Event Coverage | SpoCom 2012 (Part 1)

Night Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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Finally...yes..FINALLY! I decided to attend a car show after being quiet for another 2 weeks. It felt great to spend some time checking out cars in person rather than seeing only photos of cars online through blogs. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy checking out coverages by others, but it really can't beat the time doing what you love to do in person.

I'm guessing many of you guys should know about SpoCom because it's been one of the major car shows here in California going on for years. If you read my coverage on SpoCom last year, I wrote a simplistic history about the show and etc. so check it out if you have time.
Let's just put it this way; the hardest and sickest cars in California will be at this show no matter what. I'm talking about cars you have never seen before, such as the ones that were built only to display at major shows. SpoCom is definitely in that list of 'best car shows', so for you guys who missed it this year, don't forget about it next year.

I actually got to know about this show from a good friend of mine named Paul Nguyen. Yes, he was part of another organization called MAS, but not to waste your time and to keep the story short, he is now the VP of Marketing for SpoCom. Paul and I have been talking for a few months about SpoCom and when he reached out to me asking if I can promote the show, I couldn't step back and ignore it, because he was personally an awesome friend of mine and always helped out Night Import. I did have to decline his offer of holding a meet together though, so my bad Paul!
Anyways, let's get on to the coverage, shall we?

Event Coverage | Motion Auto Show 2012 (Pt. III)

Night Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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Why does it feel like the week is going faster than usual? I remember writing up part 1 on Monday, but it's already Thursday and I'm writing the final part of my Motion Auto Show coverage. O well~ It might be good for some of you guys who felt as if these past few days were slow as hell.
Today's coverage will cover the other parts of the showcase area and I'll be talking about some random things that I observed throughout the show. I actually stayed until 6pm chilling with my boys at Import Fashion's booth, but didn't get a chance to hear the awards being announced. I have no idea why I missed the last part...because....I can't remember what the hell I was doing. Those dam gummy bears...Ged..you know exactly what I'm talking about. Anyways, in the words of comedian David So, "LGI son! Let's get it! Let's go!"

Event Coverage | Motion Auto Show 2012 (Pt. I)

Night Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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Wow. It felt amazing last week to FINALLY attend a major car show here in SoCal. The last show I went to was the one in Puente Hills hosted by Prestige Marketing and that was like..2~3 months ago. If you are active in the car scene as a blogger, then you know exactly how it feels to rest for that long. Because of time conflicts and being so tired during my resting period, the only way to be updated with cars was to check out blogs and sites that update very frequently, such as Speedhunters, MotorMavens, StanceWorks, etc. I was particularly interested in SoCal car news because I live in SoCal and want to be updated with cars that have never came out or the ones I've seen before but with new setups for this year. Knowing how seeing cars in person and online have a difference and the fact that MAS was on a Sunday when I didn't work, I was really excited. Wait, let me exaggerate a bit more... I was extremely fu*king excited!

On Saturday when I usually stay up all night chilling with my homies, I actually came home early (around 3am...*cough*) to rest up, woke up at around 8am, got ready, and right when I was about to leave, I felt as if I needed to check my tires, so I started from the back checking the treads. Rears were fine considering it's on -8 camber and I was rolling on them for 7 months now, but the front passenger side tire was almost gone! I was like.. fu*k it..and just drove the tC slowly to Long Beach Convention Center. I arrived at around 11am, got my Media pass, and the coverage started from then on. I was debating on which photo to start with, and decided to give Michael Mao's NSX the spotlight. I'll get back to his car later on throughout the coverage. You guys ready? Because I am! LEGO!!!!

Event Coverage | Hot Import Nights 2012

Night Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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As mentioned in my coverage, I attended Hot Import Nights right after LTBMW's 2012 meet. I was thinking about staying longer at LTBMW because cars were constantly coming in and the quality of cars were so much better compared to last year's meet, but realizing how much of a struggle I had at HIN 2011 when all the lights were off and tons of people walking back and forth in front of the cars I wanted to take photos of, I left at around 2:15pm to arrive a bit early and take an advantage of my media pass. The actual show started at 3pm, so going in at least 10 minutes earlier was good enough for me.

Now, many of you guys might not know this, but last week's HIN was supposed to happen at Irwindale Speedway along with XDC. What the hell happened? Irwindale Speedway filed bankruptcy, so the place is now gone! Well...not gone, but it's basically closed down. What HIN planned to do got fuked up and instead of cancelling the show, they decided to rent out a different place, which was at Fairplex in Pomona, CA. I'm just glad the show still happened because many enthusiasts missed out on HIN last year and wanted to attend this year's event. I enjoyed myself checking out some new rides when HIN was at Los Angeles, but what I really enjoyed was the overall mood of HIN because it brought back memories when I attended HIN back in middle school! Although I got into the scene last year, my first car show was HIN, so it was pretty dam epic to attend it again last year. I think I went right when the show started and left late because it was so fukin dark inside the convention center I had to wait until the lights were back on to do coverage.

So~ being excited while driving to Pomona, CA, I arrived, got in line to get my pass, and entered a building where HIN was taking place. What I usually like to do before I start a coverage is to walk around the whole area and check out the cars. After taking a quick glance, I walked around and took some snaps. While doing my coverage though, I don't know what the fuk happened, but I lost interest in the show within 40 minutes and this is when the show actually started. I'm not saying the car show sucked at all because it was actually dam good. Tons of models, cars, and people, but I think it was because most of the cars that did show were the ones I usually saw at other car meets/shows. I mean..I've been doing this for months now, so had no clue why this feeling struck me. Am I getting tired of this scene already? or is it because I want to see something new? Ah...fuk it..I don't know what the hell I'm talking about right now, so let's get on with the coverage. The lighting wasn't as bad as HIN in Los Angeles, CA but my camera has its limit, so I did have some difficulties taking shots here and there. Yeap~ the photos will be shitty! I tried to take photos of cars I've never seen before, but like I've just mentioned, most of the cars you will see today are the ones you guys have seen in the previous coverages.

Nightlight | Memorable Rides of 2011 (Part 2)

Night Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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"What the...I thought he was done with the Memorable Rides article.." Yeap! I was~ but sitting down at Starbucks yesterday and thinking about my blog like always, there were a few more rides I just had to give some spotlight because of its well-built figure and uniqueness other than the 10 cars I introduced to you guys in my Memorable Rides of 2011 post. This is why living in California as an automotive enthusiast is like a blessing. Well-rounded quality cars will mostly be in California and those rides are good enough to stun the world. On top of that, there will always be a car show or meet within every single week. What more can you ask when everything you want as an enthusiast happens in CA? It reminds me of my automotive childhood (only a year ago because I didn't know jack shiet about cars back then) when I went to my first event, then to the second on the following week, and then next week, next week...next week...you know how it goes. I obviously can't remember every single ride in the scene throughout my active years, but the ones I do remember means that those cars had a strong impression. For all you girls, it's the feeling of going inside Louis Vuitton, seeing a newly released bag, going home and thinking about it 24/7. Without further ado, I would like to continue with my choice of memorable rides from 2011.

Event Coverage | AutoCon 2011 (Pt. I)

Night Import: Photography and Words by William Lee

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How should I start this..I have so many things to say about this event, but need to keep it as simple as possible so that I don't lose fans and kill the excitement I've been gradually building up for the wait on this coverage.
First off, I want to give mad props to my guys Justin and Nate for their effort and time to create this amazing event. I don't even clearly remember when I met Justin, but as we were talking throughout the months, I realized he was a humble guy and had a clear mind of how he wanted the automotive scene to go. His huge success on hosting AutoCon last year continued on this year and as expected, it was overwhelming. The same props go to Nate as well. He's been an awesome guy since he approached me regarding a major event he was a part of last year, and consistently was a help with all the curiosities I had in the scene. Once again, great job by these two guys and if you do have some time to give some feedback, make sure to visit AutoCon's homepage and e-mail them. I'm sure they're expecting something from those who participated, so it would be great to give them more ideas about the event or just your overall experience.

Now, to talk about my experience at AutoCon this year, let's just say I have to place AutoCon in my Top 3 Car Shows of 2011. This event was more than a typical car show. It was not all about bringing your modified car, park, show it, and get an award if you won. Nor was it a time to only walk around and take photos of cars and models and leave like every other event, complaining about the parking and entrance fees, and the ridiculous food prices. The meaning of "AutoCon" pretty much explains everything; Automotive Connection. Actually, I have to say it was both an Automotive and Lifestyle event. AutoCon was created to bring the whole automotive community together at one place and enjoy what we all truly loved. It was about talking with your friends and family or even better, making new friends through cars. You also can't forget about the collaboration with Toys for Tots and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help those who are in need. While covering the event and looking around like I always do at events, the vibe I felt at AutoCon was different and rather pleasing. I knew the whole purpose of AutoCon and I have to say that purpose was met. I usually see the same cars at every car show or the ones that were built to only show at major ones, but AutoCon brought out almost everything. Although there were ones that I've seen numerous times, some new ones and fully built cars such as the ones from Auto Concept Elite, Heavy Hitters, etc. came out to support this event. The photos I'm about to share with you guys will lead to a better a storyline than my words. Do know that this coverage will be separated in parts, so make sure to come back later on or read the updates I make through my fanpage.