Special Coverage: Simple Wheel Werks

February 28, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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If you are reading this special coverage today, you're time will be well spent. Why? Not because you'll be seeing a first step to my new project, but to see some amazing work done by amazing people and to hear a story from the owners of the shop. But first, how I met these guys is the first thing I want to share.
During Fall of 2010 when events were happening almost every week, I went to a local meet located somewhere in the OC area and not knowing too many people back then, I was doing what I did best, taking photos of cars.
It was then when a slammed Honda Wagon rolled in with Impuls, scraping on the slightest bumps and a Lexus behind the wagon, with black faced rare rims tucking into the fenders. I saw some of the staffs putting a business card on wheels and on the windows of cars and always having the urge to find out something that I'm curious of, I picked one up and read the words to myself, 'Simple WheelWerks'.
I'm a bit confounded on how I introduced myself to this group, but if I do remember clearly, it was through a friend. Simple Wheel Werks staffs were the only person I hanged around with on that day and that’s how the friendly relationship continued on.

Nightlight | Camberd is Back

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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We've seen it, heard about it, and loved it.
The car itself was full with surprises, not only with its stance, but the body work to make those low offset, large width wheels fit into the front fenders and rear quarter panels.
If you were amazed with its previous setup on Work VS-XX's featured on our site last year, then get ready to be even more amazed with its new setup.
Without further ado, here is Milt's 350Z, aka Candy.

Event Coverage: Imports @ UCI

February 26, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by Nick Schultz

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There were several major events going on last week in California. Most of the people attended WEKFEST and those who didn't want to drive up to NorCal went to San Diego for Extreme Autofest/REMIX Edition Car Show.
On the other hand, there were those who wanted to support a local event in SoCal, called Imports @ UC Irvine. This group of automotive enthusiasts in UCI started this event since 2003 and continued on with great turnouts. I've personally heard about this event last year and was planning to go to this event this year, but because of a sudden decision to attend Extreme Autofest/REMIX Edition car show, I left up the coverage to our photographer Nick Schultz. As always, Nick impresses us with great photos, capturing those moments you don't want to miss at events.

Special Coverage: Password:JDM

February 24, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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We have been mentioning Password:JDM for quite a long time, but never had a post regarding what happens inside the warehouse and how their products are made. I've been consistently visiting Password Industries for a few months now to check out their project cars and new products and I think it's time now to show you guys an in-depth review of this company.
Why did I decide to do coverage? The answer is within this post today, so take some time and see what really goes around in a company that's been in the aftermarket industry since 2002.

Event Coverage: WEKFEST 2011 (Pt. II)

February 23, 2011

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Hope you guys enjoyed the first part of the WEKFEST coverage by photographer Deejay Murdok. I'm enjoying every single photo and making me feel jealous towards those who made it to this years event. No matter what goes on next year, I'm going to this event, no questions.
Rest of the photos by Deejay will be posted up today so enjoy!

Event Coverage: WEKFEST 2011 (Pt. I)

February 22, 2011

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Most of you guys already know Night-Import couldn't make it to the biggest car show of the year, WEKFEST. Trust me, some of our California photographers and I really wanted to make it, but things just didn't work out and we were depressed as hell. We always want to bring you guys the best coverages for major events and missing WEKFEST is a huge disappointment for us.

Well what is WEKFEST and what's the big deal about not covering it? WEKFEST is an event hosted by Weksos Industries located in San Francisco. These guys started the event since 2009 and have been bringing out the sickest, freshest, sexiest, and finest cars in Southern and Northern California. You have to be chosen to show your car so it makes the event even more legit. How crazy does this event get? Let's just say Weksos 2010 was shut down by the Fire Marshall's because of the amount of people. That pretty much explains how important and huge this event is for the year. But putting aside the story for a moment, let me tell you guys how I was able to get some coverage for our site.

Last month, our photographer Chris Sempek introduced me to a a very well-known photographer, Deejay Murdok. I contacted him today to see if we were able to share his own coverage of WEKFEST with you guys today and he gladly accepted our request. I guarantee you guys won't be disappointed and will be wanting to see more of his work.
I already looked through the Deejay's WEKFEST coverage on nwp4life and felt as if I was at the show.
Enough of my talking and straight to the photos!

Random Spotlight: AutoFashion's Elgrand

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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It's definitely not available in the States and can only be seen in Japan. This Nissan Elgrand was one of those cars at Extreme Autofest/Remix Edition car show last Saturday that caught the attention of many automotive enthusiasts. We might think of the Elgrand as a normal family vehicle, but it's actually considered as a 'luxury' MPV, which is why many of the Elgrands in Japan are modified to be VIP.
I do not know the background story of how this car was made, but I do know it was AutoFashion's project car and they brought it out for the show.

Event Coverage: Extreme Autofest/Remix Edition Car Show (Pt. III)

Night-Import: Photography by Andy Nguyen

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Our talented photographer, Andy Nguyen, is still living without his baller Nikon dslr, but I was surprised to see him with one last week at Extreme Autofest/Remix car show. He borrowed his friends camera to shoot for us and I had to share some photos that were taken by him on the day of the show. Most of the shots were focused on the details rather than the whole car. A different approach but a new style.

Event Coverage: Extreme Autofest/Remix Edition Car Show (Pt. II)

February 21, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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You guys ready to see some models?
Probably the best part about this event was the number of models.
Extreme Autofest was going full force to bring these girls out to make an event even more enjoyable.
You'll be seeing some girls going crazy over cars and posing for our site, so let's do this!

Event Coverage: Extreme Autofest/Remix Edition Car Show (Pt. I)

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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This past weekend was pretty wild with all these major car shows going on. It would've been great if all the shows were happening close to each other, but Imports @ UCI happend on the same day as Extreme Autofest/Remix (our photographer Nick Schultz did a coverage on Imports @ UCI and will be up during this week) and on Sunday, I was planning on going to Wekfest, but ended up going to Nismolism. As a blog owner and working for several sites, I definitely want to attend all these events, but there's always a time conflict and I seriously dislike it when that happens.
Anyways, I did go to Extreme Autofest/Remix as a participant with my guys Low N Slow and will be sharing some photos I took throughout the whole day.
Ready?

Event Coverage: Nismolism 2011

February 20, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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This weekend was really packed with events. It seems like February is the month when major car shows start and choosing the right one to go to is just a difficult decision to make. You seriously want to attend every single one because every event is worth the time. On Saturday, I was able to attend and show my ride at Extreme Autofest/Remix's event at San Diego. Today, I was about to go to WEKFEST early in the morning, but decided to stay and attend Nismolism at Cal State Fullerton.

This event was pretty special in some way because it was aiming for a Guinness World Record; the most Nissans and Infiniti. If I do recall correctly, I think the MC said 250+ Nissans. I have no clue if it actually broke the record, but there were tons of cars showing and a line of spectators before the car show started.

Random Video: D1SL 2010 : Round 6 of Nikko Circuit

February 18, 2011

I came across this video from Dirftworks and spent a good hour + watching this full length video of D1SL (D1 Street Legal). It's definitely entertaining even if you can't understand Japanese. This video is definitely worth a post, so sit back, relax, grab a drink and some popcorn or candy, and enjoy :)

Event Coverage: Porsche Owners Club (Pt. II)

February 17, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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Continuing with our Part 1 coverage, more 911's and other cars were coming in near the track area. It's usually uncommon to see such cars at one place and if you're a true automotive enthusiast, such events shouldn't be missed. Although I am still in the learning phase of knowing cars, engines, etc., I definitely do know if a car was professionally built or not. I'm not talking about wires going everywhere and having trash in the back seat. I'm talking about FIA approved seats, thoroughly placed equipments within the car, and others.

Event Coverage: Porsche Owners Club (Pt. I)

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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We are now back with our normal automotive event coverages and would like to start it off with last weeks event at Willow Springs Raceway, Speed Ventures Time AttackPorsche Owners Club.
Updates as of 2/28/11: I was actually confused with why there were so many Porsche's on this day and found out from one of the participants the event was for the Porsche Owners Club. SVTA was happening on the same day (according to their website), but I'm speculating the event itself was held later on during the day. I want to apologize for the confusion and the incorrect article that followed.

Event Coverage: DSPORT 100th Issue Anniversary Party

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Going to your local book store, going to automotive shows, or even talking with your friends that are into cars, I'm pretty sure you've heard or seen one of the best automotive magazines in the market today called DSPORT.
DSPORT has been bringing us, automotive enthusiasts, the freshest news in the automotive scene, starting from features to events world wide. It's as mentioned on their mission, "educate, entertain and inform our readers about the latest import performance and technology."
Despite the difficulties magazine industries are going through today, the corporation has finally released their 100th Issue after their establishment in 2002.
This issue means a lot to the company because of what it covers and the fact that it's the 100th issue, the best of the best was well put together by the writers/staffs for the readers. (To read more about the 100th issue, click here)

Model of the Week #5: Eva Skye

February 16, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee & Jay Ebue

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It might be too soon for another Model of the Week post, but after finishing up WOP 2011 coverage, I just decided to continue on with featuring all the models we support. Without further due, let me introduce you to Eva Skye.
Who is this girl? I actually don't know too much about her. Why are we supporting her? because she's hot. Enough said right?
I found out during WOP that she was already being supported by our friends It's JDM yO!, so I'm sure this girl will be up there pretty soon.
Make sure to check out It's JDM yO! for more awesome pictures and don't forget to drop by her facebook fanpage.

Event Coverage: Women of Perfection 2011 (Pt. II)

February 15, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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We are back with the WOP 2011 coverage. Some of you guys might think this event has nothing to do with the automotive scene right? Well..yes, you are right :)
But we do need some time to sit back and relax and check out some new events, like WOP. Technically, most of these models are import models, so there is a correlation.
Anyways, time for me to be quiet and share some photos.

Event Coverage: 626 Drift Crew @ The Balcony

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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This past weekend was my first time attending a drifting event at the famous Willow Springs Raceway. Located at a deserted area in Rosamond, CA and being able to accommodate hundreds of cars, this Raceway has a long history with many drifters and racers.
On Sunday, early in the morning, two events were going down at Willow Springs; Redline Time Attack by Speed Ventures and the 626 Drift Crew drifting @ The Balcony. The Balcony is a separate track area up in the mountains purely for drifting. You can definitely see tire marks everywhere and the main track itself is built up with tire marks.

Model of the Week #4: Raichelle Viado

February 14, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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At Women of Perfection 2011, most of our supporting models were present and I took some time taking some shots here and there.
As we all know, Raichelle Viado is one of our supporting models and it was my first time actually talking to her in person. Let's just say she's the coolest person to talk to.
This girl is always pumped up! Here are some photos I took of her at the event. Make sure to check out Raichelle Viado's facebook fanpage.

Event Coverage: Women of Perfection 2011 (Pt. I)

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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You guys have been waiting for a few days and were enlightened by seeing only teaser photos on our facebook fanpage. Well those waiting times are now over! Even better, hotter, sexier, and bigger, the coverage for Women of Perfection 2011 begins.
If you remember our previous coverage on Women of Perfection 2010, the setup for 2011 WOP was very similar, such as the hallway, tables around the room, and a DJ. However, this years event was much bigger, meaning more models and more special side events. I found out the head of 2011 WOP was someone different from the 2010 WOP. To the new head: Props!
This event coverage will definitely be worth your time (especially to the guys) and you'll be seeing our new supporting model later on.
*(By the way, DO NOT read this coverage if you're at work or with your girlfriend. I guarantee you'll either get fired from work or get a huge hand-mark on your face. Also, because of personal computer problems, the watermark had to be replaced to a temporary watermark. A new one will be made very soon.)

Random Spotlight: SR Auto Group R8 Project 'Dione'

We all know there are tons of Auto Shops or individually owned businesses in building project cars for major automotive shows or for clients and from the overwhelming lists of companies, I want to share a project car made and developed by SR Auto Group from Richmond, BC.

Random Spotlight: Simple but Sexy

February 12, 2011

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It really depends on your taste; what to mod first or to do last. The majority, however, modify the suspension with getting true coilovers or getting the right set of wheels that flow well with the car. Today's featured ride is in that stage of starting but already looking good enough. Here's John's 350Z on CCW's from Vista, CA.

Special Coverage: South Orange County Meet @ The District

February 11, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by Nick Schultz

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Nick Schultz is one of our photographers in California being very active at events and doing exclusive features, which will be coming to our site very soon. Being known for his spectacular photography and having a positive reputation in the automotive community, Nick created a Lexus OC meet last year and having a success with the turnout, continued the meet for 2011 and as expected, tons of rides, from street to VIP, showed up to have fun and to taste the greatest boba ever made at the famous Tastea.

Random Spotlight: Tecnocraft Lotus

February 10, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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Most of you guys already know I visit Password:JDM pretty often to see what's in store. They already have couple of project cars, which I haven't shown on any of our features, but you guys will be seeing one soon on a site I work for,OpenClutch. If you've been keeping up with our day to day photos on our facebook fan page, a teaser shot was already posted :)
But for today, I want to share another project car, which isn't completed at the moment and will take awhile since most of the Carbon Fiber parts by Tecnocraft (Password:JDM's higher class division for high-end cars) is still in production. Here's a Lotus Exige, a companies car that was brought to Password Industries Headquarters to manufacture Carbon Fiber parts for the body and interior.

Random Spotlight: VIP'd Equus

February 8, 2011

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As we all know, Japan is the hometown of VIP cars and has been inspiring many luxurious car owners and automotive enthusiasts in general. We've seen VIP rides from many different countries, but not too much from Japan's closest country, South Korea.
I've been doing some thorough research during this past month and came across some beautiful rides in S. Korea, one of them being featured today on our site.

Nightlight | Stylish IS

February 7, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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Carl Zamuco is one of those guys who loves driving low and at the same time, keeping the ride clean as possible. Being a member of the well known VIP crew, BP VIP, I first saw Carl's Lexus IS at the OC Food Truck Meet parked with couple of his friends/crew members. There were tons of cars at the meet, but Carl's ride stood out from all the Lexus's that was present.

Video Feature: VIP Modular Wheels Official Ad/Commercial

February 4, 2011

If you're a wheel fanatic and know what you're looking at when it comes to wheels, then I'm 100% sure you know about one of our major supporters, VIP Modular Wheels.
Not only has their fame grown rapidly in the US, but world wide, such as having their wheels on 5~6 cars in Tokyo Auto Salon.

We have seen couple of ads/features on magazines and blogs of this company, but fans were waiting in anticipation to see more. Finally, VIP Modular Wheels released four video commercials.
Check them out and don't forget to support!

Passion I Prestige I Perfection, Vip Modular Wheels Lexus GS430 SLAMMED VIP Style

Random Spotlight: CCW Civic

Night-Import: Photography by William Lee

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Couple of weeks ago during our Low N Slow 818 Meet @ Northridge, this Civic rolled in with couple of his friends.
Slammed on CCW's, the fitment was off the chart.
The custom body color was an eye catcher as well and I couldn't leave the scene without doing a short photoshoot.
I was hoping for the owner to contact us to get a mod list, but for today, I'll just post some photos I took during the meet.

Video Feature: Drifting 101 Ft. Keiichi Tsuchiya

February 3, 2011

For all of those in the process of learning Drifting or wanting to know more about it.
Featuring the one and only Keiichi Tsuchiya.

Nightlight | Poisonous 200SX

February 2, 2011

Night-Import: Photography by Rich McKee

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It's always a pleasure to have an exclusive feature done by our photographers. Most of our 'spotlights' are cars owned by individuals, which are highly respected because of modifications and visual aspects. But an even more exclusive feature will have to be the ones that are recognized by almost every automotive enthusiast or let's just say...a promo car for a major car show.
This is when Mark's 200SX comes into the spotlight.