June 3rd, 2017 - Steel Dreamz Show and Shine

June 3rd, 2017 - Steel Dreamz Show and Shine


Charlesglen Toyota's first Show N Shine was a resounding success in my opinion. The turnout was fantastic considering they were not advertising the event. It was all word-of-mouth. I believe that they had a little over 100 vehicles in attendance; a lot of Toyota product to be sure, but a good, well-rounded representation of other makes and categories. There were Model A's, a couple of Gran Nationals, a bunch of Skylines, traditional muscle cars like GTOs, Cameros, and specialty vehicles like a British Taxi, a Bricklin and even a DeLorean. There was even a Ferrari and a Lexus LFA in attendance. And, in a turn most un-"car dealership"-like, this event had absolutely nothing to do with selling anything. There was no salesmen handing out cards, there was no pressure to go inside and book a test drive... nothing. The only car salesmen I saw all day had actually come over from a neighboring dealership to check out the car show.

The show and shine, for me, was a big success as well. It's been over ten years since I'd put my car on display  like this. A lot has changed in ten years. The JDM craze is fading fast up here, and I wasn't too sure how the CR-X would be received. Half of the body kit is incomplete/not installed, the front bumper is not painted, I'm not participating in any fads: no stance, no tucked engine bay, no big sound system... just a (mostly) stock CR-X SiR. I made a sign and had it printed at a local photo lab stating the car is a work in progress. I opted to leave the hood closed.

As discussed in some previous posts here, I decided to spice up the "display" a little bit with some props. I had my Jumbo Asimo behind the wheel, and Domokun was riding in the back seat. I put the Japanese snack boxes in the Honda Access waste basket and a Japanese pop in the cup holder built in to the Honda Access dash mat. A laminated poster of my photo published in Honda Tuning magazine was placed on the passenger's seat, as well as a Honda Verno pamphlet holder with Owners Manual and other paperwork. On the dash, I placed my wife's iPad with a video I made splicing original CR-X commercials from the 1980s, the Honda Verno video brochures (Laserdisc and VHS), as well as some CRX racing videos from the UK.

When I arrived, I was directed to the "Import Tent" off to the one side and was directed to a spot. I was one of only three Hondas in a sea of GT86s, Supras and Skylines. I didn't get a lot of attention, but one couple told me that my CR-X was their favorite of the show, another gentleman was interested in buying his friend's and was wondering if the friend was asking too much.

I'm really looking forward to their 2nd annual Show and Shine next year!

Remember, this blog was written in chronological order so, you will need to click OLDER POSTS to move forward in time, and click NEWER POSTS to go backwards.