…aaand a blog-post with a cross-post while I’m at it. While I’m here. Ticking those 2025-social-media-contribution boxes and it’s barely April! Chuffed. So to repeat myself somewhat, here’s “Speed Star’s contribution to the aero-mad early ‘80s aftermarket wheel scene: the unimaginatively-named “Aero” (February 1984-) on the left being a short lived offering that’s now very rarely seen and largely forgotten, while on the right is the EX-C sporting its optional ‘cooling cover’ (November 1984-) that was sold well into the ‘90s, and in the decades since has become somewhat iconic of the style.” And 40 years later? As good a subject as any to prop in front of a camera. Far-from-new examples of each gussied up to as good as they’re gonna get, camera’s dusted off, and away we go… #1984 #スピードスター #ssr #ssrwheels #speedstar #speedstarracing #speedstarwheel #ssraero #ssrexc #ssrexcfin #excfin #excmesh #electronlock #aerocover #aerocovers #turbofans #wheelporn #rarewheels #wheelwhores #japanesenostalgiccar #1980s

Busted the trusty ol’ 4Runner out of storage prison for daily-driver duties this week; dragged from the dark and cracking on with the 60km-a-day commute without fuss. An absolute trooper. It made the move to its current home late last year, with the original white FRP hardtop temporarily replacing the Softopper roof for the first time in over a decade - it had made sense for transport and simply keeping all the 4Runner related bits together. Plans for a new large-enough-for-all-the-cars garage are (finally..) well underway. #1984 #toyota #4runner #toyota4runner #toyotasurf #toyotahilux #toyotahiluxsurf #hiluxsurf #teq #トヨタ #toyota4x4 #toyotaoffroad #toyotatruck #ssr #ssrwheels #ssrauswuch #classictoyota #oldschooltoyota #japanesenostalgiccar #1980s

Consuming-like-it’s-2002 with HyperRev in hand; shopping the iconic aftermarket bolt-on nonsense I’d always wanted: the classic green mushroom-filter HKS intake, SSQV BOV, bumper-filling intercooler kit and it’s-silent-if-you-say-it-is oversized exhaust. Quality gear even if outdated. The fact this stuff was still available to order brand new in 2022? Model-specific kits for a chassis that ceased production 20 years ago? I cannot not. Genuine fun amongst the otherwise tedious organizing and comparatively-dull purchases required to turn the grey Supra into the car it always could have been; transforming a 2JZ-GE+W58 commuter into lightly-tuned 2JZ-GTE+V160 ‘90s icon. Bloody well got there in the end. #jza80shero #mid90s #90shero #hks #hkspower #hksjapan #haltech #hypergearturbo #toyota #teq #トヨタ #スープラ #toyotasupra #supra #suprarz #suprarzs #supraturbo #mkiv #mkivsupra #mk4supra #supranation #supraregistry #supraculture #jza80 #a80supra #2jz #2jzgte #classictoyota #oldschooltoyota #japanesenostalgiccar

Snazzy AND useful. A whisker over 12 months ago today: stopping by the importer to load the not-quite-overnight-from-Japan 2JZ-GTE VVTi into the ol’ 4Runner’s 2JZ-shaped loading area, without doubt lined so thoroughly in a matching blue back in 1984 in aticipation of this very occasion. What’s the chances eh? But seriously, that whole lack of roof thing sure makes for one heck of a crane-friendly wagon, and the conveniently placed rollbar behind the flat-folding second row (leaving it smack-bang in the centre of the load area when folded) is a bloody perfect structure for someone who actually knows how to tie stuff down to work their magic. It’s too bad they weren’t around; knots-till-you-run-out-of-rope it is! A short journey down the road later and the engine was dropped off at the workshop lined up to finally get THAT whole project done. No, you know it’s not for the dang 4Runner… #3ycforever #toyota #4runner #toyota4runner #toyotasurf #toyotahilux #toyotahiluxsurf #hiluxsurf #teq #トヨタ #toyota4x4 #toyotaoffroad #toyotatruck #ssr #ssrwheels #ssrauswuch #softopper #2jz #2jzgte #classictoyota #oldschooltoyota #japanesenostalgiccar #1980s

One of those attainable dreams, as silly as it is. Finally bookending the original early-80s range of Speed Star’s iconic Formula Mesh with a charmingly Kei-tastic 10x4.5” +23 to sit beside (hell, inside..) the Super-Silhouette spec 19x15” -37. Through unintentionally owning countless variations of Formula and Revese Mesh over the last 15+ years, including that 19” whopper for a good half of that, nabbing a good 10” Mesh has long been *somewhere* on the to-do list. Not as though they’re particularly difficult to track down either.. but it seems that lack of pressure was part of the problem! Here we go though, bloody adorable. Little things… #ssr #ssrwheels #speedstar #speedstarracing #speedstarwheel #ssrmesh #formulamesh #starformula #kei #keicar #supersilhouette #group5 #hasemi #hasemimotorsport #tomicadr30 #kdr30 #dr30 #dr30rsturbo #nissan #nissanskyline #日産スカイライン #skylinersturbo #japanesenostalgiccar #wheelporn #rarewheels #wheelwhores #savethewheels #radwood #japanesenostalgiccar #1984

Highlight of an automotively-atrocious last 18 months. I mean seriously, yikes, what an absolute train-wreck that has *and continues to* be locally. There ARE now at least some more promising plans (..dreams..) of building a garage large enough to bring everything up north and ultimately make my OWN damn pandemic-proof fun, but shamefully the ball’s barely left my side of the court on that one. In the mean time, I’ve continued to occasionally distract myself with a few bits and bobs of the usual nonsense, including the wheels above. A legitimate highlight that deserves clarification as not *comparatively* rad, but rad regardless. Dream stuff here. Two of my all-time favourites in mighty-rare staggered 18” ‘big caliper’ JZA80 spec: an April ‘97 set of the iconic late-‘80s AVS VS-6 (these being very late days and the largest sizes offered) and a 2004 set of Super Advan Racing Version 2, in their worn-but-original Pearl White and Bright Chrome finishes respectively. Yes, I have tried them on, and no, I don’t have any bloody idea when I’ll actually get them on the car... #avsvs6 #avs #vs6 #avswheels #advancedvehiclesystem #advan #advanwheels #superadvan #superadvanracing #sa3r #sa3rv2 #superadvanversion2 #yokohama #yokohamatire #rarewheels #wheelporn #wheelwhores #savethewheels #スープラ #toyotasupra #supra #mkivsupra #mk4supra #supranation #supraregistry #supraculture #jza80 #a80supra #radwood #japanesenostalgiccar

An older photo of the AW11 from a set taken back in early 2012: it’s Little Red with the CR01s, accessory foglamps and small TEQ plates. Digging through old photos just to torment myself? Yeah, I guess. It’s motivation. I’m still really, really hoping to have a chance to get this out for a spin before the end of the year; 2020s just been FAR too light-on as far as AW11’ing is concerned... #toyota #teq #トヨタ #toyotaaustralia #aw11 #toyotamr2 #mr2 #mk1mr2 #aw11mr2 #4ag #4age #classictoyota #oldschooltoyota #mr2australia #toymods #aw11ownersanonymous #workwheels #workmeister #workmeistercr01 #meistercr01 #toyotagenuineaccessories #radwood #savethepopups #drivetastefully #japanesenostalgiccar #1980s

Eventually got around to taking some photographicals of the grey number recently, almost a year after its thorough midlife tart-up. I know, it’s not one of the older potatoes in the unintentionally-Toyota-heavy fleet, but an.. err.. ‘entertaining’ 2020 shared worldwide has meant I haven’t been to Melbourne for some of the more traditional “car shenanigans” since bloody January. So with any luck this’ll do for the minute. Other news on a coincidentally related note? I finally bit the bullet and shook off that blue Abflug Supra last week. I know, I know, again - there’s shame here, believe me! A project I’d dreamed of getting to for so damn long; but sitting untouched in storage since 2016, and *still* yet to see the end of that tunnel so much as brighten.. well yeah, it’s time to move it on. With any luck those of you around the Melbourne car scene’ll see a little more action on that front in coming months, even if that mightn’t be the case for me too - I’m just hoping I can get back down there before Classic Japan comes around again at the end of the year..! #jza80shero #mid90s #90shero #toyota #teq #トヨタ #スープラ #toyotasupra #supra #suprasz #6N0 #mkiv #mkivsupra #mk4supra #supranation #supraregistry #supraculture #jza80 #a80supra #2jz #2jzge #2jzgte #classictoyota #oldschooltoyota #radwood #japanesenostalgiccar

...the other wheels to be casually pieced back together over the Christmas / New Year beak were this bitsa set of ~1987 Hiro V-1s. Original 4x100 FF faces repowdered in gloss white and smacked into polished, full-flange, 1565 Reverse barrels with new zinc fasteners. A set of locks put together out of scraps, keyed alike and given replated rear covers; now housed in what were from memory originally gold-plated FF EX-C short caps (the same body as the Hiros) stripped of their once-gaudy and now-flaking plating and repolished. Three of four original Hiro V1-R acrylic coins that'd somehow survived brilliantly were joined by a stripped and painted formerly-EX-C spare; clearly missing the text, but arguably passable at a glance. Bit of glue, bit of mucking about and plenty of trawling through boxes of bits later; a now-complete set of short V1-R caps, plates and collars were ready to join the V-1s... or so I thought. Those FF V-1s had *tall* caps?! How was I supposed to remember that!? In the world of SSR's Electron Lock caps, they'll (ridiculously) use one of half-a-dozen different threaded collars to screw the cap onto the wheel: EX-C tall, EX-C short, Spinner tall and Spinner short.. with other oddball ones for the Star Magna and FF McLaren MS-1. All "Short" or "FF" collars apart from the Spinner use the smaller mounting pattern. That's the difference and that's my problem. I'd understandably forgotten the FF faces I'd plucked from some tiny 1460 +40 V-1s must've once had some bonkers protruding centre caps as I'd painstakingly reassembled them some lovely short numbers. Great. Well apart from some time I'll need to spend with a drill and tap set, these are done. Yep, I'm calling it now. Look out 2028.... #ssr #ssrwheels #speedstarracing #speedstarwheels #electronlock #ssrelectronlock #hiroengineering #hirov1 #hirov1r #80sdesign #wheelwhores #rarewheels #wheelporn #savethewheels #japanesenostalgiccar #1987

Christmas holidays extended by bushfires mean I've had some extra time to potter about with unfinished projects, such as these little meshies - the rear pair of some June '91 SSR Reverse Mesh I've somehow owned since 2006. Original 1475 +20 4x100 repowdered and polished, with even the fasteners surviving well enough to have replated in the black and blue zinc. The silver powder's disappointingly not *quite* the right shade, the polished lips now lack their protective clear anodized finish, as always, and I've taken so damn long with these that they no would no longer even FIT under my AW11s since-unrolled rear guards, but could you seriously complain? It's all pointless fun; they look sharp and I'm chuffed. #ssr #ssrwheels #speedstar #speedstarracing #ssrmesh #ssrformulamesh #formulamesh #ssrreversemesh #reversemesh #rarewheels #wheelporn #wheelwhores #savethewheels #japanesenostalgiccar #1991

A handful of smokey Sunday shots wrapping up a weekend of Summernats 33 shenanigans in Canberra; the monstrous bushfires surrounding the country's capital only adding to the burnouts to somewhat impressive effect. Cool cars and entertaining characters more than worth the day wading through incinerated nature to get home. #lxtorana #lxslr5000 #slr5000 #torana #hqholden #hqbelmont #hqkingswood #holden #wbcaprice #onetonner #1tonner #xefalcon #vncommodore #skidsintoabarrier #asolidexit #summernatscarfestival #summernats33 #summernats #streetmachine #streetmachinemagazine

Toyota Japan, 1984, illustrating the strong American influence on this style of vehicle I'd mentioned in the previous post. More innocent times and plenty lost in translation giving us "BLOW UP AMERICAN POWER" strewn across a double-page glamour shot; because nothing says "buy a Toyota!" like an unintentionally-aggressive instruction that'd these days have your marketing department on a terrorist watchlist... #melroseavenue #losangeles #1984 #toyota #4runner #toyota4runner #toyotasurf #toyotahilux #toyotahiluxsurf #hiluxsurf #teq #トヨタ #toyota4x4 #toyotaoffroad #toyotatruck #4runnermafia #4runnernation #4runnersdaily #classictoyota #oldschooltoyota #drivetastefully #radwood #japanesenostalgiccar #1980s