Experiencing Australia Through the Automotivelense
I. International Appeals
I didn’t think I’d get to travel internationally at 25; much less, I didn’t think that what would lead to that was a simple Instagram conversation I had two years ago with my friend Sarah. To think that cars would guide me through life as they have, a much younger me wouldn’t believe it, but yet, it happened. The friendship I developed with Sarah, meeting her for the first time in the summer of 2018, helping her promote Status 2019 by voice acting in an ad, the constant support we gave each other, I must have been blind to think I wouldn’t end up in Australia for Status 2020. It didn’t feel real until I stepped off the plane in Australia back in February.
I left the US to fly to another country for the first time in my life, no plans, no expectations, but I knew that I was going to attend Status 2020 and support my friend and that’s what mattered to me. In those first two days in Australia I was making friends with the team of photographers Sarah had assembled that were staying at the “Status House” and shaking the dust off, getting back into the mode of shooting. There I sat at a table with more Americans than Australians, people that I had known of for awhile, but it was our first time meeting. I knew there was a whole slew of talent that Sarah had invited out to Australia to cover her show, but I didn’t anticipate that I’d become such great friends with these people who before this trip were names I knew of on Instagram. In the coming week we would all experience Australia in a way I don’t think anyone else had.
II. Status Week
It was the second shoot of the week for Josh, and it was the second one that we all tagged along to, although unlike the first there weren’t also about 40 people in attendance and this time the subject was a bit more my speed. The subject: a millennium jade green S13 hatch.The similarities to it’s more powerful R-chassis brother doesn’t end there. At its core lay an amalgamation of an RB engine, the adequately dubbed “RB27”, which is a bored and stroked RB26 block mated to an RB25 head. Much like it’s engine, the base Type X S13 is married to a wide variety of different aero pieces.
Starting from the front and dipping even further into the GT-R similarities, the Type X front bumper has been modified to fit legitimate N1 GT-R ducts. The custom work doesn’t end there, wrapping around the car is a composite aluminum, completely custom made front splitter and side skirt combination. DMAX rear canards, Garage Mak aero ducts and a mental looking diffuser finish out the lower aero. The widened presence of Bruce’s S13 is owed to the Koguchi Power fenders and quarters, just ever so slightly hinting to the beefy R34 GT-R that inspired it. Before I could get photos of the engine, Josh and Bruce had started getting ready to shoot rollers. Not wanting to interrupt the video process I gathered those I came with and we returned to the Status House.
Once I had returned, I was faced with a decision: Do you want to go shoot VW A or VW B? I’ll be blunt, I wasn’t very excited at the prospect of shooting a VW, but given that option 3 was to sit at home I chose to go with option 1, the VW. After 30 mins of driving Kyle and I were crawling down a dirt road, with me behind the wheel of his R36, which ironically I grew to love. Surely, I thought this couldn’t be the location; what driver in their right mind would take their lowered car down this road? The road curved, the chain link fencing on either side nearly squeezing the car and when it finally parted we were greeted with a gated off Chinese temple that was under construction. A phone call later and we were inside; my decision had paid off. I was greeted by a handful of cars I didn’t think I’d get the time of day with, not to mention the amazing location that served as our backdrop.
Again I was faced with another choice, a Supra, an R34, a VW R32, an S14, and Bruce’s S13 all filled my vision, but which one would I shoot? Due to the nature of our presence, I set out in a proverbial whirlwind of shooting, capturing as much as I could, but never focusing on one subject for too long. I didn’t end up talking to most of the owners, so the details of the individual cars are lost to me, but I will say that SSR SP5s are a very popular wheel down under. How long were we there? I’m not sure, but I know we weren’t there long enough. It was over as quick as it started and after a quick rendezvous with the rest of the Status media team for Italian food, the day was done.
The following morning we set out for the 12 Apostles, a six hour round trip with a procession of illegally modified stance cars along with us. A photographer, an open highway, and a cool car means rolling shots were bound to happen. What could go wrong? Much to my relief not very much actually went wrong, outside of a stern talking to from a countryside police officer. From the moment those lights flashed until we got down the trail I was certain we were doomed, but thankfully we were allowed to continue on our merry way, no defects in sight.
After a late evening and an early rise being crammed into the backseat of a WRX wasn’t exactly pleasant, but the payoff was worth it. It’s not often I actually stop to take sight of the surroundings of nature, I’m always too busy shoving off someplace in particular to stop. The craggy cliff faces were the first time I really felt someplace alien since I landed in Australia, but my awe of the unfamiliar was short lived as my trek to the beach ended with me having completely soaked pants as the sea attempted to swallow my sleep deprived ass whole.
Our return trip had us take a spirited drive down a mountain pass, but before we could get home coastal Australia decided to take us for a spin again. A BMW 125i that was with us had a tire completely debead mid corner, which impressively didn’t end with a spin. As repairs were being made, I took it upon myself to make the most of a bad situation. Nick had parked his R34 sedan perfectly alongside the road and so I began doing what I do best. One roadside photo session with an audience of a field of cattle and some Australian ingenuity we were back on the road. Upon our return to Melbourne we enjoyed HSPs and some well deserved sleep.
A late start and the realization that our time in Australia was running short sent Tyler, Colton, Kyle and I in a frenzy to get together for a final full day of shooting. Being behind the wheel while we spent considerable time searching for locations was starting to grate against my psyche. Our frustrations were mounting as we could not get in contact with anyone that was willing to meet us for a photo shoot and to Tyler’s dismay I took a wrong turn on the way to our final location. We ended up on a tollway towards the docklands and I made the executive decision to steer us toward Pizza Societe. My ever growing hunger made me want to stop for Pizza, but sensing the disappointment in the car I drove further past the restaurant into the docklands to continue location scouting. Unsurprisingly, the docklands contained a boatload of locations to be used, but we still had no car. As luck would have it, we wound up with more than we could wager.
Returning to Pizza Societe we were greeted with a parking lot full of all manner of cars. Pizza Societe served as a rally point for everyone who was in Melbourne that week for Status and by the grace of God we were there at a time when everyone else was. My hunger quickly vanished as I was enamored by the surrounding cars and so did everyone else’s. During the process of scouring the parking lot my food deprived brain began to hatch a plan: I should see if I can find the owners and maybe shoot one of these things. Working far faster than I, Tyler found me and announced “I’ve got four cars for us to shoot, including that Crown!” Before I could register what was happening, we were back in the R36 with four cars in tow. A part of me wishes I would have shot more than just the two that I did, I couldn’t be happier with what I was able to capture.
My first subject was Luke’s URAS kitted R34 sedan. The usually narrow sedan was given proper GT-R presence, but the deep maroon color and Work x JDM concept GT5s toned it back creating an almost European super-saloon aesthetic. It was a nice mix of performative presence and under the radar aesthetic hinting that underneath it’s sedan styling was a more than capable chassis.
The sun was setting and I had three cars left to shoot, so I took my pick and chose the one that spoke to me the most. Shannan’s Crown Majesta practically screamed to me the second I saw it in the Pizza Societe lot and with the spots in the immediate vicinity being used, Shannan drove me further down the docklands. What was supposed to be a quick shoot turned into something much longer than I anticipated. How could it not? A period correct VIP Crown Majesta was something I had never seen before and I wanted to capture as much as I could. After an exhaustive shoot that spanned three locations Shannan was kind enough of a soul to let me drive it back to Pizza Societe. Upon our return the crew enjoyed the sights of more cars rolling in as we ate and once both our stomachs and our eyes had their fill we retired for the evening.
The early bird gets the worm, and Josh and I got a very special worm, an R34 GT-R with all kinds of goodies. Our first location we were set to meet at wasn’t quite our speed and seeing as how we were only 10 minutes from the docklands we happily skipped back over there. Back in familiar grounds with mid day light gave rise to many more locations than I had initially gathered. Carting Josh around to and fro gave us plenty of opportunity to grab rollers and properly explore the docklands. I gave Josh the room he needed to shoot, but I was still able to snag a handful of shots. While there’s plenty to talk about with Phuc’s GT-R, the devil is in the details and I’ll have more of those later. A short cruise to the city center blasting 80s jams Josh and I had linked up with the rest of the Status media team and we were off to the Stance | Works cruise. After an exhausting couple of days I had my fill of shooting, with the show the following day and the light fading I opted to enjoy fish and chips with the crew of Josh Castle and Kyle. The beach side swathed in fading light dotted with a plethora of cars eased us into relaxation, in a way preparing us for what would be Status.Seasonal the very next day.
III. Showtime
It was the day of the show and relaxed wouldn’t describe my state of being. I was feeling the lack of sleep knowing that a long day was ahead and my first task of the day was getting everyone to the show in Kyle’s R36. I don’t drink coffee, but blasting Kyle’s VR6 powered wagon down the highway engaging in immature humor with the passengers is a hell of a substitute. When I finally arrived for the last time at the venue I was hit with a wave of disbelief. Years ago I edited a photo set that Sarah had shot here, last year I had seen countless photos and videos from this very same location and finally I was there.
As the morning rolled into the afternoon more and more cars continued to roll in until the show finally began. What was an empty venue when I first arrived that morning was now filled to the brim with an extensive variety of cars. Showing my favoritism, the majority of my photos from the event seems to focus on the abundance of S-chassis and Nissan products in attendance. The S-chassis I hovered around came in every flavor, from period-correct styling to contemporary stance. I didn’t only photograph Nissans though, some classic Aussie flavors made an appearance; one Holden UTE and two Ford Falcons in particular caught my eye. The stanced look surprisingly worked with the modern Aussie muscle, at least to my American sensibilities.
Some cars I happened to recognize from Instagram, like Cam’s insanely static LS400 and Mike’s E30 Estate. I followed Cam into the show that morning and watching him almost beach himself over a minor dip to get in made the unscathed bodywork that much more impressive. The interior had it’s appropriate drug dealer sheen, helping establish that VIP aesthetic with just a touch of Aussie flair. Mike’s E30 has been a car I’ve known of for quite some time. I’ve watched his countless iterations over the years and getting to see it in person after all that time was another experience that left me awestruck at where I was standing. It was the first car I came to know in Australia and seeing it at Status really brought about that “full circle” feeling.
It was sometime around midday and I was feeling the exhaustion kick in. I hung out with the fine folks at the Saint Side booth for a while and as much as I wanted to sit and relax, I still had a job to do and no it wasn’t just to take pictures. My final task for the day would become the height of my amateur voice acting career. There I was an American with a convincing Aussie accent, at least according to the several Aussies I conversed with, microphone in hand and what responsibilities were given to me? I was to announce the awards for the show. Nervous doesn’t even begin to describe it, I had to shake out the nerves in my arms after typing that. I put on some voice that I described as “radio announcer meets game show host” and I called the attention of the crowd. I fumbled through raffle tickets making jokes at my own expense to break up the fact that despite me calling hundreds of numbers no one was winning. Curse words were said, my Aussie accent came into play, and by the end of it awards were given out. The whole time I was on the verge of losing my composure and several times I had to turn aside to laugh with Sarah at how ridiculous this all was, but I can say that those initial nerves quickly faded and even though I was tossed possibly the largest curve-ball I’ve ever experienced, I was able to handle it somewhat competently. Hell, several people after the fact told me I did a good job and that it was funny as hell, so in my mind I succeeded. Maybe now I’ll try to do stand-up, who knows?
IV. Curtain Call
After I tortured an audience with the sound of my voice for god knows how long, for me the show was pretty much over and I hid my face for the remainder of it. The venue slowly emptied and eventually we all loaded up into the car and headed back to the house, save for poor old Josh who had to uber back due to the lack of room for him and all his video equipment. Every time I look back onto the show this cartoonish smile spreads across my face. I’ve been to so many shows across the US over the years I’ve lost count and Status.Seasonal is right there among the best of them. In only two years Sarah has created a show that draws a massive crowd that hails from all over Australia and beyond their borders. The impressive display of quality comes with no sacrifices all due to Sarah’s rigorous selection. Far larger shows with more heritage in the states still to this day fail at executing this concept to a similar level and it’s baffling just how well it was done at Status.
It’s very rare to meet someone like Sarah who’s able to make something concrete with their passion. I’ve always known her to be a very driven person and I knew that she could tackle anything she set her sights on, but being able to see her accomplish what she set out to do in person and being there to help as much as I could meant the world to me. Getting to see your friends succeed at their goals is inspiring and heartwarming, and being able to help them achieve them, even if it’s a small contribution, is even more so. I am so immensely proud of Sarah, not only because of what she accomplished but because it’s shows like hers that help ensure that the culture that surrounds cars continues to flourish and grow, which is especially important in a country like Australia. I cannot wait to see where she takes Status next and I’m hoping that I can continue to come along for the ride.
In no part would this trip have been as amazing if it was not for the people I got to experience it alongside. I met so many for the first time in travelling to Australia and shared so many moments with them it would be impossible to chronicle them all, so they will be relegated to my memories that I will never forget and always cherish. There are far too many people to be named, but I am greatly appreciative of all those who I got the fortune to know on this journey and I hope I get to see you all again very soon. Australia has been very kind to me and so were the people along my journey there and I hope that in writing this article I’ve paid an adequate tribute.Thank you so much for the memories and here’s to hoping we all can make many more together.
