21 Feb What A Weekend
Without giving too much away, this was certainly one hell of a weekend.
We’re getting closer to the actual releases of both the X5 and Marilynn’s M45. More on that in just a second, though; let’s get down to a shop update first.
Aaron and the rest of fabrication have now finished the C63’s midsection and are starting to use their free time to keep working on the Project SL500. In order to get the BBS wheels fitted to the SL, we needed to come up with a hub adapter to perfect the fitment. So we did:
This aluminum adapter fits right into the concave slot on the back of the BBS wheels, shown here:
And provides us with a perfect spot to mate the wheels to the hub:
Now back to the weekend. Late Friday night, Mike Burroughs of StanceWorks came up to snap some pictures of our two newest projects, the X5 and Marilynn’s M45. We spent all day Saturday switching from location to location, trying to work around the piercing direct sunlight in order to best represent the two vehicles. After moving from Joliet to Chicago and back again, we finally wrapped our shooting after 15 or 16 hours. Watching Burroughs work is totally fun in and of itself, but the man can’t take a bad photo. AJ wanted to put together some words on the situation, so here is his special thank you to Mike and Corey for taking the time to drive up to Chicago:
Memories. You can’t beat ‘em. They’re the only things you have to look back on.
Remember when you first realized the words that just came out of your mouth were so utterly stupid that, if a psychologist were in the room, he would have had you riding the short bus by the next school day? Like the time when you first looked at your mom – after she laid into you with the wooden spoon – and you said it didn’t hurt, thus spurring her to prove to your smart ass that what dad wore around his waist was, in fact, not a wooden spoon? Remember the good ol’ days?
As adults we learn (some of us) to grow out of those phases and realize there are some instances when it is best just to keep our mouths shut. However, there is the occasional instance where you pull the wooden-spoons-don’t-hurt genius out of your butt and let it shine. Such is the case when I first had the idea for one of the Project X5 photo shoot locations. Upon establishing possible Saturday dates, I was told we would contact Mr. Mike Burroughs and see if he was available for any of them.
“Sounds good. But if he’s not available we can just have someone else shoot some pics…”
Yes. I said that. This last Saturday I was officially re-introduced to the extremely powerful and relentless belt that is Mike Burroughs. This last Saturday was proof that I should have just kept my mouth shut.
I would like to take the time in this post to express extreme thanks and appreciation to Mike Burroughs and Acme Refining. Many of you know Mike from his insanely popular and always growing site StanceWorks (www.stanceworks.com). He is the genius behind what is constantly developing and holding together the ever-present rants and raves about what we all hold dear in our four-wheeled world of chaos.
StanceWorks is only the tip of the iceberg on the list of Mr. Burroughs’ talents. Having the opportunity to watch him work his magic and bring together what is soon to be one of the most epic automotive shoots of all time was a memory I will never forget. His ability to manipulate every inch of visible space within a frame is unparalleled. As I do not have authorization to release any photos that may be used for future publication, all I can offer is what he did in ten minutes’ time with his camera and one hand-held fluorescent bulb. No, I cannot say anything more about even this picture because like I said, he did it with one hand held fluorescent bulb… That means I don’t know how he did it, people!!
Next is Acme Refining (www.acmescrap.com). The Chicago based reclamation company went above and beyond what any company would do to accommodate us in accomplishing this shoot. Established in 1973, this company continues to take the Midwest by storm. Currently ran by Mr. Larry Baron and his son Brett Baron, Acme dominates the industry with high quality processes and attention to detail in very aspect of the company. From high quantity steel reclamation for some of the world’s largest corporations to thorough document destruction for confidential firms, these two gentlemen have perfected what many have previously attempted and failed at. If Mike Burroughs is the epitome of automotive photography, then Acme refining is the definition of a powerful and successful Chicago business.
Acme operates close to two hundred heavy trucks on a daily basis with schedules and routes completely changing from day to day. The man trusted by Brett to coordinate this army is Andy Skinner. Mr. Skinner took it out of his personal time to meet with us at the largest of Acme’s seven steel yards and give us full reign over what Burroughs needed to accomplish the shoot of a lifetime. Acme shut down a multi-million dollar a day yard for an entire Saturday, without a question asked. Mr. Skinner even had an operator on hand to maneuver any of the 15 half-million dollar cranes into any position we needed.
The shoot was epic and the combination of these two juggernauts of their respective industries is sure to generate the most sought after X5 article on the planet. I leave you with one more thank you to both Acme Refining and Mike Burroughs for their time and expertise.
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