When you look at the automotive aftermarket scene as a whole, it's made up of various groups and socio-economic classes based very loosely upon true socio-economic classes and social statuses. One thing that never seems to change regardless of what brand or continent you're affiliating with is the scene 'elites'. There are quite literally thousands of self-proclaimed elites. You know the people I'm talking about, don't you? The chaps that think they're Gods among mere mortals. The kind of person who will flat out tell you that they possess superior knowledge and that they simply cannot be wrong. It's funny how these self-proclaimed elites are often the ones who are asking for the most assistance behind the scenes. They're the ones that spend hours magazine racing and parts shopping, only to call vendors and ask for hours of assistance. Irony is a beautiful thing. Then, you come to my favorite group of elites (and my favorite sector as a whole), the 'unsung elites'. This is a small niché group of individuals most of whom are not braggadocios or self-proclaimed, they're not all-knowing or condescending, they just are...elites.

This group of 'unsung elites', is comprised of maybe one-hundred people in total -- probably less. It's a group of individuals who have been turning wrenches longer than most of us have been into modding cars and has almost been around the scene too long. They've seen trends come and go, as well as damn near every 'mod' known to man. This group isn't identified with a forum signature or a bright pink vinyl. In fact, they're far from public and for good reason. These are the individuals who turn up at shows with fully built cars that you never knew existed. One thing that will always hold true about this group is their sense of style. It doesn't matter how skinny the jeans get, they will never lose their sense of style or ability to build phenomenal cars.

Anthony Noel fits into the category of 'unsung elites'. However, Anthony doesn't fit within the stereotypical parameters of what you and I would call an elite. He's not pompous, rude or brash in the way he conducts himself. Rather, Anthony is down-to-earth, outgoing and beyond friendly. Anthony is the kind of guy that helps for the sake of helping, and isn't looking for any payback on the back-end. Often times when you read a feature, it'll say something about 'so and so is such a lovely bloke' - that's never the case. This so called 'lovely bloke' acts as if the car he's built is smoother than Heidi Klum. But that's not Anthony, not at all. If you find Anthony's car at a show, chances are he's not even within earshot of it. He doesn't care about being seen, talked about, photographed, etc. Anthony often says 'it's just a car' and no, that's not a joke. He's completely serious.

When I first met Anthony, it was ages ago in a local parking lot. Before you jump right to the thought of a white candy van, I was purchasing some flat panel displays for my MacBook Pro. Anthony and I wouldn't cross paths again until 2010 when he contacted me for BagYard struts for his Golf. He'd mentioned that he had enough with coilovers and he needed something that was a bit more driver friendly. In come the MkIII purists shouting that MkIII's were only meant to be static. The purchase of air ride for Anthony's Golf was not for form, it was for function -- please sit down. This where our friendship began and what brings it to it's current state. Anthony is the kind of guy that doesn't care for the politics, drama, back scratching and favors that get associated with the popular crowd. He's more into building a car that satisfies him and not the masses. Quite honestly, he doesn't give a damn what you think or what you have to say about what he's built, because he's not built it for you. 

Whilst I might have portrayed Anthony as the 'don't give a ****' type of fellow, he's not. And please don't let what I've written sway you into thinking that Anthony doesn't appreciate the comments and compliments, he does. Quite simply, these comments and compliments don't factor into the way that he builds his cars and this is something that 'the scene' has missed entirely. They've missed the proverbial boat on the point of building cars. It's something that I've been guilty of in the past and it's something I wish I could flat out tell everyone, but I can't. If you're not building your car for yourself, you're not going to be happy. Building something for mass approval will only leave you empty, I know from firsthand experience.