Hawaii is pretty nice this time of year. I mean, it’s pretty nice almost any time of year but it was nice to head back to Honolulu after missing last year’s Wekfest Hawaii event. I had a scheduling conflict that didn’t allow me to attend in 2018 so it was a good time to be reacquainted with the island after a brief hiatus. What is there to say about Hawaii that hasn’t been said already? It’s fucking paradise. I could never live there but Ken from Wekfest constantly reminds me of how he’d love to spend the rest of his life there. I couldn’t do it. Everything just moves kinda slow there for my liking and I’m in the busy hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. I like that type of craziness, lol, if that makes sense. I’ve just gotten so used to that lifestyle and constantly being on the move that I feel like living in Hawaii would be like just being stuck in the mud. Of course I’m saying that with all due respect, I love Hawaii and the people there. I’m just not one of them or will I ever be. It’s just a nice place for me to get away for awhile and to hang out with a lot of friends who I’ve met out there and who I maintain strong friendships with. And even those friends are always itching to get off the island…

I will say that Hawaii felt great after being in the freezing winter temperatures of Japan, which I later returned to multiple times shortly after I got back from Hawaii. The show this year was good. It’s always good. You always find some new builds here and there, along with some refreshed established builds who help to keep the community out there going strong, but for the most part, the shows remain very much consistently the same from year to year. That’s just how Hawaii is. The best part of this particular stop is how late the show starts. There’s no having to wake up at 4am to get down to the venue to start set-up and roll-in for Hawaii isn’t until about noon so we can even wake up and have a nice breakfast before the madness begins…

As usual, you’ll see me covering most of the event before the event itself starts. It’s Hawaii and so scenic that I would be doing this coverage an injustice if I just shot all the photos inside the Neal Blaisdell Center. It’s not the most picturesque venue, especially compared to how great literal paradise looks just outside. The weather was great, the skies were quite blue with just a hint of cloud cover that rolled through. Otherwise it was a spectacular afternoon to have a car show. There are two parts so come back this weekend for the second half. Enjoy.. and ‘Aloha’… lol…

When we pulled-up to the venue, there were already some cars prepared for staging and one of the first cars that I spotted was Braxton’s Civic hatchback reppin’ California’s own Hasback brand…

The hood was closed so I didn’t get a chance to see what was all going on under there but the exterior was well thought-out with a solid collection of parts along with some bright gold-chrome vinyl to contrast against the black paint…

What is likely one of the first Pandem widebody BNR32 Skylines in Hawaii…

Pulling up shortly after we arrived to the venue was this custom widebody Lexus GS from PUREVIP covered in heavily-flaked, bright purple paint…

The GS arrived hoodless with only the front section cut and fitted, exposing custom polished metal engine covers, along with custom headlights and widened front fenders…

A look at the widened rear with custom rear bumper and exhaust tips…

One of the mods that I enjoy the most about the 2GS is when owners either shave the trunk lid and eliminate the inner tails or when they purchase the fiberglass versions of the trunk with the section already smoothed-out. It just looks great that way and is a nice detail touch…

Hakosuka Skyline sedan that I’ve seen a couple times whenever I visit Hawaii, sitting on SSR Formula Mesh wheels running a front spoiler and carbon fiber hood…

The rear of this particular Hakosuka has always thrown me off a little bit considering how the rear wheel arches were rounded-out and not cut the more typical way with a high wheel arch and over-fender, but to each their own…

Christopher Calimlim’s full carbon-fiber bodied JZA80 Supra Turbo which is actually a carbon Ridox-style kit sitting on Advan Racing wheels…

Love how he brought his son with him so he could experience the Wekfest show as well…

Joanna’s exceptionally clean supercharged NA2 NSX on classic bronze Mugen MF10 wheels…

Mike Matsumoto’s NA1 NSX from SMG pulling-up to the venue sitting nice and low as usual on SSR Professor wheels…

Civic hatchback running a Battlecraft hood, Chargespeed front lip, Chargespeed sides, J’s Racing fenders, black Volk TE37s, and paint-matched Magical Racing side mirrors…

Rumbling through the lot as I snapped a photo of the Civic was this Chevy Corvette on Weld Racing wheels and a meaty rear slick..

At a glance you’d probably be wondering how an Evolution VI made it over to Hawaii but look closer and you’ll realize that this is one of the best Mirage-to-Evo conversions you’ll likely ever find. This Mirage was incredibly thorough in its conversion, minus the right-hand drive conversion. It even featured a complete Tommi Makinen Edition interior…

Christian Rodrigo’s silver A80 Supra Turbo looked pretty great on new Work Meister L1 wheels paired with a TRD hood, Ridox sides, and Paisley front lip…

I chatted with Mike for a bit and he told me that he had originally planned to wrap his entire car in red chrome vinyl but simply ran out of time before it was completed so they just tore it all off. Admittedly, I think I might have preferred this look anyway but I understand he’s always trying to come out with something new every year and I respect that a lot…

Big ARC front mount intercooler on the Mirage-to-Evo VI build from Team Hybrid…

One of my favorite shots from that weekend featuring Rodrigo’s silver Supra as it rolled-in…

Beautiful weather and good ride height, what more could you ask for?…

Subaru WRX STI slammed on 3-piece Work Meister S1…

RWB Porsche 964 Cab that is currently taking residency in Hawaii, though it is built and owned in California…

Noah Borgia’s turbocharged NA1 NSX on black BBS LM from Allied Forces HI…

Once you look past the NSX-R rear wing you’ll notice a huge carbon scoop on the rear hatch…

Look a little closer and you’ll see the scoop on the rear glass is functional as it delivers air right into the top-mounted intercooler of the turbocharged NSX…

Rocket Bunny Z33 350Z with a black/bright green color scheme and custom rebuilt Work Equip wheels…

Justin from Endless Projects’ HKS GT-Supercharged Impact Performance Lexus LS460 on Work Zistance W5S…

New age interpretation of Japanese Boso-style on this TE27 Corolla…

Joanna’s NSX seems really simple from the outside but I later looked at her recent updated mod list and she has a crazy extensive collection of rare parts on this build. I kinda wish I kept it so I could show you guys considering all the stuff that isn’t seen just at a glance…

Following close behind Jo’s NSX was another NSX, both white, but built very differently…

Scion xB and Lexus 2GS from Tailored Ridez representing PUREVIP…

This RA21 Celica coupe later won the “Best Nostalgic” award of the Hawaii Wekfest event…

Ray Evans’ full Spoon Sports-themed NSX running a Lovefab LF600 turbo kit and air-to-water intercooler set-up…

17/18-inch staggered Desmond Marquis Promada wheels and a look at the rear of the Spoon Sports NSX-R GT kit…

A high-mounted NSX-R GT hatch scoop which brings air into the engine compartment of Ray’s NSX…

A better look at the scoop and rear hatch set-up along with the clean engine bay set-up that doesn’t even look like it runs forced induction since the Lovefab kit routes the turbocharger under the car…

Spoon Sports monoblock front brakes barely clearing the spokes of the Desmond wheels…

Joanna’s NSX once again as it pulled into the Neal Blaisdell Center…

Alex Yang’s BMW E92 M3 coupe wearing a rare Powerhouse Amuse  Ericsson M480 kit and BBS E88 wheels…

Custom Volkswagen dune buggy build that was one of the unexpected, stand-out builds of this year’s Hawaii event…

Richardson’s Black Mode Parfume LS460 from PUREVIP also using 326power brakes front and back…

Bobo Salcedo’s Buggy had so much extensive work and customization that we almost didn’t know where to categorize it when we did awards but it did later win top honors among the best of the best at Wekfest Hawaii…

K-Break Complete LS460 build running Work Wheels and 326power brakes…

Oh, that’s a wrap on Part 1. Stay tuned for more!!…