You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em..
We are ON for Saturday, Sept 19th! (9:00AM to 11:00 AM) Gates for Drivers open at 8 AM. Weather is looking good in the AM!
We have never really considered ourselves big gamblers as a group. We aren’t exactly the Kalshi crowd; however, when it comes to the forecast in the PNW, we all of a sudden become Phil Ivey. We appear to have a rinse and repeat of last week, without the promise of that bright golden globe we are going to start seeing less and less. That means we are on Saturday, Sept. 19th, and will be hosting our JDM mini-theme day in the horseshoe. More on this a little later in the blog, and yes, we do have criteria and rules. We wouldn’t be us without them. Got a lot to type about; let’s get to it.
Our official biggest fan at the gate, Noah, always asks us what our favorite car is today. Not going to lie, it is a difficult question most days and especially on a day like British Day. How do you choose? We had so many great examples of vintage Jags, including a Jaguar SS100; these things are rare, only 49 were exported from the UK in the 30s, and the 100 refers to the theoretical 100mph top speed. A whole array of MGs, some with V8s in that tiny package, and the incredible 38 MG TA 2962 racecar in Center. The side pipes are so cool, unless you’re the passenger 😉. We had all sorts of McLarens; no, the T50 didn’t surprise us, but we did have an awesome P1 in Center hanging out with all its cousins. Astons were everywhere; it was like we were at a Bond convention. Do you go modern, do you go vintage? Do you accessorize with cannons, smoke screens, or missiles??!! Too many decisions, but we did see a set of cannons, so cannons it is! We had Land Rovers on the corner of 164th; literally, they were on the corners. Healeys, Minors, Bentleys, Rolls, Mini no plural, sadly only one showed up, and Lotuses? Lotai? What is the plural? Either way, we had them. So, what is the answer to Noah’s question? Three. We know forty-two is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything, but in our case, three is the answer. We hope you saw the 1955 Austin Healey 100 race car in Center; we know you heard it. This car has quite a legacy as a factory-direct, track-ready race car originally ordered by Jackie Cooper. It was pushed across the finish line for 42nd place and was the test chassis for the unique Dunlop 4-wheel disc brake system designed for the cars—such a great historical example. Right next to it was a 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Volante MKII adorned in Roman Purple with a red interior, the only open car with this combo. It’s Sir David Brown’s favorite color, and how about the perfect patina on that interior? Then my personal favorite, the GT40 MKI, continuation build in a Gulf livery. This car is so low; we were at a restaurant after the show, and you couldn’t see the car over the wall. Ok enough gushing about British Day; on to this weekend.
That’s right, we are doing our first JDM mini theme feature Saturday, Sept 19th. We are pretty excited about this, and thank you to everyone who's hitting us up by email with criteria questions and those all-important pics. While we are tweaking our normal criteria a little for this mini theme, just like we do with all others, we are keeping close to what is in our criteria page. To help y’all out, here is a list of those criteria and some tweaks for this mini theme and our “dad” comments as well.
Honda: Classics only. No Civics or Integras. No Type Rs regardless of who’s mom you pound. Because of that one guy who’s hounded us, we’ve taken a vote and decided to allow them beginning in …... Limit on S2000, gate call.
Kei- types: LimitedKei cars/not trucks or vans. (If you believe you have a really unique kei truck or van, email us first to discuss)
Lexus: LFA, LC500, Track Series RC-F - no other models or trims. Only unmolested IS-F, no stickered-up nonsense
Mitsubishi: Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV and V and Pajero Evolution / Camel Trophy editions (RHD only, Non-US market only), no tuner cars. Gate call on 3000GT.
Mazda: Clean Mazda RX7 FB, FC (Turbo), FD (Turbo),, Select Classics, no stickered-out tuner cars
Subaru: JDM STI (RHD only, no US spec cars unless you’ve done a full 22B swap and it’s in perfect condition or built for actual rally), that one guy with the showroom-new SVX, Select Classics
Nissan/Datsun: Datsun- select vintage models, 1200 coupe, 510, 240-280Z, and 1600-2000 roadster. Nissan GTRs (all models), no Skyline GTS / GTST / Etc. Limited Silvias must be RHD and not clapped-out gate-call. Limited to our standard of “exceptional” Z31s or Z32s.
Imported R32-34 GTRs must be in excellent, fully restored condition. No tuner builds, broken body kits, sticker party cars, "roll call", no sponsorship stickered cars. Wrapped and race R35s are OK with prior authorization. Select Classics:
Toyota: Toyota Mark IV Supra (RHD or LHD). Toyota Century (all models) (no MK5), Select Classics, NO STICKERS. No Prius within six miles, please.
We understand there are other cars that we didn’t list. We encourage you to reach out through our email, send a pic and some info about your car, and we will let you know. As always, the gate does hold the ultimate say. Gates open at 8 AM, and we end at 11 AM. Now for a PSA as we are closing in on the end of the season. We do not allow flybys, hooning, revving, and just basic car D-bag behavior. We partner with Redmond PD to be present to reduce any bad behavior that puts our spectators and participants at risk. We have had a good year and want to keep it going as we close in on the end of the season.
Quick recap and then some sad news from the greater car community. We are on for this weekend, Saturday, Sept 19th, and will have the JDM mini theme in the horseshoe; see the criteria earlier in the blog and what we are tweaking just for the mini theme. British Day was smashing, baby!! Always a great big theme day with fun cars and amazing people. As always, our undying appreciation for all of you who support us. Thank you! Don’t drive like a D-bag.
Finally, we have some sad news from the greater car community. IF you are like us and cruise the interwebs for carporn or check out the local car shows wherever you travel, you are likely aware of South OC Cars and Coffee. Tragically, one of the organizers, James Wehr, passed away after a car accident last Sunday. James and his dad, Simon, share in our passion for cars and bringing enthusiasts, collectors, and spectators together to share that culture and passion with the world. Our hearts go out to the Wehr family and the whole South OC family of volunteers and supporters.
~Chuck