Every year, the Purist Group car club in Southern California puts on one of the most eclectic and exotic car shows this side of SEMA, boasting some of the rarest, fastest and most exotic modified vehicles on the planet. This year would be no different. We set off early, arriving just after 8am, giving us the opportunity to get in and start getting photos before the general public showed up and things got crowded.
WinterDrive 2015 was certainly going to be a spectacle to behold, and since we have several Purist members among our staff here, naturally ModAuto had to be there.
We brought out six cars this year with quite the eclectic spread of performance vehicles, from Mike’s CTS-V and Ron’s Porsche 996 Twin Turbo to Michael and Sean’s BMW M3s to the two FWD hot hatches, the Fiesta ST and a Mini Cooper JCW to round out our lineup.
Our donation bin was overflowing by the end of the show.
Purist founder Sean Lee presented Cody Walker with a $2,500 donation from Scion to Reach Out World Wide, Paul Walker’s charity organization that provides relief in disaster-stricken areas. Flanking them are members of the 501st Legion and Mandalorian Mercs Star Wars groups, who regularly are involved with charity events – these guys definitely made WinterDrive 2015 memorable.
ModBargains Co-Founder Mike Brown with Cody Walker
At ModBargains we’ve been involved with Reach Out World Wide and Always Evolving for some time, and this was our latest opportunity to do something for the community.
ModBargains Co-Founders Mike and Ron brought out their Cadillac CTS-V and Porsche 996TT respectively and Mod Expert Alumni Michael Chen brought out his freshly modded F80 BMW M3 sedan.
Our friend with the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works brought a trunk full of toys packed in neatly under the rollcage – a twist on the gold-bars-in-the-trunk of the classic The Italian Job aesthetic.
Rolloface brought out two widebodied BMW ///M cars, a F82 BMW M4 wearing a Liberty Walk kit and a E92 BMW M3 that’d been pretty heavily modified for actual track duty.
We really liked the functional ducted hood on this E92 BMW M3.
The Purist WinterDrive 2015 show certainly had quite the spread of all sorts of modified BMWs.. take a look at what we mean in the following photos.
A LTMW Widebody BMW E46 M3…
Followed by an equally wide LTMW E36 BMW M3… you might notice some very special hardware in the background here.
Older BMWs weren’t the only Bavarians getting lots of attention, either.
Check out these three BMW builds, fresh from displaying at SEMA last month.
And this was just the BMWs – and in a twist on how things are in every day life, the BMWs were some of the least expensive vehicles at the show.
There was no shortage of McLaren hypercars.
The sky was wonderfully clear that morning, making for this excellent shot of this group.
However, it wasn’t long until something else arrived to upstage even the McLarens.
Wearing nothing but its bare carbon fiber, we were graced with the presence of a Pagani Huayra.
A space ship may as well have set down in the middle of the show for how alien it looked, inside and out.
And the Pagani wasn’t the only italian. This Maserati GranSport Coupe was one of the more “pedestrian” of the lot.
With a ridiculous WWII-fighter inspired livery, this Ferrari 458 Italia certainly makes an impression.
And then a LaFerrari showed up, raising the bar even further.
The successor to the legendary Ferrari Enzo, the LaFerrari is certainly a sight to behold.
Another enthusiast favorite made an appearance, as well – the classic Ferrari Testarossa 512TR – in rarely seen Grigio here…
As well as in classic 80’s ‘cocaine white’.
Rounding out the pack of prancing ponies is this Ferrari California.
For the class and restraint you have at Ferrari, you can take all of that and throw it out the window with the other Italian Supercar maker – yup, we mean Lamborghini.
Never a stranger to aggressive, bold colors and wild styling, Lamborghinis always make an impression – and this is certainly no exception. At first glance, this Lamborghini’s livery is your average race-car sticker job… until you take a closer look and actually -read- the stickers.
The cleverness of it and audacity to actually sticker a Lamborghini up like this made this one of our favorites of the show.
As if being a Lamborghini wasn’t already enough, they went even wider with this Liberty Walk variant.
Providing balance to the Ferrari Testarossa, the other 80’s supercar everyone had on their wall made an appearance.
The classic Lamborghini Countach.
For those unfamiliar, this is actually how you have to back up the car – sitting on the door sill and looking over the roof.
Still, its sharp, bold lines look incredible even in the context of today.
Everything was going fine, when all of a sudden the Galactic Empire got word there were some rebels here at the show, so they sent out a couple of Mandalorian bounty hunters to look around.
“Lord Vader, we can’t get your stanced AMG Black Series up the driveway without scraping.”
“I find your lack of clearance disturbing.”
These imperials were from the 501st Legion, also known as Vader’s Fist.
Thank you folks, we -will- get the Rebels, rest assured.
Everything was going just fine, until they spotted a Carbon-Fiber Bodied Smart ForTwo.
These stormtroopers weren’t quite sure what to make of it.
The Smart ForTwo was just one of many Rear-Engine cars on display at the show – take a look at some of the other German Rear Engined cars that were in attendance.
This Porsche Cayman was wearing a set of Forgestar F14 Super Deep Concave Wheels for Porsche.
Though stock, this car’s a great example of our personal favorite generation of the 911.
This however, was the only stock Porsche 993 911 here.
Unless you’ve been under a rock the last couple of years, you’ve probably heard of the “RWB Porsches” – RWB, Rauh-Welt Begriff, a tuner out of Japan, specializes in creating some of the most gorgeous widebody 911’s to exist outside a racetrack.
So much flare. And like rabbits, they multiplied. Check out the fleet of widebodied Porsches by RWB rolling in, fresh from displaying at SEMA 2015.
Each RWB build has its own little differences from the last one.
This classic offering, the latest from RWB, is also our favorite RWB car yet.
As continues to be a theme here, these weren’t the only Porsches on display.
The latest generation Porsche 991 GT3 with its fender vents and massive rear wing sat watch wrapped in a whimsical purple livery.
Flanking it was this Porsche 991 Carrera RS 4.0 in an aggressive matte black and red livery. This is the real deal and not one of the copycats we’ve seen done to base model Porsches – notice the absolutely massive brakes – those always are a telltale indicator what you’re seeing is the real deal.
Next to it was one of two stunning Porsche 918 Supercars.
Whatever color you choose, this thing is a work of art just as much as the Carrera GT that preceeded it.
Whether in motion or stationary, these hybrid hypercars are truly something to behold.
Pushing past the P-cars, there was also some extremely rare Mercedes sheetmetal in attendance too.
Matte Purple customized Mercedes Benz SLS Gullwing
With a pedigree all its own, this Mercedes SLR McLaren was a head turner.
But even with its finned widened fenders, it was still upstaged by the widest Mercedes Benz we’ve ever seen- a car we’d only seen in video games.
This is a Mercedes Benz CLK-GTR. Built specifically for DTM racing using a heavily modified Porsche GT-1 chassis with a Mercedes powerplant and Benz-ified body and interior, this is as literal as you can get with “Street Legal Racecar”.
The interior smelled like a museum. IT was immaculate.
This CLK-GTR is not just one-of-twenty-five, but number one – first in the series.
Despite being over a decade old, this thing still looks modern today.
One of the unexpected treats of the show was the selection of gorgeous Aston Martins that were in attendance.
Even the Police came out with their hottest hardware – our friends from Long Beach Police Motor Patrol Officers Association brought out their traffic-stop-capable BMW S1000RR Superbike, donated to the department by Long Beach BMW – while many motor officers ride BMW 1100RTs, these officers tell us they have actually made a stop on this beastly superbike – an unwary Yamaha R1 found out the hard way that this is one Police bike that nobody’s evading.
Throughout the day, these guys answered all kinds of questions from the enthusiast public, firing up the S1000RR every so often to let onlookers enjoy the sound of the Akrapovic exhaust system.
Of course, as with any Autocon supported show, there was a huge array of Japanese and import sheetmetal.
This RB25 powered Nissan (Datsun) 240Z has been given the widebody treatment too, and the hood’s been fitted with 280ZX style hood vents, complete with a NACA duct in the hood…
But wait, what’s that peeking out behind the duct?
Of all the GT-R’s at the show, however, we have to admit the R34 is always our favorite.
This beautiful black R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R was -and still is- the stuff of every Japanese car fanboy’s dreams.
Not just a regular GT-R, this is the V-Spec model.
Several other classic JDM GT-Rs were in attendance as well – we haven’t seen this many R32’s in one place in a long, long time.
Even a classic Hakosuka Skyline GT-R came.
All our favorites from the heyday of drifting came out – this squad of modified Toyota Altezzas – I mean Lexus IS300s – gave everyone a serious case of nostalgia. Now that we’re older as enthusiasts, I think we’re starting to understand what all those baby boomers feel about their 70s musclecars.
This wild purple thing is a rarity as well – it may be an average looking Japanese sedan, but it’s one not sold here. The Toyota Chaser is rear-wheel-drive, unlike literally every Toyota offering stateside since like 1999.
Another Japanese supercar of the 90s that made a show of force is the Acura NSX – though it wasn’t always easy to recognize.
Subarus showed up in numbers as well.
The FR-S/BRZ modding scene is still going strong too, just check out these ZN6/ZC6s.
The domestic makes were represented too – check out these “American” cars.
This S550 Ford Mustang GT boasts more than 900WHP, however the owner tells us he won’t be happy till he breaks that 1000 HP barrier. Wearing a set of Bronze Burst Forgestar F14 Wheels for Mustang, this car is a proof that Forgestars can stand up the power of even a car like this.
Rally Innovations brought out their Mustang EcoBoost 1970 Mach1 Tribute car, along with their stunning, Gundam Mobile Suit inspired widebody Focus ST.
This 2015 Focus ST boasts all metal Fender flares.
With all the details carefully applied, Stanford Shih, the designer of the livery and body, really knocked the car out of the park.
PerfBlue15 – Fiesta ST of the Month winner on FiestaSTForum.com joined us on the way in to the show in his Big-Turbo swapped 300fwhp Fiesta ST.
Rocking a set of 17in Sparco Wheels and boasting a Mishimoto J-Line Intercooler for Fiesta ST up front, there’s a few hints that this isn’t your average Fiesta ST.
Boasting a ATP Turbo Big Turbo Kit for Fiesta ST with a Garrett turbocharger, running on E40 fuel the car lays down more than 300hp at the front wheels – leaving many a car surprised by the speed this little hot hatch is packing.
Brian Wong’s Redbull Global Rally Cross Lites class Fiesta rally car also was in attendance. Not only the only Asian driver in Nascar, he also campaigns this mid-engined, RWD 300HP Fiesta in GRC, two very very different disciplines and machines.
The Ford GT is just as imposing now as it was when it debuted over a decade ago.
There were a few General Motors racecars out as well, like this C6 Chevrolet Corvette, which curiously we also noticed was on a set of Forgestar F14 Wheels.
This aggressive Lingenfelter C6 Corvette on the other hand, rolls on a set of HRE Performance Wheels.
Two very different looks for two black C6 Corvette Race Cars.
This widebody C7 Corvette has had so many contours changed we weren’t sure if we were looking at a Ferrari or a C7.
The front grille especially really threw us for a loop.
Adding some contrast to the over-the-top cars above, this grey-and-orange Shoebox Nova also looked like a ton of fun.
Rounding out the group is Always Evolving’s Gen 5 Chevrolet Camaro drift car.
This Pro-Touring Plymouth ‘Cuda AAR was another show-favorite.
Boasting upgraded suspension and emphasis on handling rather than wasting the car’s potential and blaspheming by drag racing an AAR (which was designed for ROAD RACING, like the BOSS 302 and Camaro Z/28… The devil kills a kitten every time you drag race a car designed for road racing.)
We liked the look of this VW Golf GTI Mk VI rolling on VMR V810 Wheels and the tasteful aero upgrades to the car, and had to get some photos.
And then we have the oddballs that didn’t quite fit with any group.
This crazy Jeep JK Wrangler has had the roof chopped and its massive tires make 35s look small.
On the other end of the spectrum for rare-yet-weird is this brown beauty. Citroens are something of an acquired taste, and this one was brought out by none other than Alex Roy.
Next to the Citroen was the Catfish, which makes doors that don’t open cool again for the first time since Dukes of Hazzard.
Keeping the corner-carver theme going, this modded Elise was a welcome addition.
Compare that to this little monster. This looks like the best way possible to have fun at the local autocross.
That about wraps it up for the photo gallery for the Purist Group Winter Drive 2015 car show by Autocon Events. Over 10,000 toys were donated and thousands of dollars were given to worthy causes as a result of our coming together to spread a little holiday cheer. We had an absolute blast seeing cars we’d only seen in video games or in magazines and enjoy the company of some good friends while we were at it.
Thanks for joining us, we hope you enjoyed the photos!
If you’re interested in modifying your car, no matter what it is or have a question about how to mod it – from what offset wheels you should run to power options for your engine – we invite you to talk to the experienced, Friendly and enthusiastic Mod Experts at ModBargains – call 714-582-3330 today or email sales@modbargains.com
Story & Photos by Nicholas Gregson