Though it was the 4th installment of the annual Motor Union event, I have to admit that it was my first. From glancing at the coverage over the years, the event looked really fun and seemed to have a really laid back vibe. Every year I try to make it down there but I’m so beat by the time Nisei Showoff is over that I just can’t muster up the energy to drive down to San Diego for Motor Union. Being that I am originally from San Diego, I wanted to show my support for my city and 5&A Dime as well.
Since Motor Union 4 happened the same weekend as Nisei Showoff, it’s only appropriate for me to attach the links to the 2013 Nisei Showoff coverage. I know it is a little overwhelming at times when there is so much coverage to look at so hopefully these links will help you sort everything out easier…
Nisei Showoff 2013 Coverage…Part 1…
Nisei Showoff 2013 Coverage…Part 2…
Nisei Showoff 2013 Coverage…Part 3…
Nisei Showoff 2013 Coverage…Part 4 of 4…
The Motor Union 4 event wasn’t nearly as big as Nisei so there is just one portion of coverage…
One thing that I did not expect was for this event that happen at a legit brewery. Okay, let me explain because obviously, it clearly stated on the flyer that it was held at Green Flash Brewing Company. I knew it was a brewery but I honestly thought it was one of those spots like Gordan Biersch, where it was a hybrid of a brewery and restaurant. I went into it thinking that there was gonna be a restaurant for us to sit down and chill at and drink beers but that was not the case. Green Flash Brewing Company was located in an area of San Diego where it was surrounded by local businesses and corporations that just happened to have an area dedicated to beer tasting. Because it was such a large brewery, cars were even able to park inside to be displayed with plenty of ample space to house hundreds of people. The whole set-up for the event was pretty cool and very well thought-out. The lot where vendors and cars were parked at was a bit crammed because it isn’t very large but there was ample space to accommodate everyone that showed up…
Like Nisei Showoff the day before, the sun was bearing down pretty hard so we headed inside right away to drink some beers and chill in the air conditioning…
Rywire Ryan with brew in hand chatting with an old buddy of mine, Mark, who I hadn’t seen in some time. It was just nice to be inside to hang out with people, socialize, and drink….
I think at one point we all completely forgot that there was a car show going on outside, haha… Beers were only $4 and some were pretty potent…
Anh from Style Over Comfort came by to hang out as did the Barnum brothers and others…
Here is a view of the bar set-up with all the taps on hand. Every sign you see above is a different type of beer that they brew there at Green Flash…
Outside, there was a patio area where you could also drink but blocked off so that people couldn’t bring drinks out to the show area. There, I ran into Michael Johnson and his big ass dog. Johnson you may know as the owner of the VIP-styled Acura TL from Team Praxis…
After throwing down a couple of $4 beers, I was on a good one. I hadn’t eaten that day so it probably wasn’t a good idea to drink so much but oh well… I decided to make my way out to the actual car show area to snap some photos. Before we begin with the actual car coverage, I should mention that I didn’t really get a chance to stay very long to cover the cars that were parked inside the actual brewery. I completely missed them and there were some good cars inside. My apologies…
Audi S5 on HRE wheels posted right outside of the entrance to the indoor brewery…
Not too far away from it was this black Aston sitting on HRE R40s. The two were a part of the HRE Wheels display and booth…
Some of my favorites there were a couple of Datsun 510s that were all parked next to one another…
…the first being this SR20DET-swapped dime on SSR Longchamp XR4s…
An all-time favorite of mine is this green 510 on RS Watanabe wheels. I remember seeing it a couple years back at a Japanese Classic Car Show event and have been a huge fan of it ever since. Love the green tone with the bronze wheels and the subtlety of the fender flares that have been shaped into the body…
SR-turbo swapped 510 Wagon…
Absolutely LOVE Gilbert Susana’s SR20DET 510 on Techno Phantom wheels…Great color and parts selection, overall execution is on point and I can’t get over the rare wheels…
David Nguyen’s Toyota Corolla wagon with JDM front end conversion and CST Precedeo Demon Camber wheels…
Haven’t seen Nit’s S2000 in awhile. Good to see that it is still in one-piece…
Jay from JDMEGO also made a rare appearance in his Scion FR-S with full Tamon Design aero and 18-inch Work Emotion CR-Ultimates…
Ryan Romaine’s 1974 Datsun 610 Bluebird…
DC5 Honda Integra Type R on 18-inch Volk TE37s in purple… If I remember correctly, this used to be my buddy TJ’s old DC5…
Kevin’s Scion FR-S reppin’ Autofashion and Trendy Vape…
Jon Jon’s VIP LS430 that you’ve seen numerous times here on this site…
Junction Produce-themed Lexus 2GS…
Bagged Acura TSX on 3-piece Work Meister S1s in teal…
EP3 Civic with Mugen front lip and SSR Type-C…
Sport-VIP styled Lexus GS on HRE 943RL wheels. I like the custom touch with matching the wheel hardware and valve stem to the Project Mu brakes. Also interesting to see that the owner went with Bride seats and rocks a tow strap up front…
ASM-themed AP2 S2000 on Volk TE37SL…
Another Scion FR-S on Work CR-Ultimates…
Really clean Mazda RX2 on rare Epsilon mesh…
Wayne’s T&E Vertex Lang Kouki S14 with BN Sports fenders and WED’s Kranze LX-Z…
Accuair-equipped 1968 Mercedes 280SE…
Had trouble identifying this build from Empire VIP. Probably didn’t help that I was faded and didn’t make the effort to walk around the car to actually see what it was, haha. If you know and want to chime in, please feel free to…
Y33 Q45 from Empire VIP Family on Work Emitz…
Noel Barnum’s Import Tuner-featured Scion FR-S with Vertex/Rocket Bunny combo aero…
Bert’s BMW E39 M5 looking good on Leon Hardiritt Ordens…
Bryant Nguyen’s Mugen TSX… I see he recently added Volk Racing RE30s in their new blue finish and also installed blue Recaro seats…
Lexus 2IS on air seated on WED’s Kranze LXZ…
Ming’s Infiniti M from Standard Functions…
Yogi’s Vertex GS on Airrex suspension and WED’s Maverick 405S…
Slammed EK Civic hatchback on custom BBS wheels with teal faces…
Nice job on the engine bay of this Civic, though I’ve never been a fan of mounting an air filter directly onto the throttle body… Overall, not a bad build though. Looks good…
Armand’s TRD Widebody MR-2…
Fast Eddie’s Racing’s H22-swapped RA1 Honda Odyssey…
Matte blue Voltex Mitsu Evo with concave orange Volk Racing TE37…
Wild custom Subaru STI on iForged wheels. The front bumper is a modified Zero Sports piece that’s been made to fit the one-off carbon fiber widebody….
RHD Honda del Sol on DAMD Lover Soul wheels…
It’s rare to see R33 Skylines nowadays in the U.S. and even rarer to see a non-GTR version…
Can’t remember the last time I encountered so many sets of Corbeau seats at an event out here in Cali…
At first I was slightly intrigued by this Integra but then I looked closer and noticed that it was rocking a replica Mugen front bumper with the Mugen badge (Not even the right one for this bumper) double-sided taped to it. Looked pretty good still on Work Meister S1 but the splitter up front along with the replica Mugen kit kind of kills it for me. Interioer was actually pretty interesting too with custom fiberglass door panels with audio and everything…
Bagged 3-series BMW on CCW Classics…
Michael Johnson’s VIP-style Acura TL…
As you can see from the bagged Mercedes 280SE to this ’32 Ford Roadster, Motor Union 4 definitely delivers when it comes to variety of makes and models…
Henry Pulido’s RA3 Odyssey from Project Zero San Diego…
Flared Datsun S30Z on gold RS Watanabe wheels…
Well, that’s all from Motor Union 4. I stayed for a couple of hours and then took off to my favorite Mexican food spot in San Diego, Lolita’s Taco Shop, before heading back home to relax the rest of the day. Thanks for looking and make sure to check back tomorrow as the epic WEKEAST 2013 Coverage officially begins!!..
Good afternoon joey, the empire black sedan appears to be a 1967 Plymouth Valiant
Empire VIP is a late 60 Plymouth Valiant. 67 or 68 I belive.
Interesting you noticed the Corbeau’s on the NA1, but not on the green PL510 that you like haha.
Great write-up, Joey. I was disappointed I couldn’t get the day off to go to this show, but I was glad Kevin was able to take our van. The beer these guys make is amazing! I got a little tipsy last year, and I was sure to have Kevin bring me a bottle home from this event. Glad you noticed the Corboeu seats. In the JDM sea of trends it’s nice to see that folks still roll in a trusty old Corboeu. I had one in my 91 Civic with a lot of history, which belonged to Kevin before me, was reupholstered for my car, and then given back to him before I sold the car. Between the two of us there’s probably 30 years of racing in that seat, and it’s ready for new upholstery again.