Community Events
October 15, 2005 • Cabo da Praia, Azores
Long before MidnighTuners became a thing, before the cameras and the passion for writing, there was a simple moment that started it all. When I was 13 years old, in 2005, I was introduced to the local car scene in the most unexpected way, through a casual suggestion from my dad, who had just passed by an unusual gathering of cars near the industrial area of Cabo da Praia.
Curious and excited, I grabbed the only camera I had at the time, a Motorola V980 mobile phone, and went to see it for myself. What I found was my first real contact with the automotive community: a tuning meet that brought together a diverse mix of cars, from local builds to American foreigners' machines connected to the nearby Lajes Air Base. At the time, I didn’t understand the mechanics behind them and I was simply drawn to the aesthetics, the details and the individuality of each car. The level of customization back then was WILD!
Looking back, this was unknowingly my first “photographic coverage”. One photo per car, each captured from the same three-quarter front or rear angle, with some close-up details here and there, a simple but honest attempt to document what I was witnessing. Today, these images serve not only as a record of that meet, likely organized by the Terceira Tuning Club, but also as the starting point of a journey that would eventually grow into something much bigger.