At some point in our lives, we have all had that classic movie moment where everything turns slow motion and the girl of your dreams (or at least you think so at the time) comes through the crowd and everything in your existence is suddenly fixated on her. In that moment, you’re completely and utterly helpless as your little heart is pounding out of your chest and you’re trying to reel your eyes back into your skull. For some, this is a fleeting moment in a foreign city where she disappears back into the crowd, never to be seen again, while others are fortunate to not only watch her walk into the room but also, into their life and they get the chance to pursue this goddess (and some lucky ones even marry her). No matter the outcome, that moment can have a lasting impact and influence one’s preferences, opinions, and desires more than what some are willing to admit.
For those of us who have a love for the automotive we have experienced this same feeling towards a particular make or model, and for some it became a pursuit. No, I’m not talking about the Enzo or Diablo you had on your wall growing up — I’m talking about your non-lottery car. Some are fortunate enough to own the exotics us members of the $30k Millionaires Club could only dream of, but for the Average Joe the term “dream car” can have a different meaning.
I remember the exact moment in time where my dream car epiphany happened, and I’m sure a lot of you are reminiscing as well. Sure, the car or platform you fell in love with may not be everyone else’s cup of tea but it doesn’t have to be. If you had a long lost rich uncle who left you billions it’s the car that you would have in your 30,000 square foot garage, nestled among millions of dollars worth of exotic cars that would leave people scratching their head as to why it’s in your collection, yet you find the corners of your mouth moving skyward every time you see it.
Ok, maybe I’m embellishing a little much but you get the point. Diego Cancino’s story is probably not far off from your own. The car you see before you was his dream girl at one point and like that persistent drunk guy at the bar he didn’t lose sight of what he wanted, despite some obstacles along the way.
Diego has always been a Honda guy. His first car was a nighthawk black pearl 1994 Civic Coupe (nostalgia is setting in for many of you, I’m sure), and like many of us it was treated like his first-born child. Before going into the military directly after high school he sold his beloved coupe and over the course of multiple deployments and even more years he owned a couple more Civics, but deep down in his soul… dare I say his loins, he longed for an opportunity to own the car he had always wanted: an S2000. Skip forward a few years and long story short… love makes you do some things you aren’t proud of, but as many of us have personally discovered breakups can be the inspiration needed to make some brash and liberating decisions your past self shied away from making. After searching online Diego found and secured a berlina black S2000 already equipped with a highly desirable hard top. “Best decision I have ever made,” Diego informed me.
His goal was simple: “modify with quality parts and maintain a clean, classy, timeless look.” He had always been a proponent of going as low as you can static (as he had with his previous Civics) but he wanted to maintain some of the functionality that is inherent with the cars design. Diego started with a set of BBS LM wheels on the S2K, but to show his love for the classic he went with a gorgeous set of BBS RS mesh with 24k gold hexcaps and hardware, and triple stage powder coated faces. With some other slight modifications to boot (PasswordJDM intake, coilovers, etc.) he was pretty pleased… until a huge tree branch fell on his car and damaged the hard top, door, and part of the fender.
Instead of taking this as a negative Diego saw the chance to make something great even better. AMS Autowerks took care of the body work, and the best part is they resprayed his S2000 the same color as his first Civic — nighthawk black pearl! A few months later he was in the Air Force Reserves, moved back to Ohio and went back to school but his motor decided to go to the junkyard after it spun a rod bearing. Faced with another setback he once again took it to heart and decided to shave the back, paint match some motor bits, and have the wires tucked as well. Through misfortune a masterpiece was crafted and Diego was there every step of the way, through the good and the bad. Why? Because you can’t give up on a dream. Scott Hamilton said it best: “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
Although adult life has called and the home-owner card has been dealt Diego is still living his dream and driving his passion. His short term plans for the car are simple since the house is commanding a larger amount of income: maybe another set of wheels for next year and a suspension setup change, “just because.” Long term, however, he wants to commit the treasonous act of “ditching the stance game and going all out track build because I wanna go fast and turn and stuff,” Diego explained. I love this guy.
I think we can all see a bit of ourselves in Diego’s story. He knew what he wanted, he went after it, and he stuck with it through the ups and downs. Sometimes we only get one chance, sometimes you get a couple, but either way it’s the chance you always wanted… why not take it and run with it?
Shout Outs:
Diogo Azvezdo (AMS AUTOWERKS) for paint and bodywork
Anthony Colangelo (ASC Autoworks)
Paul Ehlrich (ewheelworks)
My Lowcally Famous Crew
Full Spec List
Exterior:
Paint: nighthawk black pearl
OEM hardtop
OEM rear Ap1 spoiler
OEM Front Ap1 lip (it’s a rep…. sorry ’bout it)
Wheels:
BBS RS
(specs secret)
24k plated hex caps and hardware
triple stage powder coated blue faces
Engine:
Shaved/tucked
PasswordJDM carbon kevlar intake
Passwordjdm carbon cooling plate
Toda Racing headers
Toda Racing dual exhaust
Hasport motor mounts
Brakes:
Chase Bays brake booster delete plate
Wilwood brake booster delete
Suspension:
Tein Flex coilovers
SPC balljoints
T1r bump steer kit
PasswordJDM front strut bar
Interior:
Recaro pole position
Buddy Club rails
Nardi deep corn polished steering wheel
PasswordJDM brass knuckle shift knob
Drivetrain:
J’s racing LSD
J’s Racing LSD mounts
T1R driveshaft spacers
