Irvine, CA – I was pretty excited to attend the AutoCon (short for Auto Connection), on December 10- for one, it’s the last car show of the year, and it was being held in an outdoor venue, which is something we haven’t seen much of these days.  Being located at the old El Toro Marine Air Base location (which is being converted to a fairgrounds), I was hoping that the show would be located on parts of the old airstrip with some of the hangars in the background- I figured it would look cool, Top Gear style- but unfortunately it was relegated to a lot location just outside of it. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing though, as parking was convenient and it was still just a few steps away from getting to the hot air balloon ride.

The show itself was surprisingly diverse, with some fresh cars that I hadn’t noticed before, probably due to entrants coming in from the whole west coast of the U.S. Overall there was a good mix of modern imports, European, and domestic cars, as well as some rare and classic cars. Some that stuck out for me were the old school Celicas (both 1st and 2nd gen), a 4th gen donked out Impala, a super cleanly restored ’69 Mercedes 280SE (I think), the Scion Xb converted to a 60′s wagon look (complete with holiday luggage on the top), a race Shelby Cobra and a Nissan President, among others. There were also a lot of cars with rather… interesting… detailings, whether it be the paint designs or the miscellaneous engine bay decorations. However, I also noticed a disturbing (in my opinion, no hate intended) trend developing among the “hellaflush” movement, where people seem to be trying to outdo each other on how badly they can damage their front fenders to stay as low as possible. Maybe it’s just me, but I really don’t see how badly rolled, paint cracking, hammer banged fenders can in any way look aesthetically tasteful. To each their own though .

Other than the cars, the event also had the usual distractions; vendors selling their wares, as well as the brave models willing to walk around with nothing more than a bikini in this cold winter weather- for this, I applaud you ladies! More importantly, the show organized a small festival of some of the most popular food trucks in the area with which to delight our taste buds with. To be honest I really hope other shows start doing this as well- one can only eat a cardboard flavored 8 dollar convention center hot dog for so long. I wasn’t willing to try a “lobsta” roll for 12 dollars (I understand it’s made of lobster meat, but for 12 bucks I could get myself a nice steak), but the Dogzilla dog was great. Mixing salty meats with sweet King’s Hawaiian bread- I wish I had thought of it

Overall, I would say the AutoCon was one of the highlights of the car show year – the turnout was massive (the parking lot itself could’ve been a car show), the cars were great, the food was good, and I enjoyed the outdoor venue. The roll up stage was a great idea that really allowed the owner to talk details about their car, something that I think other shows should implement as well.

Thanks Justin at AutoCon for letting us cover the event, and once again congrats to ACE for winning a crapload of awards

Long Beach, CA – On August 21, we attended the hotly anticipated Motion Auto Show, hoping that something would finally fill the void that’s been missing in recent years – a car show that was actually good and worth staying the whole day for.  Thankfully, Motion did not disappoint- the fact that we actually drove out to ghetto ass Long Beach alone should prove how excited we were for this (are ghetto LBC jokes still in fashion?). You know a car show is gonna be huge when vendors and competitors bring out their mother freakin’ ice sculptures.

Set up by the Pro-Motion Distributing company, no corners were cut in the planning of this event- all the big vendors were here; including Mobil 1, Falken, and my personal show favorite, Scion. More importantly, big vendors = free schwag, free schwag = happy attendees. You know you love those free hats that you’ll never wear.  Of course, the other component that makes a car show worth attending is surprisingly, the cars that show! In this regard again Motion sets the bar, with most of the biggest teams making their appearance- ACE/High End, TWC, MFest, Hybrid, you name it- they were there.  There were quite a few unique appearances as well as you will see in our gallery.  The S2000 without spark plugs and those crazy pipes in the engine bay that I have no idea what they do.. I don’t know how it runs, but I like it.  We must also mention the M3 with the pedobear sticker, it should have won something.. like Best Decal In Show. Or something.

On the lifestyle side of things, the show managed to cater to a wide variety of audiences, with some dance competitions, sports exhibitions, AND- a STREET FIGHTER IV competition hosted by the MLG and NOS Energy drinks!!! As they would say in the fighting game community, I was literally getting hype to see something like this breaking into the mainstream. Joystick warriors rejoice, you are no longer displaced to the dark corners of the local arcade!!

In all seriousness though, the Motion Auto Show was all we had hoped it would be- a turn-around in what was a stagnant and slowing trend in exciting car shows. We’re glad that Motion is bringing it back and setting the bar for future car shows from now on!

Thank you Mike Morita and Ryan Nguyen, for setting up this awesome show as well as for your kindness and generosity. Special shout outs to the MFest crew, and ACE/High End as usual .  Also special thanks to up and coming contributor, Victor Gonzalez!

Long Beach, CA – So you read our article on the Motion Auto Show. But deep down inside, you felt something was missing. “He mentioned that one major component of car shows are the cars… but he forgot the other half… the models. WHERE ARE THE MODELS?!?”  Fret not dear reader, for we would never turn a blind eye to such things! Yes, we go out of our way and take pictures of all the booth babes and models that are a staple of the car show just for you! When we previously mentioned that Motion did not disappoint, we were also referring to the fine selection of ladies that appeared throughout the day (even some of the showgoers were pretty hot; sometimes we weren’t sure if some of these girls were actual models or just attendees).  All we can say is – some of the kids that came probably hit puberty immediately at Motion- and that by the end of the day, we were thirsty for milk.  We’ll stop typing now and let you enjoy the pics we got.

Thanks for the extra contributions Steve!

Anaheim, CA - Spocom, one of our favorite annual car shows, was surprisingly held at the Anaheim Convention Center, which luckily for us meant it was only a few minutes away.  We’re not sure if the show itself extended to the parking lot as well, considering how many modified cars were parked in there- one in five cars there was most likely an EVO.  As usual, Spocom did not disappoint; catering not only to car fans, but to the lifestyle and culture as well.  In addition to the usual gamut of hottie models (our favorite part of the show, as usual), mostly tastefully modified cars, and various live competitions on the main stage, new to the show were the urban clothing and accessory booths selling off their wares.  This included such brands as Crooks & Castles and Meister, to name a few. Noticeably absent was the lack of free stuff.  Perhaps it is a sign of today’s battered economy; but we sure do miss the random free CD’s, T-Shirts, baseball caps and stuffed paraphernalia.

Highlights of the show for us were Skyline Alley (never have we seen so many GT-Rs parked next to each other), the extremely clean and restored 1st generation Honda Civic coupe, the guy wearing a chained rim around his neck (can’t get any blinger than that), and of course, the boobies!! Shout outs to the High End crew, and congrats on winning (as usual) a ridiculous amount of trophies!

As usual, feel free to peruse through our pictures of the show

May 26-29, 2011, SMX Convention Center, Philippines – Madlightmedia.com is proud to present to you the first Grand 3-Ring Motoring Event held here in the Philippines. Press release and more pictures after the jump.

Trans Sport Show Celebrates 20 Years of Car Enthusiasm in a Grand 3-Ring Motoring Event with Iconic Automobiles

Trans Sport Show stages its 20^th edition with a full spirit of car enthusiasm in the Grand 3-Ring Motoring Event happening on May 26-29 at the SMX Convention Center with two other big shows, the 1^st Philippine Nostalgic Motor Show and the 4^th Manila Sports Car Club Concours d’ Elegance presented by Phoenix Fuels and leading motor show organizer, Tradeshow International, Inc.

“This year’s Trans Sport Show has got to be extra special for our loyal patrons . Celebrating the 20^th edition of the show means putting together  (in addition to the latest custom vehicles) iconic automobiles whose impact on car lovers defies age. “ says Sophie delos Santos, TSI President.  She enumerates some of the interesting automobile icons to catch in this year’s Grand 3-Ring Motoring Event of the Year.

1976 Lancia Stratos – 1st Trans Sport Show Cup Best of Show winner in 1992.  The Lancia Stratos is one of the most iconic rallying cars in history . It has won 3 world rally championships consecutively. . It is without a doubt the most spectacular rally car in the 70s.

1963 JAGUAR XKE – 1997 Trans Sport Show Cup Best of Show winner.  The Jaguar XKE, which Enzo Ferrari once described as “the most beautiful car in the world” is celebrating its 50^th year anniversary. Truly one of the most iconic cars to have ever been built

1964 PORSCHE 356C – The only entrant in the 4^th Manila Sports Car Club Concours d’ Elegance coming all the way from Cebu.  The Porsche 356 , known for its iconic design remained the same throughout its lifespan, with evolutionary, functional improvements rather than annual superficial styling changes.

1956 Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing – 1996 Trans Sport Show Cup Best of Show Winner

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was conceived initially as a purpose-built racing sports car In 1952. It was also dubbed as the racing car for the street. It’s unique architecture with gullwing doors makes this iconic car very distinct in its era.

1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air – 2006 Trans Sport Show Cup Best of Show Winner

The Chevy Bel-Air is the most popular vehicle by Chevrolet in the 1950s and up until today is  still the most sought after Chevy car for car collectors. It is a true icon in American car history.

1967 Toyota 2000GT –The 2000GT revolutionized the automotive world’s view of Japan. Today, the 2000GT is seen as the first seriously collectible Japanese car and the first “Japanese supercar”.

Special activities of the Grand 3-Ring Motoring Event include the Car Crazy Central (with Barry Meguiar) of Speed Channel “On location shooting” of its first two episodes in Asia at the show courtesy of Meguiar’s Philippines, Inc. A “Meet and Greet Barry Meguiar” session is scheduled on opening day May 26 form 2pm – 5pm. There is also the Trip Ko Phoenix Fuels-Transport Show Auto Rally by MP Turbo and Timberland Rally Raid . This is like the Sampaguita or “On Time, All the Time” rally which will be open to all road going vehicles. The Phoenix Auto Rally will run through 4 provinces-Cavite, Batangas, Quezon and Laguna with bracket timed runs in race tracks and closed public roads as part of the event. Ceremonial flag-off will take place on May 28 Saturday at 7pm in front of SMX with the 36 Mr. and Ms. Eco Tourism/Mossimo Bikini Summit contestants.

The Die Cast Car Collectors of the Philippines  (DCCPH) will do a “Heritage Cars in Miniature” in the Lobby area of the Convention Center – a welcome treat for the young and budding car enthusiasts and hobbyists. The Search for the 2011 Miss Trans Sport Show is open to all the pretty booth attendants in the show and will surely be a must –shoot activity for the photographers.  There will be daily raffles, exhibitor related activities, video shows , Trans Sport Show memorabilia and many more.

The Grand 3-Ring Motoring event is sponsored in part by The House of Precast, Solar Auto Club and 3M Philippines. Service Providers include Meguiar’s (Exclusive Detailer), Dream Limo (Official VIP Ride), Auto Transporter (Official Car Carrier), Motorola (Official Communications) and DC Audio Rhythmix (Official Lights Provider) . Other sponsors are C!, Calibre, Top Gear and Power Wheels,99.5RT ,  Crossover 105.1,Dream FM 106.7,  DZRH 666, Magic 89.9, UR 105.9, DWIZ, 97 Home Radio, RJ 100, DZRJ 810, Inside Motoring, Turbo Time, Business Mirror, Businessworld, Chinese Commercial News, Daily Tribune, Manila Bulletin, Manila Standard Today, Manila Times, Malaya Business Insight, Philippine Star, Padi’s Point, Lazer Maxx, Gotcha, Auto Review, Sunshine TV, Motoring Today, Auto Focus, Stoplight TV, Pinoy Extreme, The Kapamilya Channel, Jack TV , Auto Extreme, Autoindustriya.com, Kotse.com and Bigbigcar.com.

April 7-10 2011, World Trade Center, Pasay City, Philippines – Madlightmedia.com is proud to present to you coverage from the 2011 Manila International Autoshow. Some of the highlights of the event were the new Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Elantra, and Mini Countryman. Also held at the event was a Custom and Classic Car Competition. More pictures of the cars after the jump. Special mention goes to our guest photographer Joey Afortunado, who was kind enough to donate his time and talent to our site.

Photographers: Mikey Yan, Joey Afortunado

Madlightmedia.com brings to you the Manila Auto Salon 2010. Held at the SMX Convention center last November 18-21 2010.

September 25, 2010, Torrance, CA - This year we were fortunate to be part of one of the greatest S2000 gatherings in the world, the S2Ki.com Homecoming meet, thanks to one of our members being an S2000 owner himself. Homecoming is a meet organized by members of S2Ki.com as a way to bring S2000 enthusiasts from all over the world to one location and meet and share stories and good times with other fellow owners. And by all over the world, we mean all over the world- people flew in from as far as China to attend this event.  The first Homecoming occurred about three years ago, so attending this event was something we couldn’t pass up. Becoming a part of the event involved a very lengthy process and started over a year ago, and eliminated those that were unable to follow the complex instructions from attending.  Read on for details and pics of the event!

Our day started off finding our way to the secret meeting spot, which was only disclosed to attendees a few days before the actual event.  Immediately as we arrived, we could tell the amount of effort and logistical planning that went into this event. The lot was filled with S2000′s, all coordinated in certain parts of the lot by their color. Unfortunately, all silver S2000′s were stuck in the parking structure away from everyone else, but I guess that shows how special we are . After mingling with others and a quick breakfast, the cavalcade of S2000′s started heading off to our next location, Honda HQ in Torrance, once again color coordinated. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the event, it was a total blast seeing a huge line of S2000′s stretching down the 405 freeway.

Once we arrived at HQ (I really wish the caravan could have lasted a bit longer), we flashed our sexy official S2Ki Homecoming badges (complete with hologram!) to the gatekeepers and proceeded to park our cars into our once again color coordinated lots. The rest of the day was typically car meet-like; catching up with friends and fellow S2000 owners, visiting the vendor booths that helped support the meet, such as GoTuning, Clutch Masters, and S2Ki specific vendors.  Special shout out to Tommy’s Burgers food trucks were in place to take care of our food; those chili cheeseburgers were bomb diggity! A special parade of unique cars, such as the first generation Civic, an Acura Legend with 400,000 original miles on the odo, and a Spoon-ed out S2K were shown before we were introduced to Honda’s grandmaster engineer, Shigeru Uehara, creator of the NSX and S2000 (and ITR). Perhaps another one of the most significant events after his appearance were the long lines of fans waiting to get various S2K-related items and parts signed by Shigeru himself.  Fellow editor Dave was able to get his radio cover panel signed, which should increase the value of his car by about $100,000 .

The festivities concluded with a huge raffle, with so many parts that you could literally build a wholly modified S2K if you won every single one. Everything from keyhole covers to carbon fiber intake ducts,  a full big break kit, to a T1R exhaust were given away. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to win anything, but everyone came home a winner that day- a free mug, thermos, and t-shirt commemorating the 2010 S2000 Homecoming event, and the experience of meeting others from across the globe, and being able to participate in such an exclusive event. Not only that, but hearing Shigeru’s speech about his involvement and feelings for the S2000 almost brought a tear to our eyes.

Back-Cracker of S2Ki.com and Honda of America, we thank you for taking so much effort and time out of your life to set up this event for the rest of us! The next S2Ki Homecoming event could not come soon enough!