Event Coverage: Importfest 2014 Toronto – Pt. 1

Additional Photography By: Drake Nolte

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Every scene has a car show that ultimately influences enthusiasts in the area and for many of us in Toronto Importfest is that show. Importfest is loud, busy, extravagant, and quite literally the ‘biggest and baddest’ in the area.

On show day (interspersed between model photos) browsing the #importfest hash tag, on whichever social media forum you prefer reveals, confessions of those who simply can’t believe they made it into the show and others who want nothing more than to have their car on the Metro Toronto Convention Centre floor next year.

For competitors the weeks (or sometimes even months) leading up to ‘ifest’ are a mad scramble to cross the t’s and dot the i’s, and it’s not uncommon for members of the show field to be seen walking the show isles in a zombie like state, occasionally conversing with other competitors about how little sleep they had the night before.

For accredited and uncredited media alike we scramble like ants trying to capture as much of the show as we can. Previously I’ve attempted to capture Importfest alone but this year Drake and myself took on the show together and between the two of us we’ve got over 150+ photos that will be making their way to site in parts over the next few days.

Today’s coverage is just a start and more should be up Saturday.

Depth Of Field

Usually the Importfest field has an air of familiarity to it, but this year it seemed as though there were a lot of cars I either had not seen in a while or just plain had never seen before and the field of competitors ranged from drift cars to Jeeps and back again.

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Normally I don’t spend a lot of time in the Gran Tourismo area but this MKX caught my eye… don’t see many on the road let alone any modifed
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I’ve shot photos of this bagged Jeep a few times but now that it is on Forgiatios it is easier to tell that it’s lowered

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CSCS competition one week, Importfest the next

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This is the second year in a row a clean MR-2 seems to have emerged from nowhere
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TBA approved managed to snag this Gruppe-M supercharged NSX for their booth

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The ‘Mellow Yello’ 370 is now tangerine Orange

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Nice to see this car at Importfest, normally only see it once at year at Fitted

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Lab 246’s super clean EG hatch accompanied by a matching Ruckus
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So this car vanished for a few years but suddenly reappeared at this year’s IF. You might remember it looking like this

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Josh Schaff gave his Jetta a bomber look that fits really well

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I’ve got to start making something for my son..

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Personally my two favourite rides from Sic’s fleet, both perfect

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Just a great timeless look on each

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Pretty sure this is the first time this GC8 has been seen since getting the 22b fenders and new wheels

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Team Vossen holding it down

Honda Power

Hondas have always taken a bad rap in the show scene as predominantly catering to the all show and no go crowd but this year’s Importfest showcased more than a few cars that had the power to back up their looks.

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This F22 powered hatch had me scratching my head last year
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The no fuss cream engine bay just compliments the powerplant
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Javed’s EL has undergone another makeover and still looks great
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I loved this subtly widened s2000 on Regamasters
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So glad that the owner didn’t carry the teal through into the interior and went with something different entirely
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This car puts down 425 to the wheels at 13psi and is currently up for sale
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Mark Gentie’s Proper Fabrication Civic EF

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This car is good for a 9 second quarter as seen here which I’m told makes it the fasted in Canada

Rocket Bunnies

The thrust propelled small mammal influenced designs by Tra kyoto have hit in spades this year with Canada’s first Scion TC, Mazda RX-7, and GTR models being unveiled at Importfest 2014. Love it or hate these kits are certainly not going anywhere any time soon.

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I really didn’t expect to see this at Importfest 2014
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Part-time drifter and full time Internet celebrity Chris DelaCruz finished up his FR-S RB2 project and debuted it at Importfest

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The Sekan Skin/Nextmod Mississauga/ Importfest Rocket Bunny RX-7 also debuted

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And the talk of the show had to be Harvin’s RB GTR, which is the first in Canada and was sitting in the Importfest/Vossen photo booth

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