"If you build it, they will come."I think that saying was in a movie or something. I really can't remember. Maybe it was Field of Dreams. Maybe it was Ernest Goes to Camp. Either way, it seems to hold true for oh so many car shows, but none more than the ever-growing NorCal vs. SoCal Euro annual gathering.
Last year, which was the first year the event took place, the gathering occurred in San Luis Obispo, California - a city conveniently located 200 miles north of Los Angeles and 230 miles south of San Francisco. While the event was freakishly large, the organizers decided a more southerly venue was called for, so the Earl Warren Fairgrounds in Santa Barbara was reserved for the April 10, 2004, gathering (100 miles north of Los Angeles and 340 miles south of San Francisco).
Preregistration for the event at www.socaleuro.com was exceeding the 900-car mark with days left before the event, and as far as we can tell, the Santa Barbara Police Department and California Highway Patrol were well aware of that fact. After the show started, the roads surrounding the Earl Warren Fairgrounds were plastered with cops hunting for modified cars. What we can say for sure is that the police were abiding by the letter of the law, but not the spirit. We hope there is an investigation into the police department's actions that day - but in the meantime, it has been made apparent by the show organizers that because of the attitude expressed by the local law enforcement, next year's NorCal vs. SoCal Euro show will not be held in Santa Barbara. Check out www.petitiononline.com/sbcarmt1/petition.html to view a petition that was started after what happened, as well participants' firsthand accounts of the officers' behavior.
As for the show itself, an unofficial count stated that over 1,000 cars were in attendance. Everything from DTM Autohaus' blue widebody Audi A4 to its insanely purple Audi TT to Wet Works' bright orange TT and red A4, both styling black roofs. Exclusiv Tuning brought out not only a Porsche Turbo, but also a very Euro, very sweet and very tasty black four-door Mk IV GTI that was slammed to the ground on BBS LMs with a carbon-fiber Boser hood. Even the guys from German Exklusiv showed up, proclaiming they had some of the "phatest rides, yo."
Members of TWCompetition also made an appearance with a handful of their cars. Most notable in that group was an E46 M3 sporting a carbon-fiber hood with vents and HREs under the fenders. Further down the row was a sweet black Corrado with OZ wheels, a four-point rollcage (retaining the rear seats for some reason) and a canvas sliding ragtop similar to those found on the California Edition BMW 318T.
Other delectable and consequently notable cars at the show were a Cosmic Green Mk IV GTI with OZ Superleggera III forged wheels and a super-wide dish in the back, a blue Mk II GTI on ATS wheels with a 2.0L 16v turbo motor that puts over 300 hp to the wheels, as well as a slew of Mercedes and Volvos. The Volvos were notable because the event had the largest gathering of 240s we've seen outside a junkyard (let the hate-mail commence). There was even a new Mercedes CLK that had a swapped grille and some blingin' wheels - the end result being the car was a dead-ringer for a Lexus GS. Even the Porsche Boxster from the Polk Momo ads was there.
The show was fun. It was a little cold, but entertaining nonetheless. The only downside to the entire event was the cops seemingly harassing a few thousand enthusiasts that were just out to have a good time. Believe us, if everyone had been doing burnouts and blasting their stereos, we'd be singing a different tune - but the fact of the matter is the cops acted like vultures, picking off easy prey rather than stopping crimes that actually affect more than the police department's bottom line. Don't get us wrong, we like cops, we just don't always approve of their actions. That's alright, though, as from the sounds of it, the city of Santa Barbara won't be seeing much tourist money from car shows anytime soon.