Edmonton – illmotion

iM Highlight: Alex’s Flared GC8

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015

Every car has that one modification that’s necessary to make it mildly ‘cool’, the first thing you’d do to it before taking it out to a cars and coffee event. The GT86 needs larger wheels to fix the sunken-boat fitment, an S-Chassis needs coilovers and some sort of ‘JDM’ plush toy, and so on. But what about when EVERY one of that certain car has the same entry level mods? Cheap wheels and Canadian tire exhaust are common sight these days, so when someone steps outside the box and brings a new look to the table, it’s a welcome sight-

Such is the case with Alex Sparke’s 1995 Subaru WRX.

When dream meets daily driver, you often end up with a very eye-catching functional vehicle. Tucked under the Wide Works “Universal” 50mm fender flares, the 17 x 10 XXR 531s give this GC8 a much more aggressive stance than from factory, making the V6 STi spoiler look a little less ridiculous.

Living just up the road from Alex and seeing the car around town a lot, the car has transformed from just another GC8, to HIS car. Tasteful modifications to fit ones style are hard to find, especially with those of us fresh out of school and having minimal modification experience. At the time of this article some new additions have been made, one of the most notable (and probably controversial) being white LED puddle lights, yet another item that differentiates this WRX from the mass of others in the Edmonton area.
H&R Trak spacers are behind the large offest, allowing the XXRs to fill the fenders in nicely, as well as Raceland coilovers and camber plates giving the right balance of function and “Moar Low”.

Much like the exterior, his interior has undergone some conservative modifications, such as the Nardi wheel and LikeWise Finger Banger shift ‘knob’

I very much look forward to the changes that will inevitably come as Alex, his car, and “the scene” evolve.

Subtle engine mods include:
Apexi Intake
3″ Invidia divorced catless downpipe
Custom 3″ straight pipe to cannon muffler
Walbro 225lph fuel pump
Robs 440 tune @ 16psi
Carbon STi strut bar
Turbosmart boost controller

Full gallery: https://flic.kr/s/aHskfAHc6U

iM Event Coverage: 2015 780 Tuners Season Opener

May 12, 2015October 5, 2016

On May 2nd the annual 780 Tuners Season Opener took place in Edmonton, and despite the rather poor weather conditions still drew a massive crowd. Cars were being parked wherever they would fit and some even wound up on the surrounding streets! The reason for the madness was a heavy rain storm which ended just before the scheduled start of the meet, resulting in a huge number of cars heading over to and arriving at the United Cycle lot at the same time.

For those who have never been to the Season Opener, it’s a fun way to kick off the season and a great excuse for a little road trip. This year Bill was present and grabbed some photos of the event, showing some of the cars on hand. We hope you enjoy!

iM Film: 780Tuners Season Closer 2014

October 13, 2014October 16, 2014

First of all, I’d like to give a HUGE thank you to United Cycle and the surrounding businesses. Not only do they allow us to host events there, they also continue to welcome us back, even after people make a mess of the lot and park like absolute knobs. *This is my Team Royalty / illmotion coverage of the 2014 Season Closer event, hosted by 780Tuners. This years closer was a great success, with a large turnout. Might I also add, the weather made it MUCH more enjoyable than the opener.

This being my first year really attending meets and events, I love the community that’s formed at United Cycle meets. These season opening and closing events are just a glimpse at the groups of people, and the hearts behind the scene here. Everyone has there own “crew”, their own tastes and distastes, but in the end its about the fun times. Whether you like cruising to and from the meets, or having a coffee, talking with some random dude about your cars, you can’t have a bad time at these meets. Although, if you’re doing burnouts, doughnuts, or anything really dumb that would land you a ticket -expect to get asked to leave. Anyone that hasn’t been out to the weekly meets, come out on a Friday night and have a good time. You won’t regret it.

I hope to see you all next season!

Music – Spazzkid: Weird Girl (Polar Youth remix)

Song DL: http://artistengine.net/page/polaryouth/spazzkid-weird-girl-polar-youth-remix-1

iM Random Snaps: All in a days work

October 7, 2014

The end of summer has come around leaving us with fond memories of flip flops, popsicles, and short skirts 😛 As fall approaches I figured id get a few guys together for a bunch of photos before the cars get put away for the winter. I grabbed my camera and gear and our first stop leads us to this Suzuka Blue S2000, mildly modified to specific regulations for competitive racing. Then we head out into the night with a new Audi S4 and a couple of Japanese favorites! We even stopped by the local car meet for a bit of eye candy!

iM Highlight: Shaun’s 1928 Ford Model A

June 16, 2014

The boys over at Hooptie Life Garage, particularly Shaun Harman (owner) have put together this awesome little Rat Rod with a ton of power and a pretty impressive build. It took Shaun 9 months to build the car with guidance from his father, Tim. Including fabricating the frame himself and countless hours turning wrenches and busting knuckles.

The entire car was built from 100% stock into what you see hear today…..in a 2 car garage….in the middle of winter. Shaun had the car road legal on May 1st 2014 and decided the best way to break in his freshly built 86 year old car was with a 2000km round trip down to Sandpoint Idaho! We’re glad to report no issues at all, the car now has 2700km on it and is running perfectly.

Here’s a few features of what this killer Rat is armed with:

– 4″ chop

– 3″ channel over the frame

– Custom built frame by Shaun himself

– Triangulated 4 link in the rear on air suspension

– 4″drop tube solid axle in the front

– Ford 9″ rear end

– 700r4 transmission

– Chevrolet 454 big block Chevrolet engine

– Coy wheels. 18×8 front and 20×10 in the rear

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them! Thanks for checking out the highlight.

iM Event Coverage: 780 Tuners – 2014 Season Opener

May 6, 2014

Local Edmonton photographer checking in for the first time! **Waves**

Wow! What a turnout at the 2014 season opener, over 900 cars were expected, I couldn’t give an exact number but I’m sure it was right around there. It didn’t matter what you brought as long as it put a smile on your face, and I didn’t see one sad person there! Everything from SR20 swapped Truenos to Civics with engines that are worth twice the car along with the first Aventador Roadster in Edmonton.

There was lots of anticipation building up to this event from various car clubs near and far with all kinds of various enthusiasts looking to share their projects with everyone. Cars, vans, trucks and Rucks all welcome and a friendly atmosphere from everyone.

The meet filled an average of two city blocks and was complete with food trucks and some of the craziest vehicles I’ve ever had the chance to feast my eyes upon. Of course our beautiful Alberta weather caught up with us and it started snowing causing early departure for some. That didn’t stop most people from having a great time and sticking around until dark.

iM Event Coverage: Edmonton Summer Fest June 23, 2013

June 27, 2013September 26, 2016

The start of the summer solstice was last weekend, and what better time to kick off the beginning of summer with?!? a car show and farmers market! I loved the idea of this the first time i heard of it, Kee Productions teamed up with the South Edmonton Farmers Market to bring us Edmonton Summer Fest. It was a beautiful day to be out and a bout, when I first arrived I had to go through the market area first. Sundays are a usual grocery/chore day for myself, so being able to squeeze in a car show while out accomplishing mundane tasks was a definite plus! You’ll find all the typical fruit, veggie and bread vendors at this market, but my favourite had to be the German sauerkraut hot dogs! With my groceries packed up and my appetite now at bay it was time to hit up the show. The show had a decent turn out, with a large showing from the Alberta G/Z Club.

Repping a wide array of rides from those with plenty of go

to static daily drivers…

…a carbon clad 370z

and this mild mannered 350z.

An easy favourite for me was this stanced out 5th gen Camaro.

Hondas were out too!

And the rest!

Definitely looking forward to this show again next summer!

iM Event Coverage: Father’s Day Show & Shine –…

June 23, 2013

12 years ago we started our first ever Father’s Day Show & Shine. With around 30 cars in attendance, we were more than happy that people actually showed up for our event. We quickly decided this would be an annual event at our church and soon saw that every year the show was growing exponentially in size. As the show gained a reputation in our city we found that people actually looked forward to our show each year and even in a rainout, tons of show cars would show up and crowds would still gather to check it all out. The Father’s Day Car Show has now become the largest outdoor car show in Edmonton, as well as the largest Father’s Day event in the city.

While its main focus is Father’s Day and getting dads out to see all the awesome cars, this is a free event for the whole family featuring a family fun zone with carnival activities for the kids, free BBQ, and tons of awards and prizes for all vehicle registrants.

Each year we host over 300 cars, trucks, and bikes with over 4,000 people in attendance. This year’s show was a little rainier than most but once again proved there are hundreds of dedicated people out there waiting to bring out their vehicles to the Father’s Day Car Show.

You might be surprised to hear that a church puts on this type of large-scale event, and that’s exactly what we want. At Church on 99, we’re all about being the church for the unchurched. We love welcoming in people from all walks of life and reaching out to our community as much as possible. Our relevant approach starts with the casual, come-as-you-are atmosphere and extends into our 75 minute services complete with contemporary Christian worship, video elements, and teaching sessions applicable to everyday life.

Next month our church will be moving and being renamed to Celebration Church. Maybe it’s fitting then that our church is relocating to the building formerly known as the Nicholson Chevrolet, which once was Edmonton’s most recognizable car showroom and dealership. We hope to see you at our 13th annual car show on June 13th, 2014.

Now on to the pictures provided by the volunteers of the church!

More pics can be found on our Flickr

iM Event Coverage: 780 Tuners Season Opener

May 8, 2013

May 4th, 2013 was 780Tuners’ Season Opener in Edmonton Alberta. Cars and bikes of all makes, models, and years were brought to the United Cycle parking lot as a way to celebrate the start of summer and show off what had been done over the winter months. Our good friend Bill of the UCCC made the trip up to participate, see some friends in our neighboring city, and of course check out the other vehicles on display!

A raffle was held and merchandise was available to purchase, so as to raise money for the Edmonton Humane Society. By the end of it all it was the largest turnout ever and over $4200 was raised!

With hundreds and hundreds of vehicles present it was hard to get a shot of every single one, but here is an assortment of those that were there. As you can see there was something for everyone.

Enjoy!