Down Shift: A Touch of Class

Being an upcoming automotive photographer often gets you introduced to other like minded photographers. There are dozens of automotive photographers out there, but some are a step above the rest. I got to know Chris through a good friend of mine Matyi, as they went to school together and have been good mates for a while. I had been a huge fan of pretty much the majority of Chris's photography work and he is definitely one of my favorite photographers; his style of editing and knack for angles is always such an inspiration.

Chris has helped me out heaps with getting my shit together photo quality wise, and also learning the ropes with locations and a lot of other general doo dadding that has to be learnt in the photography game. He often sends me work he has taken with Matyi or just himself (samples, if you may) and when he sent me the shots he took of his mates BMW 650i, I had to post them up. They are amazing, not to mention the car has so much presence to it that just absorbs your train of vision.

The 650i has always been hated on for its shape and general look. It isn't the prettiest car, but with a few select 'upgrades' so to speak it can look 100x better than it did from factory. The first thing that you may notice about this particular 650 is that it has a set of new shoes and is quite lower than normal. The one thing that always bugged me about the stock 6 series look was that the ride height was just a little to high for a car with such low slung body lines. A pet hate of mine is large gaps between the guard and wheel, which, unfortunately, it has in spades from factory. But the biggest draw card this modded 650 has is the absolutely stunning Asanti AF128's. You could probably count on two hands the amount of sets of Asanti wheels that reside in Aus, due to no retailers and also the crazy cost that Asanti wheels hit you with. They were certainly a perfect choice for this high end sports car.

The final thing you will notice is the quite large (and very shiny) quad exhausts that reside at the rear of the car. They look so much better than the ugly oval exhausts BMW sold the car with. The upgrades are only minimal and it isn't a lardy car, yet my god, it looks so good. The plates are definitely deserved on it, that's for sure. Chris's pictures complement the car oh so well. The location and editing just make it stand out even more than it would normally. The owner definitely knows where it's at in terms of style.

After seeing the shots Chris produced of this 650, I acquired a new found love for the 6 series BMW's. I wish more people in Aus built cars like this example. It is, in essence, how European cars should look. Yes, the cost of building one is way out of the average Joe's league, but too many times do I see people rocking cheap and nasty parts on their BMW's, Mercedes, or Audi's. If you want a lesson on how to improve high end, $100,000 cars, then take note that this is how you do it.