Over the years I’ve befriended people with some really cool cars here in Richmond, Virginia. Given all the time in the world, I’d love to schedule shoots with everyone and put together articles on this site for each of them, even if it meant hours upon hours of figuring out how to compliment the pictures with words. All that said, my time is not infinite, so when an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone appears, I take it.

This is Chris Larson’s 2003 Honda S2000 (AP1). The last time you saw this car was in my last post back in October. Given that in that album it’s pictured looking largely stock, you can trust that Chris works on his car a lot faster than I can churn out posts.

Around that same time, Chris let me take his S2000 for a spin on the roads outside VIR and it was a blast to drive. With the wider wheels, stickier tires, and better brakes, it’s gotta be even more fun now.

And this beauty is Steve Killmon’s 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata (ND1). It’s largely stock compared to the S2000 (whose mod list is said to be longer than my leg, according to Steve), but it has all the essentials. And it’s a Miata after all, it doesn’t really need anything.

Perhaps most notably, Steve wrapped his Miata in an XPEL Stealth Satin paint protection film. It looks as great in person as it does in the photos and greatly contrasts the mirror finish of Chris’ Silverstone Metallic S2000. In the wheel department, the car rests on bronze 17x8” König Ampliforms wrapped in 225 width Pilot Sport 4’s.

We met for burgers before our shoot and headed downtown, ditching my NA Miata (more on that car at a future date, hopefully) in a nearby parking garage. This alley is one of my favorite spots to shoot at, and I’ve never seen another photographer use it to date.

I was a little afraid these photos would be unusable as there was less light left in the sky than I anticipated. Shooting at 1/20 isn’t impossible thanks to a lens with image stabilization, but I was still relieved to get home and see they came out pretty sharp.

We booked it out of the alley in pursuit of shooting elsewhere while there was still daylight and quickly found ourselves shooting by The Martin Agency.

Chris recently mounted a set of 17x9” WedSport TC105X’s on his car with my favorite 200TW tire, the Hankook Ventus RS4. Just the day before our shoot he redid his brakes with DBA rotors and Project Mu pads. The calipers were rebuilt and recoated locally by TaikyuSpec.

We continued our trek east and made our last daylight stop at Richmond’s Main Street Station with the S2000 in the spotlight first. You wouldn’t think a sports car prepared like this one would look so at home amidst 1901 architecture, yet here we are.

All the while I was shooting the Honda, Steve’s Miata sat patiently nearby. Isn’t it just adorable?

Finally, it was the ND’s turn at the bat, right as the sun was reaching the skyline. Richmond really is a breathtaking city, and having a Miata in the foreground only makes it better.

When it became too dark for me to handhold the camera, I broke out the tripod for some detail shots of the S2000’s engine bay. Chris has gone to great lengths to make this vehicle as beautiful on the inside as much as it is on the outside. It features the AutoTeknic carbon cooling plate, the Nightrun Garage coolant overflow tank they developed in-house, Renegade Motorsports VTEC solenoid cover and titanium battery tiedown, as well as other goodies. The accessories are neatly attached with Dress Up Bolts hardware.

Before heading out, I snagged a few more pictures of the Miata.

To end our night, we followed I-95 South from below and took a few shots in Shockoe Bottom and then some obligatory photos at the Church Hill Overlook, where I had more fun taking pictures of the cars blurred in motion than I did them sitting still. I hadn’t thought about it at the time, but I hadn’t taken photos at night since H2Oi 2018! I think I got the hang of it though, eventually.

It was a good night - especially since we finished it by enjoying some ice cream at Sweet Spot Ice Cream Cafe. Thanks Chris and Steve for letting me shoot your cars, and thank you, dear reader, for following along. Below you’ll find their respective mod lists and more bonus photos at the end ❤.

Chris Larson’s 2003 Honda S2000 AP1	Steve Killmon’s 2016 Mazda MX-5 Club ND1
Fortune Auto 500 coilovers with 10k/10k spring rates	Koni Yellow Shocks/Progress RoadsterSport Springs
WedsSport TC105x in 17x9 +49	Progress Sway Bars
Hankook Ventus RS-4 255/40/17	Good-Win Racing front shock tower brace
Taikyu Spec rebuilt calipers, DBA rotors, Project Mu pads	17x8” König Ampliform in bronze
EVS Tuning carbon/magnesium GTLM mirrors	225/45/17 Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Spoon-style side splitters	Wilwood DynaPro 4-piston front calipers
AIM Auto Salon JDM clear turn signal conversion headlights	Porterfield brake pads
2020 Honda Civic Type R shift knob with rebuilt OEM shifter	XPEL Stealth Satin Paint Protection Film
@Joedirts2k carbon shift knob surround	XPEL Prime XR Plus window tint
Honda Access floor mats	Cobalt stainless dual-tip axleback exhaust
Lexus footwell LED lighting	Blackbird Fabworx ND RZ Roll Bar
Renegade Motorsports titanium battery tie down
Renegade Motorsports VTEC solenoid cover
Koyo radiator - powdercoated flat black upper tank by Jaysfab
Powdercoated valve cover and coil pack cover by JaysFab
Dress Up Bolts throughout engine, engine bay, and trunk
HKS radiator cap
Modified factory air box with aFe filter
AutoTeknic carbon cooling plate
AP2 valve spring retainers
Nightrun Garage coolant overflow tank

Bonus Photos

Still seeking more, or wanting high resolution downloads? View the whole album on Flickr.