Due to unforeseen circumstances and my father’s death in June 2019, the AE86 project took a bit of a hiatus; we put the build on pause until we felt it was right to get back at it. It wasn’t until we returned from Japan in September until we started to move on with the project again. I was hell-bent on getting this thing finished, but life always seems to throw a curveball when you least expect it, and it reminded me to slow down and enjoy the ride.
If cars could speak, Reubens C33 would have quite the story. Fortunately, we have managed to document most of its life since it left the motherland, a hack machine that someone threw together. Reuben imported this car with the sole purpose of making some extra cash. It wasn’t until it landed that he started trying on wheels and parts that he fell in love with it.
Much like our photos from the 2019 BBQ, right before the world knew anything about the word Covid, we made our way to the most famous car show in Ireland, held in September every year. This event was a washout, and as expected, we were a little deflated after just coming back from our trip to Japan, which you might have seen on our youtube channel.
We did a lap of the paddock, trying to capture whatever caught our eyes and battled the never-ending heavy downpours that followed.
Little did we know this would be the very last sizeable Irish car show as nothing has happened since the Pandemic took hold of the world. Regardless, enjoy these quick photos from a pre covid world. It took a little longer than expected to get around to putting them on the site, ill keep the words to a minimum here and let the high-quality selection speak for itself. Enjoy – Neil
A slightly productive weekend at the shed this week. Reubens Laurel is reunited with the shed as he tries to find space to fit it next to the bus. We fix the March and paint some bits for the AE86.
We’ve been busy here the last few weeks trying to get back into a routine with the Normal Juicebox content. I’ve got behind the scenes photos to match every Vlog going forward. Here is our coverage from the BBQ. I always feel the need to add as many pictures to these articles as possible, as we hand select people we know that we have made friends with over the years to call down for the day and enjoy our passion for this stuff with like-minded individuals.
I won’t add much more to these photos, as the pictures speak for themselves, its always nice to be able to throw an event like this, and looking back at these 2019 photos, it makes us both sad but hopeful that we can do another event like this in the future. In 2019 we had no idea what was coming or how our lives would change the market and car scene. I guess it’s best not to take anything for granted and enjoy what we have while we have it.
Here’s a selection of some of Irelands best Japanese cars and more. I hope you enjoy the pics, kindly shot by my brother Stephen.
Reuben gets a one-way ticket to Sweden to drive his C33 Laurel back to Ireland in one weekend. He meets some interesting friends along the way and gets back just in time for work on Monday.
An AE86, nine years in hibernation, comes to the Juicebox BBQ and many other epic machines. Ireland packs a punch when it comes to cool cars. Our 2019 BBQ was a good one.
It’s back to the AE86 build and shed antics, we prep the bay and spray it with a coat of primer. We also get soaked at a car show.
We break down the cost of our Japan in a Van road trip, give you a few handy tips for embarking on a similar journey and explain what’s coming next for the Juicebox channel.
What a way to see Nikko, a track I’ve always wanted to see at a dream event. The “car gods’ were good to us on this trip. It was a fantastic way to sign off our car hunting in Japan. Our 18 days of travelling from the north to the south had let us meet so many people. We had seen so much stuff, from shops to cars to scenery to tracks, engaged with many interesting people.
The following morning after three hours of sleep from our night on the touge, we got up to look at just exactly where we had booked the night previous. We somehow managed to book a room in a hotel built into a cliff in a town on the outskirts of Nikko. The place was called Kinugawa Onsen, and it’s a failing hot springs town. The views were spectacular, something I didn’t expect, as we couldn’t see a thing in the dark.
Drifting Legends! We finish our Japan journey at the Battle Magazine Cup held at Nikko Circuit. We also get caught in a typhoon before heading back to Ireland! It’s been a blast making these videos and reliving the trip. Cheers for tagging along and enjoying the memories with us.
After a lovely evening at N-Style, and a rather uncomfortable afternoon, we were exhausted. We hadn’t slept much the previous night for obvious reasons, and this night was shaping up to be no different.
Hide Nagashima is a legend, he builds some of the most impressive cars, and the backdrop to his shop is hilarious, literally in the middle of nowhere surrounded by rice fields.
