The Trickster

The Harlequin. Defined as a joker, a clown, an entertainer. As an adjective it’s a variegated pattern of colors. A combination of patches of contrasting colors. In cars, it’s a famous livery popularized by Volkswagen in one of their vehicles, the golf, taking inspiration to an old ad by the beetle and how it shows that the car, no matter what years, the panels are interchangeable. Doors, fenders, different panels of the cars.

And that is the inspiration of this one of a kind 3 series BMW showcased at the AGENDA Show in Long Beach, CA as part of the fixture of VAST.’s booth which ended up winning the best booth award in the convention because of this highness gracing the area.. well, among the clothes and other things in display.

There are lots of things that make this car unique. Besides the obvious exterior of it, the car is also a right hand drive. It was imported and now registered here in California. It’s a weird feeling driving a car in right side of the road where the steering wheel in the wrong side. It surprises people seeing the car making a right turn noticing the driver on the right. Makes them take a double take and a look of surprise seeing a not so common sight. During the shoot we were thinking of going for the more urban and hustle and bustle of the city. Shooting on the streets of downtown Los Angeles, although beautiful, is a little daunting since everything and everywhere is so busy. This location I picked was enough to show the city. It is overly used though since I’ve seen so many cars shot in this area but not a care like this. The color scheme and blends wonderfully with the graffiti and shows off the unconventional look of this machine. The magnificence of the city and the lack of uniformity of the car. Such a wonderful simple build.

As we head home with this stunner, naturally, we got caught on the jam packed freeways of Southern California. While caught on traffic, my buddy, the owner, got a little carried away listening to Tupac and jamming to that California Love. A mere 10-20 feet away from the exit, he struck a Toyota corolla on the stop and go traffic. Luckily with the slow pace of the cars, under 10mph I’d say, the car received minor damage and no one was harmed during the collision. Maybe a little bit of ego was and gaining the knowledge of taking Tupac in small dozes while driving in the treacherous freeways of downtown Los Angles. California Love.. ha! This trickster, fooled us indeed.