DTA

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Cody

This story is from Issue 21. Click here to purchase a copy of that issue.

There are some of you, who read this magazine, and it connects with you on a deeper level than just rad cars. At least that’s what I hope. Because I remember the feeling I used to have 5+ years ago… before this magazine came around. I used to really relate to some people out there who were just a little bit older than me… but were doing their own thing, chasing and living out their dream, and making it work. The entrepreneurs, the creators, and the people who had just happened to land really cool, uncompromising jobs. And I used to really connect to that. And at the same time, it made me feel anxious as hell… because… was I ever gonna get my turn. I mean – how many open slots could there be? Was I gonna get one? And if so, when was it gonna come… and how could I be sure I wouldn’t miss it? I’m not gonna lie man, it was like a constant worry/stress in my subconscious. And at the same time, I was getting pressure from my family, and from my college friends who graduated on time, to go out and get a real job – and ‘grow up’.

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Trends of Yesteryear: Vinyl Graphics

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Wooley

This is a guest blog by Joe Backyard Schneider

When I think about some of these big trends & influences from yester-year’s import scene – the first thing that I reminisce on is the giant vinyl graphics. When imports first hit the SoCal scene, graphics were everything. These were the cars that you’d see in Garden Grove that would race up and down the streets… raising hell with the loud exhausts, looking like something you would see on Speed Channel (Speed Vision back then). I remember being one of those kids… and I learned at a young age that I could sit in school and listen to a teacher all day, or I could get off my ass and get a job. Continue reading →

Wooley’s editorial from Issue 23

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Wooley

Alright – I saw some stuff on the internet fairly recently that honestly saddened me to my core. Maybe some of you guys saw it to… it was the whole Skunk2 fiasco. Basically – if you missed it, you’re better off, but here’s the gist: Continue reading →

Issue 23 Now Available

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Cody

Issue 23 is finally done printing! Subscribers, you should be getting your copies delivered over the next couple of weeks; everyone else can pick up an individual copy in our store. If you have any subscription or mailing issues, please write us at store@s3mag.com.

You may have also noticed a bunch of new car feature posts below. This is a new idea we’re trying, and basically just gives you a small look into the story of each feature car from this issue as well as some photos and videos not found in the print issue. Feel free to look at the full list of cars from Issue 23 here.

Let us know what you think of the new issue in the comment section of this post or by posting on our facebook wall! We’d love to hear your feedback.

Rowdy Hour

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Wooley

It was hot as shit out. The kind of hot that makes your balls stick to the inside
of your knee. Alex and I were both hanging out inside his car on pit row inside
Nashville Super Speedway. The car that had been staged in front of us was
now fading into the left sweeper of turn one. It was now our turn to go. I was
nervous… but a good kind of nervous. See, this was my first time ever drifting on
a track, in a legit drift car….

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Viva Hood

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Wooley

This car is not for everyone. It’s not gonna be for most people. Does best always have to do with nicest.
In some cases – yes. We should be able to look at something that is finished and flawless, and admire it.
But if, as a culture, that is the only path that we are going down… then we are in trouble. Because going
for one ‘perfect’ look, allows a lot of evils to enter our minds, and our culture. It allows us to be a
culture that is competitive, but any advantages are based only on income, and privilege. And that’s
dangerous. That’s Babylon. To look at your brother… and tell him “you aint got shit, I have it all, get on
my level” seems totally fucked. And not just in the car culture, that can be taken to your whole life. It’s
an ignorant mentality… and it becomes part of our general culture’s mentality, because that’s what
floods us. We’ve got that “fuck you, look at me” attitude pouring in from damn near every influence in
American culture. It’s all we see on our shitty TV reality shows. It’s all we hear in our shitty mainstream
music…

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Undoing the Wrongdoing

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Wooley

Cory Dahlgren is an unpredictable guy. The sort of unpredictable – where a Honda
is built in the back of a Toyota dealership by a former Subaru and Volkswagen
mechanic. The brand of unpredictable – that dailies a slammed-out S2000… and
keeps the Civic hatch as the show-off car. He has the unexpected appreciation for
all things well built, and the confidence to mismatch an engine bay this close to New
Jersey (just kidding, we love this). Cory has his own rhythm and style. He has his
own way of doing things, and if you don’t like it, well, he’s ok with that….

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Club Dred

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Wooley

Today’s import scene finds itself littered with cars – that are built just to snag a moment in the limelight. They get their features… whether it is on a large-scale website or in a publication. And then, just like that, they are dismantled, parted out, and forgotten by their owners like a one night stand – except when it comes to bragging about their conquests at meets. There’s a certain pride in ownership and/or pride in craftsmanship that seems to be missing in that. Well – the 81 VW Rabbit that lies across the pages in front of you is NOT one of those cars. And its owner, Delroy Nicholson (aka Dred), is not the type of guy that builds a car just for some praise to nurse his ego. Dred builds his cars for the love. It’s
something that’s just inside of him – like a pulse. He doesn’t do it for the paparazzi, and he doesn’t do it for the haters either. For Dred, the cars are not a prideful motive. It’s just – heritage. And this car reflects him in its simplicity, its raw style, and its character….

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Swedish Sweetballs

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Wooley

Unfortunately, on some small scale… some very very small scale… I can relate to Zeke’s situation now. Or maybe it’s better to say that I still can’t relate at all. But at least I have adequate compassion for his situation now.

See – Zeke is paralyzed from the waist down… fallout from a motorcycle accident years
and years ago. And I’ve known him for years. We’re not super-close buds… but we end up at the same places a lot of the time. And he’s always struck me as a really cool dude. Because – I’ve always kind of looked up to him in a way (not literally – jk jk). He tracks this car – all the time. Like seriously, every chance he gets. And his daily is an S60R wagon in that Flash green color… and it actually makes more power than this one does… a sleeper that’s not a sleeper anymore. So the dude is down with it.

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At Some Point…

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Wooley

Judging by Enjuku’s usual clientele and reputation as a 240 hub, this Genesis
looks a bit out of place. One could chalk this build up to some KDM affirmative
action plan— a car given to Enjuku as a dollar-car on pretense of whoring the
Hyundai name… lugging it from show to show and doing little more than sitting on
overpriced carpet in some convention hall. But that’s not how these guys roll….

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