86Fest II – Presented by Turn14: Celebration of a Chassis, Young and Old
Yeah, we went to a car show. However, it's not really just any car show so we haven't lost our auto-geek ways yet. This show is unique since it's more of a celebration than just a car show. It's a show that brings out the classics and the new classics of the Sport Compact generation. A car that has been built on legend and one that is starting to gain its own. A car that has been used in Japanese comics, drifting, and even has its own one-make series; a car that is quickly gaining the reputation of being fun to drive and great handling at the track in just its stock form. We're talking about 86Fest and in just its second year, 86Fest presented by Turn14 has grown exponentially thanks to the low entry fee for the Scion FR-S. It's not just about that car, either, 86Fest is all about the 86 and that includes the 1985-1987 Toyota Corolla whick is better known by its chassis code: AE86.
What surprised me the most was just how large this event was. 86Fest is put on by Antonio Alvendia and his business partner Kevin Tidwell. Those names sound familiar because they are also the main ones in charge of the online car culture and photography site, MotorMavens. 86Fest is still very young, it was only started last year, but because of the gigantic boom in the FR-S and BRZ markets it has grown exponentially. The show was held once again in the infield at Autoclub Speedway in Fontana, CA and was also joined this time by SpeedVentures and a round of SCCA Solo autocross.
It was a really fun event and kept moving and growing as the day went on. With each hour that passed, it seemed like more and more Corollas, FR-S' and BRZs were rolling in. Groups came from as far away as Las Vegas and Arizona, while companies came from as far away as Pennsylvania. Speaking of the vendors, that area was packed full of companies that had new and exciting products for the FR-S and BRZ. It was also very organized and well managed by our good friend Yukio Taira.
In the end, there was a surprise that many of us here at MotoIQ weren't expecting. More on that later, now on with the show coverage!
