Photography: Nelson Queralta Article: Guest writer Michael Myers Todays feature is from our trips to Dallas Texas during the Formula Drift event and Offsetkings car show back in September at Texas Motor Speedway. We’re highlighting all the amazing battles and rivalries on the track ripping sideways to get the gold. During the show we decided to catch up with our longtime friends from Team Nemesis. We consider them family as they have embraced State of Stance with open arms and gracious hospitality. While catching up we noticed a lot of changes since we last covered some of their team last December in Houston at Wekfest. One of...

Do you ever think to yourself and ask why do we do what we do with our cars ? Why so much prep work for a show that people will just look at your car and keep walking ? Its all because of the passion and the love to keep the scene alive and that’s what we noticed in Ariel’s G35. Every day it gets more and more difficult to make sure you stand out. Once Ariel laid eyes on this G35 he already knew what the game plan was for it. Looks were his main focus so soon after he bought the car he went with a set of K Sport Kontrol coil overs to comfort his ride and height. After some motivation from TruFitment’s leader Johnny he...

The year was 1996 and I had in front of me the latest issue of Super Street. Before opening it, little did I know my automotive passion was forever going to change. You see, gracing the pages of this particular issue was a double feature of Tod Kaneko’s famous red S30 and ’73 510. It was the first time I had ever seen an s30; mind you I was 13 years old and my automotive knowledge back then was very little, oh and this thing called the internet? Let’s just say it wasn’t so abundant. Anyways, the second my young unmolested eyes laid their sight on the absolute beauty that was in front of them, my romanticism with the Nissan...

Kickin it Old School JPN Garage Z Car Photography by Steven Martinez Words by Nelson Queralta Jr Oh boy. Where do I begin? Just look at the photos. That’s Central Florida. That car is within the borders of the United States. I mention that because when I see the photos taken by the very talented Steven Martinez and, I see the car built by the founder of newly-opened JPN Garage Fernando Reyes. All I can think and feel is West Coast style and Japan vibes. Can’t help it. Ok first, let’s start with a little background on the owner of this gem. Fernando is originally from New York and moved to Puerto Rico when he was ten years old. He’s...

Barca’s B Segment Art99 Performance   Photography by Jerome Rens Words by Sergio Ramirez   Simplicity is key. Whether it be in the workplace or in your everyday routine, you have probably heard the saying, “Less Is More,” and nowhere else is that more evident than in the next set of photos that we’re about to share with you. Our good friends at Art99erformance in Barcelona have sent in this spread of photos of a set of customer cars that they have finished building, one lovely b6A4 and a b8A4. Fresh out of the lot the cars do not really scream much, but to a true enthusiast like Albert they SCREAM...

Road to SEMA Joni Paaso   Words by Emil Garcia Photography by Joke Simonen The Road to SEMA Winners have been Chosen and we are happy to present to you our first winner Joni Paaso. Joni hails from finland, the land of amazing rally drivers and when his corolla came into our submission box we already knew he was a front runner to win a spot in our contest. This 2005 Toyota Corolla is not the every day econobox we are used to seeing state-side. Joni has taken his Euro exclusive corolla and bathed in Alfa Romero 8C Red, a color that is eye catching on its own. The Corolla sits atop KSport Air Suspension and DZ1 Wheels are bolted to all...

Small World, Big Build Photography and words by Nelson Queralta My photographic collaborations here at State of Stance usually come as assignments. When shooting a feature I initially see the car, then start to get an idea on where I want to shoot it. At the same time I get in contact with the owner, which most of the time I end up meeting for the first time the day of the shoot. Car owners are awesome; they’re always willing to help so the shoot goes smoothly, whether it’s driving to a remote location or moving the car around multiple times to get the right angle. Knowing this, I always plan everything out before so I can be the...

Passing the Passion to the Future Planting the Seed Now for a Future Scene Photography by Rolando Diaz The one thing that bothers me the most about our scene today is the division. It seems like only a few years ago when we started State of Stance, we tried our best to break down all the walls and represent a global automotive culture. One in which everyone’s individual state of stance was appreciated. Where hardparked stance cars and track stance cars park side by side, where JDM elitist and Muscle car guys share tuning tips. Still, years later, we still seeing these dividing walls amongst our culture. Yet there is still hope. Ron Hughes...

Old School Swag Down South E30 Photography by Nelson Queralta Words by Emil Garcia Every now and the phone rings and on the other end is a request that we cannot turn down. This was the case with Guillermo Rodriguez’s 1991 BMW 325i , after hearing that the car was complete we headed over to make sure we got first crack at it. Guillermo has been a part of the local drift scene since his days with his original E30 and S.N.S Gang. As usual life happened and people went on to do their separate things. Guillermo however never lost the urge to build, after finishing a Subaru build with his father, he took to a new E30. In the eyes of the...

Godzilla’s Dark Side Strasse Forged GT-R Photography by Raymond Niece Words by Leo Diaz Godzilla, in direct translation means “Giant Monster”. To most, the word conjures up images of the world wide pop culture creature first seen emerging on Japan’s coast in Tomoyuki Tanaka’s 1954’s film self-titled Godzilla. To other is can only mean one thing; the giant monster of the automotive scene, the Nissan Skyline GT-R. This dark horse you see here is a meaner version of the arch nemesis of Mothra. It is a twisted version of Nissan’s flagship performance vehicle. While Nissan exported the Japan-only built car mainly to Hong...

Mile High M3 Strasse Forged M3 Words by Emil Garcia Photography by Chris Carrillo We here at SoS are all about working with locals. We share a town and a passion, why not help each other to reach common goals? The guys over at Strasse Forged contacted us with a feature that we could not pass up on showing to all of our loyal readers. The beauty shown here is a 2013 BMW M3, it wears Strasse Forged’s R10 (F:19×9/R:19×10). The wheels have Titanium brushed centers, with fully polished lips. Do not let the nice stance fool you, This “beemer” is outfitted with almost every Active Autowerks bolt on you can think of....

Trust Issues Art99erformance A(RS)5 Photography by Jerome Rens Words by Sergio Ramirez If I had to sit down and count the number of people I would trust with certain aspects of my life, I would have a very short list of people, and believe it or not, it would be an even smaller list if I was to think of those I’d trust with putting their hands on my car. My car is an expression of who I am, what I am capable of, and my vision/taste. I’ve had an ongoing friendship with Albert Alonso, owner of Art99erformance in Spain, and let me tell you, if there was one person I would have 100% certainty would do quality work on my car, it would be...

Air it Out Vossen Accord pt.2 Photography by Nelson Queralta Words by Emil Garcia Some time ago we featured Jorge Alvarez’s CS1 accord coupe, previously it was static on Vossen CV2. Things have changed since the last time that we saw this car, and for the better. Jorge’s has gone through a rather drastic transformation. Instead of his previous set of coilovers, Jorge now rides around on Airex full digital air suspension, and he has ditched the Vossen CV2s in favor of newer Vossen CV7s (20×10.5) For those of you who have seen the car previously, you will have notice that the interior has also received an overhaul. The guys...

Concave Controversy Static 240sx Photography by Nelson Queralta Words by Emil Garcia As humans living on the wonderful blue marble, our judgments are predisposed. Based on our prior experiences we make up our minds on things before having all the facts. This 1998 Nissan 240sx is a perfect example of how our judgment and eyes can deceive us. Luis Garcia purchased this 240sx as a bare shell 6 months ago, and by bare we mean bare, there was not even a gas tank present. Once the shell touched base at his Miami, FL home Luis quickly got to work. The vehicle received all new bushings, suspension arms, brakes and of course… a gas...

Art Basel 2012 Britto Porsche Photography by Phillip Riggs Words by 9 Magazine From December 6th through the 9th, Miami Beach, Florida, will host the 11th edition of Art Basel, the most prestigious art show in the Americas. More than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa will take part, showcasing works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibiting galleries are among the world’s most respected art dealers, offering exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers. Special exhibition sections feature young galleries, performance art, public art...

Go To Work Neighborhood Stance Photography by Nelson Queralta Words by Emil Garcia Have you ever been driving through a neighborhood and you see a car that makes you slow down and take a long look? of course you have, its happened to all of us. Rick Alvarez happens to own “that car”. Residing in Hialeah, FL, Rick has always been a part of the local scene. From Civics to 240sx’s to  S2000’s Rick has dipped his hand in pretty much anything significant over the past couple years. Flash Forward through his line-up of vehicles and we land on his current project, a 1998 Infitini Q45. Like every other car build, this...

Worth its Weight in Gold Project AU79 Aventador LP700-4 Photography by Nelson Queralta What can be said about the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4; it is a two door rocket ship that was unveiled by Lamborghini at the Geneva Motor Show one February day in 2011. Production on the 690hp Supercar is limited to 4000 units, especially since the molds used to make the carbon-fibre monocoque last about 500 uses and only 8 molds were made. As exclusive as this four wheel drive, 217mph top speed monster is; add to that the exclusivity of Project AU79. What is Project AU79 you ask… Project AU79 is the brain child of Prestige Imports |...

3SDM From The Ashes Where Euro Flare meet Japanese Style Photography by Jasper Ash   Jasper is not just an important contributor to State of Stance. He is also a tuner much like all of us. He has a car, which he loves, and enjoys modding as much as we do. That is more than evident in his latest setup. Much of us remember his Scion tC on Roti’s or on the ever popular SBC Enkei RPFs, but this last set of wheels takes the car into another level. Blending the car’s Japanese-esque lines with the very euro style of the 9.5″ wide 3SDMs is bold, it’s classy, it’s sexy, it’s just damn genius. Wheels alone don’t make...

Smile for the…Camry? Not the Usual Words by Emil Garcia Photography by AL Captures Melbourne, Australia; home of kangaroos, dingos and stanced Camrys… The Toyota Camry holds the crown as the best-selling mid-sized sedan in North America, but to this Australia Native it is a very “un-projecty” Project. This 8th generation Camry was your normal run of the mill family car until Rhys put his hands on it. The Camry received the visual treatment via RK-sports lip kit. The Rollers are SSR Professor MS1s (F/19×9.5 R/19×10), and the car sits static with D2 coilovers. Being as Rhys is a man on a mission; he continued...

Don’t be a Square The Finest Cube Words by Emil Garcia Photography by Pablo Rodriguez Ever feel that sometimes life can be a little… square? This is exactly how Jose Perez Felt when he started building his 2010 Nissan Cube.  Coming from the tropical island paradise of Puerto Rico, Jose was a local in the car scene. He started off on his Cubed journey two years ago with purchase of the car. Soon after the build bug bit him and a slew of parts began to surface on the car. The car is lowered on KSport Kontrol Pro with Rotiform TMB (f/ 18×9.5 +25 r/ 18×10 +25) on every corner wrapped in Nankang Rubbers. Outside the Car...

Retro Modern Bought hre a Present Photography by Nelson Queralta It was about 11 years ago that I met Eddie Figerio. I had just started modding my first S2000 and he showed up at the shop looking for some tuning direction on his BuddyClub piggy back. There were obvious similarities amongst our tuning styles and he and I hit it off very quickly. That S2000 later saw 19″ HREs and a large turbo setup. It was that first set of HREs that made him fall in love with the wheel brand. It happens that every car he’s owned since has also carried the HRE brand. So it was no surprise when they appeared on his current project; a 2009 BMW...

BeardLife FC Because Beards Are Awesome Photography by Nelson Queralta BeardLife (in case you don’t know) is a blog dedicated to beards, cars, drifting, and culture. As bearded brethren, I have personally been a fan of the blog and movement for several years now. The proprietor, known to friends as BG, is an automotive junkie like the rest of us; spending more time at the track than anywhere else. Over the years we talked at events and meets and I have always been interested in his drifting projects. Most recently his LS powered FC. While he modestly states that the car is not yet ready or up to his standards, for me it is perfect the...

The Scion FRS Sports Heritage Photography by Nelson Queralta The Scion FRS has a great sports heritage going all the way back to 1965. They took no shortcut to continue that heritage with the release of the rear wheel drive Scion FRS.   We were able to get our hands on one recently equipped with ISS Forged wheels and wasted no time getting it into the studio. I really do like the lines of the car and the weight and balance truly make this a really fun car to drive. With a plethora of aftermarket companies already offering parts for the FRS, we are really excited to see what other tuners will build for this year’s SEMA...

Mark My Words Bagged Jetta Photography by Chris Cruz Here is a car that we basically stumbled upon. It is one of those clean cars that can sometimes be overlooked, but once you notice it, you don’t stop looking. The owner works at a local Hyundai dealership, buried in a sea of Korean engineering, this little German hides very modestly. That is of course until we spotted it.   She was not so shy once in front of the camera. It was then that we really were able to appreciate the smooth lines, air suspension and great fitment of this car. Take a skim through the mod list and you’ll soon see that there is more than meets the...

Real Steel | Part 3 of 3 Snow White and the Four Steelies Photography by Divan Shepherd We make our way back to Cape Town, South Africa to bring you Real Steal Pt 3. As you may remember a few features back, we brought you two civics that had taken the Cape Town stance scene by storm. These two very unique vehicles are proof that the scene reaches every corner of the globe.  This Particular vehicle has been given the full head to toe white out treatment. The Civic sits on Renault steelies that have been custom tailored to 15″x8″ and 15″x9″ respectively. By way of many modifications this civic has been set to play...

King Nothing Bow Down Photography by Eric Lopotosky Shane Thumma, owner/operator of STD Customs hand a wrench in his hand as soon as he could make a fist. With his father a mechanic, Shane was always around cars and usually bad ass customs. When Shane was 11 he built his first small block all by himself, with his father watching over his shoulder.  His love for cars and his Dad always working on them, allowed Shane to hone his craft in the custom car field. While in junior high school Shane got his hands on the finishing end of a street rod due to his father being incapacitated. Although he may do this work alone, inspiration is also...

Blue Ribbon Z Nessen Forged Nissan Photography by Mick Harris Mick Harris has done a great job of building quite the impressive Nissan Z with a very long list of modifications. Normlly wild kitted cars don’t wet my whislte and tend to get overdone, however Mick has found a fantastic balance in agressive styling and clean well put together parts. Everything on the car flows nicley to create a car that looks, drives and sounds amazing. Take a moment and read through the long list of mods and you gain a much higher appreciation for this build. Keep an eye out as this car is getting some serious attention. Already published in...

One Fairlady Lonny’s NISMO 370Z Photography by Erik Lopotosky Some things are masterpieces and need very little to no altercation to be jaw dropping and thrilling. Lonny’s NISMO 370Z is one of those cars. Clean, simple, and to the point; a driver’s car calling for the nearest canyon road. ...

Because Racekor The Legend Behind the Racekor Photography by Steven Martinez There are cars and then there are cars. What I mean, simply put is that there are cars that you see on the road and say; “Oh cool.” Then there are cars that you see and the image is branded into your memory banks with a glowing red prod that says WTF! Flat black, sitting on flat black CCW Classics, staring at you with big bug eyes, just waiting for you to dare it to do something… This is that prod wielding car; a car that defies all tuning styles and themes to truly transcend the aura of a driver… a driver known simply as Manny. Manny Collazo, one...

Reel Steel | Part 2 0f 3 Orange You Glad Reel Steal Is Back Photography by Divan Shepherd

Your My Boy Blue Georgie Why You So Blue Photography by Jacob Tompkins George Guevara chased this car for about 3 years, he wanted to purchase it from the original owner. He says he truly fell in love with it the first time he saw a picture of it. Its that kind of passion that makes for great builds. Never really having a car he went to far with, to Georgie cars were like socks. Then this one came along and stuck to him like toilet paper on the bottom of our shoe. Its current state might be deceiving as it took a lot of work to get it to this point, and for him there is still a lot to go. The interior is being re-upholstered; Sam Huessien...

Real Steel Steelies Gone Wild | Part 1 of 3 Photography by Divan Shepherd   As the fitment scene continues to overtake the globe one city at a time, we’ll be there to bring it to you. As many of you may already be aware Cape Town, South Africa is slowly growing as a fitment community. Watching this style of tuning extend to the far reaches of the planet excites me. Here are two Civic from Cape Town that are already turning the heads of locals. While parts are still scarce in many areas and some modifications are illegal in many countries, this has not stopped those with a passion. From shortened Monroe shocks up front to...

Its All In The Details Realizing Small Things Make Big Differences Photography by Hector Chacon There are different ways to build a car. You can prepare it to shred through cones at an autocross event, give it the corner balancing and power to weight of a perfect road course car, or throw on several coats of wax and tire shine and take it to every show you can drive (or trailer) it to. Then there is yet another way, however it is a path that is commonly over looked and that is precisely what Karl Izler has done with his MKVI GTI. He built it as VW should have from the factory, using tons of OEM parts and some quality aftermarket bits to...

Special K CeeJay’s K Powered CRX Photography by Michael Bartley I met CeeJay a while ago, when he was contemplating getting the Volks for the car. He was in search of the uber rare State of Stance Approved sticker and every time we ran into each other at an event he mentioned it. The car is super clean and very well built. It was only missing the right set of wheels, and with that I told him several times I could not give him one. Then the wheels arrived and my jaw hit the floor! The perfect touch to an already immaculate build. An approved sticker made its way onto the car and since then I have been waiting for the opportunity to...

A Bug’s Life One Unique Bug Story Photography by Hector Chacon Here is a story about a bug, a bug that found a new life in a young guy’s scene. Casey started this build in July after selling his MK4 Jetta wagon. Sourcing this VW from an older gentleman who had it out in the lot, it was flat electric blue and really needed some love. After purchasing it, he took it home and started the rebuild process. Custom leather seats with full black carpet, white headliner, JVC radio with a 12″ Sony xplode Sub went in. Wanting to keep the flat look on the car Casey went through some different colors; flat blue and flat army green,...

Scooby Snacks Austin’s 2004 Scooby STi Photography by Hector Chacon I met Austin Periu over instagram. He follows us (@leo_stateofstance) and is always commenting on our pictures. Turns out he’s local and I ran into him at the VisionAutosFL drive. I got to see his car in person and talked to him for a while about the scene, his car, and his future plans for the STi. After talking cars and swapping build stories I knew I wanted to share his car with everyone. Especially since he shared his plans for the car; I wanted to lock it in photos now, so that we can follow his build and do a follow up feature when he’s done. I can...

WORKing It Out NYPD Roadside Service Photography by Edward Perez As a photographer I am always looking to find the next feature. This one came courtesy of New York’s finest. I had recently moved to NY when I spotted Leo Garcia’s Accord pulled over by NYPD. I pulled along the side of the road and creeped up on the passenger window. While the officer wrote up his ticket, he and I exchanged a few words and business cards. After some time of communicating he mentioned the car was ready to shoot and we coordinated. So I want to thank the boys in blue for finding this feature for me… LOL. Enjoy! INTERIOR Hyper White LED all...

Avant Garde Advanced Simplicity Photography by Ian Kosiek I got to see some behind the scene snaps of Travis’ A3 and I knew it was a build I wanted to share with all of you. It one of those cars that makes it look easy. Clean, wheels, and low; but there is so much more than meets the eye… The A3’s body is smooth and clean, with gorgeous lines. Travis spent a lot of time deciding which wheel would compliment those lines the most. After seeing the amazing fitting set of Rotiform BWEs I would say that he made a spectacular choice. The wheels where only part of the build, air controlled by Accuair’s e-level really...

Take Two MB Battles, Battle It Out Photography By Bryant Nguyen Last week we featured a 4-door Honda Civic on MB Battles. It happens that Ric Guerrero and I had been discussing shooting his car for some time. It was then that I knew I had to throw it up in the MB Battle Battle (say that 3 times fast). Two cars built similar, both clean, both lower|wider, yet each different in their own ways; each displaying their owner’s personality. In the scene its not uncommon to see similar builds, but what I love about that is that no matter how similar, the individual personality of each owner always comes through. Ric definitely added his own...

Keeping It Simple Simplicity Meets Beauty Words & Photogrpahy By Emil Garcia A Honda Civic sedan, not a car that screams Aggression. Well a Honda Civic is exactly what Kendall, FL native Christopher Ayme was presented with.  Chris took his normal grocery getter and set out on the path to make it a well stanced looker. Taking advantage of another local go-getter’s part out, he acquired a set of K-Sport Kontrol Pros and MB Battles. After a few hours of wrenching and tuning he was left with the car we present to you today.  This Honda Civic takes simplicity to a whole new level. Coils, Wheels, Done! A concept that Chris is sticking...

Black Cherry Pie Josh Fiallo’s Lexus IS Photography by Austin Carmody Austin sent me a sample pic of this IS the other day and I knew it was a car I wanted to share; clean, simple, low and wide. Squatting static on the VIP Modular VR05s courtesy of BC Racing coilovers and some custom bodywork gives this IS the lower|wider™ look. Well done Josh, hope to see more of your car soon! Exterior: Full Vertex lip Kit front and rear massive fender pull and shave 1000K Low Beams and 3000 Fogs JUN Roof wing Suspension: BC RACING Coilovers with 14K/12K rates VIP Modular VR05’s 20×9.5 + 5(est) and 20×11 + 14(est) 235/30/20 and...

Triple Crown Christmas Caroling Gone Wild Photography by Jasper Ash Occasionally we find a great looking IS that we’d love to feature. Then there’s Christmas morning when I wake up to find this seasonal trio of sexy low and wide cars. The family at State of Stance must have been nice this year for us to get such a great gift (Well at least that’s what the big guy thinks…). So we bring you this holiday greeting and wishes of a Happy New Year courtesy of JR Panganiban, Gustavo Padilla, and Peter Pham. Take a moment to appreciate the static height at which these beauties roam the streets. Peter and JR choose 19s, Volk and Work...

Double Trouble in Titusville Titusville 240s Roam the Central FL Streets Photography by Viet Dang These two Nissan 240s owned by Nick Carrillo and Eric Miller are a great example of what can happen when two friends build together. Sporting big front mounts and a lower|wider™ stance, its east to see why they would intimidate any rearview mirror. The wheel diameter of choice for these to street machines is 17″ with widths ranging from 9″ to 10″. BC Racing coils bring both of these beauties down to the ground. Don’t think for a moment that Nick and Eric chose a good suspension and wheels and called it a day. There...

Uzi Firing Squad  lower|wider ™ Styled Cabrio Photography by Jared Houston When one thinks about a Cabrio, they think top down, great weather, wind blowing through your hair and tunes jamming. Fuck that Ken & Barbie bullshit, this is the Uzi Edition Cabrio; and I don’t mean Modern Warfare styling. I’m talking slammed, tucking, poking, shining, and looking badass and clean styling. Brian Cook, known to most as “Uzi”, built this 1998 VW Cabrio with the lower|wider™ mentality. This of course is not his first rodeo. He has built an MKIV, two MKIIs and an MKIII. When it came to this Cabrio, he noticed that not many people where...

SoS Edition EK Armando’s EK Sporting SoS Edition CCWs Photography by Adam Frandsen   I remember the day like it was yesterday. Dan invited the State of Stance staff for a private tour of the CCW facility. After the tour, we proceeded to sit down and discuss a few ideas. One of which was State of Stance edition finishes for the LM wheel series. Two finishes where finalized that day, SoS Florida Teal and SoS Prima Donna. The SoS Florida Teal was the 1st one we debuted. So it’s a given that I was uber excited to see the finish rolling around on the streets. One of the owners of this limited State of Stance finish is Armando. Armando,...

From Puerto Rico with Love Brotherly Love Photography by Andy Ramirez On thanksgiving, we gave you sneak peek at the Corsa Brother’s ’95 Tercel. One thing we love seeing on State of Stance is builds that bring people together. This is one of those. Two brothers, Eric and Omar, aka the Corsa Brothers, put some serious brotherly love into this car and it is nothing short of an eye catcher. A true daily driver, this little Toyo has heart. Attackworks widened the rear fenders to hug the rear fitment just right and some custom suspension trickery ensures that this is the lowest static Tercel on the island. Due to its daily driver...

Absolut Golf Swedish Built, German Styled Photos by Hjalmar Car culture is global. No matter where you go you will find a car scene, and where ever you find a car scene you will find a stance sub-culture. Its in the stance sub-culture of Sweden that we find today’s featured car built by Richard Håveland. Richard, known to his friends as “Mingan” (yet he won’t tell why) not only owns this ’98 Golf IV 1.6 SR, he is also the proud owner of a ’78 Golf MK1. His passion with VWs started around 2009. It was around that time that he saw his 1st German styled car. Since then he has emulated that German styling...

It seems that no matter how many times I see white on white, I always smile. Maybe it’s the bias side of me, since I used to own a white delSol on white wheels; or maybe its the fact that white on white is just timeless and clean. Either way, when I first saw these pics from our friend Ross of ILoveDrivingSlow, I smiled. Xavier Suarez from Tampa has worked hard to get this Civic Si sitting just how he imagined it should. CCW came through with crisp clean white classics and fully polished lips. Well done Xavier, well done! For more on Xavier’s Si visit ILoveDrivingSlow and check out their upcoming WinterFresh...

Photos By: Ryan McCrae Words By: Leo Diaz Every now and then some of the stuff that crosses my desk is just ok, some is pretty rad and then some is just jaw dropping, eye popping, sik. To me, this MKII built by brothers Brook & Jayden Miller is one of those jaw dropping, eye popping sik cars.   It has a rat rod feel, yet embodies the rebellious youth of the Euro scene and then of course this mean little bugger rides a static 20mm off the ground, all day, every day!   Here is this MKII in action captured through the lens of Ryan...

Photos by: Hector Chacon Words by: Leo Diaz Car owner: John Power As I sit here looking at this feature, I’m cursing the Florida weather that didn’t allow me to publish this until now, this late in the afternoon. This was supposed to be a “morning wood” feature.. Oh well, ish happens and it happened this morning. But not even the worst weather was going to stop me from bringing all of you this eyegasmic S2000, creatively shot by our good friend Hector Chacon. Hector was kind enough to give us two sets, I was planning on releasing the sets separately, but since I delayed enough, I thought it would be nice to just...

Car: Lexus GS300 Owner: Kam Vaswani Word By: Leo Diaz Photos By: Rsellos There is a lot that can be said about the owner of this Lexus; Kam Vaswani. Kam is just like you and me in that he loves cars, loves modding and loves our scene. Then again he is nothing like you and me in the fact that he sees this lifestyle as a series of challenges in which he only wants to conquer. Oh, and conquered he has. He built this masterpiece because, “…thieves never get me down.” After having his K20 EG stolen and most likely stripped to shreds; Kam didn’t give up. Taking 1st Place at HIN Miami in the EG meant he could build a car that was...

Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when we featured the Blaze Orange EM1 with the K20 (Counting Pennies)? It’s part of a much larger crew (Kindred Impulse), which had cars breaking necks at Import Alliance this year. Today we bring you one of their heavy hitters. Justin Goad’s 2003 Lancer Evolution VIII. As a member of the U.S. Navy, Justin was found out he was embarking on a 7-month deployment. Think of it…   … a whole 7  months to rack up parts while your away.  A whole 7 months of extra money to spend on your car! When Justin returned to the U.S. he had roughly $5k in parts to install. He began with the...

Owner: Youssef Ch-hab Car: 2003 VW Golf GTI Words & Photos: Austin Carmody If you are part of the car scene in Tampa, Fl. then you already know this car. I myself have seen this car plenty of times at local events but had never met the owner. Luckly for me, I met Youssef Ch-hab at the perfect time. Just before our shoot, Youssef bagged his ’03 golf GTI and installed the R32 front bumper. He mentioned to me that this is just the begining of the car’s complete make over. OEM R32 side skirts have been ordered and Youssef is now debating between the OEM R32 rear bumper and a 20th AE rear valance. Being a self proclaimed...

As we strive to set State of Stance apart from the rest, we sometimes have to venture outside our hometown to award those who deserve the SOS approval. My recent trip to a small town known as Mandarin, located in the suburbs of Jacksonville, Florida proves that dedication and passion for tuning can be found just about anywhere. On day one I linked up with Miguel Paz, member of Team Kindred Impulse, and owner of the ’99 Honda Civic Si (EM1) we will be looking at today.   Working against the pressures of time, we rushed to find suitable locations so I had little time to admire the exterior. At first glance, the EM1 doesn’t appear...

G37 that is, but since he does, we’ll just call it the G. Normally a Mercedes guy, this Infiniti was a step away from the norm for Chris Enrique, but that hasn’t shown through at all. Everything you’d expect to see in a nicely modded Mercedes you can find on this Infiniti, simple, yet classy, and in what other color but silver?   With that said, Chris has his own style that many trends don’t influence at all, this G could easily be sitting on +5 offset 20x10s with 235s stretched on them but that isn’t what he wanted with this car. Some might say there are “flush” guys, and there are...

When is come to cars, minimalistic is not always the best building approach to get attention. But then again, builds should not always be about getting attention. Some builds are about the reflection of the owner. Some builds are about beauty through simplicity. Anthony Stagliano did just that with his ’04 Lexus GS300.      Rolling on VarrsToen ES 1.1.2 Hyper Black (19×9.5 +22 / 19×10.5 +22) and Achilles ATR Sport (225/35/19 front, 245/35/19 rear), Anthony’s car looks sinful as the fenders ever so gracefully snuggle the tires courtesy of Megan LP Coilovers w/ custom front RCA’s. As a resident of West Palm...

Nick Weber and his father are the sole principle of Nick’s Customs. A shop based out of Jersey that builds good ‘ole bare hands, torched, cut and welded rolling art. So it’s no surprise that Nick’s 1946 Chevy Pick Up is nothing short of a masterpiece. I called Joe to let him know I was coming up to chill with him at the next Formula Drift event at Wall Speedway when he says to me, “You have to see this truck I just finished shooting!” And after a quick pic he shot over to me my first reaction was; “Please tell me you shoot it for SoS..” And so here it is, Nick’s beautiful creation,...

While writing this up I can’t help to think about the first time I met Huey. It was at the Simply Clean 2 event. As I stood there watching everybody stare at his Civic in astonishment, I couldn’t help to think as beautiful as this car was, can he do it again? Well…Huey defiantly delivers. Huey known for changing rims like some of us change clothes, has also had people waiting for the next event to see what he’ll do next. Kind of like a band releasing new hits, Huey is not a one hit wonder. After sitting down and talking to him during a previous photo shoot I learned that he shared the same goal as me. Which was...

I met Mike earlier this year while at an event for AEG. Dan contacted me and asked if I had room in the booth for a sik IS he has just fitted with very aggressive LM20s. When it comes to CCWs and fitment, Dan is never wrong. So of course I said yes. While setting up, I get a call from Mike; he seemed to have been having some geographical issues and was in the wrong location. He was so lost that the event started without his car in the booth. I got some pretty heated stares as I was holding an empty slot (a big car show taboo). I kept saying, “Believe me, the car will be worth it.”  Then about an hour into the event, Mike rolls...

If I told you I knew of a car that had a license plate reading “TOO SICK”, your first question would almost always be “Well…is it?”  Well, yes, it absolutely is, and then some.  Peter Dimitrov’s IS250 is a clean and proper demonstration of what can be done with this chassis with some well thought out planning, and hard earned cash.  Thats not all though, he moves quick, he’s only owned this car for 6 months and has done work. Riding static on BC Coilovers and 20x9F and 20x10R +22 Work VS-XX wheels. Tanabe exhaust with SP2 tips custom fitted, and the GFX rear lip. Vertex front lip and Vertex...

Hello, I’m Divan Shepherd and I am happy to say that I will be bringing SoS fans and readers the car culture and the stance movement from South Africa. Here is a peek into our scene, keep your eyes peeled, as I’ll be posting up the goodies that my camera and I capture. From Cape Town, South Africa, meet Warren Scheepers aka Skippy (Imperial Red Civic) and Maurice Frosler (Silver Civic) aka White Comet. I’ve known Warren for a year, and his car has come a long way since our shoot in a container yard back then. The paint has no blemishes or swirl marks and it’s only driven occasionally. Rear and front bumpers have...

We all want to roll hard. To have that mean stance that says “I’m the boss!” And of all the cars that pull that look off, this is by far my favorite. The G has always been to me, a GQ version of the Z; a wolf in a suit so to speak. So it comes to no surprise that when this Seventh Letter roll up next to you, you just tuck your tail between your legs and stare. Brian’s set-up is neck breaking. Rollers are 20×10.5 & 20×11.5 with an aggressively stretched 235 & 265 accordingly. The fenders kiss the fully polished lips courtesy of Stance gr+ coilovers. All this stanced sexiness comes to a jaw dropping...

This entire royal wedding buzz has me going crazy. Royalty this, royalty that, but what is royalty if you are not rolling around in true VIP fashion? This stunning build by Nax Whitmore is the answer. This is VIP! This is royalty! This is how I’d roll if the world was looking at me.   We arrived at the shoot and set up, then Nax told me he was going to air down the car. I was like what? I though he was already aired out… Then he procedded to say, “but just a little cause my lip touches the floor if I go all the way down…” SIK! No stone has been unturned on this most gorgeous peice of art. From 20×10...

My coverage of Jorge Alvarez’s  Honda Accord during the v2Lab’s Big Meat did no justice to his build. What you see here is carefully thought out masterpiece.  Courtesy of a Megan coilover set up, the set of Vossen CV2’s, which are a crazy 20×10.5 all the way around, fit just right. Some of you may be asking: How does Jorge handle  the streets of Miami, on a 245/30 tire set up? Riding static with  tuck&poke. I asked him the same thing and his answer came at a time where we are pulling into a steep driveway…    …All I heard was the sound of scrapping metal.”Welcome to my world” Jorge...

Here on the East Coast we do things a little different than the Left Coast. When it comes to music, we prefer fist pumping house to urban hip-hop. When it comes to fashion, we choose button downs and dress shoes to tees and Birkenstocks. When it comes to women, we prefer a brunette in a mini to a blonde in jean shorts. And when it comes to winning, we choose Volk Racing over a tiger blood induced roof top, weapon wielding escapade. Sorry Charlie, we love you anyway! Miguel’s TL is the perfect example of this. Sitting low and wide on 19×9.5 +19 and 19×10.5 +17 Volk Racing SF Winning, his rim tucking escapades through the city...

Edward Perez hit me up and told me he had some snaps of an E92 that I just had to see. I looked at the first picture and I knew I wanted to showcase this masterfully shot Varrstoen E92 belonging to Carlos Castellano. I love the fitment, I love how clean and simple it is and I love all the shots by Edward. Keep an eye on Ed as he’ll be doing some more features and event coverage for us in the future. For more of this gorgeous car please visit Ed’s...

In the scene, there is no wheel more coveted than the always infamous BBS RS, a classic mesh design that has surpassed the years and remains ageless. Morphing from a vintage build to even the most late model cars, it continues to catch our eye. As did these two black beauties both sporting the mesh goodness so sexy that I think they beat Charlie Sheen’s Goddesses. Hailing from the West Coast of Florida is Sam Hussein. Sam’s tC is unlike many I’ve seen. While most Scion owners go the route of flashy mods and car show builds, Sam went the opposite direction and built a clean and simple ride that sits low and wide. Once...

Words by Leo Diaz Photos by JoseSanLuis Armando contacted us here at SoS regarding the RPM Event that State of Stance and Simply Clean are promting for this upcoming weekend. After some emails back and forth, I cought a glimpse of his GLI and asked him for more pictures… and he delivered. Beautifully shot by JoseSanLuis this prestine GLI shows what its like to be clean in the the dirty south. Sitting on fully polished CCW LM20s the stance is on point. Clean and polished against the rough and rugged backdrop. Well done Jose!   For more pics of Armando Enriquez’s GLI, visit JoseSanLuis’...

Words by Leo Diaz Photos by Hector Chacon What can be said about Sergio Ramirez’s Audi A4 can also be said about Sergio himself; “unique”! Sergio is one of the lucky people that live where most people vacation, a town full of nightlife, vices, art and of course style. So it is no surprise that this masterfully stanced Audi resides in the MIA. Step into Miami for the first time and you’ll be overwhelmed by the energy, a subtle touch of slow moving Caribbean life during the day with a intense pulse of hectic city nightlife when the sun goes down. You can’t help but notice all the design aspects that are infused...

Words by Sam Hussein Photos by Adam Frandsen What can I say about Huey Le’s 2007 Honda Civic Si?  Words do this car no justice.  The only way to truly admire it is to see it in person.  Huey bought the Civic back in December of ’09.  He enjoys being different which is very hard to do when you own a Civic.  It takes thinking outside the box.  So Huey started with the Habanero Red Pearl, because of its rarety due to its being a discontinued color.  With a plan already in his head he quickly got started buying parts and wheels.  Currently sitting on 17×9 Transparent Candy Teal BBS RS’s, these happen...

Words by Sam Hussein Photos by Adam Frandsen When you hear the term ‘wheel whore’ you think of low cost wheel swapping just to change up the look of a car. Lenny’s outlook on that is completely different. When I first met him a few months ago, he was rolling on 1pc Rotiform BLQ’s. Not even a week after that, he wanted to reschedule for another shoot since he had new wheels on order. Come to find out that he decided to go with 3pc Forged Rotiform BLQ’s. The fitment is so much better and the look, more aggressive. The way this Audi sits on the H&R coilovers just makes everyone’s heads turn whether...

Words by Leo Diaz Photos by Henry Z. De Kuyper, Super Street I have to say that this car really is one of a kind. I met Gabe early this year. He was more than willing to help with State of Stance and within no time was part of our staff. Getting to know him is part of appreciating his car. A graduate of the University of Miami’s engineering program (all about the U!), he has accepted a job as a Design Engineer for Honda Motor Co. in Ohio. Because of this move he has to say goodbye to his beloved purple people eater to get his career started. I will say though, that he did give me a sneak-peek at his next build and believe you me, it will...

Words by Leo Diaz Photos by Adam Frandsen Most of you will recognize Mike Williams’ car from the State of Stance event as one of the original Stanced40. As of this post, the car has gone to a new owner for a new future but not before getting shot by Adam Fransden for an upcoming feature in S3 Magazine. Once it hits the newsstands, go grab a copy! Congrats Mike! Can’t wait to see your next...

Words by Leo Diaz Photos by Joe Dantone Those of you that have been following StateofSTANCE for some time now, may remember the Abysmal 240 that I posted up. This S15 is no different, just as stunning, just as raw, just as mean and just as abysmal.   This S15 is reppin’ the East Coat hard and was captured beautifuly by Joe Dantone   For more pics visit his...

Words By: Leo Diaz Photos By: Adam Frandsen   This Jetta owned by Luis Cardona has one killer fist pumping stance. Lou has been in the Euro scene for over 5 years and started to feel things getting stale. He noticed that in the stance scene there is a wide variety of makes and models and so his wheel fitment addiction begun. The car began its life as his dealership’s Waterfest car before he got his hands on it. Since then the car has seen many stages before arriving to its current State of Stance. Don’t be surprised if next time you see the car its already looking different. Lou gets bored relatively quickly and jumps on new projects...

Words By: Leo Diaz Photos By: Raphael Velez The DC chassis is by far my favorite Integra body of all time. And the 4 door DB has always had a corner of my heart. When I heard that the guys at VelocityShop had to JDM front’ed 4 door DBs, my interest was instantly attained. It turns out that both of these cars go well beyond all the mother land facelifts and laundry list of brand names. Both of these cars boast serious under hood goodness. Both of the two most popular routes for tuning, either boost or K swap, are displayed in these shop cars. Sporting a K swap, fully polished Work wheels and a tuner’s wish list of parts, Avi...

JDM Styles | One SUPRA-sized Build Words by: Leo Diaz Photos by: FAL Photography & Squeek Studios As State of Stance continues to grow you will start to see more and more features on the site. These features will range from full race cars with sik track stance all the way to complete street cars with sik hardpark’d stance. Rest assured that we will only bring you features of cars that will make you want to just stare at the pictures over and over again. This car is one of those cars; sitting right in the middle of the spectrum. Not quite a full race car, but far from a daily driver. This 1997 15th Anniversary Edition Toyota Supra is a...