86 Day with Machinelush
I drove between shadows as if the sun were lava, popping in and out of light as I cruised through a tunnel of trees down the Parkway. The windows were up but still I could hear my car's thrumming voice, singing her steady song quietly. She'd occasionally open up to full chest voice when called upon in a downshift, swinging the needle through the tach range. Aside from a decade where I lived in NYC and didn't own a car, none of my previous wheels had been accepted to display in a car show. Today was different. There were not prizes to win, no competition to prepare for. But Machinelush organized an 86 Day meet for their fourth year in a row, and for whatever reason, my humble 2013 Subaru BRZ was allowed to be displayed at the show.
I felt a deep sense of satisfaction being able to drive a "show car" (I put that in quotes because the only "shows" she's regularly involved with are the birds and trees that routinely release their bowels or extrude their sexual organs on top of her) to the same event I was shooting. I mean, honestly, I felt a great sense of satisfaction just driving the car itself. The 86 platform (my BRZ being Subaru's twin to the Toyota 86) is one of fundamentals to me. Lightweight, rear wheel drive, balanced suspension... its ethos isn't raw power; it's the chassis. And with it, the joy of driving. Plus, the "Neo Functionalism" shrink-wrapped body lines just look so damn good (read: aero sandwiching).
Classically, chassis coding was the reason the AE86 found its name, and the JDM market took to calling the car simply Hachi-roku, or "eight-six". Further cementing this legacy, Toyota engines often contained hidden 86's; the bore diameter and stroke length of many of Toyota's high performance engines (including the legendary 2JZ-GTE) measures exactly 86mm. The AE86 was based on a predecessor Corolla's chassis and retained RWD thanks to cost-cutting measures, while the rest of the Corolla lineup was reworked into "more modern" FWD. Toyota tried to spin this positively, offering "clubman" and "motorsport buff" drivers a quick car that could be easily transformed into a Group A rally machine. What it has become overshadows everything Toyota hoped it would be.
I rolled up in my rally blue BRZ and pulled into the turn lane, listening to the rhythm of my blinker and taking in the scene across the street. It looked hot. It was hot. I dropped the window as I navigated the steep curb into Paul Miller Toyota and was immediately hit with a wall of humidity, making my way over to registration and the Machinelush crew who would show me to my parking spot. My skin was already glistening by the time I turned off the car. I unfolded myself from the driver's seat and stepped out into thick, stifling air, threw my camera on my shoulder, and looked around. I was already in good company; I was assigned a spot next to Steven Williamson in his dark blue 86.
The West Caldwell Police were on hand to help direct traffic and make sure people got safely from the overfill lots and back. Once clear of the curb, incredible builds flowed smoothly in and out as everyone got set for the show. Not everyone made it in unscathed; a few splitters and lips had a nice grind up the curb as some of the drivers in the lowest cars did their best to take good angles. Each splitter that hit the curb illicited a groan or a gasp from the perpetual crowd watching the cars roll in. This crowd knows as well as any; it takes grit, commitment and toughness to keep cars this low so clean and so awesome.
Music was bumpin' and Brakes and Briscuits brought the meats; the long line for food all day spoke to the quality of their goods. Machinelush had a merch spot setup next to Lighting Trendz and some insanely lit American muscle under their tent, which would reveal itself to be more and more cool as the sun faded. The Paul Miller Toyota showroom boasted a pristine late-90's bone-stock Supra, and was the first thing on anyone's lips coming through the door. Also on the showroom floor was a fully-built 86 of recent ilk courtesy Eric Wang, a classic example courtesy @initialdream86, and brand new models of the GR86 and Supra.
The lot was organized into colors of 86's, with a line of OG's facing north towards the dealership. And what a line it was. These cars are the origin stories Marvel comics dream about for their superheros. Each example was tastefully up-kept or modified to fit the owner's ideal, and each one was cleaner than the last, even when there were clear signs that these cars were not just show queens; they were driven...and hard. I personally loved seeing all the ITB's, looking like tiny nuclear power plants skewed off to one side of the block.
There were a number of brand new GR86's around, but the largest contingent was the recent models (2012-2021) of BRZ, 86 and FR-S, in various states of modification. A few had the catalog thrown at them; @rocketsharkgt86 and Eric Wang's black 86 in the showroom were both wide-body conversions with every aftermarket piece imaginable replacing the stock counterpart in their respective themes. I was personally smitten with @rocketsharkgt86 as there were a number of aviation references on her, including a Danger: Intake on the intake under the hood and No Step on many of the aero bits adorning the outside.
As night fell, some special guests showed up; one of the original movie star Supra's that survived filming of The Fast and the Furious made an appearance (with much better fitment on the wheel choice, in my humble opinion), and a Skyline GT-R V-Spec (R34) became the nuclear center of attention shortly before the show closed.
The lights got brighter as the sky faded from its vibrant pink sunset to the deep dusky blues, and cars began firing up and heading out. Every few minutes a new engine would bark to life and rumble to the exit, carefully navigating down the steep curb once more on the way out. The local Police continued making sure everyone crossing the street had safe passage and every car leaving the venue had time to slowly execute a skewed exit, trying to minimize damage from the curb.
As I gave my thanks and said goodbye to my Machinelush friends, most of the lot had cleared out. I buckled my camera bag into the passenger seat, pushed in the clutch and fired my Subaru up, and was approached by a showgoer asking about my car. We gushed about the platform for a little; he asked about the trunk size and I hopped out and showed him the trunk, explaining that I had fit an entire drum set and a mountain bike in there at different times. I forgot to mention it would also easily fit four mounted race tires in there too.
I idled my BRZ out of my parking spot and picked my way to the exit, gave a peace sign to a photographer in the lot, navigated the curb, and cruised off into the night. I turned the music off so I could hear the song of the boxer, and she sang to me all the way home.
TachWork Media would like to thank Machinelush, Lighting Trendz, Brakes and Briscuits, and Paul Miller Toyota for being such excellent hosts on our first 86 day. ~ Nicholas Pascarella // @nicksglasseye