- Crown SpeedLab celebrates an anniversary with its 3rd annual Block Party hosted on the streets of Flushing, NY.
- Promoted with the help of Prime NYC, the event draws hundreds of clean and notable JDM builds from the Northeast.
- The Block Party shut down three New York City blocks with the support of NYPD and local businesses.
DOWN FOR THE CROWN
Crown Auto has been in business for more than 40 years; however, much of the car industry has never heard of them before. Why? Well, that’s because they’ve made a living building and customizing commercial work vans and utility trucks. It wasn’t until four years ago when a new subdivision of Crown Auto was born called Crown SpeedLab. It was with the SpeedLab where the Crown Auto crew began selling aftermarket parts, performing installs, and building complete project cars to cater to the performance world. While only a few years old, Crown SpeedLab has already made a name for itself, becoming one of the most well-respected and liked shops in the Northeast region. They’re heavily involved in grassroots track days, car meets, and supporting largescale events like the New York International Auto Show. But, what’s got people talking about Crown SpeedLab the most is their annual summer Block Party which turns the streets of New York into a celebration of modified car culture.
THE BLOCK IS HOT
The concept of a block party is pretty foreign to me because they were nonexistent in the suburbs outside of Seattle, where I grew up. In big cities like New York, though, they bring resident communities and local businesses together as public streets are closed off to make way for food stands, vendors, music, games, dancing, and more.
2021’s Block Party was Crown’s largest to date, expected after pandemic restrictions canceled last year’s event. The seven-hour affair is completely free to attend as hundreds of custom cars piled their way into Flushing. The vibe and flow of the Block Party were something I’ve only experienced there. Sure, it had the right typical ingredients for a successful car meet with a laidback atmosphere, lots of quality builds, and local restaurants on-hand, but the New York City setting was something special. Working with the city and police department to create a one-day festival on city streets is far from easy, but Crown SpeedLab took all the extra steps to make it happen. There was never a dull moment, and you could almost pull up a lawn chair and watch cars cruise in and out and simply admire the enjoyable ambiance.
I had a blast at the event, ate some ridiculously delicious jerk chicken, and enjoyed taking photos from the early afternoon until just after sunset. Crown Speed Lab’s Block Party was a huge success and something I’ll remember for years to come. Some people said it felt like a scene out of first Fast & Furious (minus the racing). To me, it just felt like a step in the right direction for the car scene. Being able to host a cool, organized, and safe event with the aid of the city and local PD is what we need more of, especially with street takeovers giving all of us automotive enthusiasts a bad name. For something like this to happen in Southern California would be challenging, with all the red tape to cut through, paying for all the permitting, extra police force, and more. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong one day as I feel the vibe of the block party is something to be experienced and intertwined with the car scene, but until then, the Crown SpeedLab Block Party is something to add to your calendar and make a point not to miss it.