I wasn’t always a car guy, and by many accounts I’m still not. I can’t recite what engines were available in any year/make/model outside of the Nissan 240SX, I don’t follow any racing series close enough to know current standings or storylines, and I’d rather get a ‘cool’ cheap old car and lower it than finance some late model performance anything. What I do care about, however, is aesthetics. It’s what got me into taking photos of cars in the first place and what keeps me looking at cars (and how others take photos of them) all day every day on social media.
I wish I could nail down the first time I came across the HF Zero - there’s a photo in my head that for some reason I can’t find, a man and woman leaning forward out from under the open canopy - but I feel safe in betting it was somewhere in the infinite scroll that is Tumblr in the early 2010s. It’s fitting, because as obsessed as Tumblr car guys were with proving each other wrong and making micro-niche streetwear brands sold on .jp domains, they all could agree a striking silhouette on a car was near the top of the list when it came to stuff to repost.
When I saw the Lancia make it’s way towards me in the Dawn Patrol lineup, I could only describe the scene as surreal. Lights on, body lines lit perfectly, and in motion instead of on-screen. Don’t worry, the rest of the photos are in color but the black and white really just accentuates the shape of this car. The ring of taillights was a cool discovery, never saw a photo with them illuminated before.
(Click images below to view in a Hi-Res Lightbox)
After making my way around the Honda HP-X, I stepped a couple cars down the row to take photos of this beauty in the soft morning light with the marine layer keeping the strongest of sun rays at bay. The crowds came past in waves, so timing was everything as most people had walked away and I had a precious minute or two with just the remaining passersby in the frame.
Thankfully, my timing continued to prove true as I was able to stand by as the Concours judges came around and began talking about the car - leading the owner to open up the canopy and engine bay. The periscope rear view mirror is as hilarious as it is iconic, as well as the steering wheel that closes the canopy when you pull it back between your legs.
The windshield wiper is hidden away under its own thin door along the leading edge of the cockpit, another small detail I was excited to witness in person.
The layered louver-like triangles opened up to expose a carbureted V-4 in sensational condition - befitting a car that would go on to win the Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars & Prototypes (Early) class later in the day, and stood as one of the Best In Show nominees minutes later.
Aside from getting to actually ride in or drive one of these, I think I’m happy with how the photos and my time with the car turned out. It remains one of my favorite cars and I hope to take photos of one in a one-on-one setting in the future.