SoCal Car Guide

From November 16th to November 25th, the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The show will feature over 40 debuts such as the Lamborghini Reventón, Nissan GT-R, and the Porsche 911 GT2. In addition, concept cars, the newest hybrid vehicles, and aftermarket/design cars will be on display. Tickets cost $10.00 for adults and children 12 and under get in for free. However, make sure you bring cash with you; ticket purchases at the door require cash from November 16th to November 22nd. Here is the show schedule:

• Friday, Nov 16: 11am - 10pm
• Saturdays: 9am - 10pm
• Sundays: 9am - 8pm
• Mon - Weds: 11am - 10pm
• Thanksgiving Day: 9am - 8pm
• Friday, Nov 23: 9am - 10pm

Doors close one hour before the show ends. Here is a map of where the event will take place:

View Larger Map

(4 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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The Final Round of the Formula D Championship took place on October 13th at Irwindale Speedway. There were a total of 7 rounds, each round taking place in a different city with the Final round being held at Irwindale Speedway. The stands were fully packed with fans cheering on their favorite drivers. The event was took place from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM; practice and qualifying rounds were held early in the event and the final race began around 5:00 PM. The Final Four racers were Tanner Foust, Chris Forsberg, Daijiro Yoshihara, and Kenji Yamanka (Last Year’s Champion). Tanner Foust driving his yellow 350z won the championship, with Chris Forsberg finishing 2nd, Daijiro Yoshihara finishing 3rd, and Kenji Yamanka finishing 4th after disabling his S14 Nissan Silvia after hitting the side wall. If you never been to a drifiting competition, I recommend you attend one; it is a lot more nosier than what you see at the movies and a lot more exciting.

(7 votes, average: 4.43 out of 5)

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The 3rd Annual Japanese Classic Car Show will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6th at Queen Mary Park, Long Beach. This event is America’s first and original large scale Japanese car show. The main feature of the show will feature pre-1985 Japanese cars. In addition, RC cars, vendors, awards, and prizes, drawings, and food & drinks are some of the other features of the show.

Admission is $5.00 for adults and kids under 12 get in for free. Also, part of the profits from the show will support the Juvenile Diabetics Research Foundation. More information on the show can be found here. Here is a map of where the event will take place.

(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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To end August up, Hot Import Nights (HIN) will host the “Where You At?” car show and music tour at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The even will take place from 5PM to Midnight on Saturday, August 25th and will feature over 500 show cars, top industry models, DJ nightclub stations, dance exhibitions, and a live concert featuring Eve performing her hit single “Tamborine.” Tickets cost $30.00 and can be brought at the door or at http://www.hotimportnights.com.

(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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I attended the Nisei week Tofu Festival and the Car Showoff. The sun was burning today, which made the events not so comfortable, there was little shade at both the Tofu Festival and at the Car Show. As a result of the hot weather, the Car Showoff this year had fewer vistors from what I observed. In addition, even the competitors at the Showoff, where too tired out by the hot sun to pay much attention to the few attendees that touched their cars; most of the competitors were trying to get some shade from the provided tents or just sat in their air-conditioned cars. I think the organizers (Mainstream Productions) should find a better venue or provide more cover for next year’s Showoff. Even with the scorching heat, Socal Car Guide endured the discomfort to provide some photos for your viewing pleasure.

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(6 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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The 67th Annual Nisei Week in downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo will take place from August 18th to August 26th. In particular, on August 18th, hundreds of West coast’s top modified cars will come out to Little Tokyo to compete for cash prizes and trophies at the 8th Annual Nisei Week Car Show. In aiddition to the car show, live entertainment will be provided featuring Hip Hop and R&B perfomers and import models. The car show will take place from 11AM - 6PM and tickets can be purchased at the door for $10.00 (kids under 10 free). The address for the car show is 100 S. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA. 90012.

Car Showoff

(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)

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The SPOCOM car show took place at the Long Beach Convention Center on August 5th and was sponsored by Nitto tires. The venue featured concept cars from Scion and Mazda, modified cars from individuals and companies, a DJ battle, lingere and binkini show, and contest for best car in show. Here are some pictures from the show. Honda S2000s and Mitsubishi Evolutions seem to be the current popular cars to modify. Here are some pictures that I took at the show.

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(8 votes, average: 4.88 out of 5)

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We all see the commericals and articles promoting the use of E85 (85% Ethanol fuel blend) over regular gasoline for reducing pollution. However, Professor Mark Z. Jacobson at Standford University has evidence that using E85 will actually worsen air pollution. According to Professor Jacobson, “Ethanol is being promoted as a clean and renewable fuel that will reduce global warming and air pollution,” said Jacobson, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. “But our results show that a high blend of ethanol poses an equal or greater risk to public health than gasoline, which already causes significant health damage.”

His research results and conclusion was published in the April 18 online edition of the journal Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T) and the Stanford press release can be found here:

http://news-service.stanford.edu/pr/2007/pr-ethanol-041807.html

(8 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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The 2008 Scion tC is now available in Southern California, most car dears have a few in stock. The dealers I visited had a few on the lot, mostly automatics and Flint Mica seems to be popular. However, the two new colors for ‘08, Waveline Pearl and Sizzling Crimson were harder to find. Starting with the 2008 models, Scion has made the following standard on all tCs:

• Side Curtain Airbags
• iPod Connectivity to Standard Radio

In particular, the 2008 tC comes standard with front dual stage airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags, tire pressure monitor system, headrests, three-point seatbelts in all five seating positions and a first aid kit. The tC also features a driver’s knee airbag. The stock 160 Watt Pioneer head unit integrates track, artist and album information from the iPod into a one-line display on the head unit’s screen. Connectivity is achieved by simply plugging the iPod into a port via a connector cable, providing outstanding sound quality through the car’s stereo system and constant power to the iPod. Music is controlled through the head unit and steering wheel audio controls. A standard mini-jack port also allows users to connect other portable audio devices to the stock head unit.

In terms of looks, the 2008 tC sports a different front grille than the older line-up, but the differences are not that noticeable. However, the new tail lights are quite different and is one way to differentiate between the 2008 tC and older models. The tail lights are now clear…very similar to Altezza tail lights.

Like the older line-up, the 2008 tC is sporty and has more than enough horse power; 161 HP generated from a V-4, 2.4 liter engine. However, gas mileage is slightly lower in the new model; 21/29 (city/highway) compared to (22/30) for 2007.

The MSRP of a stock automatic 2008 Scion tC is $17,800 plus $580 destination charge. Oh and floor mats are not standard…the dealership will try to charge you $170 for them, you cannot negotiate the price of the car, but accessories are possible. It just depends on your negotiating skills and/or the dealership. One last thing, this is the only sub-$20,000 car that is still 100% made in Japan from Japanese parts.

(22 votes, average: 4.59 out of 5)

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On June 2nd, the Hot Import Nights car show will take place in San Diego’s Coors Amphitheatre from 4PM to 11PM. This HIN event will feature hot import cars and models. In addition, a drifting and rally demo will be featured and a performance from rapper, E-40 will take center stage during the event. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online for $30.00. More information about ticket purchase and event features can be found at http://www.hotimportnights.com/events/event.asp?id=571.

(5 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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