Wekfest East 2015

• September 4, 2015
• / Story By
  Joey Lee

The Wekfest event series has quickly become one of the premier car shows to attend in the last couple of years. The tour originally started out as a single show based in Northern California and has now reached global notoriety with an annual stop in Nagoya, Japan. Wild to think that it all started in a small parking garage in San Francisco. The West Coast-based company has since expanded to Florida and Texas but one of its stops since the tour began was in Edison, New Jersey. The East Coast brings with it a completely different set of custom car builds and attitudes unlike any you would see in the wild West. The enthusiasts behind these cars just have a swagger that you would only find in this region. There is an overwhelming sense of pride that adds a certain, intangible, spark to their builds. Mix that in with the quality that Wekfest has come to be known for and you have yourself a special event. Every Wekfest event goes through a rigorous screening process with a little less than half of the submitted vehicles actually making the final cut. Over 900 submissions were received and 400 of the best from the right coast filled every open area of the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center. There was a little bit of everything for any and every car enthusiast who attended; Japanese, European, and even some domestic car builds were present, some proudly displaying the most current trendy modifications, while some award-winning vehicles from year's past re-emerged with new additions to see if they could compete with the new generation. The Wekfest East 2015 event surely did not disappoint and we look forward to seeing its continued growth in the foreseeable future. If you've never been, we highly suggest that you attend one. Make a weekend out of it. Enjoy some of the best custom cars in New Jersey and then make your way over to New York City for a whole new set of adventures. One of the many highlights of the 2015 Wekfest East event was seeing this traditionally-built RE Amemiya Mazda RX-7 (FC3S). It's rare to see full Japanese-style democar builds, particularly in the U.S. these days but this Mazda is true to form. The car is a legitimate Japanese import and was perhaps originally a RE Amemiya demo vehicle built by the famed Mazda tuning shop. The RX-7, known as a Mazda Savanna in Japan, was imported by a company called "Japanese Classics LLC", specializes in bringing in these gems from Japan and completing the paperwork for private sale in North America. The popularity of the Rocket Bunny brand has quickly spread throughout the nation. Though it isn't nearly as crazy as it is in the West Coast, the East also featured some widebody goodness like this 6666 Customs Rocket Bunny RX-7 (FD3S). The aggressive styling of the aero kit was matched with new Work Emotion CR2P wheels and Airrex suspension to close-up the wheel gap... Not too far away from the Rocket Bunny FD was this blue Version II Rocket Bunny Scion FR-S, also on Japanese Work Wheels. A peak under the hood reveals some forced-induction under the hood. The Wekfest event provided different automotive makes re-imagined in various styles. This S14 Nissan 240SX was a drift car that was trailered to the event before it was pieced back together. The entire body of the Nissan was executed in a Japanese-inspired "Itasha" theme, a style that consists of adorning the body with Japanese Anime visuals. Those who enjoy simpler pleasures were met with many very-cleanly executed Japanese supercars, like this NA1 Acura NSX on staggered Volk Racing TE37 wheels. At Wekfest East, you have your simpler builds and then you have something incredibly elaborate that will blow minds away. This Civic hatchback featured not only a collection of fine Japanese-made aero components, but also a unique and rarely-seen Honda F20C engine swap originally meant for an S2000 roadster. If the engine from a rear-wheel drive Honda wasn't intriguing enough for you, this particular F20C was also boosted via a Rotrex supercharger. Enthusiasts from all over the country made the trek to be a part of the annual East event. This Nissan 370Z wearing complete Varis Arising II aero journeyed from Chicago to New Jersey to compete among the best. Custom European car builds made a strong showing at Wekfest East 2015. If anything, one of the main differences you'll see from the West to the East is the presence of BMWs and other Euro cars. The influence is much stronger towards the right side of the country and you'll often see bagged Euros like this 3-series BMW Wagon on 3-piece WCI wheels.