Yes, there were so many people trying to get into the poorly ventalated underground parking structure for a glimpse of HIN flavor. What they got was the best of the best in the Import turner scene plus the eye candy and lots of good attractions and food upstairs.
Like every year, I am trusted to judge the Lexus and VIP category. This year was the largest presence by Lexus ever which made the judging process more difficult. Many of the Socal owners made the trip including AutoFashion and Platinum VIP. It's funny, when Socal shows up, Norcal cars just cannot compete. Hate it or not, it's a fact.
Jowe and Mike from Auto Concepts were able to bring up one of the Gold Top Secret Supras from Socal. From rain storms to dead batteries to getho rigging Silvia S14 wipers just to drive thru the storm, those 2 had one crazy weekend. But it was all worth wild. They came and saw Goodguys first hand and had the pleasure of helping me fix my wheel fitment problem. Next a nice welcome party and dinner was provided by the folks at Club Lexus and they walked away with the Best Supra and Best Engine bay award. Trust me, winning 2 awards at Wekfest is very unlikely. Being a judge, we spread the love.
This car is very popular and have toured the scene for many years now. The owner actually has another Gold Top Secret Supra with an entirely different kit and mods. The word is Supra #3 is in the works.
Being able to see the car up-close with all the time on Saturday helped me realize the patience and dedication poured into this car. From custom carbon kevlar door panels by Seibon to the Roberuta CUP air suspension sitting on Top Secret coilovers, this car is truly bad ass. Seeing it inside the GG HQ warehouse with all the classic Domestic hot rods in the background were a fresh experience. Congrats for the win and thanks for joining us at Wekfest.
1st Place Supra and Best Motor
Besides working for Wekfest, each year I bring Goodguys presence into the event and let me tell, this year was like none other. Last year, I drove the companies '70 El Camino. It was good, but many of the kids just don't know the '70s era with muscle cars. So, how about a '61 Lincoln Continental from the movie Matrix. Black on black, suiside doors, dropped on solid face billets with fat whitewalls. The moment I rolled the Gangsta-Beast around the Japantown garage, all the kids broke necks saying "oh-shittttt..." Cameras took pictures like I have never witnessed before. This Lincoln stood out like a sore thumb inside an all Import show and it connected with that demographic at that very moment.
One of the first person to flip-over the car was my old friend Antonio from MotorMavens. He walked up on the street and started snapping pix. Infact he blogged it on his site here: MotorMavens. As I rolled into the entrance, kids stood still with amazement and the grand presence of the once popular car that JFK owned.
Goodguys ran a simple booth with 2 banners and a table full of Gazettes and event information for the new season. I had a good friend help out. Chris ran the booth while I was running around judging the 450 cars. Chris was so damn good at PR, he gave away all 500 copies of the Gazette, bags, event flyers, and pocket schedules in 45 minutes into the show. Amazing. The man is a machine. Chris so happened to be the owner of the LS460 build a few months back. Look at it this way, now he's helping me out.
Overall, Goodguys delivered what we intended to do and that was to continue to create awareness in a pond not quite familiar to our culture. The kids loved it, there are images of the Lincoln all over the net.
Another friend that drove all the way from SoCal was Guillermo from GPR Auto. Guillermo has been a long time Lexus member with his ever changing gen1 IS300. Again, he did not disappoint with one crazy Animal-theme. Just like the the Top Secret Supra, he too had plenty of drama driving the car from SoCal. Saturday while at Sonic MS, I get a call from him about hitting a pot-hole at a car wash in the city that caused the ultra stretched 215 to pop-off the 18x10s. What happened was the side wall cracked and new tires had to be purchased at Pep Boys. Darwin @ Sonic played host to many shops and crews that needed last minute fixing or adjustments before the event on Sunday. Like a champ, Darwin bought beer for everyone and opened his shop for everyone to use for free. More on that later.
Once the tire was fixed Guillermo and his boyz went out exploring the city until the event on Sunday morning. By noon Sunday another tire was bald and another trip to replace the tired was needed. But, being creative and extreme comes at a price and he knows it. That's why 2 sets of wheels were brought up. One to drive on and for the show. Parked next to the Top Secret Supra, the Animal caused such a roar with onlookers. It was nothing they have ever experienced before.
Keep up the creativity and never look back. Thanks for making the trip.
1st Place IS category
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