When it comes to automotive culture, Bangkok is truly fascinating. The builds you see in Thailand’s capital city are really only limited by the imaginations of their creators, and even extend beyond the road.
My most recent visit to Bangkok in April was a brief one, but that didn’t stop me soaking up as much of the culture as I could in the short space of time I had. Without any publicised events happening, I knew getting involved in the local car scene would be difficult due to the language barrier and my understanding that most meets in Thailand are arranged on the Line app or in private Facebook Group pages. So I contacted the only person I know who is actively showcasing the local automotive scene – Chad of CB Media. He pointed me in the direction of Infinite Media, and said that they’d take care of me. That, they definitely did.
Little did I know that the Infinite Media is part of Infinite Motorsport, and their workshop is actually Liberty Walk Thailand (look out for a shop tour soon). I met up with Oat, the founder of LBWK Thailand, and told him of my plans to explore the local scene, but needed a little help navigating it. On the back of this, Oat and his team decided to organize a Honda car meet that I could attend.
Everyone met up at LBWK HQ, where the plan was to convoy down the highway to a rest area. There, I could check out all the attending cars in detail.
Thailand has a lot of similarities to Japan when it comes to the street scene, and I was told there’s a group of Civic owners that run their own version of Osaka’s infamous ‘Loop’ in Bangkok. If you search ‘Loop R Thailand’ on YouTube you’ll find a bunch of clips.
After driving and attempting to capture a couple of highway rolling shots, we finally made it to our destination where everyone gathered and talked about their builds. They might have all been Hondas, but there was so much diversity in the models and the way they had been modified by their passionate owners.
An instant standout was this K-swapped (and turbocharged) S2000. I was told it’s making about 700hp, which is absolutely wild.
This EK9 Civic Type R has also received a K-swap, and the detailed engine sits within a very clean bay.
You can’t go past the Spoon Sports look, and this EG6 and EK9 pair really do it justice with countless parts from the legendary Japanese Honda tuner.
It was hard to miss to the KevMannz GT, a wide-body EG6 Civic on Air Lift Performance suspension. Out at night and under lights, this thing gave me all the Need for Speed vibes. It was definitely the most eye-catching car at the meet, not to mention the loudest.
Fast & Furious-style Honda Civic or tuned Honda Odyssey?
By this time it was pretty late, so some people decided to call it a night. Others were eager to take me to Bangkok’s iconic landmark the ‘Giant Swing’ next to the Wat Suthat Thepwararam temple, so we split off, and with my newfound friends decided to shoot a bit more.
It was a great introduction to the Thailand car scene and I’m pumped and eager to explore more of the culture. In fact, next week I’ll be doing just that, while also attending the Bangkok International Auto Salon. However, I’ve still got plenty to show you from my April trip, so stay tuned for those stories over the coming weeks.
I’d really like to thank the Infinite Media team for their kindness and hospitality; I don’t think I could have had a better introduction to the local scene than what they gave me. The team also created a behind-the-scenes video of this Honda meet, so make sure you check that out here.
Rick Muda
Instagram: ardskellig
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