GALLERY> Celebrating HotRod Culture w/ Mooneyes
Los Angeles is a melting pot of many cultures, so the car culture in Southern California is diverse as well - this place is ground zero for modified cars! Los Angeles has automotive heritage that spans from the first hot rodders and dry lakebed racers in the 1940s and 1950s to the evolution of the European and Japanese car scenes on US shores that began in the late 1960s and continues strong until today. People complain about all the smog and traffic and crappy roads in LA, but we're lucky - as far as I'm concerned, we have it all.
As Southern California car culture evolved from traditional handcrafted V8 powered hot rods to include the modification of small bore, high power output Japanese cars, our car scene truly has come full circle. It may be difficult for some to grasp this, but today, one of the most popular events in Southern California celebrating hot rods and the culture behind them is actually run by a group of hardcore hot rodders from Japan! The event I speak of is the annual Mooneyes Christmas Party at Irwindale Speedway, and year after year, it captivates me like it was my very first car show. Year after year, the Mooneyes Christmas Party remains paramount in my mind as the very best hot rod event I've ever attended. Read more...
As Southern California car culture evolved from traditional handcrafted V8 powered hot rods to include the modification of small bore, high power output Japanese cars, our car scene truly has come full circle. It may be difficult for some to grasp this, but today, one of the most popular events in Southern California celebrating hot rods and the culture behind them is actually run by a group of hardcore hot rodders from Japan! The event I speak of is the annual Mooneyes Christmas Party at Irwindale Speedway, and year after year, it captivates me like it was my very first car show. Year after year, the Mooneyes Christmas Party remains paramount in my mind as the very best hot rod event I've ever attended. Read more...
CENTER STAGE> Porsche Powered VW with Patina
It's been a while since MotorMavens published some car features from Europe. Come join us as we dive deeper into the Euro car scene in the Netherlands! This is a 1960 Volkswagen Beetle, is there anything more classically Euro that you can think of? I think not... but don't be fooled, this Beetle is not quite stock. It's also a daily driven car. Let's have a look at the details... Read more...
VIDEO> Low n’ Slow VW Beetles in the UK
Low n’ Slow – A Beetle Film from Stephen Brooks on Vimeo.
Stephen Brooks is at it again with his video camera. This time around instead of drifting, we get a spotlight on some dope Volkswagens of the Low n’ Slow Club VW from the UK. I’m definitely diggin’ these two uber-low Type 1 Beetles, you just can’t go wrong with a classic design laying frame. However, there are no airbags here. The lows you see are brought to you by static drops. That takes “form over function” to another level.
:: Jonathan McWhorter
COVERAGE> The United Kingdom of Lowered Cars
The stance scene in the UK has been around for a while, starting off with Volkswagen owners modifying their cars with the stretched tyre style from Germany... however, it has really taken off over the past few years; more and more high quality cars have been coming out of the woodwork. However, being so involved with drifting, I haven't really had the chance to see much of this scene in the flesh. So, as you can imagine, it was just my luck that UK based members of the wheel fitment specialist website StanceWorks, decided to kick off the year by holding their very first meet on Sunday at Milton Keynes Hockey Stadium. Through threads on other forums, word got out about the meet and a whole host of cars rocked up - well over 50!
The majority of the cars were European, such as Volkswagens and BMWs, and I have to confess I didn't know a lot about them. So I'll keep it short and show you some cars that really stood out for me at the meet! Read more...
The majority of the cars were European, such as Volkswagens and BMWs, and I have to confess I didn't know a lot about them. So I'll keep it short and show you some cars that really stood out for me at the meet! Read more...
COVERAGE> IDRC Draggers vs Drifters at Fontana
This weekend, the members of the MotorMavens Crew were straight up hustlin. (When are we not?) As a collective, we spread out to cover FIVE events in different geographic parts of the world. In Southern Cali, the first event we hit up was the IDRC Finale at California Speedway in Fontana, CA. We knew this weekend was going to be hot... real hot. At California Speedway, deep in the Inland Empire, the temperatures reached 107 degrees, but on the track it felt even hotter, with heat bouncing up off the tarmac, penetrating through sunblock and clothing to sizzle the skin of event goers. To be honest, hardly anyone from the MotorMavens collective was super excited to bake in the sun on Labor Day weekend. We wanted to chill out in the air conditioned comfort of our homes, or head to the beach to hang out and enjoy all the beautiful scenery of Southern Cali's last days of summer.
However, a couple weeks ago, we received a call from DSPORT Magazine's Marketing Director, Tobin Honda, asking for MotorMavens help in promoting the event, and we made a commitment. In the automotive aftermarket industry, there are often times when people make a lot of promises, but they don't have much follow through... Motor Mavens tries not to be like that. Since we're always out at events speaking to car owners and such, we made a concerted effort to promote the car show and the drag event, and we were extremely happy to see many of our good friends in attendance, showing their support! Read more...
However, a couple weeks ago, we received a call from DSPORT Magazine's Marketing Director, Tobin Honda, asking for MotorMavens help in promoting the event, and we made a commitment. In the automotive aftermarket industry, there are often times when people make a lot of promises, but they don't have much follow through... Motor Mavens tries not to be like that. Since we're always out at events speaking to car owners and such, we made a concerted effort to promote the car show and the drag event, and we were extremely happy to see many of our good friends in attendance, showing their support! Read more...
CARSPOTTING> German Folks Wagens at Mooneyes
When I think of Mooneyes and their Annual Christmas Party at Irwindale, I normally think of hot rods - rat rods, traditionals, kustoms, roadsters... things of that sort. However, as I was trudging along the Irwindale Speedway parking lot with soaking wet jeans (and even worse... wet socks. Grossss!) from the torrential downpour that Mother Nature subjected us to... I noticed this small grouping of Volkswagens, and immediately began making my way toward them.
These Vee Dubs had their own sense of style. The color and rust spots on this blue Deluxe VW bus reminded me of the Volkswagen Single Cab from Miami that we featured just a few months ago when we started this site. I'm admittedly not a maven of VW knowledge, but I do have a strong opinion on what I think is stylish and what's not. Read more...
These Vee Dubs had their own sense of style. The color and rust spots on this blue Deluxe VW bus reminded me of the Volkswagen Single Cab from Miami that we featured just a few months ago when we started this site. I'm admittedly not a maven of VW knowledge, but I do have a strong opinion on what I think is stylish and what's not. Read more...
COVERAGE> Rainy Day Rodding at Mooneyes
With December in full swing and Christmas-time near, tis the season for parties and holiday cheer. With hot rods on the freeway, plus an onslaught of rain, I had to yell at times, "stupid ass, stay in your lane!!!"
This past weekend, I attended the Annual Mooneyes Christmas Party at Irwindale Speedway. I can't believe it's already been a full year since the last time I visited the show. I have to admit... cold, rainy weather makes me feel pretty lazy. Living in Southern Cali, I think I've gotten used to the weather being 73 degrees all year round, so when it dips below 55 degrees outside, it's pretty hard for me to convince myself to leave the comfort of my baffled goose down comforter behind and trudge through the rain with 30+lbs of camera gear and flyers on my back. This Saturday, it was especially difficult because I was out with my friends at a house party and didn't get back until 4:30am on the day of the show.
However, I'm really glad I did make it to Mooneyes this year. Speaking to my friend Shige (the man behind Mooneyes and Crown Classics in Yokohama Japan), we both agreed that the rain did put a bit of a damper on the event's attendance, but it was good in a way. It weeded out most of the "trying to be down" scenesters and showed everyone who the real hardcore hot rodders were. Most of the guys who came to this year's Mooneyes Christmas Party actually drove their period correct traditional hot rods with vintage whitewall tires on the 605 freeway IN THE RAIN to and from the show. Now that's dedication! Much respect! Read more...
This past weekend, I attended the Annual Mooneyes Christmas Party at Irwindale Speedway. I can't believe it's already been a full year since the last time I visited the show. I have to admit... cold, rainy weather makes me feel pretty lazy. Living in Southern Cali, I think I've gotten used to the weather being 73 degrees all year round, so when it dips below 55 degrees outside, it's pretty hard for me to convince myself to leave the comfort of my baffled goose down comforter behind and trudge through the rain with 30+lbs of camera gear and flyers on my back. This Saturday, it was especially difficult because I was out with my friends at a house party and didn't get back until 4:30am on the day of the show.
However, I'm really glad I did make it to Mooneyes this year. Speaking to my friend Shige (the man behind Mooneyes and Crown Classics in Yokohama Japan), we both agreed that the rain did put a bit of a damper on the event's attendance, but it was good in a way. It weeded out most of the "trying to be down" scenesters and showed everyone who the real hardcore hot rodders were. Most of the guys who came to this year's Mooneyes Christmas Party actually drove their period correct traditional hot rods with vintage whitewall tires on the 605 freeway IN THE RAIN to and from the show. Now that's dedication! Much respect! Read more...
