mark II and how they integrated the chrome vinyl body line into them…

This black FD3S RX-7 with M Sports aero and bronze TEs actually hosted an Nissan SR20DET engine swap under the hood…

Love seeing larger, more aggressively-sized SSR Type-C wheels still existing in 2025. This double staggered set looked fantastic on this Kouki S14…

240SX with OEM JDM Type-X front and GP Sports sides paired with a set of original Desmond Regamaster EVO wheels…

White 32GTR with N1 front lip and bronze Volk Racing ZE40…

Cool to see more Integra Type-S being modded and out at events. This one was still relatively-stock just lowered and sitting on a set of TEs…

D’andry Fields’ FL5 Civic Type R with Mugen front fenders housing 19-inch Rays Volk G025 wheels. The front lip I don’t recall the name of but I think it’s Garage Unique? Hard to tell from my own photo lol…

But anyways, this FL5 was pretty detailed. it had custom interior as well and a host of parts throughout…

Did not expect to see this pull-up but I surely did not mind seeing this Camaro SS roll-up the ramp…

Mike D’s K24-powered EJ2 Civic coupe running an Exceed V1 front lip and silver Mugen RnR wheels. If you look closer you can actually see the paper-thin clearance between the spokes of the Mugen wheels and the Spoon brakes…

Probably my favorite car this year at Wekfest Chicago was a car that didn’t even register for the show! Apparently C. Yang was just cruising by to drop off some parts or something but I happened to see him parked up front and had to get some photos of his black ITR…

It looked so good in black with a Mugen front half-lip, Mugen sides, Mugen Gen. 1 wing, Ganador mirrors, and bronze Mugen MF10 paired with blue anodized caps. Talk about being at the right place at the right time, I could have totally missed this thing…

Incredibly rare MX5-specific 16×8 +25 “MTE37” on this beautifully-executed Honda del Sol…

This DE5 Integra Type-S was wrapped in green on bronze Volk TE37 Ultra wheels and a brand new APR front air dam…

Jason Green’s Audi R8 V10 with B-Rogue Built twin-turbo kit exposed with no rear bumper for the world to see…

Connor McElvain closed his 2024 winning the “Young Guns” category of SEMA Battle of the Builders and decided to pull his custom Fairlady roadsters out for a romp at Wekfest Chicago…

Though the car looks simple aesthetically, underneath is a custom tube frame chassis that he built himself after scanning the original chassis. Underneath the hood is an SR20 swap as well and the suspension components are all custom-built…

You wouldn’t know it just looking at the car sitting on RS Watanabe Gotti MG wheels but this was likely the most intricate custom car build at the show…

More photos later in this post…

This custom-painted S2000 was anything but ruined unlike how the license plate implies…

Look at the intricate details like the engraving on the intercooler tanks and chrome trim throughout this Nissan Laurel build…

Really nice ER34 Skyline sedan drift car wearing URAS D1 Spec II aero and white TE37…

Very cohesive in the way its styled carrying over traditional Japanese D-car styling with lots of personal touches and good parts selection…

Inside the venue I was finally able to get a good look at Joel Zabel’s new set-up with the Advance Flat Out GT kit to compliment his rare Mugen spoiler and bronze CE28N wheels. The carbon fiber vented hood is also from Advance Japan…

Another of Alan Castro’s URAS ER34…

Extremely clean 240SX in red wearing full JDM Type-X aero with Ganador mirrors…

David Patterson’s VSM DB8 Integra Type R sedan with an Exceed V1 front lip and silver Mugen MF8 wheels parked at the King Motorsports display area…

When people say “Mugen complete” I guess it doesn’t get any more complete than this PY Type R LE, even down to the polarizing 20×8.5-inch Mugen MDCF wheels…

As mentioned more of the 1969 Datsun Fairlady that won the “Young Guys” category at SEMA’s Battle of the Builders competition…

A look under the hood with the naturally-aspirated SR20 swap using a VE NEO head, custom header, and Weber 45 carburetors. You can also see some of the custom suspension here as well laying parallel with the frame…

Miguel Garcia’s Marga Hills NSX on Volk Racing 21C at the Diamond Light Works booth…

A peek at the rear hatch reveals the N/A K24 powerplant with color-matched valve cover and polished RBC intake manifold…

“S2000 of the Festival” went to Victor Ortiz’s AP2 with Voltex Street front bumper, J’s Racing sides, Spoon Sports mirrors, Voltex GT wing, OEM hard top and rarely-seen Powerhouse Amuse FRP hood…

“Acura of the Festival” went to Eddie Jaime’s RSX Type-S you saw earlier with the OEM A-Spec kit and Desmond EVOs. This is what we consider to be one of those “sleeper” builds that kind of surprises you because it’s just very lowkey when it has the hood on. When it comes off however, you’ll see why…

Within the confines of the now fully-shaved engine bay is an incredibly well-executed turbocharged K20 set-up. The valve cover and intake manifold have been refinished to a mirror-like shine, the jet-coated turbo manifold and Garrett turbo can’t be missed…

Luis Nunez’s turbocharged EJ Civic coupe which actually ran a 10.9 quarter-mile back when it had a B-series set-up…

This turbocharged K is all new inside the shaved bay but I don’t think he’s had it properly dialed-in yet to make any new 1/4-mile passes…

Danny Dang’s Milano Red DC2 Integra Type R with an Exceed front lip, Spoon Sports carbon mirrors, and Takechi Project Sprint Hart CP-R wheels…

A K-swap sits inside the Milano Red engine bay, hosting a collection of components from Hybrid Racing in addition to a titanium intake arm, a PracWorks carbon fiber intake manifold and more…

I guess Danny Dang owns this ITR also? Nail business must be fantastic right now being able to own this many Type Rs. This one featured a EDM/UKDM front bumper with Exceed front lip, as well as an EDM/UKDM rear bumper, Mugen Gen. 1 wing, Mugen M7 wheels, and EC Works (or similar) mirrors…

Of course Danny Dang also owns this ITR, which is the DC2 he drives at the track while the others serve a more street cruising purpose…

Mirror chromed Mugen MF10 with StopTech big brakes behind the front wheels…

Another look at the M Sports FD RX-7 on bronze TEs from earlier…

…and the SR20DET swap within. There’s so much space with the SR in there that it still allowed for a V-mounted intercooler set-up and the radiator is completely parallel with the floor. The SR almost looks like it belongs in there…

Erick Desfassiaux’s K20/K24-powered Civic hatchback which serves as the democar for a local tuning shop called Racecraft. The Civic wears a Track Life front lip w/splitter, PCI sides, PCI wing, Magical Racing mirrors, a custom vented hood, and GroupB wheels…

Nice clean set-up for a track car utilizing a K24 block, K20 head, full-size radiator, and custom intake that routes to a fiberglass headlight duct…

“Judges Choice” this year went to Richy Contreras’ incredible Nissan C33 Laurel running a complete Final Konnexion kit and Work Emitz wheels. Most of the chrome trim like the door handles, and accents have been custom-engraved. We just love seeing stuff like this and looking at chassis builds that we don’t often see stateside like this Laurel…

Contreras couldn’t have chosen a better wheel for his C33 than these Work Emitz wheels with gold hardware…

EF8 CR-X SiR with a J’s Racing front lip, Spoon Sports front brakes, and Weds Sport TC-05 wheels…

More of Mike D’s EJ2 coupe sitting nice and low on 15-inch silver Mugen RnR. Nice that he chose to go without the side moldings for a cleaner look and that Exceed front lip sits nice and snug on that front bumper…

A view of the K24 swap inside his cleaned-up engine compartment. He opted to not shave and fill too much of the bay and still runs the battery and fuse box in their OEM locations. Good clean OEM+ look under the hood…

“Honda of the Festival” went to this exceptionally restored Honda del Sol. There’s actually a pretty well-documented collection of photos of the entire build on the owner’s Instagram page which you can see HERE…

Powering the EG2 is a turbocharged build B16A set-up which was good for 342WHP…

Look how clean the interior of the del Sol was with a clean dash, reproduction OEM zigzag mats, a Mugen steering wheel, Spoon shift knob, and newer Mugen MX-A seats…

Endless big brake kit upgrade custom-ordered from Endless Japan in red to match the aesthetic of the del Sol, sitting behind the concave spokes of rare MTE37 wheels…

If you want to see more, make sure to check out his IG Highlights. Shit is super extensive!…

The RE Amemiya FD which came from Japan and once served under the guise of Mid Night racing team…

After the show I tried to get some photos of the roll-out but honestly I didn’t get much since I was chatting and hang out with people from the show…

Danny Dang and his fleet of Integra Type Rs leaving the show…

Good thing he’s got a lot of friends and family otherwise there would be a lot of trips back and forth to get all his cars lol…

And we wrap it up here with a nearly empty Navy Pier with Joel Zabel’s Advance Flat Out NSX as we cleaned-up and got ready for dinner…

That’s all for this one folks. Hope you enjoyed the good old fashion coverage! See you next time!…