This was a huge year for automotive enthusiasts in the northwest. New events began this year and existing ones continued to improve. I picked my favorite events last year so it only made sense to do the same for 2013. Forum Fest 2013 – Pacific Raceways – Kent, WA Every year Forum Fest keeps getting bigger and better. The weather was perfect this year (unlike the monsoon of 2012). Speedfactory Racing set a new world record on the drag strip and ImportMeet.com won Best Club/Forum Representation (thanks to everyone that registered with us!). It was a ton of fun and…
Author: Matt Haugness
Matt Haugness
Matt created ImportMeet.com in 2011 after noticing a lack of media websites dedicated exclusively to import cars. Although he's employed as an engineer and has no formal training in journalism, his skills continue to develop as the editor for the site. He enjoys writing feature car articles, technical build/project articles, and organizing events. Matt drives a 2023 Honda Civic Type R and a 1990 LS-swapped Mazda RX-7.
ImportMeet.com attended SEMA for the second year in a row this year as a credentialed media outlet. As one of the largest automotive tradeshows in the world, each year the show continues to grow in size. According to the Specialty Equipment Market Association, 126,000 people were issued passes prior to the event with thousands more onsite. Considering that only businesses tied to the aftermarket automotive industry, this number is impressive.
Turning a $25,000 sports car into a car worthy of the title of “supercar” is no easy task. Accomplishing it within a three month timeline before one of the biggest automotive shows in the world is nearly impossible. Taking design cues from the Lexus LFA, the team at Bulletproof Automotive modified nearly every part on their Scion FR-S to make it competitive with other supercars in all aspects. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WPke3MTTXg Watch Scion FR-S Turbo Concept One on YouTube.
It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was about these two Liberty Walk cars that drew crowds all week during the 2013 SEMA show. It may have been the fact that they took two of the most revered supercars and cut their stock wheel arches to fit aftermarket overfenders on. It could have been that they opted to leave the overfender fasteners exposed rather than molding them into the factory panels. Whatever it was, these two LB★WORKS cars stood out from so many other builds at the 2013 SEMA show. Photos by Matt Haugness and Kyle Gunst. Text by…
For the second year in a row, NWMotiv’s inMotion was held at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington on September 28, 2013. With the primary portion of the event being the indoor car show, the fact that it was raining all day didn’t change the turnout of the show much.
On September 14, 2013 we held our annual end of summer car show at VLEDS in Bellingham, WA. The name of the show was changed this year to “Afterdark” to better describe the atmosphere of the event. We also decided to take things a step further by streaming Formula Drift Round 6 live at the show. Indoor and outdoor projectors were set up so that people at the show were able to follow what was happening in Texas. Photos by Ryan Cutuli, TK Akiyama, and Kevin O’Rourke. Text by Matt Haugness. Video by Ryan Kam (RK Films).
The third day of the Import Meet Street Car Competition was broken into two categories: Fuel Economy and Autocross. A quick reference guide for the competitors can be found here. Photos by Ryan Cutuli and Nick Poirier. Going into day three Johnny and his R34 held onto the lead followed closely by Stu in his Toyota Supra. With only two events left in the competition they both understood performing at full capability was critical. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8PnMXHkz4M Watch IMSCC 2013 Quality, Fuel Economy, & Autocross on YouTube. Fuel Economy Since the autocross portion was being held in Bremerton and most of the…
AutoCon, short for Automotive Connection, is an automotive event that originated in Southern California three years ago. The group’s main goal from the beginning was to create an event that would bring together all types of automotive enthusiasts. After multiple successful events in California, they decided to try and expand their reach by holding events in Seattle, Washington and Miami, Florida for 2013. AutoCon Seattle was held at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington on August 31st. Photos by Randy Montgomery, Matt Haugness, and Robert Bishop. Video by TK Akiyama. Text by Matt Haugness. AutoCon’s show setup was impressive and included…