The 76th Annual Nisei Week Japanese Festival served once again as the backdrop to the Stancenation x Showoff Nisei Edition Car Show, located in the heart of Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Showoff continued its Little Tokyo tradition, teaming up once again with Stancenation for the festivities, held inside the Aiso parking garage. This year’s event brought out a gathering of 300-plus high-end builds and show-worthy cars, which spanned across every inch of the structure as they battled for bragging rights and $500 cash money in multiple Showoff and Stancenation “Best Of” categories. Without a doubt, what has made and continues to make the Stancenation and Showoff Nisei Edition car show a must-attend car show is the mashup of all makes and models, ranging from rare JDM and Euro vehicles, to old school classics and new-school street machines.
One of the cars which grabbed attention throughout the day was Rodrigo Catibog’s ’80 Mitsubishi Lancer. Imported directly from Japan, this GSR-converted machine was built from the ground up from a rusted-out RHD GSR Lancer along with donor parts sourced from a ’91 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The 4G63T engine was plucked from the Eclipse, then refreshed using HKS cams, cam gears, and an F-Con fuel management system, then topped off with an ultra-rare AMG spark plug cover. The interior was sourced from an SE 1800 Lancer before the entire vehicle was re-badged with Turbo MMC decals and outfitted with a full set of 14×6-inch Yokohama Advan wheels.
“This is the first 4G63T swap on a Lancer “box type” model in the U.S.” claims Rodrigo. “My original 4G32 Sirius turbo was too small and the vehicle was slow so I decided to upgrade using an Eclipse turbo.”
We immediately recognized this 240Z from our coverage of the Anaheim Z Bash Convention when it was still vinyl wrapped in metallic blue. This time around, the vehicle looked completely different, sporting Gulf livery paint and decals by dymeaspects and napalminc, with color matched Nismo wheels.
“I bought the car back in July 2010. It was a bucket with dents all over the roof, it barely ran, rust issues, leaks, and many parts that didn’t work. I bought the car just to fill a void of owning another Z. Fast forward a couple of years and I was able to get the car running right, restore the majority of the exterior and interior with flares, bucket seats, and mods that most people do with a Z,” says owner Richard Madlangbayan.
“So I had a nice looking 240Z, but it was kind of slow. At the same time, I also had a fast S13 with an RB swap, but it was kind of raggedy. So instead of trying to figure out which one to drive, I decided to combine them both. I stripped any parts I could use from the RB S13 and put them in the Z. In 2014 I decided to redo the exterior of the car. I wanted to just do something different from the norm of flares, same bumpers, and wheels that everyone else uses. I went with ztrix wide body kit, which is usually used on race cars and not street cars, as well as custom-built Nismo lmgt2 wheels to fit the wide body. Being out of budget and not really intending to show the car, I decided to just wrap the car just to put some color to it. Half way through the 2016 show season I decided to wrap the car in a Gulf livery, detail touches, add an assortment of carbon fiber aero and trims, and sink into my bank account,” says Madlangbayan.
It seemed like all of his hard work paid off, as this Z was awarded “Best of Show” at this year’s Stancenation X Showoff Nisei Show.
This ’71 Hakosuka – fully restored by Nissan Skyline tuner Rock Auto of Japan – has been tearing up the show scene and breaking necks in the process. The GTX is outfitted on a set of 17×9-inch -10mm and 17×11.5-inch -30mm offset RS Watanabe wheels to maximize wheel fitment under the fender flares. The car has also been outfitted with K-Spec coilovers and MK63 GTR brakes. A Nardi steering wheel adds some flair to the flawless interior, while owner Rick Ishitani put his finishing touches on the car by adding JDM floor and trunk mats, a Nissan dash cover, along with Techno Toy Tuning tension rods and roll center adjusters. Future plans call for upgrading to a set of 40mm Solex triple carburetors, a Fujitsubo FGK Super EX header and exhaust, and a JDM dual row radiator. We can’t wait to see how this ride turns out!
At first glance, the front end of this car might look like a Dodge Challenger, but move towards the rear and you’re in for a big surprise. This Nissan 240SX S14 is outfitted with Rocket Bunny’s Boss front end conversion that magically transforms the once-familiar front end of the 240SX. If the front end shock factor wasn’t enough, check out the engine bay. Yes, that is a BMW N54B30 straight six 3.0-liter tuned to produce 450 horsepower!
LTMotorwerks and Gearheinz collaborated to build the wild creation, powered by a Turbonetics-turbocharged powerplant. The S14’s aggressive ride height is achieved with Air Lift Performance suspension; it sits on a set of 18-inch Rotiform RB1s. The Spartan interior was outfitted with a roll cage, custom dash setup and Sparco bucket seats.
If the name Albert Medrano and Cyber Racing rings a bell, that’s because his CRX was among the first 11-second Hondas.
“I don’t play with Hondas anymore. I’m taking it back old school with my RX2,” he says. Blending some old-school with new-school technology, the ’71 Mazda RX2 looked like it was in showroom condition. Purchased in ’08, the long restoration journey wasn’t fully complete until last year.
“The car was originally blue and needed the interior totally redone. We repainted it black and added some custom fender flares,” he says.
The brakes, custom 5-lug conversion, and coilover suspension were upgraded by JRX Rotary using FC and FD3S parts, while the 13B Bridgeport engine topped with a 48 IDA Weber carb was built by none other than rotary legend Abel Ibarra. Medrano commissioned JRX to tuck the wiring to provide a clean look, and also to build a custom air intake with ram air scoop. Future plans call for turbocharging this beast with Microtec, and installing a water to air intercooler.
You never know what or who to expect when attending Showoff x Stancenation, as I found myself reunited with my old high school auto shop instructor, who I haven’t seen for over a decade.
Vic Kim has quite the story on his vehicle, as he purchased the ’66 Cobra as a rolling chassis from South Africa. The 427 cubic-inch engine has every Roush component available installed upon its foundation. The Cobra – outfitted with a Tremec transmission, aluminum heads, roller cam, MSD 6AL ignition box, Hays clutch and flywheel, high compression forged pistons, and Lunati rods – has allowed Mr. Kim to net his best time of 10.87 at 131mph in the quarter mile. Wilwood brakes and Thunderbird independent rear suspension is matched with a set of 15×10-inch Halibrand wheels.
Just across the way was another classic that happened to come along for the ride with Mr. Kim. This ’48 Pontiac “Woodie” owned by Ron Young has stood the test of time; most of the vehicle is original or rebuilt to original specs. Other than the rebuilt engine and fully restored wood interior, the ‘48 special is in great condition.
If you like clean JDM- and VIP-style cars, the Stancenation x Showoff Nisei Edition Car Show is the place to be.