HRE Open House

One of the most enjoyable parts of automotive culture is the connection shared with other enthusiasts.  That said, when an event like HRE’s Open House is put together, the result is a day full of amazing builds and great people. 

Marco's Clone and M3 stroker were gathering attention before the show had even started!

The Open House was not what I expected it to be.  I thought that maybe there would be some tours of the factory, a group of builds, and a crowd of people and their cars who showed up to socialize. I was wrong; this was a full blown show. Booths were set up by Akrapovic, AccuAir, Targa Trophy, and many others.  Each booth had its own variety of builds, so there was no shortage of cars to look at. Just about every parking space was taken by people who had registered their cars prior, and there were likely a couple thousand guests who came and went throughout the day. 

Builds on display ranged anywhere from stance to mild street to complete performance.  There were no restrictions on make or model—as you can see, a rat rod pulled into the show in the same line that a Bugatti was waiting in.  I thought this was one of the best parts of the event, because we were able to appreciate cars from all different styles of modification. Sometimes segregated shows can be slightly repetitive, and this was anything but.

A little bonus of the day was when the Gold Rush Rally caravan rolled in.  If flashy exotics aren’t your thing, this may not have been the most exciting moment.  I typically don’t gawk over supercars, but there were a couple of very special Gold Rush participants that really caught my eye: the Pagani Huayra and the Belladonna Car Works “La Squalo” Ford GT. 

Side note: If you haven’t heard of Belladonna Car Works, they are a Japanese customs company that focuses on supercars. This particular build was developed in a year and a half, and after some tuning and exhaust, it pushes 710hp.

In addition to the Gold Rush parade and the main event, HRE also opened their warehouse to the public for tours.  Guests were able to walk the entire facility to see displays with wheels from start to finish.  It was interesting to see all the time, work, and quality put into the process of building HRE’s beautiful wheels. 

This year's Open House was a huge success in my opinion, and I would definitely attend again!  The builds were exciting and it was great to talk to different people about their cars.  True enthusiasts are what continue to propel the automotive culture forward.  We’d like to thank HRE for hosting such a fun event, and we hope to return to SoCal for more great events in the future. 

California Dreaming: Greg's 2015 BMW M4

With the newest wave of BMW’s ultimate driving machines has come some of the most beautiful cars on the market today. The new M3 and M4 are, in my opinion, virtually flawless. They look vicious, they sound monstrous, and they perform on an entirely different level. I would go as far as saying that they are two of the best looking cars to come from BMW since the E46 M3. This said, when Greg told me that he wanted a shoot of his F82, there was no hesitation.

Greg is no stranger to building cars or to BMWs. His first BMW was an Alpine E36 M3. Then, before the M4, he owned a white 135is. He had initially wanted a real 1M, but considering how limited the production was, finding one was easier said than done. Through some research and advice from fellow 1M clone owner Marco, Greg decided that he would create his own clone. The plan was solidified, and Greg dove into the build. However, toward the end of the project, he ended up parting the car out to trade off for placing a custom order for a new M4. This may seem like a sudden turn of events, but in his mind, the last modifications he needed for the clone were already included in the M4. Financially, it made sense. 

What captured Greg so heavily about the F82 was the attention to enthusiasts’ requests. “I think I was mostly interested in the aggressive styling,” he explained. “BMW took all the wants from the enthusiasts and put them into the F82 to make one amazing looking car.” I happen to fully agree. One of the most flattering views of the car is the side profile. The face is elongated and quite mean looking (in a “hide your family” type of way). It has an incredibly smooth top line, which flows into a gorgeous slope down the back of the car. In other words, it’s exactly what a sports coupe should be: elegant yet menacing. In addition to the physical looks of the car, Greg also found himself attracted to the car’s power and torque output. He says that it performs great at the track, and plans to accumulate more seat time over the car’s lifespan. 

The first word that comes to mind when looking at this M4 is “understated.” I know that might sound odd, and maybe I’m too used to seeing big bodied Liberty Walk cars—but the car to me is not overly flashy. You can see that it’s equipped with the full M Performance aero kit, and sits at an aggressive ride height on H&R springs. Its exterior mods are subtle yet impactful. What the car has going for it as far as looks and performance, it equally excels in with sound. Greg is running a full turbo back Akrapovic exhaust system, which sounds better than words can describe. The next modification on the list is likely a new set of wheels. 

One of my favorite parts about Greg’s car has to be the interior. Ordinarily, any extensive amount of white interior would scare me off, but when I saw it paired with the beautiful Mineral Gray body, I couldn’t help but love it. What BMW has done with the cabin of these cars is truly artistic. The white panels against the black and carbon fiber accents work well in unison, and the white stitching brings it all together perfectly. 

Ultimately, I like what Greg has done with the car up to this point. I look forward to seeing future plans for the car become reality, and I’m sure this isn’t the last time this Mineral Gray M4 will visit our blog. 

Lug Nuts & Lumpia

Lug Nuts and Lumpia was a new approach to the traditional Cars and Coffee that many fellow enthusiasts host. Even though we decided to host this meet last minute, our friends from The Lumpia Company were delighted to help us out with catering. The Lumpia Company offers lumpia with unique tasty fillings. Some of the renowned fillings list from the Pastrami, Bacon Cheeseburger, Pizza, Mac & Cheese, Kale with Portobello & Potato and finally Apple Pie. We had many of our customers and fans show up for some lumpia and check out some of our project cars. We had some of the familiar projects such as the 1M Clone, the #46 race car, along with a S54 powered E36 M3 with new Felony Form flares. Overall, this was the most successful meet we have ever hosted at our shop. We want to thank everyone from The Lumpia Company for catering this meet. We also want to thank our wonderful customers and fellow enthusiasts for coming out and attending.