Antonio Alvendia
Website:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/antonioalvendia/
Profile:
I am... a nonstop buyer of Japanese car magazines even though I can't read them, a long-time collector of rare steering wheels, horn buttons, deep offset wheels, fresh Kangols, hip hop mixtapes, and vintage Japanese automobilia.
I'm addicted to taking photos (especially with my Canon SLRs and my iPhone) - I shoot at least one photo every single day. My background is in shooting advertisements and editorial photos for print magazines, as well as working with major motion picture studios in Hollywood.
I love cars. I have a huge collection of vintage Toyota memorabilia and rare parts to go with all the cars in my collection. Life is too short to drive a car that sucks. Enjoy life with your favorite car! My life revolves around photography, cars and car culture; I am extremely passionate about these things! At the same time, I grew up around the culture of hip hop music, with a reverence for graffiti art, underground mixtapes, and street fashion.
I've been involved with the emerging drifting scene in the USA since the late 1990s, and back in 2004, I decided to quit my corporate job as a Director of Sales and Marketing for a technology company so that I could chase my dreams, traveling all over the world to document drifting as it evolved from Japanese subculture to pop culture.
After several years of working with print magazines worldwide, I accomplished a big goal of mine in 2006, by authoring my first hardcover book, entitled "Drifting: Sideways from Japan to America," the first book ever produced on the topic of drifting. One year later, I was contracted to create the first mass-produced and internationally distributed calendar on the topic of Drifting (2008 release). These projects were just a labor of love for me, so I never expected them to be as successful as they were; I certainly didn't expect to randomly see my book on bookshelves and coffee tables in other countries. That book certainly opened a lot of doors for me!
In fact, one of the many doors that my book opened up for me was that of a big video game company in Canada - Electronic Arts. One of the art directors stumbled upon a copy of my book at the local Chapters Bookstore, and they eventually decided to contact me. I was shocked and honored when they told me they used my photos and stories as a reference to add authenticity to their video games. Soon enough, I found myself getting flown up to Vancouver to consult EA on the Need for Speed franchise's marketing/brand extension projects. I became one of the presenting hosts on camera for EA's Birth of Pro Street documentary film that aired on SpikeTV and Motors TV internationally. Soon after, we formulated some plans and began working to create one of the biggest corporate-owned car culture blogs on the internet - Speedhunters. I have since left Speedhunters so I could team up with several of my close friends to build up the MotorMavens Movement.
Our website has come so far since it first started. MotorMavens is driven by the passion and hard work of each of our contributors. MotorMavens does not have a corporate expense account or huge multi-million dollar corporation paying our bills. Instead, every individual member of the Motor Mavens Crew works hard, spending hard earned money on camera equipment and travel. I think I can speak for all the members in the crew when I say that I don't mind putting my own money and sweat into the project because I passionately believe in what we're doing.
I love to build and be productive. I'm extremely goal oriented and motivated to be successful in what I'm passionate about, so I'll never stop pushing forward. Of course undertaking big projects can be difficult at times, but nothing worthwhile comes without a struggle. I just feel that people shouldn't waste any opportunities to do something that drives them. Isn't that the whole point of living?
-Antonio Alvendia
www.ANTONIOALVENDIA.com
Connect to me on Facebook!
COVERAGE> Formula Drift After Dark: Las Vegas!
DRIVER SEAT> Volkswagen Golf R: Turbo AWD Fun
My first experience with the new Volkswagen Golf R certainly caught me by surprise. As a person that has been primarily focused on sporty Japanese cars all my adult life, I'll honestly admit that I've never really looked into buying a Volkswagen. As a result, I've been a bit ignorant and unfamiliar with the VW brand in the past - something that I will definitely be changing in the future!
I knew that the Golf R was Volkswagen's top contender in the sport compact segment. However, until I actually had the chance to spend an entire week with the car, I had no idea that I would like the car as much as I did! Of course, the Golf R did have some pros and cons... Read more...
GALLERY> Nisei Showoff Vs Infamous Long Beach
The tried and true Import Showoff event thrown by legendary import carshow promoter Ken Miyoshi during Downtown LA's annual Nisei Week Festival in Little Tokyo is always a good time. Everyone knows that Nisei Showoff symbolizes the best of the best - the highest standard in modified import cars, with attendance by the OG crews that used to run the streets of Los Angeles when the sport compact scene was just beginning to blow up. The whole vibe at Nisei Showoff feels a bit nostalgic, to be honest. Can it be that it was all so simple then? Good cars and good friends in a relaxed atmosphere, surrounded by good Japanese restaurants and boutique shops in Little Tokyo.
However, some young car enthusiasts don't care about memory lane nostalgia or waxing poetic about the good old days. For this rapidly growing new generation of frame-scraping tire stretchers, the newly conceptualized Infamous show was thrown as a collaboration between the Fatlace and Canibeat Crews at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
It's obvious that MotorMavens connects to both scenes and both types of automotive taste, so those who follow @MOTORMAVENS on Instagram and Twitter already know that we decided to hit both shows. Here's a quick gallery of images from both events! Read more...
DRIVER SEAT> Longo Scion FRS Tour of LA Drive
While other dealers concentrate on trying to move units, Scion salesman Jeffrey Chang and Longo Scion decided to sponsor the very first Scion FR-S Tour of LA driving event! Lots of great looking cars were in attendance, but I just couldn't take my eyes off the newly built Cusco Scion FRS, which was already outfitted with Toyota emblems, and the full line of Cusco suspension and accessories. Read more...
GALLERY> Autocon At Santa Anita Racetrack
I've been traveling out of state for the past few weeks, but I decided to fly back to Los Angeles for this weekend's event - it was the perfect chance to enjoy summertime in Southern Cali, spend time with good friends, and finally check out Autocon in person. Read more...
OH SNAP> Risky Devil RPS13: Endangering Chicago
Oh snap! Just found this Risky Devil RPS13 180SX photo on my hard drive! I’m back from a period of non-publishing on the blog – 3 weeks to be exact. Sorry folks, I injured my wrist/elbow, which made it very difficult to edit photos or even type on a computer. This being said, I’ve only been able to publish new content on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr. If you don’t follow @MOTORMAVENS in these places, you’re sleepin!
This is a photo of Josh Maghirang‘s right hand drive RPS13, taken while I was sitting shotgun in Leigh Roto‘s JZA70 Supra. It’s no secret that the Risky Devil crew, the boys from Grip Gambler, and all their other Chicago-based friends under the Junkhouse banner are a bunch of lowlifes who terrorize Chicago streets by driving like a bunch of a$$holes – tailgating each other at high speeds on the freeway, drifting freeway onramps and offramps, and street drifting in downtown Chicago right in front of popular clubs. No wonder all the residents of Chicago always yell F*CK JUNKHOUSE when they see these cars passing by! These guys are always up to no good… which is probably why I love hanging out with them! They are fun. (more…)
PAPERCUTS> Road&Track Magazine Closing?!
I can’t believe it. I just received word from a reliable source that Road&Track Magazine will be shutting down its Southern California offices. Can this be true?! This is insane. Everyone knows that the print media industry has been hurting for a while, but hearing reliable sources say that Road&Track is shutting down… that’s one piece of auto industry news that’s hard to fathom. (more…)
COVERAGE> Wheelspotting At Wekfest Long Beach
CARSPOTTING> Crashing A Vintage Porsche Event
Needless to say, I was beyond excited when I attended this gathering of Porsches in Woodland Hills, CA. There were several gorgeous cars from different model years in attendance, but none of the cars truly captured my attention like these retro race-themed 911s. Read more...
COVERAGE> Supercar Sunday – Sex On Wheels!
Yesterday, I got up before dawn and made my way to the Westfield Promenade Mall off Topanga Canyon and the 101 freeway to meet up with other members of the MotorMavens Crew for a morning of photo taking, Instagramming (Follow us: @MOTORMAVENS), and talking cars! Read more...
CARSPOTTING> Le Mans 24H Cunningham Corvette
It turns out that this particular Corvette was actually a historic race car, owned by elite car collector and Beverly Hills resident Bruce Meyer - it was one of three Corvettes that actually raced in competition at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1960, when the cars were still brand new! The cars were campaigned by renown Corvette race team Briggs & Cunningham, and were flown over to France to compete at the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe.
It is already pretty amazing to think about race cars being flown around the world to compete in high end motor racing events, but can you imagine what it must have been like in the 1960s, when airplane travel was much less prevalent than today?!
I found an AMAZING historic documentary film from the 1960s that tells the story of the Briggs & Cunningham Corvette team and their adventures at Le Mans. It shows actual footage of the cars driving around on French city streets in the 1960s, and gives viewers a rare look at what it was actually like to be at Le Mans back then! Read more...
NEWSWORTHY> Rest In Peace, Carroll Shelby
Yesterday, the automotive world lost one of its international legends – Carroll Shelby, the 89 year old creator of the world famous Shelby Cobra 427, and the Ford GT40 that beat Ferrari at Le Mans.
Shelby is one of those names in the automotive industry that everyone knows, but it’s possible that some of our readers aren’t familiar with his long and storied history, from his days in Formula One, Le Mans, and even land speed racing at Bonneville. Rather than quickly writing up a story about Carroll Shelby from the media center at the American Le Mans race at Laguna Seca, I think I’ll just provide a link to a couple good articles on Shelby that I saw in the New York Times and USA Today before I have to get back to shooting on the track. (more…)
DRIVER SEAT> Scion FR-S Driving Impressions
As a member of the automotive media and an AE86 owner, it's no secret that I've been blessed with the opportunity to see the new FR-S up close on a couple different occasions, but this would be the very first time that I had any quality seat time with the car.
This being said, once I received the gracious email invite from Scion, I cleared my schedule and eagerly jumped on a plane to Las Vegas to find out what it would be like to drive the highly anticipated FR-S on a winding road, open highway, autocross course, wet skidpad, and perhaps the most enjoyable - a high speed handling test at one of Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch's racetracks. Read more...
OH SNAP> The First Toyota GT86 Crash in D1GP
Could this be the very first Toyota GT86 that has crashed at a racing event? Everyone has been talking about the debut of the Toyota GT86 (Scion FR-S/Subaru BR-Z) in Japan’s D1 Grand Prix Series. Also newsworthy is the fact that Falken Tire was making its return to D1 with this attention grabbing car, which was built by Up Garage, a chain of Japanese used parts stores. (more…)
COVERAGE> Formula Drift: Streets of Long Beach
In recent months, I've actually heard people say that the sport of drifting is in a slump, but I beg to differ. With a first time ever SOLD OUT event at Formula D Long Beach, the venue was packed with plenty of familiar faces (and a ton of new ones) from all over the world! I received a multitude of text messages over the course of the weekend from friends asking if I could help them get tickets, but the event really was sold out and packed to legal capacity. The grandstands were completely full, with only standing room available. How about that, naysayers? Drifting isn't dead just because YOU can't get sponsors. Drifting is continuing to grow, and it's now larger than its ever been! Read more...
COVERAGE> Formula Drift Long Beach Qualifying
GALLERY> Lunch With A Mazda 787 LeMans Racer
This year's luncheon was held at a venue that we would be visiting for the very first time - the Crevier Classic Cars Collection in Orange County. While there were a ton of rare and expensive cars already on display at the Crevier Museum, Mazda brought some very interesting vehicles out from their own collection of historic cars... a vintage Mazda Cosmo, the Car&Driver Mazda RX2, and the belle of the ball - one of the three Mazda 787 race cars that competed in the 1991 Le Mans 24H, where Mazda became the first (and only) Japanese car company to win 1st Place at the world's most famous endurance race. Read more...
WEBMINING> Prodrive M3 Flies Through Manx Rally
Just imagine what it might be like to watch this Prodrive E30 M3 at the Manx Rally in person. Wouldn’t that be AMAZING?! The first time I ever heard of Patrick Snijers was from an BMW E30 drifter named Yoshi Jeffery. In this video, Snijers drives the living hell out of his M3, which was built by Prodrive long before they began their relationship with Subaru! (more…)
CENTER STAGE> TE72 Wagon with Widened Advans
GALLERY> Fond Memories of Irwindale Speedway
Today, I received a single-sentence email from Doug Stokes, Irwindale Speedway's Communications/PR officer, and a friend I've known ever since drifting events started up at Irwindale. This is all the email said: Read more...
CARSPOTTING> ASM (Autobacs) Equipped AP2 S2K
Just a few minutes later, my friend Terry Pham from Infinit Wheels introduced me Anthony Juarez, the owner of the car. Anthony told me that he bought the car pretty recently from a guy in Las Vegas, and brought it all the way home to Southern California. Since I already had my camera with me anyway, I just had to grab some photos! Read more...
DRIVER SEAT> Testing The BF Goodrich Comp2
According to BFG, their new Comp2 tire promises drivers the ability to accelerate faster, corner harder, and brake in a shorter distance than their competitors. When asked exactly who they consider to be their competition for this class of tire, BFG pointed to Dunlop Direzza DZ101, Yokohama S-Drive, Kumho Ecsta SPT KU31, Cooper and Hankook Ventus V12 tires. Read more...
VIDEO> Amazing Sound of the 1965 Honda RA272
“Honda is really all about the engine.” Any real racing enthusiast will be aroused by the sound of a real race car. Listen to the awesome sound of this vintage Honda RA272 Grand Prix car as Dario Franchitti takes the famous – and immaculately kept – Mexico Grand Prix winning car out for a spin. This 1.5-liter V12, 230 horsepower vintage GP racer is the very same car that scored Honda its very first Grand Prix win at the 1965 Mexico Grand Prix, a race won by Richie Ginther.
When Franchitti described his experience with the car, he said the sound of the engine, its precise gearbox, and its unique handling made him think the car was very similar to a motorcycle! (more…)
VIDEO> The Amazing Cars of The Olympus Rally
The Olympus Rally is a legendary event that people used to hear about in the advertising campaigns of big car manufacturers. In the 1980s, big car companies like Toyota, Nissan, Audi and Lancia had factory backed rally teams racing through the backroads surrounding Seattle Washington. It even used to be a leg of the World Rally Championship! That’s right – WRC on US soil!
If you love the glory days of WRC like I do, watch this video, which features cars like the Lancia Delta Integrale, Audi Quattro, Nismo S12 200SX, Toyota Team Europe‘s MA70 Supra and a privateer AE82 Corolla FX-16 GT-S! There’s even a few short clips of Rod Millen driving a Mazda 323 GTX (Mazda Familia) all wheel drive rally car! (more…)
