Text and photography by Dave Tormey

In a world where expedited shipping has become the norm, and seemingly everything is just a few mouse clicks away, we as consumers often take for granted just how far we have come with respect to the shopping experience. Take a second to think about where all of the parts on your vehicles were made and how far they traveled before reaching you. Behind your favorite performance shops and online stores lies a vast network of manufacturers from all around the world; these products are delivered to wholesale warehouses like Turn 14 Distribution, where they are subsequently shipped to your local performance shop or delivered to your doorstep.

Unless you work in the aftermarket automotive industry, chances are you’ve wondered what exactly it is that Turn 14 Distribution does. You’re not alone. In an attempt to answer that question and build a relationship with you, the end-consumer, Turn 14 Distribution teamed up with renowned blog Canibeat and event sponsor KW Suspension to host its 2nd Annual Car Meet at the company’s ultramodern 234,000 sq-ft warehouse in Hatfield, PA.

Although most of us probably have fond memories of attending car meets with friends at our local mall or restaurant parking lots, many of those same nights were probably cut short thanks to someone doing a burnout, street racing, or local police simply not allowing unpermitted events. This year the Turn 14 Distribution staff set out to improve on last year’s already-successful event and provide a safe, family-friendly atmosphere for enthusiasts to get together and admire each other’s cars.

Vendors including Akrapovic, AWE Tuning, BBS, Canibeat, Eat Sleep Race, Edelbrock, Hawk Performance, KW Suspension, Mishimoto, Project Kics, Project µ (Mu), RAYS Wheels, Rigid Industries, Thompson BMW, Vorsteiner, Yokohama Wheels, and Wilwood Brakes were all on hand, showcasing their latest parts and demo cars in their very own booth space at the front of the building.

While car culture has a way of transcending traditional demographics, many automotive gatherings are still catered to specific makes and models, age groups, or different forms of competition. Car meets have a way of breaking down those boundaries and bringing together a wide variety of cars, styles, and people that otherwise may never cross paths. Just look at the variety of cars parked around the perimeter of the Turn 14 Distribution warehouse.

I often wonder what an older gentleman may be thinking when looking at a car like this Nissan Skyline GT-R R32. Maybe he knows more about it than I do? Maybe he has no clue what it is, and why the steering wheel is on the wrong side? Regardless, I always enjoy events that bring together multiple generations of car enthusiasts. At the end of the day, we can all learn something from each other.

In addition to the wide variety of modified classic and modern cars in attendance, there were also a few supercars such as this McLaren P1 and Lamborghini Aventador.

Something new for this year’s event was a set of four special awards made by designer Muoi Tran using KW Suspension parts. The categories were Truck & Offroad, Domestic Performance, Modern Performance, and European Performance.

This Toyota “Land Kreuzer” built by Lagler Automotive Specialties and owned by Bob Colfer combines Toyota’s classic FJ40 Land Cruiser body, a 5.0-liter V12 engine from BMW’s flagship 7-Series sedan, and a custom tubular-steel chassis and suspension. While I’m sure this truck may rub some purists the wrong way, the craftsmanship was truly top-notch.

To the untrained eye it might look like an original FJ40 body, but that is what’s so impressive. The body is an original steel ‘68 Toyota shell with 3-inches removed from the rockers, 3-inches sectioned from the middle, and 5-inches chopped from the top for an overall 11-inch reduction in body height. The rear wheel arches have been moved back 7-inches in order to extend the wheelbase and provide additional room for seating.

Owner of the car parked next to the Land Kreuzer was Chad Colfer, Bob’s son. This Porsche-powered Ultima GTR sports a wild Oracle Lighting livery, Kinesis wheels, and tons of carbon!

Many of Turn 14’s employees are car enthusiasts themselves and brought their personal cars out to the meet.

Turn 14 Distribution Formula D driver and employee, Geoff Stoneback, was also present to interact with fans and enjoy the event. Stoneback even brought out a couple of his recently completed builds, a Blue S15 Nissan Silvia and S13 Nissan 240sx.

Some of our more veteran readers might remember Drew Evans’ one-off Liberty Walk-equipped Infiniti G37 from our Front Street feature. Since the feature was published, Drew has traveled to nearly every major show in the Northeast, and collected several top honors.

Porsche purists, look away now! Those who attended last year’s meet may remember a Porsche 911 powered by a turbocharged Honda K20 engine. Well, this year the folks at Mishimoto brought out their Mitsubishi-powered 911!

As many of us get older and start our families it can be difficult to attend automotive events with young children. As I walked around the warehouse I was happy to see many young kids enjoying the event and parents sharing their passion for cars with their children. KW Suspension even brought out a RaceRoom simulator for all age groups to enjoy!

In addition to the racing simulators there were multiple DJs playing music, and a variety of food trucks on site.

Some of you who attended the event may have noticed the Ontario license plate on this S2000. Speed Academy founders Peter Tarach and Dave Pratte drove their Turn 14 Distribution-sponsored project all the way from Toronto to be at the event for the second year in a row! They will have their own video coverage of the event up on their YouTube channel shortly.

Before wrapping up this year’s event the KW Suspension awards were presented to the winners. First up was Bob Colfer’s Land Kreuzer, which took home the Truck & Offroad award.

Chad managed to get his dogs to sit long enough for a picture with the FJ and the award. Look for a complete feature soon on this wild ride, right here on Front Street.

One of my personal favorites of the day was George Gomez’s Acura NSX. George’s NSX started life as a Spa Yellow USDM NA2 NSX, and over this past winter it underwent a complete color change to Honda’s signature Championship White. In addition to the full color change he installed new Recaro seats in Red Jersey Mesh, Spoon Sports aero mirrors, Spoon brake calipers, and the timeless Desmond Regamaster EVO’s.

While talking to George at the event, someone approached him and asked “Is it a real NSX-R?” George kindly replied, “It’s not, but it’s my version of one.” The NSX-R, never sold in the United States and still not legal to import into the US, is considered by many to be the pinnacle of Honda’s engineering efforts.

With great weather, a chill atmosphere, and an awesome variety of cars in attendance, this year’s event was a complete success. Another incident-free gathering showed the world how Turn 14 Distribution is pushing the forefront of warehousing technology, in turn making the parts transfer from manufacturer to distributor to dealer and ultimately the end-user a worry-free process. We’d like to thank everyone for coming out to this year’s event and hope to see you again soon at one of our upcoming Cars & Coffee get-togethers presented by Front Street Media on the last Saturday of July, August, September, and October at the Turn 14 Distribution headquarters.

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