Growing up I was always surrounded by cars, most of them BMW’s of the classic variety such as 2002′s, e3′s and e9′s. I feel these earlier BMW’s and cars like the E24 6 series have so much character, it’s hard not to love them! This probably was a key reason behind why the second word I ever spoke was “car”.

Fast forward to early 2004 (at age 15), I decided I wanted a restoration project; something fun, cheap and simple. The options as far as affordability went were an e21 or a 2002. The 2002 won out when I found this factory 1974 Schwarz Black 2002 and what has now become known in the family as “Blacky”. With only a couple of black ones in Australia, making it a rare car, it was purchased as a father- son project to learn about restoration and basically about how cars work. One car quickly snowballed into four and our suburban house started looking more like a car lot than a place of residence. Some were sold and some used as parts but Blacky stayed. Important lesson learned – you can’t save them all.

Life and school took over and the 2002 was put on the back burner and worked on periodically over the years. It crawled along but it wasn’t until 2006/7 that the car was put back on the road with fresh paint, e21 Recaro seats and a sports steering wheel that I was able to enjoy the car for the first time. It was my daily mode of transport for a year and a half, sitting on a set of genuine Alpina 15×7 wheels and a ride height reminiscent of a 4×4; far from what I’d call well fitted. At least it had a nice set of wheels right?

Fast forward another year and I started to think about what to do next with the car. Only having 100hp from the factory it wasn’t lightening quick and even though I’d upgraded to a 32/36 Weber, it needed something more. Being in Australia and a RHD car, options are limited, and S14 motors are rare as rocking horse poo. I started sourcing parts for an M10 turbo build and the supporting mods to make sure the car could handle the power. As such it now has upgraded brakes and suspension installed with oil and fuel systems ready to be put in with the motor.

I lucked out and came across a stroked M10 with all the right upgrades and running a Garrett GT2871r. 700km’s on it, hours and hours of tuning and dyno’d at only a couple hp shy of 300hp at the wheels; it was a no brainer. The car is now at a stage where it is ready for the new motor to be installed along with E21 5 speed and upgraded rear end.

Unfortunately this will have to wait as the car is mothballed (That means put into storage for those no able to keep up) while I head over to London to live for a while in February.

What I love about both BMW 2002′s and Stanceworks is the communities surrounding them – that’s what does it for me. You can have all the rare and expensive parts in the world but if there is no community and atmosphere, it means nothing.

Unfortunately this feature has a dark side. There were meant to be two 2002’s in this shoot but as fate would have it Alex’s 2002, which some people have seen as low and on RS’s (that I sold him), blew a head gasket on the way to the location. No doubt you will see it in the future though, as Ox is always keen to feature worthwhile cars. It may even have a surprise under the bonnet! Only time will tell.

Be sure to check out the video James put together, and follow the link on his vimeo to check out his pics from the shoot on flickr. As for Ox, well, we all know that he loves us so be sure to show him some back.

With the Californian days growing longer and longer, we’ve found ourselves cruising with the windows down for the sake of enjoying the winter sun. Truth be told, the vast change from the South Eastern climate I grew up in along with the fast-paced lifestyle we’re now living has yet to cease feeling like a vacation from home. Every day I wake up wondering when it will be time to say goodbye to the palm trees and golden sun and head back to the intense heat and humidity or frigid cold.

When we’re not working on site content, the latest for Lowly Gentlemen, or client work, we’ve been spending our spare time slowly wrenching away on the STANCE|WORKS project cars, hoping to get them rolling by the time the show season kicks back up. This past weekend, Andrew, Cody, and I tackled some minor frame modifications to the shop truck, preparing for the big stuff in just a few weeks. Andrew’s project 2002 lurks in the background waiting for the engine to be yanked.

We’ve also been racking up our shutter count lately, with seemingly every afternoon occupied by some type of photo shoot. We’ve been enjoying the opportunity to use our artistic abilities to help promote and work with all sorts of big names. A behind-the-scenes shot of our most recent shoots, the ID Agency’s Ford Focus for HRE Wheels shows exactly how we do things.

We’re following our hearts and utilizing the enthusiasm that drives us, “living the dream”, anticipating what lies ahead. The hard work is paying off, but more importantly, between the work hours, we remember why we’re working hard to begin with. Good times with good people, good cars and a unifying passion behind it all.

We thought we share what we’ve been up to between the features, a look in on how we’ve been spending our days, both at work and at play. But enough of that, back to work!

]]> http://www.stanceworks.com/2012/01/california-life/feed/ 0 http://www.stanceworks.com/2012/01/bag-riders/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bag-riders http://www.stanceworks.com/2012/01/bag-riders/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:06:05 +0000 Mike Burroughs http://www.stanceworks.com/?p=24633 Photos by: Jim Davis

There’s a harsh reality to face once you get involved in this industry. Truth be told, the automotive aftermarket is not the prettiest place. That age old saying of “never meet your heroes” rings truer than imaginable. Companies are often intertwined and incestuous, run by people after nothing more than a dollar. Fortunately, that’s not always the case. Sometimes a company is born out of an enthusiast’s true passion and desire to revolutionize part of the market. Some companies only want to improve the community, and for us, that’s what its all about. Bag Riders began in 2009, and since then has become one of the largest suppliers of air ride parts in the scene.

Bag Riders’s story begins with, you guessed it, a snowboard shop. Will Fisher was getting his feet wet as a design intern with Rome Snowboards when the proverbial lightbulb began to flicker. “During my time there I realized that I wanted something different than the typical 9-5 grind, I needed to follow through with one of my own ideas. I was piecing together a bag setup for my Volkwagen and it hit me that there had to be a better way to buy air suspension.”

His idea was simple and came from necessity, which is typically a recipe for success. Customers new to the world of air suspension can easily find themselves confused with a plethora uf unfamiliar parts and no hands-on experience to understand their workings. On the other hand, experienced air installers need more than the ability to buy a predetermined kit tailored to suit cookie-cutter needs.  Will tells me “When you purchase a computer online, you make all the choices about each component, we wanted to design a system that would bring this to the bag world. Customers needed the ability to mix and match components from a variety of manufacturers to create their own ideal package.”

Will set forth on his idea and Bag Riders was born. It wasn’t long before Will and some friends found themselves working out of the bottom floor of his condo with the idea of redefining the retail experience. Fast forward just two years and now Will and his team are working out of a combined warehouse, shop, and office space and has a corner of the market all to their own, trouncing the competition in every way imaginable. Bag Riders’ success is largely due to Will’s assembly of an inherently like-minded team. Moving at such a pace requires a group of talented individuals with some serious motivation.

The team begins with Will’s days at summer camp as a kid. It was there that he met Kevin McGovern, who is now Bag Riders’s Inventory and Shipping Manager. The friendship formed at summer camp only grew when the two got their first cars. Late night wrench sessions took place in Kevin’s garage, which has extrapolated into modifying everything the two can get their hands on, including, oddly enough, a bagged wood-grain van. The two grew up working together as counselors at the camp they met at, so it’s only fitting the two are making their dent together in the air scene today.

Will met Rali Kepchar during his first year at college. To be more precise, it was the first day of college when the two began talking and immediately realized they shared a love for all things Volkswagen and Audi. As Will’s plans carried forward and Bag Riders took form, Rali became the first official full-time employee. Rali has been a crucial asset in handling marketing, social networking, website photography, promotions and a good portion of the  customer support. It’s often hard to put in to perspective the work that goes on in running a company entirely online; from every connector and part that needs photographed, to keeping the company in the eyes of the ever-growing scene, Rali tackles it all.

Next on the roster is John Hall, who Will also met his first year at college. John, now the Web Systems Admin and Chief Information Officer, has been one of the most important pieces to the puzzle. “John was paramount in the creation of the Bag Riders website along with our inventory management system. He and I stayed up for many long nights in his living room drawing up a framework for our system and mapping out how we wanted the site to work. This was long before either of us knew if Bag Riders would ever make it past those difficult first months in operation.” From the get-go, Will knew the type of company he wanted to run, and knew it would take some outside-of-the-box thinking and programming to achieve the end result. After all, his goal was to reinvent the retail business model, and he needed the help of someone like John who was up to the task of ensuring the logistics became a reality.

And last but not least is Lindsay Bloxham, the project coordinator. Lindsay keeps the show schedules in check and ensures the presence of BR is ever-prevalent. Lindsay’s day job as an elementary school teacher means she’s always teaching the boys at the shop new things, but better yet, she’s Will’s wife-to-be.  “She may not be known on the forums but she has a major role in my operation. Whether she’s acting as a sounding board for me or planning our whole summer show line-up, she’s always stood behind me and pushed me to achieve my goals.”

With such a powerful, well-organized, and tight-knit gang, it’s hard to go wrong; but there’s another factor in what Bag Riders has become today. Will says “We attribute our success to our connection to the car community and our strong relationships with our customers.” It takes more than a well executed system to build a company; unfortunately, customer service seems to be a lost trade. For Bag Riders, however, the crew makes every effort to relate to every customer’s needs, whether the demands are high or low. Will certainly graps that the relationships with customers are as important as the products he sells, and that future business is highly reliant on the overall customer experience. All in all, Bag Riders is run by enthusiasts that realize at the end of the day, their customers are just like them.

The company continues to grow at an astoundingly rapid pace. With the VW and Audi markets on lock, Will wants to continue forward in hopes of conquering the entire market. “We’ve recently broken into the Subaru market and we’re seeing a really positive response. Our goals moving forward are to reach BMW enthusiasts well as the VIP and import crowd. We see more and more ‘mini-truckers’ moving to cars and our goal to be THE source for air suspension for cars of all makes.” I have no doubts that the team will carry forward and continue to dominate, as there’s simply no competition with the drive and passion that these guys have.

2012 is here and the boys (and girl!) are excited for what the future brings. There are few companies with a proper mindset and the right direction, and even fewer with a such a group of people behind it. We here at STANCE|WORKS are incredibly selective about those we choose to work with, but we hope there’s no doubt in your minds as to why we support our friends at Bag Riders.

Jamie Conlan’s 1995 GTi is a car worth sharing; not only because of the completed product and the top notch craftsmanship, but because of the story that goes along with it. At 19, Jamie longed for a MK3 VW, but figured he simply wouldn’t find one he could afford. But as luck would have it, Jamie found the right car for the right price and didn’t let it get away. “I drove it to my local shop directly from picking it up at the dealer to get a Bosal Brospeed 2.25” exhaust installed. I didn’t quite know exactly where I wanted to take the car, but at least knew I wanted to cover the bases.”

To say he hit the ground running is rather fitting. But as M. Night Shyamalan would approve, Jamie’s story has a twist. Just one year in to owning the car, he was accepted into the School of Visual Arts in New York, NY. Jamie decided it simply didn’t make sense to take the car with him from Texas to New York, so he sold it to a friend and said goodbye. Fortunately for Jamie, he had one hell of a girlfriend. Two years of complaining about missing his MK3 lead her to crafting one seriously special surprise.

Jamie’s girlfriend moved from Texas to New York to be with him, and with her she brought the little red GTi Jamie missed so much. Fast forward to now and the most obvious thing is that Jamie’s car is no longer red. Choosing the color took no time at all. “My friend came across the Champion Motorsports “Man From Chile” gray 996 Turbo and I knew from that moment that I had to paint my car the same color.It was finding the color itself that took some time and diligence. “It took me about a year of detective work and a lot of help From Russ Taylor to finally discover that the color was actually a 1956 Porsche 356 color called ‘Mode Grau.’” After the discovery, Jamie took the car to Pat’s Paint Werks in Baytown, TX for the color change.

To accompany the paint choice and the HRE 505s that completed the exterior, Jamie turbocharged the car. Jamie fought through wiring problems for quite some time before finally sorting the car out. But now, Jamie tells me the boost is his favorite part of the car.

And so 100,000 miles later, Jamie considers his project complete. “I don’t really have any more desires for this car. I have built it exactly the way I wanted it to be.” But the path to completion has been a long one, with friends and family helping the entire way. Perhaps the strongest critic? Well, Jamie’s a smart guy. He married the girlfriend who got the project back on track, and now says his full credit for the car being where it is now goes to his wife and son. And without the help of his two buddies, Doug Pascual and Clay Hundley, there likely would have been a wrench unturned.

]]> http://www.stanceworks.com/2012/01/mode-grau-jamie-conlans-1995-gti/feed/ 0 http://www.stanceworks.com/2012/01/ess-kay-zak-denmans-1980-280te-wagon/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ess-kay-zak-denmans-1980-280te-wagon http://www.stanceworks.com/2012/01/ess-kay-zak-denmans-1980-280te-wagon/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:51:06 +0000 Mike Burroughs http://www.stanceworks.com/?p=24581 Photography by Byza

There are a countless number of ways to build a car. The styles range from those rooted deep into certain cultures, such as the American Hot Rod and the real Japanese Bosozoku street sweepers, to styles that are widely applicable and are simply part of changing automotive traditions. Somewhere in the mix of it all is what defines a “cool” car. Unfortunately, it’s a very gray area, subject to personal tastes and matters of opinion. Contrarily, it is also incredibly broad and just so happens to leave room for the oddities of the car world.

My list of “cool cars” has never included a 1980 Mercedes 280TE wagon. It’s likely safe to say that goes for just about everyone. But if there’s credit to be given to the STANCE|WORKS community as a whole, it’s in regard to the abundance of creativity. One man’s grocery getter is another man’s automotive canvas. Zak Denman, however, is on the other side of the fence. After owning 29 cars, this Benz is where he’s arrived. Its simplicity and age add character to an already unique platform resulting in a car that, oddly enough, leaves you cracking a bit of a smile.

Now, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that Zak’s chassis of choice will have to grow on you. I can’t even blame those who fail to see the appeal, but there’s something special to be said: with the birth of the STANCE|WORKS community 3 years ago, we saw a new facet of the community start to shine. Forgotten cars, chassis with no following, and even cars most of us would despise; they all found their way in to the hands of a loving owner. Cars with communities small and seemingly unknown have found their way into the limelight.

We push to celebrate the love for old cars, and we recognize those who keep them on the road. Zak’s efforts to make the Benz his own include custom suspension involving volvo springs, bilstein struts, and raising the engine to make it all work. His 15×8 -10 and 15×10 -30 Sunraysia steelies complement the primered and hot rod-esque “shop wagon” styling perfectly. Most importantly, however, is that Zak’s efforts to make his Benz his own mean another car from the golden age will stay on the streets if just a little bit longer, loved by at least one more owner.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for Zak, this 280TE is a winner. Our only hope is that Zak’s enthusiasm inspires at least one other person. You don’t need a common car with a big aftermarket, nor do you need a large budget and flawless aesthetics to enjoy your car and even turn a head or two. Whether you’re like Zak and have an affinity for the unique, or perhaps you’ve found yourself stuck with a car you didn’t expect, head to the garage and break some rust free. Perhaps you’ll fall in love too.

Once again we’ve put our hearts in to our work to design and create automotive apparel that speaks to the true enthusiast, with an aesthetic that carries from the heritage of racing to the essence of tuning. With the Andrew, Ben and myself finally together and able to focus our efforts on our work and brand, we’re eagerly anticipating Spring’s arrival.  With that, of course, means more goods from the Lowly Gentlemen.

Each day is a new step forward as a young, growing company.  The passion that drives us can only be expressed in so many ways; sometimes through words and imagery, sometimes through the cars we build, and sometimes through the brand we’re building. As the Californian sun hangs in the sky just a bit longer with each coming day, we find ourselves in the garage more and more, drawing inspiration from what we love most. So head on over to www.LowlyGentlemen.com and check out our latest offerings.

This is merely the beginning of what is amounting to be a big year for the Lowly Gentlemen. We don’t want to spoil the surprise, so we will let this final picture set the tone. Expect another update in the very near future.

Fortitude is a strong word with stronger connotations. Fortitude is having the will power to overcome emotional and mental adversity without wavering from your original trajectory. I think we can agree that it’s not a word to be taken lightly, as possessing fortitude can be a burden; it’s existence is only accompanied by great pain. However, pain and adversity offer us opportunity for our character to be sharpened. It allows for characteristics such as perseverance to emerge from places within us that we didn’t think possible. If adversity is the test to building our character, fortitude is the endurance race to earning it. The following is a story of one man’s journey to discovering the essence of fortitude through the efforts of a car build.

Gio Dichiara is a man in his mid-thirties who has lived a lifetime already. He puts in a 60-hour workweek and comes home to a beautiful wife who tends to a household of five (yes, 5) precious and precocious little daughters. His strong work ethic is only matched by his ability to be an amazing father and husband. That should be inspiring enough, but he also happens to have a deep-seated passion for all things motorized and with 4 wheels, specifically big body Japanese cars. Not surprisingly, he also happens to have a knack for making them look drop-dead-gorgeous.

The passion began in 2001 when the Lexus LS430 (UCF30) was introduced. While Gio has always been a car guy, his imagination never leant itself towards Japanese offerings, let alone a big body car that people would sooner akin to a retirement transporter. However; visions of a build soon started accumulating into writings on paper and represented the beginning of a ten-year journey accumulating into the pictures that grace this article.

Of course, for many of us, our dreams typically produce inspirations our checkbooks can’t quite cash. Instead, Gio started out with an entry-level Lexus offering in the form of a ES300. He quickly built notoriety as “GATO” on the Lexus boards, and it wasn’t long before the ES had run its course. Before he knew it, he was driving a black cherry 2nd Generation GS300. In fact, if you fancy 2GS’s, then you have most likely seen (if not saved) pictures of this car throughout the bowels of the Internet. This particular car inspired my own 2GS build and how I came to know Gio, as he was always willing to go out of his way and help me with the smallest of details. While these were great cars, they represented mere stepping-stones to what Gio had always envisioned.

In the winter of 2007, Gio had finally located the car of his dreams: a mint 2004 Black LS430 Ultra Luxury. This was the big day he had been envisioning for 6 years. “Cloud 9” doesn’t scratch the surface of his glee. As soon as he purchased it, the build was underway, with a JOB Design aero kit that took 4 months to come in from Japan. Painted and installed, the vision was taking shape quickly. Unfortunately, as with many of us, the LS was Gio’s only car and on a typical drive home from work, calamity struck. BOOM! The LS was rear ended with no hope of justifiable recovery in sight.

Clearly this wasn’t enough to kill a dream that had been brewing for 6 years. Eight months later, Gio located yet another 2004 Black LS430 UL in Florida. This time, things were going to be seen through. While Gio had his dream built around a Japanese big body, it was European styling that influenced the details of the build. Set to stir things up, he was able to track down a very rare set of 20 inch OZ Futuras, which would be taken apart and widened to accommodate the wheel wells of the LS.

6 months into the build, it was time to have an official unveil. He hosted a small local Lexus gathering at his tanning salon, where anticipation had been built and it did not disappoint. The car was the talk of the community and would be from then on identified throughout the Internet as the “LS430 on Futuras.”

The build would evolve over the course of 2009 and into the following year with details that could only be found in high-end VIP builds from Japan. Never one to settle for “off the shelf,” Gio took the majority of projects on himself making quality an assumed attribute in everything he did. He continued this mindset right down to the big brake kit. While Brembos are a staple in this segment, he wanted to do something unique. The more he researched, the more he realized that this was something he should do on his own. Thus began Futura Design Brakes as nothing more then an outlet for seeing his vision come into fruition. No obstacle too big, no detail too small, the dream Gio had held for close to 9 years was taking shape in a capacity he never could have imagined.

In the fall of 2010, things couldn’t be better as Gio was now expecting his fifth baby girl to enter the world. He was driving home from an afternoon outing when “the call” comes unexpectedly and delivery was upon his wife. Elated, he parked the LS in front of his quiet suburban neighborhood, as time didn’t permit to get it secured in the garage. Aired out and locked, he was off to the hospital to experience the joy of new life. The delivery went off without a hitch and the six member of the Dichiara’s was introduced into the world. 3 days passed before Gio and his family were able to get back home and situated. He went into the garage to run to the store, but no car was tucked within. Remembering it was left on the street, he walked out to find it not there either. Bewildered, he stood in the spot he left it wondering if his father had moved it for him. Then reality struck and the pit of his stomach increased to abyssal proportions. There he stood to find deep scrape channels that extended like the flames from Doc Brown’s DeLorean; the LS had been stolen.

The car would later be found in a field about 2 miles from his house engulfed in flames. Nightmares had better outcomes. The joys of new life were ever so slightly hollowed by despair of a dream that had been damned. 9 years in the making. 9 years of toiling and sacrificing. 9 years of overcoming adversity to end in flames. This is where you ask yourself the question “should I go on?” If I’m honest with myself I don’t think I could…. But then I’m not Gio.

When you dream a dream that takes hold of you for a decade, not even fire can kill it. Gio’s story does not end in tribute; it continues on, yet to end. The photos before you do not represent a lost loved one — They are the depiction of fortitude, as Gio has come full circle and started over once again. The car you see before you is Gio’s third LS430.

Originally the car belonged to a Liberty VIP member in New York, which made for a great starting platform as it was already tastefully modified. However Gio, a member of Refined Elegance, knew that he needed to get back on track with his vision, so he sourced yet another set of 20 inch Futuras. The beauty of these new wheels is that they have stainless steel outer lips which give off just the right amount of step into the classic face design. Futura Design Brakes were positioned all around with 8-pot calipers filling the front and 6-pot in the rear. Gio even had the front and rear Vlene aero kit heavily modified right down to utilizing exhaust tips from a 2012 Hyundai Azera.

Following that was deconstruction of the interior where Jaguar Connolly crème leather was chosen to replace the standard black leather. An elegant double-stitched thread pattern compliments the richness of the leather exemplifying the bespoke vision.

The wood trim was painted piano black with vanilla pin striping applied by Original Garage, giving off a Brabus vibe throughout, while custom illuminated Futura door sills welcome all occupants as they enter from any of the 4 doors.

The headlights offer their own special touch. They were disassembled and blocked to be painted in a way that creates the pin stripe overtones that carry themselves throughout the build. Aqua electroluminescence was use in conjunction with the door sills to carry the color theme home.

This car represents a rolling testament to the lengths our willpower can travel to ensuring that dreams become reality. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “Patience and fortitude conquer all things;” powerful words that are only eclipsed when they are put into practice. There is an entirely new story to be told involving the depths and details of the Futura LS430 and the places Gio intends to take it, but for now I simply ask you to let this story sink in and inspire you to pursue dreams forgotten and encourage you to take hold of the fortitude that is instilled in all of us.

“Made in America” is a statement few companies in the automotive aftermarket can make. When it comes to the seat industry, that list is even fewer. Status Racing, one of the leaders in top-tier racing seats, can proudly make that claim, and as expected, it is a statement that holds its value. Status takes pride in representing the culmination of superior technology and aerospace materials, and that is why we’re sharing with you.

Rob and Dan, the new partners of Status Racing, have had their head in the automotive scene for quite some time; more than a decade. In fact, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with them. In 2001, Rob and Dan started a company called Vivid Racing with $500 in their pockets and a $1500 loan. Today, Vivid has 30 employees and is a $10,000,000-per-year company. So when news came about that Status needed a well-founded partner, the pair knew they were the right fit. Rob and Dan’s success in online sales and marketing gave them the confidence to jump in the driver’s seat. They’re now entering 2012 stronger than ever.

Much of the construction of a Status seat is proprietary information, aka “Top Secret”, but Dan spilled the gist of it as simply as he could. “The basics are exactly what you see. A mold is made to the specs we design. Material is laid in the mold and then coated. Once the mold is ready to be seperated, the seat shell is visible and we trim out the excess. From here we add the padding, bracket hardware, and put on the custom Icon or standard seat jacket. It’s then ready to ship!”

If you’re unfamiliar with Status, or with top-of-the-line seats as a whole, you’ll be interested in what makes up their construction. The upper-level Status seats are made of, as seen here, carbon-fiber, or if your pockets are even deeper, carbon-kevlar. Carbon-kevlar, the lightest composite Status offers, is the pinnacle of light weight seat production. Its unique golden-yellow appearance is a dead giveaway.

In keeping with the American tradition of unparalleled quality, Dan tells me how seriously Status takes quality control. “We hold our seats to extreme quality control. We make sure that the presentation of the seat from the packaging to the final product keeps people excited and confident. Everything down to the finest stitch has to be perfect. If there are any flaws in the carbon weave, it is not used or sold later as a blem. Since seats are being made 1 at a time start to finish, it allows for serious control over the final product outcome.”

But if Status’s manufacturing and quality weren’t enough to separate them from the rest of the industry, perhaps their Icon Series is. The idea behind the Icon Series is the ability to custom tailor a seat to fit the aesthetics of any vehicle. The entire skin of the seat is “customizable”, from the fabric type and color, to the color of the stitching, seat inserts, and logos. And as for what’s next for Status? Rumor has it reclinables and even some larger seat sizes.

Status is growing quickly, and we’re excited to share their story. An American company with American ideals, it’s what we’re all about. Dan put it perfectly: “We dont want to be a replacement for other seat companies in motorsports, we want to be the seat choice for enthusiast and racers because of the uniqueness.”

While none of us here at StanceWorks are in a position to own the new MP4-12C, it was a pleasure to be invited by eGarage to the launch, where we mingled amongst countless millionaires and celebrities alike. To be included in such an affair establishes our ever-growing position in the automotive industry. We’ve kicked it up a gear and it is satisfying to know we’re taken seriously.

The MP4-12C was a sight to be seen, with lines that fit my childhood ideals of a supercar to a T. The car possesses technology that shadows nearly everything else on the road, it’s a car we’ll lust after for quite some time. With 592hp, 2868lbs, and a 7-speed “seamless shift” gearbox, it’s no surprise that this car is leaving everything else in the dust.

Known for their racing heritage, and simply due to the fact that the MP4 is derived directly from Formula One technology, McLaren brought out Raikkonen’s 2006 F1 car. The opportunity to enjoy the car up close and personal was the highlight of the party for me. But if parking a Formula One race car in the showroom wasn’t enough, McLaren also brought in Jay Leno and the current owner of McLaren to both speak their part.

The party itself was excellent and extravagant in typical Beverly Hills fashion. Colorful lighting and Cirque-Du-Soleil style aerial acrobats, a live DJ and even a drummer of sorts. A red carpet and a paparazzi stood outside of the entrance in hopes of catching the faces we all find familiar.

It was one hell of a way to open a dealership, something you probably won’t find at your local Kia. Credit to McLaren for staying true to their roots with their latest creation, and I know I am not the only one patiently waiting for the successor to the world-dominating McLaren F1. We’ll have to see. Maybe in the next few years?

With 2012 already in full swing, I’ve been looking back, reminiscing, and celebrating everything we’ve accomplished and experienced in the last year. A look back on the past year through my photo lens…

Charles was the one to help us get settled in our new office and his impressive VIP Lexus GS was the first car that I had the pleasure of shooting. In reverence of California’s beauty, I precariously stationed my tripod on the edge of a cliff to capture the sunset through the valley.

Check out more of Charles’ VIP Lexus GS.

It quickly became apparent that awe inspiring cars were hidden everywhere in parking lots throughout the area. I snapped this shot as the Camaro awaited a detailing at a shop down the way from our office.

Take a peek at this drag ready Chevy Camaro RS.

The Viva Las Vegas show really opened my eyes to the other automotive cultures that are alive and thriving. We couldn’t help but fill our cameras’ memory cards with all the inspiring cars that were in attendance.

Experience the rest of our footage from the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Show.

I love photography’s ability to capture the character inherent in all things. This Toyota Cressida is chock-full of soul, so I really enjoyed the chance to capture it at this year’s Formula D Drift Event.

When out shooting cars for future STANCE|WORKS features, I always enjoy the people I meet along the way. It was great to meet up with Zayan and photograph his wildly low Miata.

Click here for more on this slammed Miata.

Sometimes you just stumble upon the perfect location for the character and style of your subject. As I was cruising with Mike Alexander in his Lincoln, we pulled off onto a dusty path as the sun set behind the worn industrial backdrop.

Read up on Mike Alexander’s Lincoln Continental.

With loud music pumping, spotlights in abundance, and supercars scattered across the floor, our trip to the Forza 4 Release party was a photographer’s dream.

Take a step inside to visit our Forza 4 event coverage.

I’ve been fortunate enough to work along side the guys at Accuair numerous times this year. With such aesthetically pleasing product design, it’s easy to capture some great moments such as this photo of my Accuair controller perched inside my MINI Clubman one summer evening.

Check out the related articles to find out more about my MINI Clubman and the Accuair E-Level Install.

It’s impressive to watch videos of Ken Block whipping his car through crazy venues on the internet, but being able to experience it only a few feet away behind the media photographer barrier was just insane. I walked away from this shoot with a grin on my face and bits of rubber in my hair.

Get in on the action and check out our shots from Ken Block’s Gymkhana.

Walking around Ireland Engineering’s garage was like walking through a candy store. I was taking pictures left and right of all the parts, cars, and inspiring details that made up the shop.

Follow us as we walk through Ireland Engineering.

I was honored when we were given the chance to shoot one of my favorite mk1s at h2o. We really lucked out when Mike and I found a parking lot strewn with orange leaves. It offered the perfect atmosphere for the brightly colored Rabbit.

View more of this Volkswagen Mk1 Rabbit.

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