To follow on from the last post about his MX5, I thought it was only fitting to continue with another creation from the hands of Bruce. But this time it’s not a car, it’s a place where car guys come together and work on their projects as a community, forging bonds that are thicker than oil and stronger than steel. I present to you, Area 52.

This garage feature differs slightly from the others, as it doesn’t involve the actual build of the garage itself, but the automotive activities that happen within the walls and the new toys (hoist, anyone?) and tools that slowly trickle in. The site was transformed from your run-of-the-mill factory space to a character-filled hideaway where friends spend days and nights wrenching on their cars, helping each other out, and learning new skills. The monthly “play weekends” have an open door policy and go from Friday afternoon all the way until Sunday, with members traveling from all over Europe to be a part of the action. All of this is solely funded by Bruce for his love of cars and the community that comes with it.

The world would be a better place if there was an Area 52 in every town.

CLICK HERE to read about Area 52 in full, and see all the action that goes on inside.

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UPDATE: A new build thread link has been added to the bottom of the post.

It’s been waaay too long since the last garage build, so to bring it back I thought we’d change it up from the previous features which were based on private dwellings, and showcase a garage built for commercial use. After completing a magazine worthy EK coupe, Mike from Tennessee turned his hobby into a business by starting up his own workshop. Instead of renting out a dingy little factory somewhere with a blocked toilet and faulty electrics, he decided to build his own damn shop from the ground up.

I bring you, Track.One…

CLICK HERE for the original build thread on NWP4LIFE.

CLICK HERE for the new build thread on Garage Journal.

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Time to get into another garage post. This garage caught my eye over a year ago when I was browsing The Garage Journal looking for big and expensive garages to feature. Instead, I found this gem, a garage that I would love to call my own and can realistically aspire to. Sure, it’s great to fantasize about the multi-million dollar dwellings that we’ve all seen online and imagine ourselves filling them with many exotica, but unfortunately for most of us, it is just that, a fantasy. The other characteristic I dislike about the ‘mega garages’ is that they appear clinical, sterile, and they lack a real ‘working’ vibe.

From the moment I first saw Jack’s garage it just resonated with me and the images were instantly burnt into my memory. The nostalgic look and feel, the unusual yet perfect choice of colours, the heavy cabinets, thick bench tops, even the vines growing over the outside wall above the door, it just ‘works’ and creates a wonderful garage atmosphere that can’t be achieved from simply ticking boxes in a catalogue. The other great thing about it is that the build was done on a budget, with many second-hand parts being used, combined with a lot of hard work by the owner.

When I get my own place and start looking for inspiration for my own garage, you can bet that the first place I’ll be visiting is Jack’s thread. Keep your eyes peeled for a future feature on the car that calls this garage it’s home. See below for more pictures + a link of the ’12 Guage Garage’ as it is dearly known.

Full thread: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55006

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I know there hasn’t been many posts lately and I do apologise for that, especially for you guys that check the site every day. If it was up to me I’d do this full time and post up stuff for you guys daily. Believe me when I say I have 3 very impressive builds to show you this month, but you’ll just have to be patient. These builds are some of the best I have been waiting-on to feature, so you won’t be disappointed.

But for now, I’d like to show you something that everybody loves, a garage build. One bit of consistent feedback that I get from readers is that they want to see more garage builds, so here’s one that’ll make your eyes pop.

This isn’t your ordinary garage, nor is it built in your ordinary garage location (next to your house). This particular “car hole” as Moe Syzlack would call it, is built in the AutoMotorplex in Minneapolis. “Whats that?” I hear you say. Well it’s a large estate where gear-heads can build their massive dream garages collectively, creating a community of epic car dwellings. Think of it as a small city where instead of buildings, you have garages. Sound like heaven to you? Yeah, me too!

Just wait ’till you see this example, complete will a second-level chill area. I’ll stop blabbering so you can see for yourself and get the same serious case of green-eye syndrome that I just contracted.

The site:

I’m guessing you’ll want to read the full thread for yourself, so head to
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/garage-forum/190631-project-garage-condo.html for the whole story.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a garage build, so here’s one that is a bit more realistic for the majority of us. Dan emailed me his photo-documented garage build not long ago, and you can tell he’s proud as punch of the outcome, and wouldn’t he be? Every car nut dreams of having their own space to work on their project(s), and Dan has achieved that with a house-quality multiple car dwelling located at the rear of his block for maximum privacy. It’s just begging for a ground-up rebuild to take place inside.

Go to http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=25889 for the full build thread.

How’s this for a decadent garage? I found this while browsing The Real JDM, click the picture to read Ben’s story on this outrageous supercar dwelling.

You have to admit, our well-off buddies in the middle-east sure know how to spend their coin.

Jay Leno is a car guy to the bone, and he has done what most of us would do if we were on a Hollywood salary, he built a huge garage and filled it with the worlds coolest cars, motorbikes, planes, and anything with an engine. Not only is he a walking encyclopedia of cars and automotive history, but he also isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and get dirty to fix one of his prized possessions. To help him maintain his collection, Jay employs a full time staff at the garage.

The Big Dog Garage has everything from classics, concept cars, one-off custom creations, steam engined cars, a jet powered motorbike, drag cars, all the way down to the EcoJet, an environmentally friendly super car collaboratively built by Jay and GM which started its life as a sketch on a napkin. An awesome build by the Big Dog staff was the Oldsmobile Toronado which was converted from front wheel drive to rear wheel drive by dropping the body over a modified chassis made from 2 Corvettes, while being powered by a 1,070hp twin turbo V8. Link after the jump.

The website for Big Dog Garage is packed full of photos & videos, so be sure to check it out.
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/

The term “baller” gets thrown around a lot, usually to describe a cheap 2nd hand thrashed Japanese import semi-luxury sedan with some negative offset wheels and a low-slung bodykit.

That aint baller…

This is baller…

Be inspired:
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/garage-forum/133080-my-garage-like-no-other.html

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The garage i featured in Garage Re-Vamp was very modern, clean, high-tech, and full of late model exotic cars. Here’s a garage from the other side of the spectrum.

This is the kind of garage I would love to own. You can keep your tiled floors and rendered walls, give me the character and old school charm of this place any day! Wooden floorboards, exposed beams, and even a split-level add-on.

While there’s no “build” pictures as such, I just had to share it.

Cool beyond words.

Initial thread
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3740

Expansion:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5322

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Its not just cars that get glorified with build threads, some people love to share the progress of their garages too. This is one garage that everyone would love to build their project in.

Yep, thats the garage on the left. Depressing, isn’t it? If you need some inspiration to work harder in life, check out the full build thread:
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/garage-forum/137412-2008-garage-re-vamp-time.html

Do you want to see more garage builds? Leave a comment and let me know.

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