Blade Runner

Original, creative and daring...4 elements that can set you apart in the game we call stance. Yes I said 4 and only mentioned 3, but I'll get to the 4th point in a little bit. If you are a follower of the stance scene, it becomes apparent that to be noticed or stand out is quite the mission. Sure your car has the latest set of wheels on the market and maybe a set of coilovers or bags for that matter, but is your car truly a reflection of the passion and dedication true enthusiasts put into their rides? Maybe you are just a carbon copy of the dude down the block? 

So what does it take to be different? Originality - coming up with your own ideas for one, Creativity - thinking goes a long way, Daring - bold is the order of the day, but most importantly, and this is my 4th point...EXECUTION!!!

Now don’t get me wrong, I'll give you a nod of approval if you have 1 or 2 of the elements secured, but what I saw at an event not so long ago held at NMMU where Charl Rensburg first debuted the new look on his 150i Honda Ballade, I was gob-smacked to say the least. Not only had he nailed these 4 key elements down to the T, but he received a double thumbs-up from me.

I have to admit, on the day of the event the weather was very overcast, which in my eyes gave Charl's Honda a different hue, and made me think it wasn’t his; that, and the fact that it was sporting a freshly coated Mugen front spoiler, perfectly colour-coded to the match the body. The paint on this Honda is super clean, but as Charl explained was a mission to rectify after he purchased it few years back, making his panel-beater sweat bullets over the colour blending on the 17year old car. Not only did his panel-beater do a stellar job but Charl went the extra mile in having all the minor dings and dents removed to give it that smooth fresh factory look, complimented beautifully with a slide a tilt sunroof and a sleek looking E46 boot-spoiler.

As Charl explains; once the stance bug bit, he just knew he had to do something radical to step his game up; running through a good few sets of wheels in the time leading up to his current setup, but first on his to-do list was ditching his cut springs in favour of a set of Tuning Art coilovers which immediately gave his car that low slung look we all crave.

The real turning point came when he went with his gut and purchased these stunning Mazda 6 wheels; how's that for thinking outside the box? And dare I say, daring? Knowing that he'll be running into trouble fitting the wheels as they are of a different PCD, plans were made to fit the 5x114.3 7J wheels to the Honda. Enter the good folk at Euroworx to weave their magic on the car.

To get the wheels fitted sure looked like a battle but in true Euroworx fashion the chaps went over and beyond our expectations. The hardware alone left us all stumped, you see, to get the wheels to fit and fit properly, some serious work went into the 25mm adapters as it is seemingly impossible to fabricate 5x114.3 adapters for a 4x100 hub since the holes will overlap. Not only did it work, but another 9mm spacer was added all round to get the wheels fitting perfectly in the arches. You might ask why such thick adapters and an added 9mm spacer? This is the beauty of OEM wheels; their high offsets give you the room to get your wheel as close to the fender as possible. Originally the Mazda blades have an offset of 60, so add the 25mm adapters plus the 9mm spacer and Charl was left with a final ET of 26, giving him that perfect fitment and resulted in him taking 1^st place for fitment at WonderSLAM this year. And seeing the hardware peek through the spokes of the wheels will just leave you shaking your head in amazement.

When the time came to mount these bad boys, a fellow stancer by the name of Nithaam joined the party and hooked Charl up with the extended wheel bolts and I must admit the red anodized bolts suit the wheels really well, giving it that extra ''wow'' factor. It's what I call a flawless execution. The last thing Charl struggled with was the tyre combo for the wheels, saying it was nerve wrecking but he knew his choice was a good. The chosen tyres were 165/35/17 front and 185/35/17 rear, hence the name ''Blade Runner''. It’s a scary sight but man does it fit the cars overall look, just the right amount of tuck and just the right amount of low.

Overall this car speaks volumes; the idea of being creative, original, daring and executing it perfectly left us all astonished. Charl’s car should serve as a reminder to us about what can be accomplished with a little patience, a bold approach and sheer willingness to push beyond what society thinks is acceptable in the scene. So to Charl and his Honda; I commend you for pushing pass this barrier and who knows what radical wheels and fitment combos are around the corner for us as stancers to drool over.

Words: Cheslyn Bellairs

Photos: Cheslyn Bellairs & Darryn Plaatjies

Post Processing: Sherwin Hambridge

Video: Duane Baatjes