Night Import: Photography and Words by
William Lee
What a great year! Wow! I'm sitting down in front of my study table, typing this article while thinking about all the events and meets I've been to in 2011. Yea~ I know it sucks that the
End of the World is coming soon, and because it is, it's time for me to choose the meets and car shows I've been to that were memorable and enjoyable. I've plugged in my external hard drive to see what's been done throughout this year and holy hell, the hard drive decided to shut down on me and all the saved files disappeared. Luckily, my brain had a back-up storage system that only saved automotive related events and not school or friends, which might make me sound like an ass, but for my blog and you guys, it's something to definitely appreciate. I took some time to think about how many I've been to and the amount really did exceed my expectations. If I counted correctly and only included the ones that were automotive related, I've been to
150+ car shows + meets. My aspirations were not to attend the most meets and become competitive with other bloggers, but it was that unexplainable force that pulled me into a world that I couldn't escape. No matter how much I tried, avoiding the temptations to drive my slammed Scion tC to anywhere in Southern California was not happening. That's how much I loved and still love what I do as a hobby and will continue on for myself and for all you fans out there that truly appreciate Night Import.
Cheaaaaa! Like one said, "How you start is important, very important, but in the end it is how you finish that counts." I've started this scene because of
Hellaflush 5.0 and never regretted it once throughout my whole time in the scene. The different ways of how a car can look was observed at hellaflush and it was absolutely astonishing. I know there are tons of haters out there with this style, and I still do not know why, but I'll talk about that in a separate article, so be ready for a continuous debate.
The first drag event I've ever been to was the one hosted by DSPORT magazine, called
IDRC (Import Drag Racing Circuit). It was truly exhilarating to stand at where I took these photos. I would say IDRC was the event that made me realize how difficult it was to capture cars at certain moments.
AutoFashion's VIP Festival in 2010 was an eye-opening for VIP platform and VIP style cars. AF's event was not a mix of different styles, but only dedicated to VIP cars. A lot of enthusiasts misunderstand VIP cars by thinking it's all about camber and stretched tires, but there is much more to it! Educate yourself by visiting
VIPStyleCars.
Ken Block's Gymkhana event. I'm not 100% sure, but I think this event was the first time I ever got access to the track. I might be wrong because I do remember being on the track at Formula D Championship Rounds...but either way, both events were outstanding.
Wait a sec...let me take that back. The day with Sideway Sundays staffs and JTP was the only event when I was literally ON the track. No one knew about this event, except for the people mentioned above because it was a day when professional drifter JTP was making a track layout for Sideway Sundays. This FD from Falken rarely comes out to any events, so it was an honor to stand next to it and do a quick photoshoot.
After the tragic disaster in Japan, a few enthusiasts decided to host a meet in a way to raise money to donate to Japan. It was very touching and a surprise to see many crews, teams, individuals, and even companies, to come out to this meet at Little Tokyo to support. If I remember correctly, the meet raised about $5,000.
Sorry with the crappy photo, but still today, I remember the
OC Food Truck meet at Westminster as being the biggest meet I've ever been to in 2011. There were about 8 Food Trucks, hundreds of cars and people, overcrowding this huge lot. Surprisingly, there wasn't any cop control going on, which made it a great time for everyone who dropped by. I'm not sure when the next major one will be held at or even when, but talking with the host of this meet few days ago, he said it will be back pretty soon.
When it comes to JDM imports, no event was able to top
Wekfest at Long Beach. This organization has been hosting events before I even started and always had massive amount of top quality cars along with thousands of spectators. It's something that you'll have to experience to know what it feels like to be surrounded by top cars, so make sure to be updated by liking their
fanpage to get updated information regarding their events.
Motion Auto Show was the first major car event I've participated in since joining the scene. During 2010, it was all about going to Scion shows and I've actually won a few awards, but MAS was something I decided at the last moment, just to have fun with my friends and debut my ride after a slight makeover. It was the best indoor car show event of this year because everything was organized, awards were outrageously awesome, and the quality of cars were top notch. I'm really looking forward to next year's event!
Click here to visit their fanpage.
Bulletproof Automotive's meet was not about the number of cars in attendance, but spending time with those who supported authenticity. We all know how the automotive market is being overwhelmed with replica products and tuners going with the cheap stuff rather than choosing quality. I don't want to start a debate, especially in this article, so I'll just say out of all the meets I've been to, this one topped everything when it came to cars with authentic parts.
Of course, I had to save the best for last. Without any doubt, AutoCon 2011 had to make it into this list. I can't think of any other major car show that had such side activities like AutoCon. Perfect venue, tons of food trucks, and quality of cars is only the beginning of my compliments. Make sure to be updated with
AutoCon by visiting their fanpage.
That's about it guys! I couldn't title this article as "Best of.." because there were tons of events and meets I've been to that were memorable, but I had to shorten it down to only a few. I'm hoping for a better next year with car shows, meets, and especially people who just stepped into the scene. Every year is a new beginning, so let's see what will be in store for Night Import. Have a great day everyone!
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