Having left the comfort of my humble home in Australia to try my luck in the land of opportunities, I arrived in the USA some 3 weeks ago in the city of Portland, Oregon. I spent my first few weeks acclimatising to the weather, which although it is apparently Summer here the temperatures are still in the low teens, as well as battling jet lag. But that’s all behind me now and I’m itching to get out there and see the local talent of the JDM scene. As you are probably aware, the rules in the US are a little more relaxed when it comes to how you can modify your car while still being able to drive it on a public road. So after a quick browse around on the web I found a little group here in town called The Red Door, which is like a smaller version of our very own Downshift in that they hold a meet in a designated area, have permission from the local businesses on lot and the local police help to keep undesirable activities at a minimum by regular patrolling. The guys responsible for the meet, Aaron Dayton, Devin Hosking and Dan Preston wanted to create an event with a chilled vibe where the local JDM and Euro enthusiast could get together and mingle.
The result, a weekly meet of a 400+ strong gathering of gear heads and a very relaxed atmosphere. Whats not to love.
Hardtail Sally has been Steve Haines ongoing project since his first RDM meet. Not having seen another Rat Rod Benz around the scene, he set about getting Sally as low as he possibly could without using bags. That’s right! This Benz is static.
You never know what to expect when you arrive on a new crowds grounds. What little I knew about The Red Door meets, where that it was meant to be a small affair held by a couple of the local lads for the JDM scene. I was blown away by their “small” meet! It gets so busy that cars are often swamped by floating crowds of people.
One of my favorite aspects of the meets are that there are no boundaries between the car and bike scenes. Whatever kind of ride you are into, you’ll find a warm welcome.
Jon Dillon has been on the build for the last two years with his turbo LS powered RX-7 . Pulling 430 rwhp on a modest 6lbs of boost, the turbo setup made only 1/10th of a second difference over the quarter with 12.2 @ 108mp/h as the clutch couldn’t handle it. Just recently he has rectified the issue with an upgraded clutch and flywheel and should be seeing some quicker times in the future
Sometimes just getting through the crowd to a parking spot can be a long process as Logan Schilling is finding out in his custom V Dub.
There is always room for some old school muscle.
It doesn’t seem to matter where you go in the world, the drift spec Silvia is never far away.
Thomas Powers has been crafting his immaculate WRX since 2006 when he bought it stock. Since then he has added a list of modifications as long as his arm including a set of custom two Piece Motegi Traklite 18″ wheels, some goodies from ARC and a JDM Type RA transmission with ACT stage 3 clutch kit. Complimentary trim has been added to the exterior with front lip and skirts along with carbon wrapped hood and boot lid. Very tidy.
You can’t fake fitment. Or a car bra apparently.
Age is no excuse at RDM. This gentlemen makes a regular appearance to remind the young guys here that one day, if they work hard, they wont have to fix everything with a zip tie.
There’s always time to strike a quick pose when you are with your pride and joy.
Sultans Ruslan has only had his Mercedes C43 AMG for the past four months, but a true gear head, he is never satisfied. There is always just one more thing he needs to turn his attention on, so with forged internals and Eissenmen exhaust system some form of forced induction is surely just around the corner for this Dark Knight.
It’s not uncommon to see a few Hookahs getting around the area either.
Allen Shapiros TL Acura has got to be one of the cleanest examples I have seen since I arrived. Tastefully modded with 19″ Varrstoen wheels tucked in via a Skunk 2 camber setup and a full trim of Type S body trim. These along side a full black out leather interior and the TL Types S quad tip exhaust for a nice note, and you have got one smooth ride.
I definitely have a soft spot for the original VW Beetles. They are absolutely timeless with every generation from the time of their conception enjoying them and no doubt of the legacy fading in our lifetime.
These had me stumped at first. The Honda Rukus starts like as a fairly ordinary ( if somewhat ugly) scooter. But people here are fond of stripping them down to nothing, throwing extra long swing arms on them and an assortment of chrome touches.
Not having the Po-Po breathing down your neck about your ride. Priceless.
I only saw this car the one time at RDM, but man!
So from the other side of the Pacific, this is how the crew at The Red Door roll. If you ever happen to be in the Portland district on a Sunday evening, try heading down under the Belmont Bridge. Just follow the crowd.
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