This year's annual event brought together people and cars for another great celebration of Honda automobiles! We put a lot of effort into putting together a fun and safe event and were happy to see this year bring in a great caliber of cars to show off. And a great caliber of people too!





In this recap we've assembled some voices and photos from Dyno Day 2014!

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First up, a message from Scott Z (President of King Motorsports Unlimited):

Dyno Day 2014 was a huge success! Our biggest yet! Amazing cars from all over the country, an impressive turn out of ITR's with an estimated 700+ in attendance! Wow!!

We would like to give a shout out to the staff at King Motorsports:
Bob
Chad
Frank
Mike S.
Tim

And our volunteers:
Anne
Ellen
Dustin
Joe
Nadya
Sean
Steve

With special thanks to our MC, HondaPro Jason!

Without their over the top help we could not have made this event happen!

And thank YOU for all your support through the years!

Can't wait for 2015!

==

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Next a recap from a regular Dyno Day attendee and King fan Calvin Quam:

New Berlin, WI was the place to be on June 29th, 2014!

With the weather working in everybody's favor after some early morning drizzle, the sun came out as the cars and spectators rolled in to the largest "Honda" gathering for Wisconsin. With more cars than parking, people came from all over to be apart of it all. License plates from over 16 states could be found on several Honda platforms, not including a few from Ontario. Many of these out of state plates came on one of the most lusted after chassis, the Integra Type R. Thanks to ITR Expo 2014 being held the following Monday and Tuesday at Road America(Elkhart Lake, Wi), many of the participants to that event came a day early to check out Dyno Day '14.

One unlucky ITR owner who drove from Florida had an unfortunate mishap, bending several valves on the way to the show. To the amazement of many onlookers, the head was removed for a parking lot valve replacement during the show. The smiles and cheers of joy when it fired to life were priceless, making you proud to be part of such a great car community with enthusiasts helping each other.

High revving dyno pulls, well-built show cars and great food provided by local Boy Scout Troop 93 are just a few things that make this show put on by King Motorsports so memorable. Events like these show any automobile enthusiast what its all about and grows us as a community. Put this show on your list of events to attend next year, I promise you won't regret it!

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This black NSX was the winner of the STAFF PICK award, selected by the King staff and Hondapro Jason:

Here is a pic with the winners of the coveted King Motorsports Unlimited Dyno Day 2014 lowest horsepower award -Tracy and Dan Geiger and their awesome original paint Z600. They took home the "Turbonator" for extra hp!

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Recap from Honda celebrity and this year's event emcee, Hondapro Jason:



I like to help and volunteer when I can, so I asked Scott at King Motorsports if he would like some help on Dyno Day 2014. His response was "Yes! Would you like to emcee the event?" I agreed and at 8:15am I arrived after a 2 hour trip to King. I got all my 'gear on' then went to 'work'!

We wanted to bring a more personal feel to this year's Dyno Day. So armed with a microphone and loudspeakers, I interviewed the owners of some cars while standing next to their rides. This brought crowds around and really showcased some of the cars that would normally just get pictures taken and walked by.

The show this year had so much energy and love from the community. Scott and I were thanked about 500 times from various people. I enjoyed the show because you can see everything from a modded NSX to a showroom condition 1971 Z600.

While there were many highlights from the show, one thing stood out: An unfortunate event that happened to a guy named Craig. His timing belt broke on his B18 motor 40 miles from the King. This lead to everyone watching him rebuild the head and replace the valves; while working in the parking lot on a lunch cooler. "I couldn't of picked a better place to break down. They (King Motorsports) had all the parts I needed," said Craig.

That is a story I will be telling for a while!

==

Thanks and see you next year!

Many thanks to our official 2014 event photographer, Nick Hanson!

Check out more pictures of the event at Noggs Photography too! (Thanks Andy!):
http://noggsphotography.com/#/page/a731/king2014/

Noggs has a couple photos of Craig's parking lot repairs!

Couldn't make it to this year's Dyno Day? Be sure to make it to next year's event! Sign up for our newletter at kingmotorsports.com and LIKE our Facebook page to be the first to know when next year's event date is announced!

Enthusiasts drive out from near and far for our annual Dyno Day in Wisconsin. We love meeting Honda owners and talking about their cars and the attention they've put into them. At Dyno Day 2012 we met Chris and Alyssa, who drove over 400 miles from Cleveland in their color-coordinated & tuned 8th Gen Civics. They joined us again in 2013-- so eager for Dyno Day that they actually arrived a day early and visited our facilities to say hello!

Here are Chris and Alyssa with Mugen rep Onuma-San at Dyno Day 2013 -- betcha you've never seen a pink Mugen t-shirt before!:



We caught up with them recently to talk about their builds...


Q: How did you meet?

Alyssa: Chris and I met in the summer of 2008. I actually initiated it after I spotted his car parked behind a store as I was driving by. It was the first Mugen Si I had seen in person and was a very active member on 8thcivic.com at the time. I turned around and placed an 8thCivic business card on his car with my username on it. A few days later he contacted me and we chatted for a while through Private Message and such and decided to meet to get to know each other and go for a drive. In doing so it evolved a friendship and later a relationship.

Alyssa drives: 2007 Civic Si Coupe - All motor build (using as many OEM parts from other Hondas as possible)

Chris drives: 2008 Civic Si Mugen - Comptech Stage 2 Supercharged

Both cars get stored in the winter but are pretty much daily driven in the few summer months we have here in Ohio.


Q: I like what you said about using as many OEM parts as possible -- the OEM+ approach is popular. Do you guys have other shared functional or cosmetic philosophies?

Alyssa: I think we are both into very similar things when it comes to cosmetic and functional ideas. We both feel a good car is all in the details, especially when modding a Honda since it is usually a very common platform. You have to do things that set yours apart from the rest whether it is a rare JDM build or something made for big power, it isn't really our style to go with what everyone else is doing. I am a pretty big wheel guru and am always taking notice of what set up everyone is going with and how a nice set of wheels and tires can really set the car off.


Q: How about things that you both agree you would NEVER do to your cars?

Alyssa: The top of that list would be anything knockoff. We both say that a certain pride is taken in owning the real thing no matter the product.

Chris: Stickers! They never make your car faster.


Q: I've personally seen stickers add +5WHP at the dyno. (Not really.) Would you ever trade cars? :)

Alyssa: We both get to drive each others from time to time and realize how different they really are. I don't think a trade is in the works any time soon but you never know.


Q: What parts or goals are next for each of you in your builds?

Alyssa: I am continuing with the all-motor build and am looking to have a set of TSX cams, TL Brembo brakes, and eventually am planning some ITB's.

Chris: Dyno Tune by King Motorsports!


Q: How did you decide to make the long trek out for Dyno Day? How was the trip?

Alyssa: We decided on a whim in 2012 to get away after I lost my father to cancer, we needed a weekend of something fun and that was it. After having such a great time last year and gaining even more respect for the guys at King, we decided to do it again this year. It was great, we love the small town feel of the organization and how down to earth everyone was. We brought both cars the first year and decided this year to just bring the Mugen, but in 2014, both cars will be back.

Chris: The trip was great and it really paid off because I actually won a Comp Clutch kit with one of the $1 raffle tickets.


Q: While you were at King you picked up a Mugen umbrella. Do you have any other favorite Mugen bits?

Alyssa: My Mugen GP's are my pride and joy and get babied as much as the car does even when they are in storage.

Chris: My Mugen Blanket with the big kanji letters has been in the back seat of the car since 2009. Anything Mugen like the Reservoir covers, key chains, etc...


Q: What about favorite Mugen parts?

Alyssa: Mugen GP's and Quick Shift Kit.

Chris: My Mugen Exhaust and Suspension.


** Build lists **

Alyssa:
2007 Civic Si Coupe:
~TODA Ported and Polished RRC Manifold
~Import DPS Intake Heatwrapped
~J35 Throttle Body
~Mugen Quickshifter
~Corsport Shifter Cable Bushings
~Invidia Race Header
~Invidia Q300
~Black FD2 Dipstick
~RDX Injectors
~Hybrid Racing Fuel Rail and Gauge
~Hybrid Racing Hoses
~Custom Battery Tray
~ARC Spark Plug Cover
~Pulstar Plugs
~Mugen GP gunmetal Powdercoated Valve Cover
~Mugen Reservoir Covers
~Mugen Black Oil Cap
~Mugen Radiator Cap
~Hondata Flash Pro
~BC BR Coilovers
~SPC Camber Kit
~18" Mugen GP's
~Mugen Heptagon Lug Nuts
~215/40/18 Yokohama Parada Spec 2's
~HFP Brake Kit
~CT-Engineering Rear Sway Bar
~HFP Front Lip
~HFP Rear Lip
~HFP Sides
~GRFXP Taillight Tint
~50%/30% Window Tint
~Mini H1 5000K Retrofit
~OEM fogs w/ 6000K HID's
~08 Si Shift Boot
~Mugen Si Shift Knob
~Strutking Dead Pedal
~Honda Trunk Tray

Chris:
2008 Mugen Si
~CT-e Supercharger
~CT-e 560cc Injectors
~Walbro 255 lph Fuel Pump
~CT-e 3.15" Pulley
~Hondata Flashpro
~AEM Uego
~Skunk2 Megapower Race Header Heatwrapped
~Custom 3.5 Intake Heatwrapped
~J35 Throttle Body
~Boomba Motor Mounts
~Custom Battery Tray
~NGK Iridium 2 Step Colder Plugs
~Wrinkle Red Valve Cover
~Mugen Reservoir Covers
~Mugen Oil Cap
~Mugen Radiator Cap
~Mugen Quickshifter
~Corsport Cable Bushings
~Corsport Base Bushings
~Excelerate Gauge Pod
~Honda Trunk Tray
~CT-e Lowering Springs
~Mugen Visors
~Mugen Heptagon Lug Nuts
~Seibon Carbon Fiber OEM Style Hood
~30%/50% Window Tint
~6000K HID Kit


Alyssa adds this: We would like to thank Bill Turk @ Rick Case Honda for being there from the beginning and parts hookup whenever we need anything, Rick @ Import DPS for building such great products and involvement in the Honda community and last but not least the all the guys at King for doing everything they do!

Here are a few more pictures of their Civics!

Visit the King Motorsports online store for performance & aero parts for the 8th Gen Civic Si!

It was time for my annual pilgrimage from Oregon to Wisconsin for the 2013 Dyno Day. I arrived about a day early to help with preparations. This year, Scott had a special project for me: convert the 3 glass showcases in the King showroom into a mini-display of Mugen and King nostalgia items that might be interesting to Dyno Day attendees. "No problem," I thought. How hard could that be?

Turns out it was quite a challenge! This is King Motorsports, and this was Scott. King has worked with Mugen for over 30+ years -- so the amount of items Scott had on hand was overwhelming. The challenge became one of editing -- the hardest decisions were choosing what to leave out!

First up, Scott showed me a stack of 80s and 90s Mugen brochures in his office. Mixed in were original product and vehicle photographs from catalog mockups. I laid out a fraction of the brochures in that first stack, taking it all in:





Honestly I wanted to scan every single page of every brochure and catalog. But my guess is that would have taken about a month for an intern to complete if they worked full time. I was able to snap a few quick pics of a few apparel/accessory pages with items I had never seen before. These pages are from one of the book-thick annual Mugen catalogs:

He had several other drawers full of original Mugen brochures for wheels, brakes, seats, steering wheels, suspension, EG/EK/EF Civics, Integras, S2000, Accord and NSX. Even some product brochures for JDM-only cars. Basically this was the mother load of materials for Mugen brochure enthusiasts.

I found a hand-assembled photo book of the aero parts installed on the prototype Mugen S2000. I had seen a few of these pics before in the Mugen S2000 blog post, but really liked this unique pic demonstrating the strength of Mugen's hood:



As if that wasn't enough, Scott also had a few bins of other treasures in storage to show me. He had shirts, shoes, lanyard, key holder and a necktie from the Mugen Honda F1 Collection.

"Excellent for MEN": Look closely at the necktie to see the black-on-black MUGEN logos.

A super-special addition to the display were these amazing F1 valve covers sent to Scott by Mugen Japan -- these two priceless valve covers were still in the bubble wrap. It was the first time that Scott had opened up these V10 beauties! In the picture below, the upper cover is from the 1997 MF-301HB; beneath is a cover from the 1996 MF-301HA (you can see more of these valve covers and their specs in the "Mugen Cover Art" blog post).

After a few hours, I had the glass showcases cleared out and had started filling them with Mugen and King nostalgia. Originally I thought about a nice, orderly display with items laid out with plenty of breathing room (ala The Smithsonian) -- but quickly realized that would not work. There was just too much good stuff to fit in there. So I took the visual-overload approach!

By day's end the displays were pretty much filled to the brim. Here are the showcases in their final form - ready for the Dyno Day attendees!

Here's a closer look at Showcase #1!

Here's a closer look at Showcase #2!

Check out that newspaper-sized Mugen brochure that says BLOOD OF RACING on it -- it's actually for the NR-10 and NR-10R racing wheels. This promo was a major departure from any print designs Mugen had done up to that point (or since), featuring brooding fashion models posed next to Mugen wheels. The end result was a brochure that was more Abercrombie & Fitch then the Mugen we know today. Inside, the copy is equally inappropriate-- stating that the wheels are great for "street racing". You'll never see a Mugen promo like this one again (we hope)!

These are print elements for King Motorsports very first parts catalog, featuring Mugen parts. The catalog was assembled before the days of Photoshop, Indesign or even QuarkXpress. These were assembled by hand with prints, film, scissors and glue!

Can you spot the Mugen umbrella in this pic below? How about the brochure for the Mugen S2000 prototype?

In the pic below (lower left) is a handmade binder provided by Mugen to its dealers. Within it are photos and specs of their parts lineup with suggested retail prices. No surprise that some of the parts are still selling for the same price (or more) 30 years later. Next to it is a page from a corporate Honda employee magazine describing an event where the Mugen-tuned CRX and race cars were brought out for employees to enjoy!

In the lower right is the Mugen parts brochure for the first-gen Integra 3-door and 5-door!

A major milestone for King Motorsports was when it became Mugen's authorized parts distributor for North America. In the picture below is a letter from Mugen explaining that all future orders within North America should go through King Motorsports. Next to it is King's first flyer announcing their new status. Scott said he remembered going to races and slipping these flyers under the wipers of every Honda he could find!

The cool little 1:43 scale die-cast Civic comes from Scott's personal collection. It sits on an envelope that delivered some of the first Mugen Civic EG parts catalogs to the USA.

Below is a early, redlined draft of King's history that would eventually find its way into King's literature and website. Next to it is one of the "What is MUGEN?" pieces created in the 80s to help introduce the American enthusiasts to Mugen.

Below are correspondence from Mugen Japan from 1990 regarding the limited nature of the fiberglass rear wing kit for Integra and the introduction of 2 new Mugen steering wheels.

More pages from the dealer binder with detailed specifications of available performance and aero parts for Civic, Integra and CRX.

In a stack of old faxes I found this note from Scott to Mugen asking questions about the N-1 suspension. It's clear that the collaboration between the two companies runs quite deep!

And finally, here's a closer look at Showcase #3:

Very cool "What is Mugen" promo literature from the mid 80's plus a Mugen Time Machine watch among other goodies! Can you spot the Mugen folding hand fans? Of all the displays that were assembled, this one actually has the most items that are currently available for mere mortals to purchase. Sadly that awesome mug is not one of them!

This empty container of genuine Mugen performance engine oil is one of my favorite Mugen package designs. Many Dyno Day attendees were drooling over the discontinued black Mugen t-shirt in the lower right of this picture.

Crash lid worn by Bob Endicott for the 2005 SCCA World Challenge (King/Mugen RSX) season and Mugen F1 victory momentos... It's very likely that Dyno Day attendees were the first and last people to ever see these items on display!

I have to give Scott a huge thanks for letting me raid his office and private collections to assemble these displays. We really hoped the Dyno Day folks enjoyed seeing these historic and rare items!

We'll see you at Dyno Day 2014!

This year's Dyno Day got an early start as attendees took our advice and showed up on time. :) In fact we had people arrive an hour early to chill with their friends as we set up the check-in booth. We had 224 registration goodie bags to hand out -- and we had nearly as many cars. Dyno runs ran through the day in the shop, with live video feeds piped into our showroom. In the showroom we had a rare and one-of-a-kind display of Mugen and King nostalgia prepared especially for Dyno Day. Some of these items have never been publicly displayed.

Deletah was once again on hand to fill the deepest parts of your ears and hearts, and Andy Noggle was on hand as our event photographer. Boy Scout Troop 93 served up BBQ chow as raffles and nice sponsor prizes were given out throughout the day.

Rounding out the event were show awards for Farthest Distance Traveled (William Wang from New Hampshire), King of the Dyno (556 HP daily driven Supra), Staff Pick (red EF Civic hatch), People's Choice (black 499 HP turbo S2000) and Lowest Pull (CR-Z at 122 HP).

During the day we offered 10% off all in-stock items and had a few garage sale items for sale -- including the motor out of the King Motorsports RSX Challenge Car.

We caught a nice break in the weather too. The sun was out just enough to bring out the shine on some amazing rides.

Thank you to all our many sponsors, attendees and volunteers who helped make the event so memorable! We're already at work planning the 2014 Dyno Day!

Jon L. sent us this awesome video recap of Dyno Day featuring a few camera techniques we've never seen before!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeYFXUXHGMo

You can see dozens of official event photos on our new GALLERY page.

And here are a few pictures from NoggsPhotography:

With King's next Dyno Day less than a month away, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at the event shirt designs. Each year of the event, King has designed and printed event T-shirts for each attendee.

In recent years, we began smaller runs of specially-designed shirts for the Event Staff. Separate shirts would make it easier for attendees to find King staff on the day of the event.

Here's a look!

Dyno Day 2009:

This shirt was designed by my predecessor, Jude Z., who was also King's in-house designer for many years. This shirt was black and featured the RSX Challenge car tightly strapped down on King's dyno. I've never seen one of these shirts in person but would love to!

Dyno Day 2010:

2010's Dyno Day was the first event I worked on with King. The first thing I tackled was a logo for the event. I drew inspiration from King's dyno bay, which has a bright yellow safety zone painted around it.

That yellow shape safety zone became the foundation for the Dyno Day logo. I separated out the "2010" so it would be easy to swap out from year to year. The back of the shirt included a Mugen-equipped S2000 in clean vector art.

Some trivia... one of the early versions of this shirt had the dyno positioned incorrectly under the front wheels. D'oh! So glad we caught that before going to print!

We also designed a Staff version of the shirt for the year, which was to be printed on a red shirt. Unfortunately our shirt printer didn't have them printed in time for the event, so sadly this design never saw the light of day.

Dyno Day 2011:

For the next year, we decided to do a brighter shirt. The front includes the King #64 Grand Am car and some of the chassis codes you'll find in the King facility on any given day. Unlike the previous year, we chose not to feature a single car. From a design perspective, a challenge for auto event shirts is what vehicle (if any) to put on the shirt. You can put a car on the shirt, but it should have significant meaning to the enthusiasts or to the event. Or you can put an ensemble of cars on the shirt, but that quickly makes for a cluttered shirt. Or you can stylize the car, so it isn't so immediately recognizable as a certain model. Or you can leave cars off the shirt altogether.

Close up. Can you spot your own chassis code?

This year we were able to get the Staff version of the shirt printed up. The logo was re-used, but this time in red.

Dyno Day 2012:

This was a very special Dyno Day. As in previous years, Mugen representatives flew out from Tokyo to show off new products and meet enthusiasts. But in 2012, Mugen shipped the Mugen CR-Z: RR concept car from Japan to King's shop in Wisconsin -- this was one of the handful of times that a Mugen concept car had ever made this 6200 mile journey. This orange beauty had to be our color theme this year. I drew a vector version of the CR-Z: RR for the front, and we added the Mugen logo for the first time on a Dyno Day shirt.

Here's the Staff version of the shirt:

Dyno Day 2013:

This year's theme is "Honda Nostalgia," which we've defined loosely as pre-EG6 era vehicles. King designed and built some of the very first Honda race cars in the USA, and we wanted to celebrate the engineering and simplicity of those early Honda models. The front of the shirt includes one of my favorite photos of the King-built GT5 Civic race car. I felt this year needed a new version of the Dyno Day logo to better fit with the nostalgia (1970's) theme. These vintage photographs are so awesome I was tempted to slap the photo alone on the shirt -- no logos or anything else -- and call it a day. :)

The back of the shirt includes an awesome photo of the GT4 Civic. I always wanted to work MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN into the shirt and was able to this year.

I split out the car into a triptych to make the overall design vertical, and to give the sense of speed to the GT5 Civic -- as though it was moving so fast it could barely be photographed.

Here's a preview of the Staff version of the shirt for this year.

If you've missed out on any of these shirts, the event Attendee shirt is usually available for sale on the King website after the event. The best way to get one is to sign up and join us for the event! Hope to see you there!

We are thrilled to have our 2012 summer Dyno Day appear in the latest issue of Honda Tuning Magazine!

For those of you that are image-imparied, here's the text from the mention:

EVENTS

June 2, 2012 - Wisconsin

King describes its event as part meet, part dyno-battle, part show, part barbecue, and part awesome. Everything you could possibly want in a summer afternoon with fellow Honda enthusiasts could be found at King's yearly shindig. And that includes detailed dyno analysis for spectators and competitors to view, detail demonstration, live music, food, a raffle, promos, and assorted free goodies, as well as a special guest in the form of Mugen's CR-Z RR.

If you're anywhere near the King facility in Wisconsin, you need to make next year's event a prioirty!

Awesome photos by Noggs Photography. You can find us in the Winter (Dec 2012/Jan 2013) issue of Honda Tuning. LIKE the King Motorsports Facebook page to be the first to know when Dyno Day 2013 is scheduled!

Our very special orange guest at this year's annual Dyno Day was the amazing Honda CR-Z MUGEN RR Concept vehicle. After months of careful planning, Mugen and King Motorsports were proud to bring Mugen's newest concept all the way to Milwaukee -- exclusively for our Dyno Day. This is the first and possibly only time that these wheels will ever be in the States.

Shipping a hand-built, one-of-a-kind concept vehicle over 6200 miles from Tokyo to Wisconsin (and back again) is no small accomplishment.

The process starts in April, months ahead of June's Dyno Day.

Moving the car out of the Mugen showroom:

In this picture, Mugen technicians charge the battery and do all the final prep:

Then the super-low hatch is eased up the ramps for transport to where it will be crated up and shipped out!

And here's what a shipping label for an entire vehicle direct from Mugen looks like! Made in Japan!

Box within a box!

6229 miles later the Mugen CR-Z RR Concept Car arrives in Wisconsin!

After two hours of uncrating!!

You just can't walk by this car without marveling at all the details....

Wanna see what's under the hood of the Mugen CR-Z RR???

Rotrex supercharged beauty!

Another view. The carbon work is just amazing! Approximately 200 hp and all the weight savings from the carbon body work should perk up the CR-Z!

Finally we moved the CR-Z into the King Motorsports showroom. We moved out all of our regular showroom cars to give the CR-Z center stage! Here it is covered the night before -- ready for its unveiling on Dyno Day June 2.

Grand unveiling the morning of Dyno Day!

YouTube user FLBFLY posted up this video walkaround of the Mugen CR-Z: RR!

Dyno Day over and a great success, the day for us to return the orange Mugen beast back to Tokyo came all too soon.

Charging up the battery one last time before we say goodbye to the CR-Z: RR! A huge thanks to our friends at Mugen for helping make this happen!

The King Motorsports International Shipping Division goes to work crating the Mugen CR-Z RR for its return trip!

Our Japanese colleagues built a very clever shipping container that clips together. Reassembling all the pieces was a bit challenging. :)

This is the Mugen CR-Z's last glimpse of North America! :)

Once the container was built, the fork lift pushed it into the back of the shipping company's truck. Sayonara!

Our 2012 Dyno Day was the most memorable yet! It was a huge success! The weather was absolutely perfect!

Held annually at our facilities in New Berlin, Wisconsin, this year's Dyno Day was on Saturday June 2.

Thank you to the hundreds of dedicated attendees who polished and primed their rides unto perfection to show, compete and connect at this year's annual King Motorsports event. We had so many cars that we overflowed beyond our own street this year! New this year we added a detailing professional and dent repair specialist to the mix. Returning talent powerhouses included the amazing tunes of Deletah, pics by NoggsPhotography, BBQ by Boy Scout Troop 93 and shirt design by Perry Wang.

We can't forget our four-wheeled guest of honor, the Mugen Concept CR-Z: RR! This orange mechanical work of art was shipped over 6000 miles from Mugen's Tokyo showroom to New Berlin, WI just for our event! It was one of the very few times a Mugen concept car will ever be seen Stateside, and we were proud to have his one-of-a-kind beast briefly under our roof.

The persistent enthusiam of the attendees make all the hard work put in by our staff worth it every year. We had 250 entries and ran 32+ cars on the Dyno.

Already planning for Dyno Day 2013!!!!

This year's pictures can be viewed on our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150829609646319.396707.110076751318&type=3

Also see Rob Delimat's awesome photos that he posted on honda-tech:

http://honda-tech.com/showpost.php?p=47441827&postcount=1

And another gallery of pics on 8thCivic.com:

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/introduction-pictures/295238-king-motorsports-dyno-day-2012-project-x-pics.html

(Andy Noggle with his girlfriend / assistant Taylor at Dyno Day 2011)

The relationships we have with our cars are permeated by photos of all kinds. It all starts with a photo. It might be a glossy, Photoshopped dealer brochure. Or maybe a grainy camera phone pic on Craig's List. Sometimes it's love at first sight. Sometimes we see past the picture and see deeper potential.

At the other end of the relationship, we hope our pics attract a great new suitor who will baby our cars as well as we did. In more tragic endings, we document total losses for Allstate, snapping shots of irreversible damage to a once perfect frame.

Somewhere between these book ends, we take pictures that represent our best moments with our cars. They happen at gas stations, on long interstate trips, under the harsh fluorescent lights of parking structures, at crowded meets, on the track and back home in the garage.

These best moments are the ones Andy Noggle zeroes in on. He has turned his passion for automotive photography into a professional trade, shooting up numerous events and auto meets along the way. We were able to pick his brain about how he got his start, his photos, and a few tips.

How did you get started with photography? Did you immediately gravitate to cars, or did you go through an embarrassing phase where you took hundreds of pictures of your feet?

Every time we took a family trip when I was younger, I always had the camera, I always loved making photographs, I don’t remember taking pictures of feet though. In high school, I learned just enough to be dangerous with a camera, and have excelled since, continuing on to an Associates Degree in Photography. I have always loved cars, and grew up around them, and they say you should do what you love, and I love cars. Cars were also very easy to access for photos, I could be driving along and see a great background and snap a photo of my car in front of it. Or say…”Hey, I want to try some photography things, can I borrow your car?” But I do also shoot other things besides cars. I also love doing product photography as well as architectural shots.

Do you have a specific niche?

I have no preference in car, old school muscle, or new school imports, or vice versa, I appreciate all types of cars as long as the owner has a passion for it, and enjoys the automotive culture in some way.

I take a photojournalistic approach to each car, and cover all of the things that make it what it is and what the owner did to it. So it depends on the vehicle. If it has a completely custom interior, I would focus on that, and do detailed shots of the stitching, seats, sub boxes, door panels, and headliner. But if it’s all go-fast parts, and little interior work, there would be more detailed shots of the engine, turbo/supercharger, gauges, exhaust, wheels/tires, etc. If I had to pick shots that I specialize in, it would be rolling/rig shots and detail shots.

Are there any current trends in automotive photography that you like? Any photographers you admire?

I’ve always been a fan of QuickWorks Photo, great automotive stuff coming out of there.

Are there any photography trends that you think should die?

HDR, or black/white/selective color. They can be appreciated in some cases, but in most, it’s just something you have seen over and over again!

Are there any myths or misconceptions about what makes for a good photo?

“Things look better with a fisheye”…I hate when I see photos like this. They are ok in certain instances with the proper equipment, but when somebody just adds a vignette to every photo or uses one of those cheap eBay “wide angle” devices on their lens, they just look terrible, but yet, every car show, when the pictures show up online, at least a few people have done that to their images…

Do you have any advice for mere mortals who want to take a good "show off" pic of their car?

Nail your exposure and focus. Countless times when I scroll through websites and forums and see photos by “___________ Photography” -- all I see are images that are poorly focused, and poorly exposed... and still, people think they are well done. I just don’t understand. Shoot Aperture Priority if you have to, don’t use Manual if you don't know how to expose your images.

What's your advice for picking a good location for an outdoor shoot?

Backgrounds with leading lines, or a contrasting color to the car/wheel color usually work well. Use a color wheel to pick backgrounds.

Do you have a "dream shoot"? What car, location, time of day, etc.?

Hmmm, I’m not sure; I wouldn’t like to call it quits with just one car or setup. I would rather shoot lots of cars and experience all sorts of vehicles rather than just one.

What kinds of shoots do you do?

The most popular thing I do are rolling rig shots, people love them, and I love doing them. But I do everything from full magazine shoots, multiple locations, interior, exterior, night, day, rolling, all the way to shots of stickers, or single car parts for promotional purposes with companies.

Is there any car, event or situation you won't shoot?

I’m up for the challenge, but I do not like indoor car shows very much because the lighting is not up to par at most locations for proper photos.

Can you share what your typical equipment and setup look like?

I have used a Nikon D80 for a number of years, not really looking to upgrade yet, because I don’t think the camera makes the photographer. Also, I have a full array of lighting equipment, lenses, and grip equipment for any situation. The most important piece of equipment is in the next question: my gear hauler.

What cars have you owned, and what do you drive now?

I’m not quite old enough to have a collection of cars yet, but my first car was a 2000 Mercury Cougar, I4, 5-Speed, I turned it into a stripped interior, race seat/harness, autocross/track car. During that time my winter car was a 1999 Subaru Legacy Sport Utility Sedan 30th Anniversary Edition. I have to say the whole name because it is ridiculously long. But that had a run in with an older driver, and is no longer with us. As of now, I have a 2006 WRX Wagon, which is my camera gear hauler and all around awesome wagon.

(Andy's current ride)


What's the favorite shot that you took at King's Dyno Day 2011?

I had a lot of favorites, but I would have to say this one was my favorite:

How did you get connected with King Motorsports?

My friend Connor was talking to Scott [King's CEO] about detailing some cars, and somehow the topic came up about my photography, and a few emails later, I was on board to shoot their next event.

(Andy's work is everywhere, including this pic that was printed in the 2011 issue of Honda Tuning magazine)

Andy Noggle

NoggsPhotography

www.NoggsPhotography.com