In the spirit of giving back to the community, the Purist Group hosted its 7th Annual Winter Toy Drive and Car Show at the Industry Hills Expo Center in Industry, California. The event collects toy donations for several local charity organizations and schools, while also showcasing hundreds of unique, exotic, and vintage cars.
Last year’s event collected over 16,000 toys, and its popularity continues to grow. Regarded as the biggest event of the year for the Purist Group, rough estimates counted 500+ cars rolling through the main entrance this year.
Heavy hitters included Newport Beach Lamborghini and McLaren, and the Porsche Club of Southern California, to name a few.
Founder of the Purist Group, Sean Lee, created the Winter Drive as a “car meet for a cause” to give back to the community by collecting toys. The show benefits underprivileged, less fortunate children and families who are living in Orange and Los Angeles Counties.
“As Purists, our passion is not just for cars, but to support and elevate the community through our charity work. We continue to make a change in the community, thanks to all our volunteers and local law enforcement. Purist’s Winter Toy Drive event was a rewarding experience for the entire Purist family. As all of the toys we’ve collected have brought smiles to kids’ faces and ultimately made an impact on the community,” says Lee.
As I entered the show, this Porsche 996.2 named Reichwërcmeister with its custom body kit and Gulf livery immediately drew me in.
LTMotorwerks took this Porsche 996.2 Carrera 4S and modified the factory body to fit an Old&New slant-nose widebody kit.
Air Lift Performance suspension aggressively tucks the Savini 19×10-inch and 19×13-inch forged three-piece step-lip wheels on all four corners.
Among the hundreds of cars in attendance was Sean Lee’s 2020 Bayside Blue 50th anniversary R35-chassis GT-R.
Aggressive would be an understatement when describing these two Lamborghinis. The Huracan LP610-4 and Aventador were both outfitted with Liberty Walk wide body kits and lowered using Air Lift Performance suspension.
The Liberty Walk LB-Works Aventador kit is a limited edition design that costs $55,000 for a fiberglass kit or $59,000 for the carbon fiber option. Toss in the cost of a fender exchange core charge at $3,240, minus shipping costs, and you too can own this exclusive kit!
The Liberty Walk LB-Silhouette Works Huracan GT kit looks to be a bit more affordable at $39,000 for the basic fiberglass kit. However, if you include an optional carbon fiber engine hood, expect to pay an additional $6,800.
Want to include dry carbon fiber into the mix? The kit with a rear fender exchange will rack up the cost to $59,830. That’s a lot of cheddar!
Hats off to Jordan Cohen, owner of this JZA80 Supra, and his ability to wire tuck an engine bay that has more wires and ancillary hoses than a Subaru WRX.
There is a mysterious allure with widebody cars, and Neilson Ballon’s Liberty Walk Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe delivers just that. Ballon’s AMG sits on a custom Savini staggered wheel setup.
A pair of Recaro Sportster CS seats reside in the vehicle, and a custom Studio RSR delete panel along with a custom roll cage replaced the rear seats. Under the hood lies a Weistec Engineering stage three supercharger that delivers an impressive 700 horsepower at the wheels.
Toprank International Vehicle Importers came to the event with a few JDM cars in tow. Among them was this pristine Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Evolution II with only 41,000 km on the odometer.
This early ’90’s model Evolution in Athens Silver comes equipped with a 4G63 turbocharged engine that delivers 252 horsepower. According to the company’s website, this particular vehicle is currently available for $23,995. Is anyone interested?
If wearing mud is considered a badge of honor, this Lexus LS400 wears it proud! While car show attendees typically wash their vehicles before an event, this car receives some mud splatters on the paint.
“Who says you need big bucks or 4WD to have some fun,” says Natasha Adams, the owner, and builder of this off-road machine. Her Lexus was purchased and built with a custom lift and 31-inch tires for a mere $1,300.
Speaking of off-roading, I had a chuckle when I saw this 4WD Toyota Tercel attempting to show-off its suspension travel.
The custom Home Depot PVC snorkel with a tie-down strap was the icing on the cake!
MP Built Speed Shop based in Port Reading, NJ—in collaboration with MD Interiors—debuted their World Time Attack-inspired GT-R at this year’s SEMA show. In support of the West Coast-based performance and tuner shop, Evasive Motorsports, the contrasting red and black livery was applied as a tribute.
The R35-chassis GT-R was outfitted with a modified Varis Version 2.0 Kamikaze aero kit and Voltex rear wing.
Complementing the aero modifications was a fully-built VR38DETT engine and a rare set of 20-inch GT-R Nismo wheels produced by RAYS wrapped in Toyo R888R tires.
During last year’s Purist Winter Drive, we missed out on the opportunity to see this iconic GT-R but found ourselves pleasantly surprised to see the infamous Autobahn legend making its return.
The Blitz ‘R348 Autobahn Project’ is as legendary as they come. This R34-chassis etched its name into the Stuttgart record book with a blazing 343.35 km/h (213 mph) top speed on the famed expressway and became the fastest car on a public road. It edged out the RUF CTR ‘Yellowbird’—which held the unofficial record of 342 km/h (212.5 mph) at the Nardo Ring. At the time in ’99, the ‘Yellowbird’ was regarded as the fastest production car in the world.
Following the high-speed run, the car was loaded into a cargo container and shipped overseas to the United States to compete at the Silver State Classic. The SSC takes place annually when State Route 318 is closed to the public, and competitors test their top speeds on a 90-mile stretch of the two-lane highway. The 850 horsepower GT-R ran into fuel issues during the event but still managed to squeeze out an average of over 290 km/h (180 mph).
The GT-R has remained untouched in a time capsule for the past 20 years, even down to the exterior decals. According to the vehicle’s current manager, the 2.75-liter engine and Blitz K5 850R turbocharger were all still intact. The only change on the car was a swap from its original Dunlop treads to a set of Michelin tires due to old age.
Inside the cabin, the car featured a full interior, still runs on pump gas, and even retains the factory ECU. Other than the roll cage, fire suppression system, Blitz carbon fiber seat, and boost gauge, the GT-R looks factory spec. Notice the wear and tear on the door bar due to the constant entering and exiting of the car. Also, don’t mind the kid. The continuous yelling of, “I want this car,” were quickly squashed with my stern reply of, “College fund, or GT-R? Take your pick!”
Dana Balthasar’s ’15 Lexus RC F with a TRA Kyoto Pandem widebody kit features an attention-grabbing exterior wrap. Moving to the footwork, an Air Runner air suspension system and Work VS-XX 20×10.5-inch wheels in the front balance nicely with a wide rear wheel at 20×12-inch, all of which shod in Toyo Proxes T1 Sport tires.
Under the hood sits the factory 5.0-liter V8 with a few upgrades including a Takeda intake, PPE unequal length headers, and the Armytrix Valvetronic stainless steel exhaust system complete with dual burnt tips.
This year’s SEMA Show was better known as the Supra A90 convention, with dozens of the newest Toyotas on display ranging from mild to wild. It was no surprise that some of the cars showcased at the Las Vegas Convention Center were also in attendance at this year’s Purist Group Winter Drive.
The Rocket Bunny/Pandem widebody kit for the new car was just released. Still, you wouldn’t know it by the amount of Supras already outfitted with its pieces.
Sitting beside the R1 Concepts Supra was this E30-chassis BMW with Pandem/Rocket Bunny aero. The kit adds-on an additional 50mm up front, while the rear over fender extends the backside 75mm.
Don’t mess with Darth Vader and his Galactic Empire!
Whether you like it or not, electric cars are quickly evolving, as consumers and performance enthusiasts are taking notice more than ever. Recently, Bisimoto Engineering even debuted its all-electric Porsche 935 racecar with a Tesla power plant at SEMA. The ‘love it or hate it’ Tesla Cybertruck was introduced last month, and Elon Musk promises it will revolutionize the utility truck market.
The RAESR Tachyon Speed Electric Hypercar takes EV to the extreme. Capable of reaching a top speed of 240 mph, the Southern California-designed vehicle produces 1,250 horsepower and 3,650 lb-ft of torque from six electric motors with a total range of 150 miles.
Both a fighter jet and Le Mans Prototype racer have inspired the futuristic vehicle, and the cockpit’s canopy shows the striking similarities.
This street-legal electric hypercar hugs the road with low (39.5-inch) and wide (81-inch) dimensions. Its high-tech pre-preg carbon fiber body brings the vehicle’s weight to a scant 2,980 lbs. A carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb belly pan, a Kevlar interior canopy, fully adjustable aero flaps, traction control, and a chrome-moly tube frame design are just a few of the features available—and why special-orders start at $850,000.
Check out this dual-purpose rear wing on this track-prepped Mitsubishi Evo.
The owner of this ’94 Mustang was looking to increase horsepower but decided his 302 V8 wasn’t up to the task. Rather than equip a blower or add a turbocharger into the mix, he yanked out the engine altogether and installed a 2JZ-GTE. Yes, the same venerable inline-six-cylinder engine found in the JZA80 Toyota Supra.
At first glance, the engine looks to be a perfect fit. It could easily be mistaken for a factory component if not for the Toyota logo embossed on the carbon fiber valve cover.
This Mustang would almost pass as a sleeper if not for the AEM Performance Electronics boost and air/fuel ratio gauges.
Among all of the supercars at this year’s event, this Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione II was one of my favorites on display. The most successful vehicle for the Lancia brand and its rally program was the Delta. From ’87 to ’92, Lancia consecutively won the Group A manufacturers championship, a record which holds to this day.
This car ruled the rally circuit. When compared to the standard Delta chassis, the Integrale features larger brakes and an updated suspension, including new front springs and dampers. What remains identical is the proven 4WD drivetrain, which helped the Delta HF dominate Group A rally. The final version of the Delta series was the Evoluzione II.
Unique to the Delta is the permanent four-wheel-drive system, which uses a rear Torsen differential mechanically splitting the power. At the center of the 4WD system is a viscous coupling differential that divides the torque to the front or rear wheels.
If you missed out on this year’s Winter Drive, make sure to mark your calendar for 2020. Admission is free to all spectators but comes with one special request: bring a new unwrapped toy valued at $10 or more to support a good cause and spread some holiday cheer!
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