Nisei Showoff 2012 | Little Tokyo

When 12:45 p.m. rolled around, I got ready and finished some last minute things at work in true-frantic style. The plan was to meet at Matt’s shop at 2:00 p.m. to commence our long and mundane drive to L.A . From what I heard, we were supposed to leave a couple hours before but since I had to work, they decided to wait for me. My drive to Matt’s shop occurred rather quickly but to my surprise, there was nobody there. Hmmm. After some waiting and some bumper re-taping everyone arrived and our small convoy was ready to take off to attend Nisei Showoff 2012.

 

Now before I get into what turned out to be an amazing event, I have to tell you about our drive there. Although there is never a dull moment with Nolan and Matt, the drive to L.A. is rather long. We made a quick pit stop in Quartzsite for some fuel and some snacks. I asked Mike Schietroma if he needed some company since he was driving solo but he politely said “No, I am ok”. I am certain that he refused because of my open bag of Doritos and my drink. See as we’re all aware, Mike is very protective of his car and is very cautious when it comes to dirt, water, and well just about anything, so a bag of Doritos and a drink will have definitely set the sensors off. Now, if you missed Mike Schietroma’s feature, click here to read all about it.

 

Just another drive on Interstate 10 trying to kill some time.

 

Before we left the station, we spotted some gray-ish clouds and what appeared to be some light precipitation further west. Jokingly, we told Mike we were going to drive through the middle of the storm and his car was going to get dirty. Not knowing of course if we were really going to hit some rain. Boy, were we in for a surprise.

 

As we continued to drive west, we came across some rain, light rain. However, within a matter of seconds this drastically changed to a really bad Haboob. We just saw it coming and there really wasn’t anything we could do.

 

Words cannot describe what we saw through the windshield. I know Mike couldn’t.

 

Water, dust, trash, debris and the sun setting down in front of you made it extremely hard to see out the windshield. When we left the gas station, Mike told me his windshield wipers were not on.

 

When we saw the rainbow we thought we were through and the damage was not as bad but this was just the beginning.

 

Then just like that it was all over. The aftermath made Mike’s car looked like a sand-plow.

 

We decided to make a second stop to assess if any damage had been done. Luckily (thankfully), it was mainly dirt and dry leaves/branches. Mike discovered a car wash at the gas station and decided to attempt to clean the front of the car and well who can blame him.

 

Our final drive to L.A. continued without a hiccup and we finally arrived at our destination. However, this was not the last straw for Mike. While Matt, Nolan and I went to grab some dinner; Mike stayed behind to clean his car. When we got back, we found Mike outside looking pretty upset. Mike said that while he was cleaning his car the good ol’ five-o stopped to chat with him because apparently he fit the description of someone else. Of course nothing came out of this other than to add to an already eventful day.

 

The next morning, we met up early and drove to downtown L.A. for the anticipated Nisei Showoff 2012. Now, I knew the line up for this event was going to be a little special but this was epic! Joey Lee from The Chronicles had a section called “Generations” that included builds from the past, present and future. The line-up had some of the best builds I have seen. It was just incredible and this will probably go down as a legendary line-up. I don’t know if this will ever be replicated again.

 

I knew I was going to be in trouble since I already hated the weather at 8:30 a.m. However, I am glad that I was able to be a part of this event, even with the blistering heat. Although, I was a little surprised to see light foot traffic, the event did not disappoint. If anything, I think this made the event better because it felt more personal. I got to meet some new faces and got a chance to interact with others at a more personal level. I do have to say to those who weren’t able to attend; you missed out immensely!

 

Andy Hope’s Honda Challenge prepped CR-X, in foreign waters.

 

People and cars getting situated.

 

Another car outside of its elements, Lee Randle’s DC2.

 

Dave Chik’s timeless DA.

Small touches that make his car so unique, love this.

 

Another perfect example is Jason Hardon’s white DA, one of my personal favorites.

 

Turbo DA on Mugen MF8s.

Rounding off the DA section is this DA from Kosoku.

 

Junko Le’s Integra has been in hiatus for a long time. I don’t know this was still around but it was a pleasant surprise to see it there.

Top Fuel Recaros, something you don’t see every day. Ok maybe never.

 

There was also a nice line up of old-school Toyotas, this one with ITBs.

And this one with a F20C

 

Big Mike was there with a new look, at least for me. His Prelude is now rolling on some RegaMasters Evos. His engine bay is immaculate.

 

Jon was there with his clean Civic E-AT. The DC2 gauge cluster replaces the stock unit.

 

Nice contrasty TE37s.

 

Michael Estebar’s EF made its first public appearance.

 

LOI-Spec was there with their track-prepped DC2s.

 

Teddy Timoteo’s EK sporting new mirrors and color-matched lip.

 

Jay Mayuga’s TSX with a Modulo Voltage front bumper. I think the bumper is money but from what Jay told me, he is going back to the stock bumper/Euro R lip.

 

Aggressive set up on this S2000.

 

Ending part one with Sam Ip’s FG. The TE37s are so bright but look soo good.