Regular visitors to this page (thank you for your kind support) have firmly associated its content with different flavors of Japan's unique car culture, yet every now and then for whatever reason I would hop on a plane and end up thousands of miles away, but regardless of where I end up, I never leave my camera gear behind; always looking out for opportunities to report on local car life.
My latest family trip to Hawaii was no exception as I managed to squeeze a couple hours out of my fatherhood duties to do a photo-shoot with Team BMW Hawaii members and their awesome rides.
While Hawaii's car culture is not usually associated with mainstream as archipelago's remote location and compactness make it challenging to cover. On top of that, they don't have a race track, and car culture tends to be overshadowed by other awesome things that make Hawaii what it is.
Having said that, underestimating the passion for automobiles that runs through the veins of local car nuts would be a crime. After all, Hawaii is a part of America and just like any other state there are plenty of roads, freeways and a population of enthusiasts with passion for cars worthy of exclusive coverage, and this is what we are here for!
Such is the group of guys and girls who love their Bavarian machines and are always looking for every possible excuse to get in their cars and drive. Looks like a photographer visiting from Tokyo was such occasion, so here we are, right at edge of downtown Honolulu during this breath-taking Hawaiian sunset with a set of nicely customized Bimmers, and ...
a Jaguar F-Type that can take a trophy at any stance contest in an instant.
The Six Spoke wheels manufactured by Varrstoen resemble a certain JDM design, but without the proper PCD offer from Rays, this was the obvious choice.
With air suspension provided by AirRex the car scores mega points on the badass scale.
What is even more impressive is that the F Types are just beginning to get accepted in Japan, whereas here in Hawaii, people already put that necessary JDM touch on the British sports car! So looks like my first hour spend with Hawaiian crew already sees the local crew being ahead of the game!
Speaking of JDM touches, this E92 M3 is a force to be reckoned with. The owner has been into Japan's automotive scene for quite some time, so how do you combine German modern marvels with classic JDM look and a proper V8?
This, ladies and gentlemen, is a what I call a perfect execution. While the engine mods are kept to minimum: just BMC air filter and Akrapovich Exhaust system to enhance the growl of the S65 V8,
The car has been lowered on Swift Spec R springs and a set of white Volk Racing TE37 measured 19.5 front and 10.5 rear fitted. To accommodate the extra width the wheels are wrapped 255/35/R19 front and 305/30/R19 rear Michelin tires.
The car is fitted with variety of visual and aerodynamic upgrades ranging from Amuse Ericson front bumper to Varis diffuser and GT wing.
On the inside the JDM touches reveal the true passion of the owner,
while the presence of M Performance interior parts reminds us that at end of the day, it is all about driving emotion.
Maybe not as in your face as the white M3, this E92 has a completely different appeal. If both of these cars ended up in Japan, it would be safe to say that the white one would go straight to a drift event, while this silver one would mingle at a supercar meet.
Mostly thanks to those Forgestar deep concave 19 inch wheels measuring 9.5 in front and 11 in the back.
The E90 four-door M3 is somewhat of a rare breed and hence is retaining its resale value a lot better than the coupe version.
The black LCI version here is definitely a looker, thanks to a an aggressive drop on H&R Race springs and a set of Advan RS forged wheels. Further visual upgrades include Challenge Carbon trunk VRS rear diffuser, while Eisenmann race exhaust and ESS tune provide the matching performance upgrade.
And how could we forget about the older, soon to be regarded as classic generation of E46, nicely represented by a pair of slammed M3's,
each tuned and customized to have a unique character and appeal.
The custom Glacier Frost Mica painted E46 is a unique, one of a kind creation born here in the middle of the Pacific. The list of upgrades is endless, so I will attempt to concentrate on the ones that stand out the most.
The owner went for deep dishRotiform SJC wheels measuring 19x10.5 in front and 19x11.5 rear. Painted carbon hood is made by Vorsteine, while Status Gruppe provided most other aerodynamic upgrades.
So there we have it, despite having a very limited amount of time, I have discovered a brand new world that introduced me to a completely different scene, hidden on a remote pacific island thousands of miles away, yet feels so remarkably close as we share same passion for the German driving machines.
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