What you’re about to see is mine and Joe’s attempt to capture our cars right before their inevitable destruction. Sunday, the 22nd of May, was the first round of the 2011 Drift Evolution series held in our hometown of Medford Oregon. Up until that day, Joe had not drifted in something like nine months and I hadn’t in about four. We wanted to get right back in the swing of things and jump straight into TANDEMING OF DYING. That being said, we knew we were going to f#ck some sh!t up, so we thought we should shoot our cars in their current state-of-being.
With Joe’s car barely legal (hehe) and mine far from it, we thought the out-of-town approach to be wisest. We posted up on a seemingly low-traffic mountain road.
Joe wasted no time becoming one with nature and climbed to the top of the mountain for the most spectacular tilt-shift photography you’ve ever seen. Not.
This spot sucked for shooting, but made for a great angle to be blasted by yours truly.
Once back on the ground, Joe opted for the timeless classics. The front/back shots. In reverse order, these two photos may be considered ATM. That’s gross. I apologize.
DAT ASS.
Quickly tiring of the sun’s high location in the sky and the narrow, heavy-traffic nature of that particular mountain road, we headed back into town. Fuzz came along to give us a few tips in acrobatics.
We realized we were surrounded by a small field of grass and what generic photo shoot would be complete without the cheaters’ make-my-car-look-lower-because-it’s-parked-in-the-grass technique? Also note a previously blasted Chevy LUV creeping by in the background.
The battle begins. Fuzz and the toothless shark with two black eyes VS Joe and the sad/happy bucktoothed frog with an overbite.
Fuzz and the shark easily took the win, due to the gratuitous amount of OMGFONT and exclamation marks on my front windshield.
This is the reason why my car is so unnecessarily low in the rear. Joe had to go and surprise me with his new set of PBM coils, causing me to maim my poor Megan’s. More on that in a future post.
I caught the elusive Fuzz after a short chase through the meadow. This guy will destroy any insects or small birds in sight. If blood makes you squeamish, don’t let him near a squirrel.
You must be takin’ laxatives, ’cause yo’ doo-doo is runny.
If you asked yourself why my car isn’t street legal, it may be because of the stupid amount of smoke pouring from all four fenders or it’s lack of plates, insurance, headlights, and rear visibility. Can you spot one final thing missing that has absolutely nothing to do with legality?
This was definitely NOT the shot I was trying to get, but every single time I had the focus where I wanted it, Joe was in frame, sticking his big Joehead out from behind the car. It wasn’t until later that night, editing photos, that I realized I NEVER GOT THE SHOT. Dick.
Minor scrapes and dents are normal for any drift car, but the main focus of this shot is the proximity of my wheel to the fender. I’ve never been one to spring for big-ticket items, such as good fitting wheels, so when the new XXR 527 was released, I had to have them. Spaced out to a 17×9.75 +0 front and -5 rear with 225/45s all around, they fit perfectly under my stock fenders with enough camber for my little KA24DE to keep them spinning.
Joe and I get asked occasionally, “Who has more stickers?” To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Joe counted once, but I can’t remember the results.
Like any shoot Joe and I attend, it’s not long before we begin to imagine stupid ways of interacting with our surroundings. One of our first times driving tandem together, we celebrate our excitement by doing handstands on the top of Joe’s car. No photos of it ever surfaced, so I felt a re-enactment was in order.
Joe, upon realizing how tiny our cars looked, decided to make several death-defying leaps over my hood.
This photo doesn’t fit, but I love it, so here it is. Fuzz waits patiently inside my smoky car after a short donut sesh in the street. As I write this, I’m packing for Formula Drift Palm Beach. I hope to have a few more posts to release as I travel across the country. I hope you enjoyed this story and stay tuned for more from TANDEM OF DIE! 🙂
– Shreeve
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