We parked our Project 135i...
We parked our Project 135i next to Evolution Racewerk's widebody 135i racer
As we approached the Charger's Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA from the highway for this year's SoCal Euro event, we saw a collection of cars and a number of tents in the parking lot, so we instinctively headed toward it. However, it turns out it was a swapmeet and we were redirected to another area. As it happens, the actual show dwarfed what we thought was our destination.
For some reason, SoCal Euro always sneaks up on us. We arrive expecting a small gathering to find hundreds of cars amassed in the expansive parking lots. And this year's event promised even more thrills with participants from the Gumball 3000 Rally making a pitstop at the stadium. Unfortunately, their arrival was delayed until late afternoon and we'd long since departed to stare at stationary traffic on the I-405 freeway back to Los Angeles.
 Suddenly I'm hungry again....  Suddenly I'm hungry again. Chocolate anybody? |  Jordan Adam's '99 GTI 1.8T...  Jordan Adam's '99 GTI 1.8T on airbags | |
To be honest, we hadn't attended to see a bunch of rich guys in Italian exotics anyway. We wanted to see a bunch of hardcore, affordable Euros and weren't disappointed.
Our favorite was probably Doug Scott's '83 GTI. Finished in Porsche Mason blue and dropped by Bilstein suspension onto 16x8/8.5" Schmidt TH Lines, it looked good enough to lick. However, Scott promises a G60 transplant soon to make it even more delicious.
Doug Scott's '83 GTI in Porsche...
Doug Scott's '83 GTI in Porsche blue on 16" Schmidts. G60 transplant and hopefully a full feature soon
Another interesting find was the Mercedes SLK 55 widebody built by Rex Accelero. Finished in a flat pewter paint, the baby Benz boasted custom flares (2.25" wider front, 2.75" at the rear to cover 9.5" front and 12" wide rear wheels), nostrils in the hood, a deep front spoiler and rear diffuser. A sign indicated the car was still under construction and was definitely rough around the edges, but showed the potential to be a cool car.
Brian McKehan's '92 Corrado...
Brian McKehan's '92 Corrado VR6 was glowing in the sunlight with its custom pearl paint over Dubtechnik front spoiler and Rieger skirts. Dave Elledge had done the paint and pulled the fenders 15mm to cover the 17x8/9.5" J-Line wheels. The 3.0 motor had a custom T04e turbo using ATP parts and a modified transmission
According to the organizers, 1491 cars passed through the gates, not including some vendor vehicles and the Gumball boys. And what's nice about SoCal Euro is it lives up to its name by representing all the European marques. Taking a stroll around the parking lot allowed you to tick off the big names like VW, BMW, Audi and Mercedes. However, the event also attracts a sizable crowd of Volvo and Mini owners. We even spotted an orange Alfa Romeo 75 and a brand new Fiat 500 - sadly the latter escaped before we got a photo.
Eurocode Tuning had both an...
Eurocode Tuning had both an Audi A3 2.0T DSG and VW GTI with APR's stage 3 conversion. Putting out almost 400whp, they use the GT2871R turbo and low compression pistons. The tuner is also working on the new 2.0TFSI motors and reports good findings
It appears the organizers wanted to celebrate diversity, and decided to nominate the camo Mini Moke as their pick of the event. It certainly drew some smiles as it maneuvered through the aisles.
An advantage of the San Diego location is it allows many Mexican enthusiasts to pop over the border to attend. We also heard reports of people driving from Nevada, Arizona and somebody even came from Atlanta!
We've been asked to acknowledge event sponsors, Miramar Audi & VW and mention big.socaleuro.com as the place to find details about the 2009 show. We'll also list it in the Events Schedule in the magazine and at www. eurotuner.com as the date gets closer.