Ah, Southern California in mid-January. Admittedly, we have had to dodge the odd mudslide caused by record rainfall, but in between the rain it still manages to crack into the 70s when it wants. And fortunately, it decided to shine on the organizers of the SoCal Euro Get Together (www.socaleuro.com).
This had to be the first event of 2005 and it was a good one. Held in the parking lot behind our Anaheim, CA, offices and spilling over into the parking structure, the GTG has a good atmosphere and attracted some wild rides.
Vying for title of wildest ride was a Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari 575M, Bentley GT, Porsche 997, Lambo Gallardo and even a Lotus Esprit. The crowd favorite seemed to be the Carrera GT, which probably won on rarity points, but it was nice to have the Euro automotive hierarchy attend this little event.
The show has a split personality, divided between public parking in the structure and the show area at street level. Members of many clubs and teams form their own displays on the upper levels of the structure, and this is an entertaining show in itself. We were particularly impressed with the turnout of Volvo and Mercedes owners, who aren't often seen in groups like this.
Obviously the VW and BMW clans had gathered in large groups, but both seemed to be outnumbered by the Audi A4 - or perhaps we just weren't used to seeing quite so many. The B6 A4 certainly seems to be attracting a very wide audience, thanks to its prestige, big car styling and very tunable 1.8T engine. There were a few that really stood out, including Kenny Hung's 9/04 cover car. There was a very attractive A4 with a dark red paint job over a steel widebody. We're talking to the owner and hope to bring you a feature as soon as it's finished. We were also drawn to a stunning widebody B5. Finished in grey, it had matching wheel centers but black rims, rather than the more conventional polished rims. It certainly seemed to have its fans, but we're currently undecided about the style.
Outstanding Golfs included Mark Bailey's old skool Mk1. We've been talking to him as well and this car should be in the June issue, barring catastrophe. It's a nice combination of themes and influences that deserves a bit of coverage, so don't miss next month's issue.
We also liked James "Sunny" Park's red Mk4 Golf VR6 with its Bora front end. We should have that in a few months, along with several of his teammates from Europrojektz (www.europrojektz.com). This is one of the most active clubs in Southern California, and it's creating some incredible machinery right now.
We thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere at Socal Euro and the wide variety of Euros, both old and new, in plentiful supply. Check out the website for details of its next event.