Team är-kªn’: Prologue

Photos by RJ Deslate, Words by Alvin Thaiarkan2

On a warm peaceful December night I found myself relaxing in front of the television enjoying my dinner. I was on edge as I watched Dexter season 5 anticipating the next murder scene. Then all of a sudden my phone rings and Mikey Dang screams “WAKE UP AT 7:00AM TOMORROW WERE SHOOTING TEAM ARKAN!” Upon ending our phone conversation I was curious as to see who Team är-kªn’ was, I mean the name sounded familiar and as a CXH writer I was a bit embarrassed not to know. I searched online and sure enough I immediately recognized the beautifully fine tuned machines before you. I’m sure you’ve seen them everywhere that I have at shows like Spocom, Autocon, or Extreme Dimensions, but now you get the CarsXHype experience and an in-depth look at what makes these 15 cars so awesome!

teamarkan-36

I’ll be the first to admit I was a bit intimidated when first meeting these guys with such beautiful cars. Usually when I find myself with cars like these I’m surrounded by young, spoiled, and cocky college kids, wearing their cars as an accessory like a pair of Nikes. This was NOT the case with Team är-kªn’. In fact they are one of the chillest teams I’ve met in the scene that are in it for the passion of cars and just pure fun. I was also surprised that 90% of these cars were self built over many years of hard work and dedication. The EVO IX above was actually planned years ahead of its purchase with the genuine Voltex Kit and a set of wheels awaiting peacefully in the garage for a full year BEFORE even buying the car!

teamarkan-2teamarkan-34

With 15 members in the team and a “2 car minimum to join” its difficult to choose a starting point. There’s just so much going on with every car that they all deserve an individual feature [stay tuned]. This team is all about diversity from an immaculate hellaflush 350z, a jaw dropping show room Evo X, and even a 600whp domestic Camaro beast!

teamarkan1

This Rally Red Evo X [above] is scheduled for an Import-Tuner magazine feature next month. It’s entire engine sports many rare ARC parts assembled together in a neat package to mesmerize the viewer. I found myself gazing at it hypnotized by charm looking away only to see the other fine features of the car such as the Bride interior [below]. There is no small detail to be overlooked on this Evo X, but you’ll have to wait for the next feature for a deeper inside look ;].

teamarkan-10

Did I mention a 600whp turbo Camaro? I was lucky enough to take a ride in this savage machine during rolling shots and man was it fun. The tires can barely grip as the rear end breaks loose before launching forward. Still the ride remains smooth and relatively quiet inside while outside it may sound like the world is coming to an end.

teamarkan-12

While  the majority of the team does consist of EVO’s there are others as well such as this panda EP3 [below]. It belongs to the same owner (Jovi) as the first EVO IX posted above. Jovi is one of the OG members of the team dating back to 2006! Throughout the years the team has gone through many changes from members to style. In fact, when they first started they were a full Bipu VIP Lexus team cambering wheels ahead of its time before the word “Hellaflush” was even born! Throughout the years the team has picked up sponsors from Continental Tires and Meguiars to keep them looking fresh.

teamarkan-6teamarkan-5

Adding to the EP3′s in the group are my two favorite ones of all time [below]. Pictures do not justify how beautiful these hot hatches are. Starring at them a block away you can feel an essence of quality within them. When their engines roar it sounds so crisp and smooth you just beg for more. And as it finally approaches your reach, a glimpse of  Bride fabrics and Cusco roll bars let you know they mean serious business. More on these two later…

teamarkann-12teamarkan-42

Did I mention there are a LOT of EVO’s in this group? Looking at the Evo VIII below you may notice a two toned black theme. When you get closer however, it becomes clear that the entire front end is wrapped in 3M Di-NOC Carbon Fiber! The quality of the wrap is unbelievable. If you ever pay close attention to CF wraps on show cars, a lot of them have small bends or curves in the pattern. This one has absolutely NONE. All the weaves are straight and true with no distortion from stretching the vinyl to fit around a panel. This is some quality work all done by Jovi himself.

teamarkan-19

This beautiful engine bay below belongs to the silver Evo X pictured above. The theme goes very well with the rest of the car with carbon fiber materials to match the silver and black theme and blue Colt Speed parts to match the Project Mu brakes. Clearly this car was well thought out.

teamarkann-6teamarkan-32

Finishing the team up is more Evo’s, a Lancer Sportback, a Veloster, an Amuse sponsored 370z, and a Genisis coupe. I’d love to get into details about these whips, but I myself have not gotten a chance to interview or see these cars and owners in person yet. I’m sure they are nothing short of extraordinary like the other members of the team. Stay tuned as we have more in-depth features coming soon for the members of Team är-kªn’ as well as a bad ass video shot by Mikey Dang of PVR Motorsports.

teamarkann-14

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more of Team är-kªn’!

- Alvin Thai

Remember to “like” us on Facebook!

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


9 + = seventeen

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>