By John Naderi

StreetFire.net

SpoCom just released its 2010 schedule and we can already tell that it’s going to be three times as good as last year. That’s because SpoCom added two new venues in Nor Cal’s San Mateo and super sexy Honolulu, Hawaii in addition to Long Beach Convention Center that’s coming back to host this show for a third straight year.

We’re big fans of this show as it’s a mix of Hot Import Nights hype, old school Import Showoff substance and SEMA tradeshow info. We haven’t seen a more pleasing blend since the Reese’s people got peanut butter in their chocolate or perhaps since Donny and Marie mashed up a little bit of country with some rock and roll (silly Mormons!).

Hit the jump to see our StreetFire original video from last year’s show as well as the press release from SpoCom showing the times and dates. You can also visit SpoCom USA for more info.

Continue reading "SpoCom Announces 2010 Dates, Our Shorts Tighten a Bit" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

HIN Englishtown is this Saturday, and features Round 4 of the Pro-Am Drift Series, produced in conjunction with Formula Drift. Go here to buy tickets. And if you enter “CarDomain” (not case sensitive) in the Promotional Code box at the bottom, you’ll receive a $5 discount. And of course if you can’t make it to the show, we’ll have all the pics on CarDomain early next week!

So it sounds like things were off the hook down in Arizona over the weekend. Here’s what Tony Marinella, the photographer CarDomain sent to cover the event had to say about it:

"It was a crazy to say the least. I was nearly hit by a flying drive shaft that shot out of the back of a truck that was on the Valvoline dyno machine. If I hadn’t stepped to the back of the car when I did, I would have been hurting. The poor guy who was hit looked as if his leg may have been broken. He never got up until help arrived. To top that off one of the high jump motor cycle jumpers took a pretty bad spill and wascarted off by paramedics. I guess I am not accustomed to such lively car shows."

Um, who is accustomed to shows like that? Not me, for one. Anyway, enjoy all the pics!

When I think of Minneapolis, I think of the Replacements, not tuner cars. But there were still plenty of cool machines on hand for the local Hot Import Nights show. Of all the cars there, I have to say this two-tone Mercedes CLS 550 was my favorite. The Benz’s lines are gorgeous to begin with, and a paint job like that makes them look even more spectacular. And while I wouldn’t do anything like this to my car, I kind of dug the use of Katsushika Hokusai’s "Beneath the Great Wave of Kanagawa" on the hood of this 240. Pretty trick! Head over to the events section to check out the rest of the pics from the show!

There were a ton of sick rides on hand at Nightshift Chicago. One my personal favorites was this single-seat Pontiac Solstice. Now, I can’t remember if I saw this car at SEMA last year—or whether I’m confusing it with a similarly treated Yaris—but I’ll definitely be looking for it in Vegas come November. Even though it’s less practical than a motorcycle, I just love this thing! Head over to the events section to check out all the other pics from the show!

The last time I went to a Seattle Hot Import Nights show, I dropped CarDomain’s expensive Nikon on the cement—breaking it, for those of you keeping score at home—and it was pretty embarrassing. Fortunately, I managed to do it right in front of my boss, so it could have been worse. Somehow. Maybe. I guess. Anyway, these shots are awesome. Enjoy all of the killer pics Sean took.

Nashville might be know for being the place where country hopefuls play in the shadow of the Grand Ole Opry, but last weekend, Music City, USA was all about Hot Import Nights! Check out all the photos we’ve posted from the tour’s latest stop!

There are always plenty of cool rides on display at a Hot Import Nights show, and the Orlando stop was no exception. Since getting good shots is always the tricky part about HIN—half the time it’s way, way dark—I was relieved to see that the our photographer had plenty of light. Nice camera work James! Head over to the events section to check out all his pics!

Initially, we heard that the guys over at HIN were having trouble finding enough cars for this stop, but from the looks of these shots, it seems like everything came together just fine! Purple isn’t my favorite color—ever notice that people whose favorite color is purple are crazy?—but I thought the matte paint job on the Scion below looked wicked. And how about this sick M Coupe? I’m not normally that into new BMWs, but I think these cars are hot right out of the box, and this body kit just looks incredible. Head over to the events section to check out all the photos, and stay tuned for our coverage of the next stop in Landover, MD!

There weren’t quiet as many cars at the Chicago stop as there have been in the past—and the percentage of over-the-top rides was definitely lower—but there was still plenty to see Saturday night. Hell, half the reason dudes come to these shows is to gawk at models, and in that department, the Windy City more than delivered. Our photographer even had a hard time because there were so many ladies in the way! On the bright side—literally—the lighting was decent, so getting shots of the cars wasn’t the impossible task it is at some HIN shows. Head over the the events section and check out all the pics!