One of the best websites for checking out shows and happenings of a european nature, is the www.cleaned.be website.
They incorporate event galleries as well as forums into their site and are well known for having a fantastic selection of European cars. Though a lot are more modern there’ s a healthy mix of older steel in there too.
VW Golf
As they domain name suggests, they’re Belgium based website but the forum is open to all and there’s coverage from shows across Europe including the UK.
I’m not sure whether it’s the done thing to mention directly somoene elses particular blog entry on your own blog? Regardless, I was stumbling about SpeedHunters.com this morning and found their entry with a downloadable and/or online viewable drift video from the Ebisu drift circuit(s) in Japan. I waited the required several years for it to download on my ISPs excuse for “Broadband” and not soon enough but eventually, I was watching a spectacularly edited video with simple use of music and slow motion to add drama. I think the large appeal of it was the majority of the cars are just street vehicles.
Those familiar with the Japanese drift scene will know of Ebisu as part of the D1GP, though I believe D1GP only uses the main circuit and Ebisu has several different circuits in it’s confines. They are seemingly available to be used at whatever time, though I imagine it’s a matter of booking, etc. like it is at most NZ circuits.
Most people go to this national event to look at the family cars pretending to be race cars. Not me though, I go for the supporting categories and the cars in the car park. Though today, I didn’t bother even taking more than a dozen photos of the cars racing and when I did it was only because I was on my way somewhere else around the outfield car-park.
The day itself was decidedly average, with scattered showers putting perhaps a few of the non-dedicated car enthusiasts off coming altogether. I waited until at least 2pm before I spent my thirty dollars on buying a ticket to be allowed into the grounds.
Expensive!
I drove in, turned left, parked the car amongst the many others and began my journey of everything that wasn’t the racing. Solely for you people! Well… and for me, afterall there’s always something interesting to see. Though from the moment I got in the gate I noticed that the turnout of older cars was a lot lower than it has been in previous years. I assume most people had come on the Friday or Saturday when the weather was more inviting. However, I was there to take pictures and that’s exactly what I did.
As a celebration of getting the WordPress software and the website itself hosted on it’s own server, I thought I’d provide for download a small selection of photos that I’ve taken over the last few years at various events & locations. Enjoy!
For Internet Explorer users, Right click on the photograph that you like then click “Save Target As…”;
For those with Firefox, Right click on the photograph and click “Save Link As…”;
Jaguar & Imp, Teretonga 07
This was a favourite of mine due to the fact that the SIDCHROME Imp, as once piloted by Jim Richards, was there. The presentation of the MkII Jaguar was also simply amazing. I do have a few more pictures of each car, if you’re interested in them just let me know.
Nowadays, there’s so many FRP (Fibreglass Re-inforced Plastic) and Carbon Fibre panels, components and different styles of bodykits available, it’s seems almost commonplace and it can be hard to remember a time when all these things weren’t really a concern for most. Afterall there was a time when having the car was enough, but of course, with affordability and access to cars becoming so much greater over time, in order for people to maintain some form of individuality over their friends and co-workers who had bought the same car. If you had no fabrication or mechanical skills to speak of, what on earth would you do?!
You’d buy something from manufacturer’s of body-kits and styling products such as this…
Mk 3 Ford Escort with Kamei Body Stlying
They became the thing to have, they could be ordered from many local “speedshops” and/or where a local automotive or bodywork retailer had managed to snaffle the distribution rights. Generally, as it is now, they were able to be bought in pieces for you to affix yourself or bought as a kit and installed by the retailer. As you can see by that picture with it’s colour coded wheels as well as kit, taste is a fine thing and you can almost taste that car just by looking at it.
Of course, Kamei wasn’t the only manfacturer of bodykits during the earlier days, there were plenty of others…
