Tuners can be a finicky bunch. Each has his own take on style and performance when it comes to project cars, and just as diverse are the many ways these enthusiasts find parts and - should the need arise - service.
Since the start of the current sport compact tuning bubble in the '90s, the availability of options has expanded as the market has grown. Now Pep Boys Auto, the national chain of aftermarket parts suppliers, has joined the list of choices with its own hot rodding outlet, the Pep Boys Speed Shop.
We got an invite to the grand opening of the first PBSS, which was set up in the Downtown LA Pep Boys on West Washington Boulevard over May 30 and 31. The hook for us was the car show, but the affair also provided vendor product demos, giveaways and a smattering of automotive celeb D-listers like Casper Canul and Barry Meguiar. Plus we got to check out the Speed Shop.
The "shop" is tucked away in Pep Boys' larger-than-average store in Downtown LA, and boasts performance-related products that can usually only be found online or at independent specialty shops. It caters to enthusiasts of all stripes, from lovers of sport compacts and imports to muscle cars and hot rods to trucks and off roaders, and offers convenient services like nitrous oxide recharging.
For the grand opening, Pep Boys parked a few sport compacts inside the store, creating a handful of SEMA-like displays. Leading the motionless parade was the resplendent-in-blue Impulse Engineering SR20 S13, followed by Galpin Honda's Accord Coupe, Injen's S14 and the DC Sports G coupe.
Out front, the menu was a ton more varied in the car exhibition, a crazy mix of tuner cars, hot rods and restos, lowriders, bikes and off-road vehicles. We also saw booths from the likes of AEM, which brought out its sick Legacy, and Vibrant Performance, with its own Subaru in tow (a WRX STi).
Team Hybrid was reppin' imports and brought some of its most killer member cars to the event. Our favorite was the insanely tidy fifth-gen. Civic coupe rocking the B implant (though the red and black Evo VIII was a close second). The swap was clean, all the right accessories were in place, and she rode on white Volk CE28Ns, contrasting perfectly over the Spoon calipers - we couldn't have done it better ourselves.
Of the restored machines, our vote went to the RX-2 that showed up halfway through Saturday. Then there were the cars that were a little bit of everything, like the Redondo Beach Police Department's drag-racing FC RX-7, sporting a huge V8 under hood.
The biggest thrill of the day, though, was getting to check out a stock Ford GT. Yes, a bit of an anticlimax, but we don't care what anyone says - that car is badass. It was the first time we ever got a good long look at the car's 550hp, 5.4L supercharged V8, four-piston Brembo calipers with cross-drilled and vented rotors at all four corners, and all the other go-fast paraphernalia Ford threw at the car.
The grand opening was good, and as for Pep Boys Speed Shop - don't consider it the second coming of Super Autobacs (RIP), but more like the Summit Racing Catalog come to life. For the nearest location, call 1-800-PEP-BOYS or visit www.pepboys.com.
www.pepboys.com
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