\n\tHod ran Wheels of NYC as a carspotting account for \u201cprobably two years,\u201d but realized that something was missing. Inspired by Humans of New York, Hod wanted to start cataloging the owners of all these oddball classics filling up his page. \u201cAs much as cars are important and interesting and everything, I think the owners are as interesting, if not more,\u201d says Hod. \u201cEspecially in New York, a car is not really a prestige thing. It\u2019s a taste, it\u2019s a story.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"A](\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-robbreport-2017-v2\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\t\t\t\t\tA Fiat 500 hides in Wheels of NYC<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRaphael Orlove<\/p>\n
\n\tTaking pictures of street-parked cars, Hod could seek out his subjects. To connect with their drivers, he had to get them to come to him, and in 2021, he started putting together a weekly meetup in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with the Manhattan skyline in the distance. They were an instant hit. \u201cYou have to remember, it was a year, two years almost, of people not being able to meet each other\u2026the first event, it was packed. And I saw for the first time that what I have is not only followers, it\u2019s a real community. It\u2019s real people who met, became later friends and collaborators.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThese early meets were a burst of energy on the NYC car scene. There had been a real hunger for something like it, featuring cars of every style and era, daily drivers and weekend cruisers alike.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cAnd then we evolved from there,\u201d says Hod. \u201cI decided to take this platform a step further and create a new type of event,\u201d says Hod, \u201cin which cars are in the centre, but it\u2019s not a car show. It\u2019s not a car meet, and it\u2019s not a car event. It\u2019s a cultural experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tHod wanted Wheels of NYC to reflect the broader interests of a new generation of car collectors. An izakaya night, for instance, brought cars into a hip Japanese restaurant and partnered with a streetwear brand and a local sake producer. The $75 tickets got you hand rolls and sake while a DJ spun in the back.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWhat I saw in our events is that they care about cars a lot, but they also care about other analog stuff like watches and turntables and cameras, especially Leicas,\u201d explains Hod. \u201cAnd fashion and music and art. So that\u2019s what I love about the car culture here. It\u2019s really creative.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThis video of a subtly restored and modified 1999 Mercedes SL500<\/a> is Wheels of NYC\u2019s most-viewed post, in no small part because the owner matched his outfit to his car, re-wrapped in an exquisite brown.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRaphael Orlove<\/p>\n \n\tEven a simple cars-and-coffee meetup, a style of car show that\u00a0kicked off in an era\u00a0<\/a>young enthusiasts now find nostalgic<\/a>, is different here. While most cars and coffees are held in quiet, out-of-the-way parking lots, you can run into a row of rally cars<\/a> at a Wheels of NYC event if you happen to dip out for a coffee and some window shopping in the Lower East Side one morning. It\u2019s a different atmosphere.<\/p>\n \n\tCar enthusiasts have been gravitating towards shows that look beyond the usual static, brand- or era-specific meet-ups in parking lots or open fields. Pebble Beach\u2019s Car Week, which offers luxury activations and vintage racing across the Monterey Peninsula, has been bursting at the seams. Increasingly dynamic events like it have been popping up all over the world, like February\u2019s F.A.T Ice race in Big Sky, Montana, showcasing seven-figure classics and well-worn youngtimers in a high-end ski town.<\/p>\n \n\tI leave Hod to prep for his next event, the debut of a short film about a small family-run shop in Japan that restores some of the rarest and most desirable Ferraris in the world. After that, he has the big Spring fling on the calendar, on April 4th, here at this very warehouse. There will be cars, for sure, but also a vintage clothing and watch marketplace, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tWith its diversity of people and interests, Hod thinks New York is becoming the leading car scene in the world. NYC is a high fashion capital, a streetwear capital, a gourmet destination, and a cultural powerhouse. Of course, it would all spill over into the automotive landscape, with owners who integrate their everyday style into their cars. As Hod puts it, \u201cLove is love, and passion is passion.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n