There so are many facets to car culture. There’s old guys in American hot rods, young guys in JDM tuner cars, and urban cowboys in lifted pickup trucks. During the summer months each group has their own shows. But Toronto in January leaves a gearhead very few options.
So when ‘SupernovaHK‘ posted on social media about an ‘underground’ car meet, car guys from around the city were picturing the car meet from Tokyo Drift.
The location was parking garage below a bank out in the suburbs. Without residential traffic to complain, the spot seemed pretty safe from police harassment. The only worry was whether the engine noises were masking a vault break-in upstairs.
Upon arrival, the number of late model BMWs was really obvious. Some of these are big dollar cars. A white BMW 440i announced its presence, and a twin-tubo, robin’s egg blue BMW M2 Competition was hard to miss. Also, everyone at the show was speaking Cantonese and after a few minutes we realized the HK in ‘SupernovaHK‘ meant Hong Kong.
Never doubt that cars are a universal language. Upon our arrival in the 20+ year-old Subaru WRX, fellow gearheads cane right over to say hi and check out the car. One young couple started inspecting the Bugeye for rust around the rear fenders (very common with this vintage) and nodded in approval at the successful bodywork done by Tony at Carstar.
A super friendly fellow in an Alfa Romeo also came over to chat.
He seemed a little out of place too (despite being from Hong Kong) and privately griped that the old Italian guys that run the Alfa club always post pictures of their events after they happen, so he never manages to attend them.
There were also some vintage cars bracing the cold and the salt. A navy blue 1997 Saab 900 built just before the company went under, plus a decade old Volkswagen Golf Mk7 with gold aftermarket wheels still looked sharp. There was track-ready late 90s BMW 328i convertible with a hardtop affixed for winter.
About a year ago, politicians effectively outlawed car meets in York Region by establishing massive fines for even being a spectator (sounds like ‘Footloose‘ for cars). But this meet in Markham (within York Region) was well hidden. Finding the parking lot was a bit of a challenge, but that was probably the idea.
Even though Subaru is considered a ‘cheap’ car compared to a Mercedes or BMW, there were quite a few of the World Rally Blue crew. A stock, second-gen Subaru BRZ was parked just around the corner from a red first-gen BRZ with incredible Chinese graphics on the side. The owner of a white, 6-month-old WRX proudly told everyone it was the ‘base model’ and explained all his customization plans.
The Supernova show was a blast. A small, discreet location, a wide variety of cars (one guy even brought a Bentley before we arrived) and an overall inviting atmosphere made it the best show of 2025 so far.
Great story. Great video. Great idea to have it in a parking garage!
Hey,did you ever see Fast & Furious TOKYO DRIFT?
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When the white guy moves to Japan, his new friend takes him to a car meet in a parking garage. I thought this kne would be similar. But no blasting music or racing up the ramps. Cant ein ’em all.
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I hope you liked the video. Tried to keep it short this time.
I regret to inform you I have yet to watch *any* of the fast and the furious franchise. Sounds like hooning to me. 😂
I love the videos. Wanted you to stop by whole foods so I could compare some prices with usa whole foods. Wondered if that last bit of the video was from a go pro on the front bumper? You didn’t take Daniel along? And I watched this entire video at 1x speed. You are good at what you do!
Ok, ok… first things first. Tokyo Drift is a movie exploring xenophobia and the plight of the American Indians. It’s just wrapped up in a movie about hooning yo get people to watch it. But the director had an important message to convey.
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Second, I have never been inside a Whole Foods jn my life because I know they’re going to charge me $20 for an organic, unleaded, non-GMO head of lettuce. Yet we all know that GMO adds flavour!
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Finally, the camera was suction cupped to the very front of the hood, pointed backwatds. I tried the roof, the dashboard, and the windshield,…then I edit it together as best I can Sometimes when I drop Daniel at the subway station on a Friday night, I just take his car to a show for fun. Then I send him a picture of what his car is up to. Usually, he figures it out from the 1AM speed camera ticket he gets in the mail thanks to me.
What a dad! Keeping the lines of communication open with the younger gen.
Point taken about Whole Foods. People also call it “Whole paycheck.” wonder why.
Thank for explanation about the movie. Definitely sounds like it has some soul. Will add to watchlist.
It’s easier to drop the kid at the subway than pick him up from the police station for drunk driving.
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And if you’ve managed to go 25 years without seeing a F&F movie, maybe they don’t belong on your watchlist.
Yes and I repeat, but seriously this time. You are a good dad.
We shall see. I do love movies with heart.