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August 16, 2009
Goodnight Nisei Week Showoff, There Will be no Encore
By John Naderi
StreetFire.net
Import Showoff is arguably the OG import car show, precluded only by the Nisei Cruise of the late Eighties and early Nineties in LA’s Little Tokyo District. And for Showoff architect Ken Miyoshi it only made sense to bring his car show to the Nisei Week Japanese Festival a few years ago as the Nisei Week Showoff thus reuniting real import car flava with the Nisei Festival.
Back in the day the car quality at Import Showoff was second to none. The fake wheel and knock-off body kit crowd needed not apply. The shows were all about the cars. But in ’98 Hot Import Nights seamlessly blended the club kids with the car clubs proving it’s not all about the cars. Yet for some of us it was always all about the cars. While Ken may have diluted his original recipe with a few grains of rice over the years the Nisei Showoff has basically maintained the quality of one of Mr. Miyoshi’s old school Mainstream Productions. And one recent trend Nisei showcases is the resurgent Honda movement. For example, the engine bays of these Civics feature nothing fast nor furious, just shaved and filled sheet metal, tucked wire harnesses and built motors. Hit the jump to see more random observations from what might have possibly been the final Nisei Showoff. Say it ain’t so, Ken!
This is new era of Honda hotness. Gaudy wings and graphics are replaced by a clean straight stock body on this EG Honda Civic. Extra points for the attention to detail on parts like the SiR driving lights. However, I’m not the biggest wheel snob but the design of the wheels appears to be all Work Equip 03s, yes? But if I remember correctly the Equip 03s are three-piece wheels with polished outers. Are these Works with a one-off gold finish or, dare I say, knock offs? Where’s the JayDM egoist himself when I need him?
I am not a wheel whore (don’t have the discriminating taste nor the financial means) but gone are the days when you can get by with a “mere” set of TE37s. Contrasting set of black and white Civic hatches. BBS RS in the foreground and a slightly fuzzy CCW LM 16 in the background.
Back in the day there were Honda drag cars and Honda show cars. See the Bergenholtz brothers for reference (anyone remember Ed “Brokenboltz’s” infamous CRX or Ron Chromdaboltz’s purple DA Integra?). Drag cars were unfinished with no interiors, steelies out back and some hole saw aero work on the rear bumper. DC2 Integra with the world’s cleanest K-swap and SSR EXC-NEOs replacing the obligatory steelies outback.
I think this sums up the new Honda movement quite well, don’t you? Brightly colored EG hatch with ITB’d K-swap as seen through a fixed gear wheel. Now if only homie’s pants were tighter this image would be perfect.
Here’s a close-up of the brightly colored EG hatch. ITB’d K-swaps with complete wire tucks in shaved and blended bays are no longer enough. It’s how you present the package that matters and for this it’s all about the paint and polish. Chrome is replaced by copper and solid color matching is ditched in favor of full art works. This guy (or girl – that would be sooo hot!) literally took a page from the Thomas Bros. I love LA! An additional benefit aside from the performance gains of the K20A are the taller valve train assembly requiring a deeper valve cover, all of which results in more raw canvas for the art.
The CB7 Accords enjoy quite a cult following and this example is pristine! Gotta give props for the great stance, demon camber, OG Yakima racks (where’s the fixie, bro?) and partial hood bra. Anyone know the wheels? This is not a quiz to win CarDomain schwag (sadly, we are schwag-free), you’ll only win my adoration and perhaps a coupon for a free hug.
As right as that Accord is it’s got nothing on this Toyota Corolla E70 wagon with its old School Yakimas complete with perfectly stretched tires and hipster-approved fixie (in your face, Accord boy!). My only question is does this wagon need to have a matte finish to qualify as “rat rice”?
Talk about a culture shock when compared to the E70 g-ride. I believe this started life as a 996 Porsche 911. The kit is a Top Secret Gemballa collabo and the wheels are Volk TE37s. Not sure if the Porschephile in me thinks this is the best or worst thing ever.
Auto Concept won Team Showoff and the crew didn’t even bring all of their “new” cars to Nisei. I’m really digging Billy Shea’s Laguna Seca Blue IS, which was featured in both Super Street and Import Tuner. Oooooh, Billy!
I know the Ruckus is the “it girl” of late. And I know the good Dr. Charles Madrid has one with a 150cc swap with a squeeze. And you can JDM the hell out of these rides, but in the end you’re still riding a scooter, right?
I’ll leave you with this image of the man hisself, Mr. Ken Miyoshi. In addition to launching the first import car show he was also the first to bring big time drifting stateside with his Drift Showoff held in the parking lot of the Irwindale Speedway way back in ’03 before the Slipstream crew dropped the D1GP on us. There were rumors that this was the last Showoff and it is… kinda. Ken is launching a new show called Mega Matsuri the next weekend in the very same Nisei Week location. Let’s just hope he gets the same kind of cars.
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___nes___
Aug 19, 2009 at 12:03 pm
oh also the EG in the first picture with the triple color engine bay is the same EG with the rusted hood that’s been posted here a couple of times.
RioRcR
Aug 18, 2009 at 7:07 pm
All of the cars pictured are clean. I also do not get the triple color scheme. I can understand accenting an engine bay with a single color. I guess it is people trying to be different. I also was NEVER a fan of stretched tires. They look wierd IMO. Not to mention that, being a mechanic, seeing wheels like that on a car only makes me cringe and think “bad for ball joints”. I am not a JDM fan. I drive a KDM vehicle and enjoy it. Believe me, you never expect a Kia to have ANYTHING under the hood, or on the rest of the car for that matter. So I can definately appreciate being different and unique at the same time. Every cars modifications are in essence, a direct reflection of the owner. That is why there are so many different styles out there. However, too many people “burn-out” the stylizations associated with JDM vehicles. It seems like all the cars are set up the same way. Very seldome do you see a car that is actually unique. I love cars, plain and simple, so I can accept what others decide to do to their rides. I don’t have to like it, cuz it is not my car.
I_Luv_Dusty
Aug 18, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I like a lot of JDM stuff, but I’m not understanding the whole different color thing in the first pic. Why make your exterior, engine bay, radiator support, and valve covers all different colors?
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My idea of sweet JDM is stuff done by companies like Top Secret, MCR, and Garage Saurus.
craiglieberman
Aug 18, 2009 at 8:43 am
Ken, it has been a long ride, and it has been a good ride. Knowing the inside details of the industry, I can say that if Ken had just one fault, that fault was that he refused to be as shady as other event promoters. The HIN crew would lie, cheat and manipulate their way to sponsor dollars, Ken always put the people and participants first.
Those “in the know” always knew that the shit cars were at HIN, the really WELL DONE cars were always at Ken’s events.
4g63eclipse
Aug 17, 2009 at 9:15 pm
sugrand01, you said JDM cars dont have things on them that doesnt serve a purpose but a bike rike?? i bet he never rides a bike and its just there for show. my reason for comment is that alot of people “alot of JDM guys” hate on cars with body kits and customs paint and things like that when they themselves do some really weird things to there car. your right to each its own but most people follow the crowed and around 2003 JDM starting getting big but cars before that had custom paint jobs bagged body kits and real nice interiors JDM is just so plain.
Antonio Alvendia
Aug 17, 2009 at 9:08 pm
STOP CALLING IT AN “E70″ damn!
It’s not a BMW. It’s a TE71 or TE72. That’s it. If anything, call it a TE Corolla.
sugrand01
Aug 17, 2009 at 8:25 pm
4g63eclipse, JDM is about personalizing a car but at the same time keeping it clean and appreciating the car for what it is, not about making it totally different by putting wings and bodykits on it and trying to make it into a racecar. your not winnin any races with bikes strapped on the roof. you say the different color engine bays and gold, blue wheels look bad, but if done on the right color car they look really good. JDM cars dont have shit on it that serve no purpose like a big ass wing that only adds weight. Body kits look good if done right like the cars in the third pic from the bottom but most of the time they dont look like they belong on the car. you can do whatever you want to your car cuz its to each his own and im not trying to hate on your car but saying JDM looks horrible and funny just shows why you drive a fast and furious car
bighindu
Aug 17, 2009 at 6:35 pm
That accord doesnt have an old school rack. It has brand new q-towers and everything else. It does have an older van fairing. But the rack as a whole is new. And the Corolla does not need a matte finish, it’s gorgeous as is.
4g63eclipse
Aug 17, 2009 at 6:16 pm
im not really a fan of JDM. they hate on people that have body kits, wings and cars with big wheels but yet they drive around with blue, red green, and gold wheels and you can look at those pics yourself and see a white car with a pink engine bay and yellow valve cover, a purple car with a green engine bay and white valve cover, a red car with a yellow engine bay blue radiator suport, a white car with a purple engine bay?? i just doesnt make sense. i think alot of jdm cars look horrible and funny.
___nes___
Aug 17, 2009 at 4:54 am
Why didn’t you put in HBK Jon’s purple EG?!!! Overall clean Civic’s though. I was there only once (by accident) I just happend to be there the same weekend Nisei showoff was held, too bad I never went back!
Maffew
Aug 17, 2009 at 4:22 am
That E-72 wagon is tits!
boywithGT
Aug 16, 2009 at 11:03 pm
That accord looks to be rockin’ some custom-painted Diamond Racing steelies.
I love Diamond Racing steelies.
And that accord pwns, minus the bra.
P.S. – Fixies suck.
Guyon
Aug 16, 2009 at 10:50 pm
“Not sure if the Porschephile in me thinks this is the best or worst thing ever. ”
Worst.
That dead sexy wagon on the other hand..