For those who have been able to come along to the MTA Queensland Cars & Coffee events over the past year, it would not have escaped their notice that a group of rather special supercars have become regular visitors.

Models from McLaren, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Audi and others have roared their way to the MTA Queensland head office for the Sunday morning get-together and many a jaw has dropped at the sight of these stunning, road-going pieces of art.

These exotic motors belong to members of a group known as the CarStyle Crew – a collective of car enthusiasts who share their passion for all things motoring through photography, videos, social media and, of course, regular meetings, car runs and cruises.

Independent in organisation and philosophy, in just a couple of years CarStyle Crew has grown to more than 1800 Facebook members, has a hefty following across other social media platforms, and is on the ‘contact list’ of massively popular automotive YouTube channels such as Supercar Blondie (500,000+ subscribers) and Seen Through Glass (400,000+ subscribers).

Those connections, and those beautiful cars, might make the group seem like something of an exclusive club, but you would be mistaken – while the organisers’ tastes do run to the more exotic side of the market, it’s their passion for cars, and their desire to share that passion, that really drives them, and the club is open to anyone who shares that passion – regardless of supercar-owning status.

“We are all equal. It is true inclusivity,” says Mitchell Wan, one of the trio of enthusiasts who are the driving force behind the club, and the owner of the McLaren 650s Spider you see on these pages.

“There is no barrier,” he adds. “Someone who owns a Toyota Corolla can cruise with someone who owns a supercar and that is quite a powerful statement. It is about the cars, the photographs, about getting together and meeting friends, being introduced to new people, and interacting with each other. That’s what I love about what we do, and everyone is welcome.”

A graduate of the Queensland Institute of Technology (now Queensland University of Technology), Mitchell is a director of InfinityPATH – an independent medical pathology company – and became involved with CarStyle Crew early on after meeting Alan Liew, the man who started it all.

Director of the BTACS accountancy firm, Alan – who drives a MK6 model of the ever-popular and classic VW Golf GTi – gave CarStyle Crew its start after setting up an Instagram account to share images of cars. The account attracted plenty of attention from other enthusiasts, which led to a meeting with Mitchell and the rapid evolution of the club.

“Mitch introduced me to the Brisbane car scene, invited me to various local car events, and that’s where Carstyle Crew was born,” says Alan. “It was created to be an inclusive social media group of enthusiasts who share their love of cars.”

William Tan is the third member of the trio and the very fortunate chap who gets to drive an Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. Nice.

The owner of the Sieverts Group of companies – which includes a radiology clinic design firm, a multi-media company, and a mediation law firm – William stresses that the CarStyle Crew is as much about the people as it is about the cars.

“We are like-minded individuals who enjoy getting together – that’s the philosophy,” he says. “It’s not about supercars, it’s about super people!”

That’s a positive philosophy, and one of the reasons CarStyle Crew has caught on and grown, appealing to all enthusiasts regardless of their taste in vehicles or the depth of their wallets.

So how did these three men catch the car bug themselves?

For William, his love of cars can be blamed in part on TV shows and the movies and, in particular, KITT the intelligent car from the 1980s David Hasselhoff show Knight Rider and the Aston Martins of the James Bond movies.

“I thought the Pontiac Trans Am in Knight Rider was so cool. That was where it all started,” says William.

“And I have always loved Aston Martin. I was a young guy, very impressionable, and James Bond was saving the world! I thought to myself that one day I would get one, and about four years ago I decided to work towards that goal. Today, I am honoured to have one. There are many beautiful brands but to me Aston Martin has a certain class to it.”

For Alan, his passion for cars came from his father – a dealership owner and importer of vehicles in Malaysia who would drop Alan off at school each day in a different vehicle – a surefire way to spark a young fellow’s interest in all things automotive!

As for Mitchell, his passion for cars came a little later in life. After purchasing an Audi A5 in 2013, the bug bit hard and he worked his way up through the German brand’s models until he bought his first supercar, an R8, in 2016. A year later, he’d gone one step further, buying the McLaren.

“I always wanted to own an Audi, and now I have four!” says Mitchell. “I like the quality, the service and the people who work there. I am trying other brands like McLaren, but I’m not sure what is next!”

While Mitchell might be pondering what supercar might be next for him, what’s next for the CarStyle Crew will be more meetings, more cruises and attracting more members – something that their infectious enthusiasm for all things automotive seems set to ensure. Where it will all lead is anyone’s guess, but there will be a lot of fun had on the way.

“To be honest, no one had any idea we would be where we are now,” says Mitchell. “We were just friends who got along, wanted to do stuff together and join up with other car guys. There was never a plan that after two years we would have 2000 members or after five years we’d have 5000 or anything like that.

“We don’t know where this might go, but the philosophy will remain – friends, fun, inclusivity. That’s the core.”

Source: Motor Trader E-Magazine (Mar 2019 Edition)

12 Mar 2019