They don't put it on shirts for no reason. "It started in Seattle" is one of Stancewars slogans and the show they hold at Bellevue college garners the most attention out of any stop on the shows tour each year. After going to the stop in Vegas in 2018 (you can read that coverage here) I was slightly let down by the overall vibe of the show. Watching all of the videos from different youtubers and media coverage across instagram had hyped up the show to be massive and with an extreme array of custom vehicles however Seattle is truly where that experience comes alive like what you see on the internet.
The mass of people that show their love and support at the Seattle stop are what make it such a wonderful event. This year there were so many attendees that the parking lots spread around college campus were full, so much so that security was guiding people around and out of the campus to find parking elsewhere outside the college grounds. With there being such a large amount of people attending the show, the bar is raised as to what is shown in the #top100 at the event. The judging process seems to be taken more seriously at this event as opposed to what I personally saw at the Vegas event and it breeds higher quality entrants. There wasn't a moment on the top floor of the parking garage where the #top100 cars are parked that you aren't constantly drawn every which way by a build that catches your eye.
Another big point towards this event as opposed to the other shows in the same realm is the amount of love shown to content creators/youtube personalities to meet their fanbase and connect with other car enthusiasts. The likes of TJ Hunt, Chris from B is for Build, and Krispy Media had booths up at the event to sell/sign merch and talk about their current projects. This is something most shows don't usually give freedoms to because it draws from the shows brand itself, however Mike Tolliver (the founder of the event) believes otherwise and continues to open his doors to these creators to continue growing the community instead of just the Stancewars brand.
Having the event held nearby in the relation to the Canadian border also brought out a lot of cars from the British Columbia area which is a real treat for most car enthusiasts that in America are stuck with the 25 year import law where as opposed to Canada where they only have a 15 year import law. This brings out quite a few JDM and some select Euro models of cars that we aren't used to seeing in person (at least for now). Much like the Evo III pictured above there were also a handful of beautiful Cresta/Crowns that attended the show. With Seattle being a big place for JDM importers it brings out quite a few rarities to shows such as this that many enthusiasts love to see, like a 1 of 500 Toyota Soarer Aerocabin or an R34 GTT, to name a few.
The event itself at the parking garage is littered with different booths and vendors for you to pick up all kinds of merch, chat with industry leaders, and meet some of your favorite creators. With so much to do in the main area of the event it's always easy to forget what sort of gems you can find outside of the show itself, and after filling up every spot in the parking lot there are bound to be some rad vehicles outside that most attendees missed. Rapping up a show like this with a walk around the parking lot is always a great idea and can make the event all that more worth attending. Stancewars Seattle definitely blows Vegas out of the water in terms of energy, overall quality, and volume of unique builds. If you are ever in the area around the end of July then it is a show that you cannot miss.
@stancewars
Josh Brown
@luckyclub.us
Extras below!! Enjoy!
