One of the many great things about visiting Hawaii is meeting all the great people out there. It’s really hard to describe and for you to understand unless you’ve actually visited but the locals there are just…different. Cultural differences and the fact that it is such a small place gives the entire state of Hawaii a different vibe than the rest of the country. I remember visiting Maui a couple of years ago and after meeting some of the automotive enthusiasts out there, it really opened my eyes to just how different people were out there and it made me appreciate them that much more. Their hospitality is just incomparable and their views on this great hobby of ours is very much unlike the competitiveness that exists on both the West and East coasts. I’ve spoken to a couple people out there that tend to think that some of the guys take the hobby a little too seriously but honestly, what part of the world doesn’t have people like that? Haha. Some guys are just out there to win and that’s perfectly okay, but I honestly enjoy how open the Hawaiian enthusiasts are about their cars and how much they appreciate your input, especially the guys who have been in the hobby for many years like me. It’s great to hear what they have to say about their community out there and how much respect they have for one others. Many of these guys don’t care to win, but it it still an honor for them when they do, and that is how it really should be, you know? I hate how entitled some people are these days and its refreshing to be around people in Hawaii that aren’t really that way. I can say that at least for the people who I encountered anyway. I guess it would be unfair to say that about everyone but again, you have to be out there and interact with these guys to really understand what I’m trying to say. In Maui, I thought people were just like that because it is a smaller, more private island, but the hospitality and overall attitude was very similar in Oahu. Above all else, my greatest experiences in life during my travels throughout the world will be the people that I meet and it is a pleasure to talk to everyone I encounter…

Today, we’re going to take a look at some more cars from the Spocom Hawaii event. I had seen glimpses of many of these cars on various social media outlets before, but I have to admit, it was quite surprising to see how they looked in person because there was no real level of disappointment with any of these cars. I didn’t run into any cars at the show where I thought to myself, “Wow, well that car didn’t really look as good as it did in photos”. You know what I mean? There are almost ALWAYS cars like that which aren’t anything like the photos you see online. In Hawaii, I don’t really know if I ever had that feeling. If anything, I think I was more surprised to see just how close they were, if not better, than the photos I saw online. I know it all sounds a little unreal but hey, you just have to be there to know. I tried my best to capture the event in detail and hopefully you guys have a good understanding of what Hawaii has to offer. I should, however, add that there is a huge gap between the high-tier builds that exist on the island compared to the “rest of the pack”. The really good builds are just way beyond comparison to the rest of the builds there. You can tell which guys have been doing this for a very long time and which guys are just getting started in this hobby. Luckily these younger guys/gals have a great model to follow because the veterans really know what they are doing and are more than willing to help pave the way for the next generation of enthusiasts. I mean, I remember looking at some of the cars from DOHCresearch and Team Rice and my mind was just blown. Imagine now that some of these guys are still out there doing their thing….

If you missed the first half of the Spocom Hawaii ’14 coverage, click the link below to view it….

Spocom Hawaii 2014 Coverage… Part 1…

Here’s the second half…

Felipe aka “Bouford” has one of the best S2000 builds I’ve ever seen in person. It’s quite remarkable…  ASM EVERYTHING other than the carbon hardtop, which is an authentic Mugen top, C-West side mirrors, and the entire car has been re-sprayed in a Cobalt Blue originally from Aston Martin. Under the ASM hood is a Vortech supercharged motor tuned on AEM EMS V2 software. Inside the S2000 is an ASM-themed interior with rare Recaro ASM Edition seats, ASM mats, and re-wrapped panels in black Alcantara material. Awesome stuff. You can actually see a ton more photos of his car and the full spec list HERE on his build thread on S2Ki…. This was unquestionably the Best Honda of Spocom HI 2014 and our pick for the 1st Place trophy in that class….

18×9.5 Volk Racing CE28RT wheels with Endless 6-POT brake kit….

Right next to Felipe’s S2K was another great ASM-themed AP2, owned by a guy named Mikey. His S2 has the ASM front bumper, carbon lip, canard, front fenders w/fender extensions….

….as well as the ASM rear bumper and rear over-fenders. The only non-ASM piece is the Voltex Type-1V rear spoiler. Wheels are Work Emotion XD9 in white….

Lon Hoshino’s black AP1 S2000 featured a Voltex front bumper, J’s Racing front wide fenders…

….rear J’s over-fenders, and J’s rear GT wing….

Chad Tupinio’s AP1 S2000 with Spoon Sports front bumper and white Volk Racing TE37….

Chris Bornios’ UCF30 LS430 with full Aimgain aero from VPR (Vision in Progress Racing) Hawaii. Definitely one of the best VIP builds on the island and one of the best that I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing in person. I wish I had gotten more detailed photos of this car after it was all opened up at the show. There are a lot of great detail touches and accessories that you really need to see in person to really appreciate the car as a whole…..

Dominick Jacinto’s VIP-styled 2nd gen Scion xB on Junction Produce wheels from VPR….

Alex Nguyen’s Airrunner-equipped Lexus GS400 with full Prussian Blue lip kit and Leon Hardiritt Ordens….

Finley Tabaniag’s Integra Type R from VPR with BYS front bumper and Dunlop Formula Hart CP-R wheels. From what I heard during my visit, this ITR might end-up over here on the mainland soon in Vegas….

Sara Choi’s Honda S2000 CR from VPR on JLine 20RL2 wheels in a step-lip configuration….

AP2 S2000 on gold Advan Racing RGII with ASM front bumper….

One of the most interesting builds at Spocom Hawaii ’14 was this Group-A Rally-styled EF Civic. Random but I actually had that same front lip on my CB Accord back in the day…..

By far one of the best in the building that day was this JDM Toyota Sprinter Trueno owned and built by Lance Harano. No part of this 3TC-powered Mango was left untouched and I love what he did with the engine bay and the polished Dellorto twin side-draft carbs. Just a beautifully well-executed classic….

KP61 Starlet slammed on Takechi Project Racing Hart Wheels…

An incredibly well-kept Toyota Hilus pick-up truck….

1st generation Toyota Celica on classic Riverside Riverge wheels….

 

Al Ramiscal’s Kouki AE86 Corolla GT-S coupe with Run Free front bumper, Origin Lab sides, and rear bumper….

Under the hood is a Blue-Top 16-valve 4A-GE motor with 20v individual throttle bodies….

I apologize for not remembering the name but this DA on SSR Challenge Racing Defi wheels was actually female-owned….

Integra with JDM Integra Type R front end conversion and polished SSR Mesh….

Nice to see a handful of modded Subaru Foresters on hand at the Spocom HI event….

Ridox widebody JZA80 Supra on Work Varianza wheels. I remember judging the show early on and seeing this car but when it came time to tally up the final selections for the award-winners, I couldn’t figure out where this car was. It was definitely deserving of an award in the Toyota Class and I think we might have missed this car completely in the end. I apologize and this is a great build definitely deserving of an award at Spocom…..

Alex Yang’s E92 BMW M3 coupe with Japanese Powerhouse Amuse Ericsson aero kit, Varis rear wing, and 19-inch Volk Racing TE37…. Really badass to finally see someone run the Ericsson kit….

Justin Nakamoto’s BN Sports widebody S13 with SR20DET swap and deep Work Meister S1 wheels….

Crooks-themed Porsche 997 GT3 built by BBi Autosport….

Darwin Fernandez’s fully-built Mitsubishi Evolution VIII with Voltex front bumper was this year’s Best of Show winner at Spocom HI. This was in overwhelmingly well-thought out build with only the best parts and quality execution…

The Honda Ruckus platform was pretty popular in Hawaii. Here are some photos of a couple of them that were present at the show….

This Civic sedan had more of a traditional JDM-OEM style to it and white Enkei RPF1 wheels…

Flared Infiniti G35 coupe on AME Circular Spec Rs….

A favorite of both mine and DPK David’s was this Kouki S14 from JSpirit…. The Origin Lab aero kit flows really well with the original body lines of the S14 and the concave 18-inch Volk TE37 wheels are the perfect wheel for this car…

The other side had TEs as well but in a Takata Green finish…

Marga Hills widebody NA1 NSX on RSV Forged MS5 3-piece wheels….

Lexus LS460 on Airrex air suspension, VIP Modular wheels, and full Junction Produce lip kit…

This Aimgain-equipped Lexus GS from Liberty VIP had a full custom blue paint job and was also boosted….

VIP-styled Scion xB with custom white interior and Work Euroline DH wheels…

T.R.A. Kyoto Rocket Bunny V2 scion FR-S on brand new Work Meister M1R wheels….

Vossen wheels were quite the popular wheel choice for many Hawaiians at Spocom HI ’14, as evidenced on this Audi….

…this 2nd gen Acura TSX..

…and this Nissan Maxima…

Outside of the venue, I spotted this neat little Toyota pick-up truck dumped on some 2-piece Work S1 wheels….

Why this car wasn’t inside was a mystery to me but it isn’t everyday when you run into a full Wald Black Bison Porsche Cayenne Turbo….

I stopped shooting before the show even started because DPK David and I were in charge of judging the entire car show. Most of my time was dedicated to that but what you see today and in Part 1 was a big bulk of the show. Hopefully you guys got a good idea of what Hawaii had to offer. They just have some great cars out there that people don’t normally see because Hawaii doesn’t get nearly as much media exposure as many other areas on the mainland. After the awards ceremony wrapped-up, we took off and went to continue the rest of our semi-vacation….

 

For dinner, we had initially planned to go to another restaurant but they were already closed by the time we got out of the Spocom show. Instead, we discovered this Ramen Bar down the street and it turned out to be quite good….

I got the spicy Ramen but strangely, they ran out of Pork that evening. It was still good though and one of the better Ramen experiences that I had these last couple of years….

Well, that’s a wrap on the Spocom Hawaii coverage. In the next update, I’ll show you guys some of the great builds that showed-up at The Chronicles Hawaii Meet in Waipio Corps. Stay tuned and thanks for viewing!!…