Sharka goes to KINOD

KINOD!!!

KINOD!!!

I’m sure most car guys have an Automotive Bucket List. I certainly do. It’s not extremely ambitious or exciting, but it’s included things like…
– drive Laguna Seca
– visit the Mazda Basement
– ship Sharka to Europe and drive through as many countries as possible
– do a One Lap
– attend a KINOD meet
– etc.

Well… some of those got crossed off this past trip to California. Basement? Check.

KINOD? BIG damn check.

Quick KINOD info – it stands for Krispy Kreme / In-N-Out / Drive. Miata buddies in SoCal would get together on Friday nights and do the list. Get a donut, go down the street for a burger, then drive the canyons. Or chat in a parking lot. Or whatever. Something that gets friends together and get cars out of garages.

And post photos online after KINOD.

Some of the best Miata/Roadster/MX5 pix I’ve seen in my life have come from KINOD meets. Just glorious photographic art. That’s been the real driver for me to attend one. KINOD meets always look amazing from the photos posted.

So here’s Sharka’s inaugural KINOD meet.

It was everything I hoped for and more.

Golden Hour Gas Stop

Golden Hour Gas Stop – click to view larger

Pete, owner of Benny, was my KINOD guide. We drove the hour or so from his house to *the* In-N-Out together.

I decided to put the tire on the trunk for the meet. It completed the faux rally look that Sharka was rocking for the trip. It cuts visibility a little bit, but the huge stock side mirrors cover all the blind spots just fine.

Anyways, we stopped and ate. I’d never had In-N-Out before and it was delicious. White Castle levels of delicious? Maybe. Better than Blakes here in New Mexico, which regularly wins best green chile cheeseburger contests state-wide.

Then we drove to a nearby parking lot that was apparently okay with hosting 25+ Miatas.

Then the magic happened. Over 50 cars showed up.

The Crowd

The Crowd- click to view larger

This happened at 949 Racing (a mini-meet before going to the Mazda Basement) and it was a little strange for me then too. Having a cluster of people swarmed around Sharka? Very… I don’t know what word to type here. It’s very much not anything that I’m used to.

Flattering? Sure. But Sharka’s just a Miata. There’s a million of them. And there’s nearly that many photos of Sharka. haha!

But… yeah. Folks clustered around Sharka. The sheer quantity of kind words for both me and the car were overwhelming. My head barely fit under the hardtop on the drive back to Pete’s house.

To everyone who welcomed us to KINOD – thank you. Sincerely. It was everything I hoped for.

Now onto the pix.

Row of Roadsters

Row of Roadsters- click to view larger

fwdtamiya!

fwdtamiya!- click to view larger

Jon B!!

Jon B!!- click to view larger

The night before KINOD, I got to have dinner with Pete, JonB, and fwdtamiya. Pete made steak, Jon and Garrett brought some nice beers and other stuff, and I… brought myself. ha! It was a fantastic time and we all chatted till the wee hours of the morning.

I managed to not shoot the cars while they were all together in the driveway. Kicking myself over that one.

Perfection.

Perfection. – click to view larger

Eyes.

Eyes. – click to view larger

Fender mirrors? Yes please.

Fender mirrors? Yes please. – click to view larger

Interior. - click to view larger

Interior.

This red 90 belongs to a gentleman named Mike aka “90MX” on the forums. I’ve chatted with Mike on and off for years and seen pix of this car.

Photos do NOT do it justice.

There’s a million tiny things that you don’t see in photos. Layers of care. Hours of work applied on each inch of this car. Everything fits together so very well. Everything is harmonious.

I could go on, but unfortunately, I didn’t do too well with my photos. I should have begged Mike to move into some light so I could click my camera 50 times or so. Alas, I didn’t think to ask.

He would have probably done it. Mike is one of the nicest fellows I met at KINOD, and that’s really saying something. EVERYONE was nice. I’m not just saying. This is an amazing group of enthusiasts.

FM represent!

FM represent! – click to view larger

Livery!

That beats Sharka’s livery – click to view larger

Gorgeous.

Racecar – click to view larger

That fastback tho.

That fastback tho. – click to view larger

I wish I had more to say about these. The night started to be a blur and memories are running together. I also put my camera back in Sharka’s trunk and just walked around and talked with everyone for about the next two hours.

My photos may be lacking, but my memories of talking and seeing the various unique mods on the different cars… priceless.

Club Mariner.

Club Mariner. – click to view larger

Club Mariner - reversed

Club Mariner – reversed – click to view larger

Here we have Benny, Blue Jay, and… I never got the name of the fast back Mariner. It’s owned by Gene Rodriguez, another guy I’ve chatted with online for years.

They all posed together as the meet was nearing the end. Pete asked for a “professional photo.” And here it is. High ISO and all. ha!

But seriously, what gorgeous cars. Mariner blue is growing on me. I would love to add an early mariner car to my fleet.

... brain asplode.

… brain asplode – click to view larger

And then the Cappuccino appeared. The rest of the KINOD meet was a blur for me. A very small blue blur. The Capp took over the rest of my night.

I got to both ride in and DRIVE this insane little machine. More on that in the next post. I’ll have a full spotlight on the Brappuccino.

And lastly, from me and Sharka, thank you again KINOD! We had a blast!!!

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  • Bry says:

    I’ve only gotten to hang out with the KINOD crew a couple of times, and I have to say that they’re more than just a bunch of guys who like cars. The way they all came together when Marco (jdm slick) passed away is nothing short of remarkable. They have fun and are there for each other when the need arises.

    Not the least of which I can say for them in my case, at least: they make the out-of-towners feel like a special guest of honor. Nothing like being welcomed into what would otherwise be an overwhelming but close-knit circle of friends for a couple days!

    • revlimiter says:

      ONLY A COUPLE OF TIMES. haha! Man… My one time was enough to want to do it every weekend. If only the commute was a little shorter.

      But truly you’ve summed KINOD up perfectly. They’re a remarkable group of guys.

  • I wish I was in town that night, I would’ve loved to finally meet you in person (and be shockingly inappropriate in an awkward, yet funny way). Unfortunately I was stuck in Texas on business :::sad trombone:::

    SOMEDAY WE WILL MEET! 😀

    • revlimiter says:

      I’ll not lie – I was pretty sad to find out you wouldn’t be there David.

      October will be here soon though. Inappropriate behavior to look forward to!!

  • GT-Alex says:

    “ship Sharka to Europe and drive through as many countries as possible”

    The day you do this, you have to book at least a week just for the alps. Seriously, I can make several roadbooks that will get you busy for a whole day just staying within a 100 km radius on a map from my home, each one using whole different roads. And I’m not even considering the italian part yet. The day Sharka goes in Europe, I’d be glad to provide tips, maps or even be your guide !

  • Mike Gaite aka 90_mx says:

    Adam, I cannot thank you enough for coming all the way out to Socal to hang with us at KINOD and thank you for those kind words and pictures of me and my little red Roadster. I hope to make the trip to MRLS this year and maybe then we can hang out and shoot the breeze a little longer. Till then, stay cool my friend!

  • Brad says:

    California meets always seemed so rad. Unfortunately they’re, you know, in California. Don’t think I could bring myself to venture that far into the craziness, much less drive in it. I think I’d be much more relaxed in a Spec Miata race than in Socal traffic.

    Also, Cappuccino. The only thing that distills the Miata experience even further. Very cool, I’d love to have one someday.

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