Smooth Operator -
Eashan’s 1978 Corvette
Manual
The Four Horsemen
Themed Photoshoot -
FAST LANE
Noah’sCaliforniaSpecialS550
Person of the Month - GhostCaughtPhotos
Hachi Roku -
Matt’s FR-S
JaNUARY 2024
Owners
Issue 6
SmoothOperator
I met Eashan
a few years back through the automotive and modeling community here in Arizona. Since our first interaction it has been obvious that he’s a really friendly and charismatic guy. Very humble but even more driven. When he showed up to this photoshoot wearing a suit matching his car, I knew we were about to create something special.
How did you get interested in car?
Cars have been a lifelong passion of mine. I remember one of my mom‘s closest friends telling me that when I was three or four years old, I came to her house and she handed me some colored pencils and paper and I drew a Corvette C5. As I got older, I wanted to learn more about what goes on under the hood and took on quite a few jobs building and modifying thousand horsepower Porsches and McLarens, amongst other domestic and imports. It’s really the late night browsing YouTube videos of Stacey David builds before an exam or going on a cruise that set car enthusiasts apart from the general crowd.
Tell us about your Build
It’s a 1978 Corvette, C3 L82 four speed, manual numbers, matching car. I’m the second owner and bought the car from the original family in Monrovia, CA. The car is totally redone while still being a frame on build, but the motor was decked, bored, and given a new forged crank, rods, aluminum pistons, and aluminum AFR heads. Long tubes also went on, as well as a new lightweight clutch and flywheel, custom interior with handmade copper shift plate, and a custom single stage paint job to pay homage to the ‘70s.
WHat work have you done on the car?
I kind of went into some detail in the last question but a set of side pipes was mated to the long tube headers, and pretty much had wrapped the whole way out the side. New set of rally center caps and rims, new headlights, tail lights, stereo speakers, and a galaxy flake paint job for the engine bay and accessories. I still kept the factory aluminum intake and valve covers and air cleaner to sort of give it a sleeper look, if you will.
Do you have any further plans for the car?
I’m currently a medical student, so I actually just ended up parting ways with it recently to help out with tuition for the upcoming semester. I’ll definitely miss the car. Poured a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it and plenty of pushing from a dead stop when it was in progress. But those memories are forever.
What are your favorite places or times or seasons to drive?
Since the car was in the shop for a good six months for a majority of the build, I would occasionally take it out in between exams, or during the winter months when the factory heater outshined any modern car haha. Pretty much everywhere I went I always had a lot of attention with the build and all kinds of folks, both young and old really love the car.
FAST LANE
Noah and I
work at the same company together, so I’ve been seeing this car five days a week for a few years now. I thought it was about time that we got together and made a little photoshoot happen. These images, along with the video that we created, were the result of a classic early morning Arizona sunrise.
Tell us about your Build
My car is a 2016 Mustang GT California Special. Ever since I was little, there was something about the Mustang I always gravitated towards. Originally I wanted to get the S197 model as a kid but once I was older the S550 came out and I went with that.
What have you modified on it?
As far as work done on the car, it’s been basically all cosmetic. The car has been completely wrapped orange with black racing stripes. I added GT350 fenders and a carbon fiber wing, as well as 20” wheels with 285 tires in the rear and 255 in the front. Performance wise, I did add an intake and new exhaust. As of now I’m happy with the car. Maybe in the future I might add to the performance side of things but for now I don’t have any plans for it.
How did you get into cars?
I was first introduced to cars by my stepdad. He always had a sports car when I was growing up. First it was a Corvette, then a 2010 Viper, followed by a Porsche Boxster. So being around sports cars was nothing new for me and I knew one day I wanted my own.
What is your favorite driving scenario?
My favorite time to drive would be during the winter at night. Mainly late on the freeway when it’s empty, there’s just something nice about cruising with windows down and music blasting. Also any place there are winding roads, those are also fun places to drive.
GhostCaughtPhotos
I’ve only known Ghost
for a short time, but our mutual love of photography made it very easy to connect. As we sat discussing the topic of creativity over a cup of coffee, it became more and more clear to me that he’d make a perfect addition to this month’s issue. The following pages contain our conversation, along with original photos taken by him.
How did you get into Photography?
Have you ever seen an ordinary moment in real time and observed in that creative mind’s eye thinking “wow that would be a great photo”?
If you answered yes like myself then you know that one doesn’t get into photography. You simply find photography is in you. You can’t ignore that creative mind’s eye once it is discovered. So I’ve had those creative moments constantly since my early twenties. This innate creative mind’s eye found form where all creativity finds form.
I was at the Phoenix Art Museum one day strolling around when I came across a gallery of black and white photography. True art inspires, baffles and demands action. As I studied this black and white photo I realized this was true art. This baffled me. How can a photo with no color create this emotion of awe and why can I not pull away?
This bafflement and beauty led me with no choice but to sit down and figure out how to do that. I wanted to take photos and emulate emotions of awe and devotion. So I after that experience I decided to learn how to take photos in hopes of emulating what I saw in that photo at the Phoenix Art Museum.
“Creativity is a formless eternal... it yearns to be discovered by us.”
- Ghost
What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
I enjoy black and white photography the most; I also enjoy finding photos that include architecture, nature and light.
My style seems to be a more candid capture. I look for the boundaries of light and darkness, emotion, and geometrical symmetry.
Do you have a dream project?
Firstly to find that photo that emulates the experience in the art museum, still hunting. I would like to create a coffee table book comprised of photos and poems inv which each would verbalize or visualize that which is hidden in its counterpart.
What does creativity mean to you?
How much time do we have? Ha ha ha, seriously I don’t know if I have the mental IQ to comprehend and communicate creativity efficiently. I’ll try.
Through my experience creativity has taught me it is energy… a formless eternal energy first. I also have come to understand creativity in photography specifically is finding something new in what already is. Creativity is an endless search in all that I do in “creative acts”; in relationships, in science, philosophy.
I found creativity permeates my personal history and my present. Creativity is simply an act of finding, constructing and communicating an idea. Creativity yearns to be found and formed by us.
The Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen OF THE APOCALYPSE OF THE APOCALYPSE OF THE APOCALYPSE OF THE APOCALYPSE
“I am Pestilence the Conqueror, the first of The Four Horsemen come to claim your world. I am eternal, and my task unwavering. I do not require anything to sustain me.”
- Laura Thalassa
“When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse, went out; and to she who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from Earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to her.”
Revelation 6:3–4 NASB
“When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a white horse; and she who sat on it had a pair of scales in her hand.“
Revelation 6:5–6 NASB
“When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and she who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with her. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the Earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the Earth.”
Revelation 6:7–8 (NASB)
Hachi
ROKU86
As is the case
with many car owners I shoot with, Matt and I first started talking on Instagram. Being a huge fan of the FR-S/BRZ/86 platform, I sent him a message and asked if he’d be interested in shooting at this train museum. The result was a fun late night photoshoot with lots of light painting.
How did you get interested in cars?
From a young age, I’ve always been interested in Hot Wheels and I used to collect all the games and tracks. Growing up more led me to jump into movies like The Fast and The Furious, Hot Wheels Acceleracers, Speed Racer and that pushed me to be more excited for driving and getting into the car scene in general.
Tell us about the build. What kind of car is it and what made you want to get it
Talking about movies I watched, I also got into anime. There’s this little “underground” anime called “Initial D”. You might’ve heard of it but that’s what led me to get a brand new 2020 Toyota GT86. I always liked the idea of owning a RWD car since my first was an ‘04 Corolla LE, and Initial D got me hyped and seeing FRSs and BRZs on the road definitely had me locked in for an 86.
What work have you done to the car?
I’ve built the 86 to mainly be a grip monster, so for suspension it has 8k/6k Fortune Auto 500 with TRD sway bars. For wheels I’ve got 18x9.5+43 TE37’s SAGAS in Diamond Dark Gunmetal, wrapped in 265/35/18 Toyo Proxes A/S. Front suspension has some polyurethane bushings, along with adjustable end links by SuperPros as well. Nothing really done internally but an Injen SP intake, and the exhaust set up (at the time of this shoot) was just an MXP Comp RS catback system.
Do you have any more plans for the build?
As for the future of the car, there’s going to soon be some massive changes coming. I’m most excited for the engine, but mainly looking forward to how balanced I can make the car with more power. I love attacking corners so I’m very excited to see how the journey goes with balancing out the 86 and making it a full on race car.
What are your favorite places or times or seasons to drive?
My favorite places to drive would have to be MT. Lemmon all the way up in Tucson, it’s a very long windy road with an awesome scenic route as well so both driving fast and relaxing during the drive makes it the best for me. There’s other places I’d love to check out as well, but MT. Lemmon so far has got to be the best.
Haveagreatday! Comingnextmonth;
