Top Ten Cars of 2012

I know that I don't update here much anymore, but I decided to come back and do another top-ten list for 2012.  It's already 2013, but I guess it's better late than never.  If you're wondering why I don't post much here anymore, well here's the reason; I am now a feature writer for Stance Nation which I am extremely happy to be.  Doing features for them plus my regular work makes me very busy resulting in this place kind of being forgotten.  We'll see what the futures brings for this place, but for now I hope you'll enjoy this summary of my favorite cars from 2012.

Number 10:  Henry Chan's MK4 Toyota Supra

Henry's Supra was one of my favorite shoots to kick off the 2012 year, and the car was beautiful to boot.  A complete build through and through this Supra is a remarkable car.  By touching all of the bases when it comes to building a car, Henry lands himself at number 10 on my list.

Number 9:  Nate Stanley's Chrysler 300C

Nate's 300C takes credit for being one of my first photos to ever go viral being shared on a large number of car sites and pages via facebook, and for good reason too.  Nate's 300C is another "complete" car featuring a ton of custom body work, air-ride suspension, and one of the first, complete SRT-8 engine swaps.  All of this puts him at number 9.

Number 8:  Zach Kurth's Chevy Impala

Zach's Impala is just one of those cars you can't ignore.  The car is absolutely mint but has been well sorted by the veteran hot-rodder.  A big motor, flawless body and interior work, big wheels with meaty tires, and a slammed, air-assisted stance put this classic beauty at number 8.  This car has been getting lots of love over the winter so stay tuned for when it rolls back out this year!

Number 7:  Mike Merkt's Subaru WRX

Mike's WRX is one of the cleanest around, and he's one of the nicest people you'll meet.  Always down to hang out at a car event, you can spot Mike and his WRX at events in MN and his home state of WI.  With a few go-fast goodies added to the boxer-4, and that oh-so-perfect stance with polished Work XT7s, Mike's WRX sits at the number 7 spot.

Number 6:  Adam Tieden's Corvette FRC

Adam's FRC Corvette may have one of the shorter mod lists of cars that I have featured, but that doesn't take away from how stunning this little, red Corvette is.  Anywhere this car goes it draws attention to itself.  The red paint definitely pops out and the wheel fitment and ride height even get the stance crowd going.  This simple, but effective package lands Adam's Corvette in the number 6 spot.

Number 5:  Orange Cadillac (owner unknown)

 I clocked this amazing car at the Frankensteiner's Ball show this fall and could not stop drooling over it.  One of my all-time favorite cars and it's built just right.  The bright, loud paint, custom flame job, slammed to the ground on air with some nice wheels, this car is just amazing.  Wish I could find out who built it and maybe schedule a shoot.  If you're in the know, drop me a line at kaienshiba.nlp@gmail.com.  

Number 4:  Mitch's MK4 Toyota Supra

Mitch's monstrous black Supra ends up at number 4 for more reasons than just the basketball inhaling turbo under the hood.  Put simply the car was built with all of the best parts available to make the most horsepower possible, and it does that very well and looks damn good doing it.  Definitely one of my favorite cars to date.

Number 3: Tattoo Mike Olson's Audi A4 Avant

Tattoo Mike's latest daily turned into, well Tattoo Mike's latest daily.  After retiring, and parting out his world-famous mk4 GTI, Mike picked up this avant to be a little more "sensible."  I don't think that word exists in Mike's vocabulary because it was only a matter of weeks before it featured coilovers, one-off CCWs, and some custom body-work.  Now it's all torn apart getting air-ride and a 2.7t swap with a 6-speed trans.  Will the madness never end?  Not for this man.  It ends up at number 3...for 2012.

Number2:  Sij's "Lambo-Killer" 240sx

This car was built to do one thing; dominate.  I'm going to lay it out simply here; 2JZ-GTE, 3.4L stroker, high-compression, Precisions Pro-Mod 91mm, 6spd, Pro-EFI, Tilton, the list keeps going.  The result?  1441rwhp on boost only...and it was limited to that because they ran out of injector.  This car is monstrous.  Built by Sound Performance in Chicago, IL, you know it's done right, and it sits at number 2.  As a bonus, here's a shot of the engine bay;

Number 1:  Max Moss's MK4 R32 Golf

Max's R32 Golf tops the list for a number of reasons, but most importantly is how much the car has changed over the year.  The build this car has undergone is phenomenal and it's far from over.  Housing Tattoo Mike's old 3.3L VR6 turbo motor, Max's R puts out 500awhp and looks damn good doing it.  With tons of custom touches and those 19" Work VS-XXs, Max's R made an impact wherever it went picking up hardware at some major shows including h2oi picking up 3rd in its class.  He's been busy over the winter too, and this car will be a serious contender in 2013

That wraps up the list for 2012.  Thanks again everyone for all the support over the years.  I'll be busy again for 2013 and hope to share my work again with the world.  For now, catch me over on Stance Nation and my facebook page NL Projects.