Strada 2022 Season Opener
Hosted by Strada.
For the past month, I’ve been contemplating whether it’s finally safe to say that car season has begun in Toronto. With surprise showers and snowfalls, it becomes really hard to predict whether we should finally pack up those winter tires and put on our fresh summer shoes on. On May 6th, the Strada Season Opener was held in Concord, and I think it’s finally safe to say that car season has officially begun.
For those of you who attended, we can all agree that the line to get in and the traffic jam caused outside the venue was quite overwhelming. With people in line waiting for hours, regional police officers blocking roads and redirecting routes, and modded cars idling through traffic — this was nothing but a sign of the season finally coming back, and I’m all for it.
I didn’t really know what cars were attending the event, but I was definitely greeted by a pleasant surprise: my first time seeing a LaFerrari up close and in person. With only 499 units produced, this car only comes as a rare sighting, and I’m glad to have seen my first one in an even more limited spec.
The infamous 1 of 4 Bianco Fuji Opaco LaFerrari was in the front row and took everyone’s attention with tons of cameras pointed at it. This LaFerrari wears paint-matched FXXK wheels that was done by Ferrari themselves which makes it the only one in this exact spec.
The color is a matte white with some yellow tint to it which makes for a beautiful sight under the sun.
A Ford GT also made an appearance in the 1 of 1 Atlas Green paint. From what I heard, this one in particular has about $100,000USD in options including the carbon fiber exposed wheels, painted black shadow overtop stripes, silver brake calipers, and a 6 point harness anchor just to name a few.
In the same line as the LaFerrari and the Ford GT was this Mustang Mach 1. The line up in the front row had a lot of heritage, and the Mach 1 bears no exceptions to that. With over 5 decades to look back at with the 1969 Mach 1, the Mustang has definitely been successful at staying in line with Ford’s Mustang project.
The Mach 1 is a track focused iteration of the Mustang we are all familiar with, with a couple of borrowed parts from the Shelby GT350 and GT500 models.
With a childhood wrapped around car video games, the Mercedes SLR McLaren was a nostalgic car to see. It was one of the cars I desired to own in Midnight Club on the Playstation 2, and honestly the reason why I knew McLaren back then. Yes, I know the F1 came way before this, but this was a time where I didn’t really know anything about cars. I just wanted what looked cool to me.
While the collaboration between the two brands is now just a piece of history, I do sometimes wonder what McLaren and Mercedes would come up with if they were to work on another project today.
It’s nice to see a decade+ old car acquainted with the new kids in town.
If you consume a lot of car content on the internet, then you might have heard of Gintani’s SVJ exhaust. The ear deafening scream of the V12 has been amplified by Alex Gintani from California with his wonderful F1 exhaust.
Unfortunately I didn’t catch the other SVJ with a photo, but once one of the V12s started making some music, the other ones joined into the symphony.
In the midst of all the modern engines and impressive tech was this 1964 Cadillac Coupe Deville. It was parked nicely in its own spot which was hard to miss, and once you get closer, you will see the impressive level of craftsmanship that has been done on this car.
Since we’re in the topic of classic cars, this Volkswagen beetle was definitely wise to park in that exact spot. He knew what he was doing with that sunlight!
I’m a fan of OEM+ builds, especially when it sticks to a theme. This simple, yet elegant S63 nailed the look of a VIP. I believe his wheels were taken from a Maybach, with a couple inches lowered to eliminate the fender gap. I think the owner has done a great job in justifying the body lines of the S63 Coupe.
To begin the car season, the Strada Season Opener definitely brought out a lot of enthusiasts together, and I think it marks the start of a great summer ahead. With events already in line, we hope to be able to cover them well, and most importantly bring you guys closer to the community.
While I know that this photo coverage failed to cover the other half of the event, you can watch our recap video on our YouTube Channel. I’m sure you’d like to hear the Gintani SVJ’s have a go at it!