Defrost by Taylor Scion 2014, Part I

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, this is it: being a car enthusiast in Saskatchewan builds character. I was quickly reminded of this fact when roughly 510 cars showed up at DODOlogic’s Defrost by Taylor Scion this past Saturday. The SIAST parking lot was filled to the brim with enthusiasts from near and far, who braved the less-than-favorable weather to kick off the car season.

Before I get into it, I should mention that logistically this meet wouldn’t have been possible without Taylor Scion. Working with Janson and his team is always awesome and to date, they are the longest-running supporter of these events.

I will admit that sometimes I take the Saskatchewan scene for granted. But just when I think I’ve seen it all, it still manages to surprise me. The sheer volume of this meet figuratively blew my mind. There were plenty of familiar faces, but even more new faces and rides I’d never seen before.

As I was saying, being a Saskatchewan car enthusiast builds character and it’s not just the extreme and unpredictable weather that contributes to this. We are unlike other metropolitan centers; our smaller size and population requires us to step outside of our automotive culture comfort zone. We very much are a melting pot scene. After all, it’s not at every meet you see a classic ride parked next to a drift car, or an exotic mixing with the stance scene. However, this is exactly what happens at Defrost and I couldn’t be happier.

If I had been born in a bigger city, I can only imagine that my automotive interests would be more narrow or at least refined to a specific viewpoint. But belonging to the Sask. scene means being open-minded. In larger locales, it’s easier to find a certain amount of segregation between scenes because the population allows for it.

We don’t have the luxury of excluding those who don’t fit into our schema of what makes a car enthusiast. Instead, we embrace the things that make us different. In the end, it’s a great learning experience. I’d imagine any type of segregation in this scene would quickly be met with loneliness.

Over the years Defrost has become a milestone for builds. As long as our winters are, it’s not surprising to see people scrambling to finish their project the week before the meet. I’ve heard stories of people who don’t want to bring their car to Defrost because it isn’t ready. This always makes me chuckle because the meet isn’t about having a pristine car; it’s about bringing what you have.

I don’t know about the rest of guys from DODOlogic, but one of my ulterior motives has always been to gather new content and scout out potential features. After all, I’m in the business of exploiting the Saskatchewan automotive scene and if Defrost was a sign of business to come – then brother, business is good.

Not only did Defrost 2014 bring out plenty of new faces, it brought out some new sponsors. If you look past this 500Hp drift machine, you might notice Prestige Auto Chem. They braved the cold, rainy weather to be part of the meet. They had a few of their products on hand, but you can check out their Facebook page for more car cleaning products.

During my regular post-production photo grind, I started to realize something: Defrost isn’t just about the cars, it’s also about the people behind the cars and the community that comes with them. Well, that and “breaking necks.”

This year, we thought it’d be nice if our community gave back to the community. We appreciate everyone who brought out food donations and helped fill this R32 GTR with non-perishable goods, which will be donated to the Regina and District Food Bank.