Aside Post Format

I am a hopeless addict when it comes to Japanese car magazines (even though I can’t read them) and a longtime collector of rare steering wheels, horn buttons, deep-offset wheels, and vintage Japanese automobilia. My collection also includes a vast archive of vintage Toyota memorabilia and rare parts for the cars I own. I grew up surrounded by hip hop culture—graffiti, underground mixtapes, freestyle ciphers, and everything in between—so that world bleeds into everything I do too. I've been involved with the emerging drifting scene in the USA since the late 1990s (as a fan), and started shooting/writing for print magazines around the world in 2003. Inspired by the documentary film Dogtown and Z-Boys, my background in photography and film led me to document drifting as it grew from a Japanese underground subculture into a global pop culture. In 2006, I published Drifting: Sideways from Japan to America — the first English language book ever written on drifting —followed by the first internationally distributed Drifting Calendar in 2008. Both projects began as personal passion projects, so it was surreal to later see them on bookshelves and coffee tables around the world. Those experiences opened doors I never expected, leading to collaborations with major brands (Toyota, Electronic Arts - Need for Speed, Microsoft - Forza Motorsport, Asus, McLaren) and helping launch car culture outlets like Speedhunters (for the Need for Speed franchise), Driving Line (for Nitto Tire), and NBC Universal’s Fast & Furious franchise. Our website and brand has come a long way since it first started in 2009. Since then, we have launched events like 86FEST, V8BUILDS, and MotorMassive. Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our mission to share our website and our authentic passion for the automotive scene! -Antonio Alvendia • www.ANTONIOSURESHOT.com • @AntonioSureshot on Instagram