Tag Archive for ‘the chronicles vlog’

Meguiar’s “Portrait of an Icon” 2020s-Era Shoot Featuring LJ Garcia’s FEEL’S Civic…

Meguiar’s “Portrait of an Icon” 2020s-Era Shoot Featuring LJ Garcia’s FEEL’S Civic…

Let me start-off by saying that I am so glad I decided to take on this project for Meguiar’s. When I was first approached about this concept by RJ De Vera, I honestly didn’t know if I wanted to do it or not. He’d never know because I acted so confidently about it but I was very close to saying no. I was going through some personal stuff at the time and wasn’t really motivated to do anything. All my insecurities were boiling over when I was asked to take on such a huge project for such a well-known company. Meguiar’s has literally been around for over 100 years. To produce something that would not be ‘good enough’ in their eyes is mortifying. I didn’t know if I had it in me. But, I told myself that I’d take on new challenges this year and really see how far I could extend myself creatively. I think it was around 2017 when I had a bit of an epiphany. One day I was working next to my-then significant other, I turned to her, and proclaimed that if I’m not producing my best work moving forward, I would stop doing The Chronicles. If I’m not creating and bettering my previous work every year, there’s really no point in me doing this anymore. Because at that point I would know that I wasn’t having fun anymore. It meant that I didn’t have it in me to challenge myself…
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An ICONIC HONDA Build From The Past Is Found… CHRNCLS Vlog 2021 #19

An ICONIC HONDA Build From The Past Is Found… CHRNCLS Vlog 2021 #19

I never thought I’d see the day but I’ve been waiting almost two decades to see this car again…

For my final installment for the Meguiar’s “Portrait of an Icon” series, I knew I had to do something big, so I sought out an important Honda from a bygone era to tell not only its story, but to add to mine.

To me, this was the perfect way to cap off a series of creative work covering five different decades. A true pleasure it was to be able to photograph a car that first inspired me to collect automotive tuning magazines as a youth.
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Attacking The Streets Of Long Beach In A Civic Type R… CHRNCLS Vlog 2021 #18

Attacking The Streets Of Long Beach In A Civic Type R… CHRNCLS Vlog 2021 #18

We went to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach this past weekend to support friends and see some racing. What makes this racing event so unique is that it takes place literally on the streets of Long Beach, California. Originally I had planned to go so that I could document Amir Bentatou’s RS Future K-series turbo NSX. A few friends were competing for Global Time Attack’s portion of the event for the first time but he unfortunately ran into some engine issues the day prior. With tickets and time already set aside to go to Long Beach, I went and sought out a perfect candidate to be our substitute; Jose Mejia’s Art of Attack Honda Civic Type R. I had always wanted to do some in-car footage of Jose’s FK8 on the track but it just never happened—Until now.

A 450-horsepower turbocharged Civic with an aggressive driver on a street course in Long Beach, what could go wrong??…
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Honda Homecoming 2021, The Secret Event We Weren’t Invited To… CHRNCLS Vlog 2021 #17

Honda Homecoming 2021, The Secret Event We Weren’t Invited To… CHRNCLS Vlog 2021 #17

While I was off on a little vacation in Hawaii, @HondaPro Jason sends me a message about a massive Honda event held at Honda headquarters in Torrance, California. I had no idea what it was, can’t say that I had ever heard of it before, and was also told to not speak of it until it happened. I was intrigued. He asked me if I was interested in going because he could try to get me a pass but I’d also have to wear this t-shirt and risk getting my family kidnapped if I didn’t follow the rules. Maybe that last part wasn’t true but it sounded serious after he showed me the 30-page instruction booklet and NDA to not post anything about it.

I’m terrible at keeping secrets so I went and filmed it. Here you go.
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From Broken NSX To Breaking Records, The Road To 1:44.768… CHRNCLS Vlog 2020 #29

From Broken NSX To Breaking Records, The Road To 1:44.768… CHRNCLS Vlog 2020 #29

Well, it finally happened…The Koyorad x RS Future K-turbo NSX is fast—REALLY fast. And after nearly three years of development, it’s also the NEW Super Lap Battle “Street Class” overall champion and record-holder. It wasn’t easy, I’ll tell you that. I’ve had the pleasure of watching this car come to form from the very beginning as a stripped-down bare shell. People didn’t understand the concept of utilizing a turbocharged K-series engine in an NSX at first. To most, it just seemed like a ‘cool idea’ but the C30/C32 engine was Honda’s flagship 6-cylinder powerplant. To some, it was automotive sacrilege to put a modern Honda 4-cylinder engine in an NSX. The doubters were only proved right when the car continued through its development stages and repeatedly ran into issues. It was a bit disheartening to see the car not reach the level of success that we had hoped for but everyone involved knew that it would be a long process. Things started to turn around at the start of 2020 when the gearbox issues that had halted development were relieved thanks to a Samsonas Motorsport dogbox. The NSX really started to move after that. As Amir Bentatou got more comfortable, and even more confident, behind the wheel, we knew that there was a strong possibility it would finally see the success we had envisioned for it at Buttonwillow Raceway. Sit back, take a trip down memory lane with us as we venture back to the beginning, and relive all the emotions that came when the clock hit 1:44.768…
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Spoon Collection & More From Tokyo Auto Salon…CHRNCLS Vlog 2020 #2

Spoon Collection & More From Tokyo Auto Salon…CHRNCLS Vlog 2020 #2

After spending the morning and early afternoon at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon event, we sat in traffic for what seemed like forever just so we could stop by Spoon Sports Type One in Suginami. Spoon was hosting a little gathering of their own titled the “Spoon Collection 2020” where they used their workshop facility to showcase some of their famed race cars from year’s past. The following day, Yuta joined us at Tokyo Auto Salon to go over some of the more talked-about builds of this year’s event and we provide some insight of our own—whether it be useful or completely ridiculous.
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Back in Japan for Tokyo Auto Salon…CHRNCLS Vlog 2020 #1

Back in Japan for Tokyo Auto Salon…CHRNCLS Vlog 2020 #1

We’re back in Japan! For the first time ever, I’m actually uploading new videos while I am actually still in Japan! I’ve never been able to do this because I just didn’t have the technology, and frankly, the time to film, edit, render, and upload a new episode while traveling. Hope you guys enjoy the new look and going back to the early videos without the letterbox. To kick-off the new 2020 season, I take you guys with me as I hop off the plane in Tokyo and dig right into the meat of why we are in Japan; the annual Tokyo Auto Salon event. There was some great stuff this year, some great surprises, and plenty of high quality stuff. See for yourself!
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