Here's a lil' secret about us SoCal peeps. Deep down inside we're snobs. No really. I know it's hard to swallow but we're elitists, particularly when it comes to cars. Outside of Japan, we like to think we're ahead of the curve and the rest of the nation is just playing catch up. Like Hawaii.
When you think of Hawaii images of palm trees, rolling surf, picture-perfect beaches and Spam most likely come to mind. Clean rides from the House of H? Probably not. It's an island for goodness sake. The only Honda you'd expect to see is one of a tourist's stamped on a JCB credit card at an ABC store down on Waikiki Beach. Streetcar Showoff and Falken Tire however, prove otherwise.
Streetcar Showoff (presented by Falken Tire), the people who put on Import Showoff and the tire company who first lit the smoke in drift, brought together some of the island's finest at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Like California, clean JDM was the theme as many Hondas rocked the utilitarian street look. Simple body kits accentuated with aggressive rims and rare name brand parts was the norm. If it weren't for the pidgin accents and sweat-inducing humid air, you'd swear you were in J-town during Nisei Week.
A blown K20 we can all appreciate.
Don't let the exteriors fool you either, B and K swaps and chassis bracing rollcages were aplenty for the purpose-built cars. Too bad Oahu closed its one and only track last year. For the extra two-door carrying fatter Hondas, VIP was the theme with big wheels tucked on air suspension. With some of the cleanest Hondas found on the entire Pacific Rim, Streetcar Showoff and Falken prove that Hawaii is as close to California as it gets. All they need now is the smog.