Rosemont Convention Center
This was easily the most fun I've had at an import car show. This is classic example of quality over quantity. It was a smaller show but it had a very impressive group of cars for the Chicago area. I must start off by saying I forgot my larger memory card so I didn't take as many pics as I wanted to. In addition to that I used a long exposure with many pics and they were blurry.
It was my first time seeing a Nissan Skyline in person and I was surprised that there were actually two there. The first was an R34 GT-R with mild upgrades. I've heard that car has changed hands a few times and been though hell. I'm not into spreading rumors though. The second GT-R (an R32) was a bit more impressive because it was a race ready model, but I wasn't able to get the same kind of pics because the owner(s) weren't around. There was also a highly modified Z32 300ZX there and an S14 240SX. I have a lot of respect for the Z car but the S14 impressed me much more because it looked so good. Id did have the S15 front (which has been done to death) but the kicker was really the amazing body work and it's paint.
The Hondas were pretty impressive too but my focus was on the Integras. The JDM conversions really caught my eye. My focus on the Civics was mainly for cars that were tastefully done but there is also one that was a drag-only car. One of my favorites was a red S2000. It was one of those rare cars I liked from every angle. I wish I could afford an S2000.
I can't forget the fact that there were two Altimas in this show (most I'd ever seen in one show until then). The green one belonged to a somewhat local guy. A few days earlier we saw him and were trying to tell him about Altimas.net but he was too quick for us. I've never met the owner of the white Altima but we sent a few emails back and forth before. That one had too much to say but mainly airbags, two tone leather, and a fully molded kit. Both cars also entered Hot Import Nights that year.
The other heavy-hitters there were the Supra, SC300, and a pair of RX-7s. The Supra was a twin-turbo MKIV with minor cosmetic mods and performance mods. I almost don't like it for being a bit boring, but I know if I had a Supra I'd probably do the same things. The SC300 was pure drag car. I was happy to be able to see it but I think I would have rather seen it racing. The first Mazda RX-7 was a mildly modified FD. It received a lot of improvements to make it look more like a later Japanese model. The second was a bit of a shocker. I'm 90% sure that it was the RX-7 driven by Vin Diesel in The Fast and The Furious (or a stunt double). The fact that it had the same sticker scheme and Veilside kit make me believe it is authentic, plus I hadn't heard of anyone making knock-offs of the RX-7.
