With the sun blazing down over the port of Long Beach and half time fast approaching we decided to go visit the vendor village inside the gates of Formula D. If you took a glance around then you may have noticed, like us, that amongst the mobs of free fliers and overpriced drinks, there were a few hidden gems scattered through out the vendor showcase, well just in case you missed them… We got them for you! Take a glance at what caught our eye!
Quite possibly the first thing most people seemed to be drawn too was this Scion FR-S standing right by the entrance at the Scion Racing booth, where you could test drive the car… In Gran Turismo 4 at the booth. I must say, this being my first exposure to the new born sister of the AE86… It leaves something to be desired. Definitely had me itching to find a Subaru BR-Z though!
The Scion Racing booth also housed this adorable little Scion iQ outfitted for the mechanic on the go. Complete with a set of Snap-On’s highest grade tools, as well as a nifty impact gun charger in the center console, and dual set tire rack WITH a functioning air compressor this is a project every track or serious drift team should look into building. Although, seeing the cramped cabin space gets me thinking… Who at Toyota decided this platform would make a comfortable FOUR seater daily commuting car?…
As some of you know Joel Reyes and I are huge Dub-aholics. So when we caught a glimpse of the Porsche GT3 at the GSR Autosports booth, you can bet we flew across the showcase like bats out of hell. With superb body lines, and a terrifying roar to match… If I had close to 100k to spend, this would definitely spend its life graceing my driveway.
Upon approaching the America’s Tire/Discount Tire booth I didn’t expect to see much. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. The most pristine RX7 FD I have seen in my entire life. There was no ridiculous body kit, no obnoxious color scheme, and no crazy stints to draw attention. A stock body, sitting tastefully lowered on some Volk’s was enough to put a huge grin on my face… Future car? Yes I think so!.. Rather I hope so.
Quite possibly my favorite stop of the day was at the Turbonetics and KW Coilovers booths which housed to gorgeous Rauh-Welt Porsches. I am head over heels in love with these cars, and have been since RWB started producing these track destroying monsters. Honestly, someday I hope I can own one of these. With pretty polished snails and a disgustingly intimidating figure, who wouldn’t want to show up to the track or next family gathering in one of these?!
The Tanabe booth held shelter to this gorgeous Lexus IS250 on some diamond silver and polished SSR’s. If your not aware with Tanabe they are one of the leading suspension, exhaust, and chassis stabilizing manufactures around. If your not already up to date on these guys then you definitely need to read up.
Over at the HPS booth we ran into this gorgeous track-built Mitsubishi EvoX. We wish we could have gotten more info on the car, or even a peak under the hood, but with all the potential business flying around the booth we really didn’t want to bug anyone. Gorgeous ride none the less!
If you don’t already know who AEM Performance is, chances are you haven’t been around cars very long. Anyways, there booth played host to this gorgeous Nissan 370Z on cream and sun fire orange Work Mesiters that kind of left me wondering… Why can’t more big brand sponsored show cars have solid taste like AEM and there drivers?
In addition to all the awesome shops, companies, and brands that represented themselves, the Vendor Village also took on the roll as the staging area and mobile shop for all the drivers competing in the Formula D tournament. The first car we spotted was our buddy Mike Essa’s BMW Z4 displayed at the GSR Motorsports booth. This monster is powered by a S54 V10 motor with a Garrett turbo putting down an impressive 600hp on 450 pounds of torque.
Over at the Nexen Tires booth we spotted veteran drifter Tako Aono’s pink Toyota Corolla AE86 powered by a terrifyingly well built Toyota 2AZ powered by a BC Stroker kit pumping out a solid 500hp and 500 even pounds of torque. This definitely isn’t the same Corolla your middle school art teacher rolled around in.
If your a rotary head then chances are that you are REALLY well acquainted with with the boys over at Mazdatrix, and if you stopped by there booth your probably noticed Kyle Mohan’s Mazda RX-8 powered by the ear ringing and corner eating Turbo II 13B rotary engine producing a whopping and whining 500hp and 340tq. Who needs forged pistons when you have a giant dorito spinning around under the hood of your car? Plus, nothing sounds better then a rotary!
We also caught a look at driver Ryan Tuerck’s Nissan 240sx… Spotting the color scheme on this car kind of made me wonder if someone slipped something in lemonade. Our boys at Fifteen52 did a fantastic job with there custom print on there 1 piece Tarmac wheels. I’m kind of wondering how these wheels look rolling… I didn’t get to seeTuerck drive this weekend, but theres always Vegas and Irwindale!
I almost forgot. Over in the parking lot I spotted a little something that sure to make any Volkswagen fan screech and jump for joy. Yes, this is an AUTHENTIC Harley Quinn GTI! Sitting on some gorgeous Rotiform NUE’s this car was in practically new condition. People seem to misunderstand these cars and think these are some junkyard frankenstein wagons, but if you know your Euro’s then you know this is one of the rarest cars on the scene… These things are so gorgeous there beautiful! I would love to drive one of these around for a day.
Overall the showcase was full of stuff to leave you drooling and begging for more, like the above photo of the Sparco booth housing some authentic Koiengsagg and Lamborghini Aventador seats! Stay tuned for the third and final installment of our Formula D: Long Beach coverage… The one you’ve all been itching to check out. The Slammed Society Showcase!
- Story by Alex Royt
- Photos by Alex Royt
- Edited by Alex Royt
