2012 SEMA International Showcase Cars at the Marconi Museum

[Michael Stoops]

SEMA is just around the corner and the cars for our International Showcase have starting arriving at the Marconi Museum in Tustin, CA. We gather the cars here once they clear customs so that we can prep them for SEMA and celebrate their arrival with an Open House before sending them to Las Vegas. In fact, that Open House is scheduled for Saturday, October 20, 2012 at the Marconi Museum and we'd love to see you there!

The first 6 vehicles were prepped yesterday by a team comprised of 4 MOL members - bmrfan (Andy), the other pc (Paul), imz4n (Bob) and Narkissos Detailing (Chris) - plus Derek Bemiss of Detail Werks and his two employees, Robbie and Ryan and of course me. We had less than a full day to knock out all 6 cars so having a large and skilled crew was essential. 3 more cars are yet to arrive, but we'll add them to this thread when they come in.

The cars you see here were all selected in their home countries through entries into various car shows. Some were chosen as "People's Choice" awards, others were the overall "Best of Show" winners for a major event. Each country had its own selection process, sometimes including the car that best represented the local culture.



1955 Chevy Bel Air from Sweden


2008 Range Rover Sport from Trinidad & Tobago


1956 Chevy Pickup from Canada (there's a Corvette engine under the hood!)


2000 Lexus LS 430 from South Korea (this is a style commonly known in the region as "VIP Style")


1963 Citroen 2CV from France


1946 Ford Coupe from Mexico



Group shot.







After cleaning all the loose dirt off the surface - shipping a car half way around the world and then holding in Customs for several weeks isn't kind to a finish! - we set to work. Andy and Paul tackle the Range Rover


Bob set to work on the Ford from Mexico. Bad choice on his part since this car the absolute hardest paint of the bunch, and probably the most swirls, too!


Robbie and Ryan started on the Citroen. Hmmmm, two guys on the smallest car in the room???


Robbie tapes off the painted pinstriping to protect it from the power of the DA Microfiber System


Andy checks his progress as he goes.


Bob hard at work with the DAMF System


The whole crew, in line, making paint shine. Gotta keep a close eye on the hood ornament on the '55 Bel Air!


Robbie cleans up the wheels on the Lexus


Paul wipes the wax off the cab of the Canada truck.


Ryan makes sure even the silver paint is shining to the max.


Chris puts a bit of shine to the tires of the Lexus.


Bob's checking his work on the Mexico car.


Yes, even the roof of the Range Rover got some love, thanks to Robbie.


Getting the DA Finishing Wax applied to the Swede.


The whole team, hard at work!


Unfortunately, Derek and his crew had to take off a bit early so we missed them for this group shot. L. to R.: Chris, Andy, me, Paul.


We want to extend a huge "thank you!" to everyone who helped to get these cars looking their best for SEMA. It was a solid day of hard, and fast, work and you guys all did an amazing job!!

[smack]

Very cool gentlemen.

[imz4n]

What a day, challenging work made easy with the products provided. Each time I get to lend a hand at this Pre SEMA event just confirms to me the passion of these people that come together. Sharing time and a passion makes for such a fantastic day.

[davey g-force]

Great work guys and thanks for sharing the pics Mike!

They have very... umm... interesting taste in cars over in South Korea.

[Ganesa]

awesome!

[BillE]

That's a 2CV? WOW!!!

Actually, WOW!!! to all of 'em.

Bill

[greg0303]

They are all real Beauties. They just needed a little Meguiar's magic touch to fully shine.

[Michael Stoops]

They have very... umm... interesting taste in cars over in South Korea.

Yes, they do, and we appreciate you showing some restraint in your comments - it's actually refreshing! Some folks on Facebook have been downright mean about it. As we responded on FB:


"You need to keep in mind that these cars come from all over the world and are chosen by various means, but always by the people of the country of origin. Sometimes that means the car was a major show winner, or it may have been a "People's Choice" winner. The Lexus comes from South Korea, and cultural differences mean that what appeals there may not appeal everywhere. But we can say the same about differences between any two cultures. Bottom line - car guys are car guys no matter where you go, even if our individual or cultural tastes are not all the same."



Apparently, the Lexus was done in what is commonly known as "VIP Style" in South Korea, and regardless what anyone thinks, it is interesting to see how different cultures treat the car hobby. The '55 Bel Air here this year is a stunningly done car, as was the '68 Charger we had last year - and both are from Sweden. One might think the Swedes would be all about classic Volvos and Saabs, maybe showcasing a classic rally version of one, but no, they're just crazy about American Muscle cars from the '50s and '60s. Honestly, I would have loved to have seen a beautifully done up Saab 96 in rally trim. The Ford Falcon we had in last year from Australia was just stunning in every way, yet we had some people saying that it's design was a blatant rip off of a classic Chevy. Wow. Just wow.

We really are all connected by the car hobby, and just because we don't all like the same thing doesn't mean we should disrespect someone just because they have a different vision than our own. That doesn't mean you have to like everything though, just try to understand it a bit.

So, again, thanks for taking the high road and not blatantly disrespecting this car, Davey. We appreciate it.

[Sonata]

Yes, they do, and we appreciate you showing some restraint in your comments - it's actually refreshing! Some folks on Facebook have been downright mean about it. As we responded on FB:


"You need to keep in mind that these cars come from all over the world and are chosen by various means, but always by the people of the country of origin. Sometimes that means the car was a major show winner, or it may have been a "People's Choice" winner. The Lexus comes from South Korea, and cultural differences mean that what appeals there may not appeal everywhere. But we can say the same about differences between any two cultures. Bottom line - car guys are car guys no matter where you go, even if our individual or cultural tastes are not all the same."



Apparently, the Lexus was done in what is commonly known as "VIP Style" in South Korea, and regardless what anyone thinks, it is interesting to see how different cultures treat the car hobby. The '55 Bel Air here this year is a stunningly done car, as was the '68 Charger we had last year - and both are from Sweden. One might think the Swedes would be all about classic Volvos and Saabs, maybe showcasing a classic rally version of one, but no, they're just crazy about American Muscle cars from the '50s and '60s. Honestly, I would have loved to have seen a beautifully done up Saab 96 in rally trim. The Ford Falcon we had in last year from Australia was just stunning in every way, yet we had some people saying that it's design was a blatant rip off of a classic Chevy. Wow. Just wow.

We really are all connected by the car hobby, and just because we don't all like the same thing doesn't mean we should disrespect someone just because they have a different vision than our own. That doesn't mean you have to like everything though, just try to understand it a bit.

So, again, thanks for taking the high road and not blatantly disrespecting this car, Davey. We appreciate it.

What a beautifully written post, Mike. Thank you for posting. I hope those that read it gain a deeper understanding of differing cultural perspectives and world viewpoints. Exactly like you said, as unique individuals everyone possesses different tastes and preferences, yet it's vital to keep an open mind seek understanding rather than senselessly criticizing. After all, we're all similar in our passion and love of cars.

[davey g-force]

I couldn't agree more Mike. Although that Lexus is not to my taste, I still fully appreciate it and respect it for the amount of work that's gone into it and how well presented it is. I find it very interesting to see how different people and different cultures express themselves through their cars.

After all, if we all liked the same thing, the world would be a boring place.