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The Pittsburgh car scene is alive and well…

Like the headline said, my faith in the Pittsburgh car scene has been rejuvenated with the first Steel City Cars N’at / Burgh Built end of summer bash. A collection of cars, trucks, lowrider, classics, exotics all gathered at the Soutpointe parking garage for a celebration of car culture before the hands of old man winter relegate these machines to the garage. Everyone behaved themselves, no burnouts, no donuts, no fights just a bunch of like minded enthusiast celebrating the freedom to drive their beloved machines and admiring each others works of art. I talked with three of the show goers in quick podcasts to find out some of the stories behind the 500 cars that showed up to the event.

First on the mic was Roberto Arnau and the absolute first WRX that has been on the episode, a clean 2011 WRX hatch that is his daily driver! His absolute dream car since he saw Paul Walker driving it in the Fast Franchise, he had the chance this year to purchase it and knew he had to have it. With the movement of the wagons coming back and the discontinuation of WRX hatches, this body style is now appreciating as you do not see them on the road very often. As a daily driver that hauls his wife and kids around every day Roberto knew that he couldn’t go over the top with unreliable power adders and full on race car items. Under the hood he gave it some “Puerto Rican flavor,” with the green accents and tasteful engine upgrades that made this car pop when he pops the hood. Inside there is a single Braum seat and upgraded steering wheel that allows him to do some spirited driving while his passengers don’t suffer being uncomfortable on the daily commutes. While the project is in its infancy the car has so much potential and the DNA of the rally inspired wagons is such a great place to start! You can find him @wrxhatch412 on Instagram or driving his car daily around the Pittsburgh area!

Next up was this absolutely incredible 1977 Standard Beetle flat windshield brought by Paul Springon. What makes it so incredible, well the car you are looking at is unrestored and quite possibly one of the best unrestored examples in the world. When Paul bought it in 2017 it had around 7700 miles on it and was part of a high end Porsche collection. In his 70s, Paul has owned four different Beetles and wanted the absolute pinnacle of collector quality VW. The tool kit you see under the hood is original to the car however the leather cases and bags are all hand tooled by a friend of his and give the custom pop to this already clean car. The engine down to the alternator and original fuel injection is how it came off the production line in 1977 and as Paul claims, “runs great and keeps up with everything on the road.” You can see the car riding around the Pittsburgh area as he loves putting miles on it and at local car shows. With now 17K original miles the car is a show stopper at any show he attends. Note: he won Best Classic Car at the End of Summer Bash!

This gorgeous 2003 350z was built by Kylie Lewis, 17, and her father from an R-Titled machine. The car was inspired by the Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift 350z Kylie searched for hours on Facebook marketplace and came up with a rotted out 350z that didn’t pass state inspection. With the quarter panels completely junked out and the suspension rotted to pieces, Kylie and her father tore down the car to the bare chassis and began throwing fresh sheet metal back on the project. The car was painted by Kylie herself and dropped in this super clean Porsche Riviera Blue donning many custom touches. The wheels and heart shaped lug nuts are her favorite pieces with the heart theme continuing into the headlights and neons galore. In the future Kylie will be working hard on the interior to finish off the car and move onto the next project. She also has a 2000 BMW 323i and an early 90s Honda Accord that are both customized. You can find Kylie on instagram @Ky350z or cruising around Pittsburgh with her mom and dad! Note: This was my wife’s favorite car at the show, Kylie you get the Jeni Snax award!

Big thank you to Angelo with Steel City Cars N’at and Ross at Burgh Built for putting on the show and creating a great atmosphere for the Pittsburgh car community. Go follow them on instagram @steelcitycarsnat and @burgh_built as they are leading the way in meets and car shows in Pittsburgh. Be on the look out for more collaborations between them as well as this podcast as we have already been planning a few things for next year!