Spo-Com Show

Its always a nice way to start the day with a drive down Pacific Coast Highway – the sun shining bright and the Pacific Ocean sparkling and blue. The conditions were like this when I headed from Huntington Beach to Long Beach for the annual Spo-Com show at the Long Beach Convention Center to sign posters for EBC Brakes and talk about their products and company.

It had been a while since I had worked at a 100% tuner/import show, and let me tell you it is much spicier than a classic car show. There were numerous DJ’s spinning on the decks, Go-Go dancers on the stage, and bikini models everywhere. In fact, D-Sport was holding a model competition right across from our EBC Brakes booth. We witnessed approximately 75 import models test shoot for the cover of the magazine, and I’m pretty sure we saw every possible pose there is to strike!

There was lots of foot traffic and serious buyers and consumers. Many people told us they had seen EBC Brakes’ ads and been referred to EBC Brakes by friends and race car drivers, but hadn’t seen us at many events, and thought that EBC was strictly a UK company. I was very happy to tell them that EBC Brakes has headquarters in Los Angeles and just moved to a bigger, better building where the 5 and the 405 meet. In addition, they have a newly designed website (www.ebcbrakes.com) where consumers can research, shop, and purchase EBC Brakes & products for their cars.

Its always good to catch up with old friends, and I ran into Formula Drift driver Kyle Mohan (www.kylemohanracing.com) and his Father Joe. Kyle’s was there to display his Mazda RX-8 drift car in the Mazda booth.

I also ran into some friends from way back, Michael Griffen (www.caraudiochannel.com) and Ed Arguelles (extremeautofest.com) who were rockin’ ‘n rollin’ covering the event.

Also a shout out and thanks to all the Face Book followers who showed their support by coming to the event and hanging with me at the show for a bit – yup, yup!

Genevieve is now on Wikipedia! Take a look at the newly created page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genevieve_Chappell) to learn more about Genevieve’s early career and how she arrived to where she is today.

And don’t forget to check back from time to time, as it will be updated!

Formula DRIFT introduces the 2009 Miss Formula DRIFT, Miki Taka. Taka is an experienced model, TV host, and DJ has been chosen as the official spokesmodel for Formula DRIFT and will be at the remaining 4 events of the season.

Originally from Nagoya, Japan, Taka is a Japanese-American that currently resides in Columbus, OH. She is pursuing her degree in Criminal Law, while establishing herself as an import model with Prestigious Models. She has been featured in other events including NHRA, Goodguys, Hot Import Nights, Professional Bull Riders Tour (PBR), Tuaca Body Art Ball and now adds to her resume the title of Miss Formula DRIFT.

“Being chosen as Miss Formula DRIFT is a real honor,” says Miki Taka, 2009 Miss Formula DRIFT. “I am a huge fan of motorsports and look forward to this experience of a lifetime.”

Aside from modeling Taka has appeared in numerous television and film productions such as on VERSUS, Driftstyle on SPEED, and on Nickelodeon, where she interviewed celebrities. Taka is also a featured DJ at the hottest clubs around the country.

Miki is an avid automotive enthusiast and can be found wrenching on her own personal cars, a Lexus IS300 and Acura Integra.

“Miki is the perfect fit to be the 2009 Miss Formula DRIFT,” says Ryan Sage, vice-president of marketing and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Her passion for cars and motorsports makes her a great representative for the series.”

Fans can meet Miss Formula DRIFT all season long during the events with her next appearance at Round 4: All In at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV on July 10-11.

For a race schedule and ticket information, visit: www.formuladrift.com.

16 Chula Vista – Blast from the Past – 3rd Ave. Downtown – 5PM – 8PM
16 Lake Forest – Fuddrucker’s Cruise Night – 23621 El Toro Rd. – 5PM – 8PM
16 Victorville – Sonic Drive-In – 11780 Amargosa Road – 5PM – 760-949-8827
17 Alhambra – Diner on Main Cruise Night – 201 W. Main St. – 5PM until Dark
17 Cerritos – Spires Restaurant – Alondra & 605 – 5PM – 8:30PM – Apr. – Oct.
17 El Cajon – Cajon Classic Cruise – Main St. & Magnolia Avenue – 5PM – 8PM
17 Lake Elsinore – Lake Elsinore Marketplace – Central between Dexter & Cambern – 5:30PM – 8:30PM
17 Orange – Pepito’s Fiesta Cruise – The City Dr. & Garden Grove Blvd. – 5PM – 8PM
18 Anaheim – Angelos Cruise Nite – Brookhurst & Ball – 5PM – 8PM
18 Encinitas – Rods & Woodies on 101 – Hwy 101 Downtown – 5:30PM – 7:30PM
18 Rancho Santa Margarita – Cruisin’ RSM – T.G.I. Fridays, 22022 El Paseo – 5PM
18 Whittier – Limeworks Speed Shop Open House – 7717 Greenleaf Ave. – 11AM – 6PM
19-21 Pismo Beach – Pismo Beach Classic Car Show
19 Escondido – Cruisin’ Grand – Grand Ave. Downtown – 5PM – 9PM
19 Fontana – Rotolo Chevrolet Cruise Night – 16666 S. Highland Ave. – 6PM – 9PM
19 Garden Grove – Main St. Car Show – Historic Main St. – 4PM – 8PM
19 Los Alamitos – 5th Annual Weaver Wheels Car & Bike Show – 11872 Wembley Rd. – 3:30PM – 9PM
19 Pomona – So-Cal Speed Shop Open House – 1357 E. Grand Ave. – 3PM – 7PM
19 Redondo Beach – “Cruz at the Beach” – Ruby’s Diner – 245 N. Harbor Dr. – 4:30PM – 8PM
19 Simi Valley – Chuy’s Cruise Nite – 1397 Los Angeles Ave. – 4PM
19 Whittier – Ruby’s Diner – 10109 Whittwood Dr. – 5PM – 8:30PM
19 Winnetka – Stars Drive-In Restaurant Cruise Night – 20445 Sherman Way – 4PM – 9PM
20-21 Pomona – 45th Annual L.A. Roadster Show – L.A. Fairplex
20 Anaheim – 27th Annual F100 Western Nationals – Canyon RV Park at Featherly – 8AM
20 Anaheim – 401K Club Hot Rod Shop Show – 4392 E. La Palma Ave. – 10AM – 1PM
20 Anaheim – Concours Motorcars Car Show – 3125 E. Coronado St. – 9AM – Noon
20 Glendale – Roaders Car Club Show – Glenoaks Cafe 1407 W. Glenoaks Blvd. – 5PM – 8PM
20 Huntington Beach – Donut Derelicts – Magnolia & Adams – 6AM – 9AM
20 Irvine – Cars & Coffee – Ford – PAG – Mazda Campus – 7905 Gateway Blvd. – 7AM – 9AM
20 Lakewood – 4th Annual Car Show – 5229 Clark Ave. – 8AM – 4PM
20 Monrovia – Expo Design Center Cruise – Huntington Dr. & Mayflower – 4PM – 8PM
20 San Diego – 4th Annual Cops & Rodders – 4000 Oregon Street – 8AM – 3PM
20 Santa Clarita – Coffee Cruise – Valencia Blvd. & The Old Road – 7AM – 10AM
20 Signal Hill – Bob’s Big Boy Cruz Nite – 1898 Willow Street – 5PM – 8PM
20 Torrance – 5th Annual Rock n’ Roll Mopar Show – 2335 208th St. 10AM – 2PM
20 Yucaipa – 16th Annual Car & Bike Show – 13700 Calimesa Blvd. – 10AM – 2PM
21 Aliso Viejo – Cruisin’ at The Neighborhood Cup – 1 Journey – 8AM – 11AM
21 Anaheim – Classic Car Sunday Pops Day Party – 10912 Katella Ave. – 10AM – 2PM
21 Beverly Hills – Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance – 300 & 400 blocks of N. Rodeo Dr. – 10AM – 4PM
21 Brea – Cruisin’ Brea – 330 W. Birch St. – 10AM – 3PM
21 Costa Mesa – OC Car Cafe – OC Fairgrounds 88 Fair Drive – 6:30AM – 9AM
21 Murrieta – 39th Annual Car Show – California Oaks Sports Park – 8AM – 2PM
21 Oxnard – Fathers Day Car Show – Channel Islands Harbor – 10AM – 3PM -
21 Santa Clarita – Cars & Coffee – Valencia Blvd. & The Old Road – 7AM – 10AM
21 San Diego – Breakfast at Balboa – San Diego Automotive Museum Balboa Park – 7AM – 9:30AM
21 Van Nuys – Mustangs in the Park – Woodley Park – 9AM – 3PM – Info
21 Yorba Linda – Cruisin’ Main Street – 4902 Main Street – Noon – 4PM – 951-371-5833
23 Chula Vista – Blast from the Past – 3rd Ave. Downtown – 5PM – 8PM
23 Lake Forest – Fuddrucker’s Cruise Night – 23621 El Toro Rd. – 5PM – 8PM – 714-329-8640
23 Victorville – Sonic Drive-In – 11780 Amargosa Road – 5PM – 760-949-8827
24 Cerritos – Spires Restaurant – Alondra & 605 – 5PM – 8:30PM – Apr. – Oct.
24 El Cajon – Cajon Classic Cruise – Main St. & Magnolia Avenue – 5PM – 8PM
24 Orange – Pepito’s Fiesta Cruise – The City Dr. & Garden Grove Blvd. – 5PM – 8PM
25 Anaheim – Angelos Cruise Nite – Brookhurst & Ball – 5PM – 8PM
25 Rancho Santa Margarita – Cruisin’ RSM – T.G.I. Fridays, 22022 El Paseo – 5PM
26 Escondido – Cruisin’ Grand – Grand Ave. Downtown – 5PM – 9PM
26 Garden Grove – Main St. Car Show – Historic Main St. – 4PM – 8PM
26 Redondo Beach – “Cruz at the Beach” – Ruby’s Diner – 245 N. Harbor Dr. – 4:30PM – 8PM
26 Simi Valley – Chuy’s Cruise Nite – 1397 Los Angeles Ave. – 4PM
26 Whittier – Ruby’s Diner – 10109 Whittwood Dr. – 5PM – 8:30PM
26 Winnetka – Stars Drive-In Restaurant Cruise Night – 20445 Sherman Way – 4PM – 9PM
27-28 Pearblossom – Moldy Marvin’s Doin’ It In The Dirt, Camp N’ Cruize!
27 Carpinteria – 12th Annual Rods & Roses – Linden Avenue – 10AM – 3:30PM
27 Claremont – 2nd Annual Hibbard Chevrolet 4th of July Celebration – 191 S. Indian Hill Rd. – 9AM – 3PM
27 Covina – 3rd Annual Boy Scout Car Show – 1430 E. Covina Blvd. – 9AM – 3PM
27 Fontana – Auto Club & NHRA Street Legal Drags – Auto Club Speedway – Gate 7AM – Race 9AM
27 Glendale – 2nd Annual Summer Rumble – 3717 San Fernando Rd. – 11AM – 4PM
27 Glendora – 9th Annual Glenkirk Church Route 66 Car Show – 1700 Palopinto Ave. – 10AM – 3PM
27 Huntington Beach – Donut Derelicts – Magnolia & Adams – 6AM – 9AM
27 Irvine – Cars & Coffee – Ford – PAG – Mazda Campus – 7905 Gateway Blvd. – 7AM – 9AM
27 Long Beach – Drive n’ Dine Pin Up Party – Frisco’s 4750 E. Los Coyotes Diagonal – 6PM
27 Los Angeles – Taylor Street Rods Open House – 4466 E. Whittier Blvd. – 10AM – 4PM
27 Placentia – 4th Annual Parts Exchange & Car Show – 1651 Valencia Ave. – 6AM – 2PM
27 Signal Hill – Bob’s Big Boy Cruz Nite – 1898 Willow Street – 5PM – 8PM
27 Yorba Linda – John Force Cruise Night Car Show – 22722 Old Canal Rd. – 4PM – 7PM
28 Aliso Viejo – Cruisin’ at The Neighborhood Cup – 1 Journey – 8AM – 11AM – Info
28 Anaheim – 33rd Annual Forty Ford Day – La Palma Park – 9AM – 3PM
28 Costa Mesa – OC Car Cafe – OC Fairgrounds 88 Fair Drive – 6:30AM – 9AM
28 Huntington Beach – Chicane 1st Annual Cruise & Show – 16222 Beach Blvd. – 8AM – Depart 8:45AM
28 Long Beach – Cycle Show & Swap
28 Long Beach – Car Lovers Celebration – Queen Mary Dome Plaza – 10AM – 4PM
28 Long Beach – Cadillac Concours D’Elegance – Queen Mary Plaza Greens – 10AM – 4PM
28 Pomona – 27th Annual Literature Faire & Exchange – 1101 W. McKinley Ave. – 8AM – 3PM
28 Rancho Cucamonga – Around the Lake Car Show – Baseline Rd. & Vinyard Ave. – 9AM – 2PM
28 Rancho Cucamonga – Car Show – 8301 Elm Ave. – Noon – 4PM
28 Santa Ana – Hot Rod Rumble 2 – 100 South Main St. – 10AM – 2PM
28 Tustin – Million Dollar Breakfast Cruise – Enderle Center – 7AM – 11AM
28 Van Nuys – All GM Car Show & Swap Meet – Woodley Park – 8AM – 3PM
28 Yucaipa – 5th Annual California Classics Car Show – 12854 Bryant St. – 3PM – 7PM
29 Foothill Ranch – Foothill Ranch Cruise Night – 26612 Towne Centre Dr. – 5PM – 8PM
30 Chula Vista – Blast from the Past – 3rd Ave. Downtown – 5PM – 8PM
30 Lake Forest – Fuddrucker’s Cruise Night – 23621 El Toro Rd. – 5PM – 8PM – 714-329-8640
30 Victorville – Sonic Drive-In – 11780 Amargosa Road – 5PM – 760-949-8827

I spent Sunday afternoon at the Huntington Beach Concours (http://www.hbconcours.org)The forecast called for rain – but the sun was shining bright and there were many smiling faces. And, it was great to do an appearance practically in my back yard!

The HB Concours brought out hundreds of cars, motorcycles and vintage bicycles, as well as live entertainment, auto memorabilia, special programs for children, food vendors, and merchants – and free ice cream for kids! The event benefited the Huntington Beach Library Children’s Resource Center.

The event was like a family reunion – I spent a lot of time catching up with HB locals I hadn’t seen in a long while, along with media peeps (photographers, journalists and mag editors) A nice surprise was running into friend and former Co-Host, Craig Burnett – “The Chemist” – from Mothers Polish (www.mothers.com). We worked together on a handful of productions, as well as the Mothers Polish Car Show Competition which aired on ESPN2. I also ran into Fireball Tim Lawrence (www.fireballtim.com), who scared the you-know-what out of me when he snuck up behind me and grabbed me (don’t get any ideas, guys – only he could get away with that!). If you don’t know Fireball, he’s the class clown and all jokes.

I also had the opportunity to catch up with Jim Wangers, “Godfather of the GTO” (www.geetotiger.com). He expressed his concern and disappointment in regards to the automotive industry and mentioned some specific details regarding some things he’d like to see done differently this time around. But after all that serious talk, we talked shop, swapped stories and had some good laughs. It was a really fun event and I’m so happy I was invited to take part.

Special thanks to automotive enthusiasts and photographers Steve Russo and Jon Van Burren for all the great shots and hanging with me for the day.

Click here to view fun pics from the event

Below is a fun behind the scenes video clip

Next show I’ll be at is the SpoCom Show http://www.spocom.com in Long Beach on Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Wanna know what I’m doing on Friday, June 5th from 6-8pm?

Joining fellow car enthusiasts for Family Classic Cars monthly open house and car show event. Bring your classic cars and come down for appetizers, drinks, and the Grand Opening of World Class Motoring’s Showroom located here on their premises. They will be having their event from 6pm-8pm. For more info visist there website by clicking here

About Family Classic cars
Orange County entrepreneur Marc Spizzirri founded Family Classic Cars in 2001. The collection began with a Pontiac GTO convertible, a GT500 Shelby, a ’55 Chevy Bel Air, ’57 Thunderbird, ’57 Bel Air convertible and a ‘73 Pantera. It was the realization of a 20-year-long dream to build the garage of all garages. Vintage cars, classics, hot rods, muscle cars and exotics – all on display at one spectacular southern California location.
Marc Spizzirri joined forces with friends Frank Darras (consistently ranked 1 of the Top 500 lawyers in America), Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti and local business powerhouse Tony Ciabattoni to build the ultimate enthusiast experience. These successful partners, all of whom grew up with nothing but big dreams and opportunity, together have become the “experts’ expert” in the classic car industry and gained worldwide recognition.Family Classic Cars is growing by leaps and bounds, having recently purchased several extremely rare collections thus far this year. As such, our livery now includes an elite collection of rare Duesenbergs, Rolls-Royces, Packards, Bentleys and an extremely rare and coveted Monteverdi. Some of these classics came from UPS heir and renowned collector John Bradley, whose collection we purchased – and all are available for acquisition today.

We invite you to look around or stop by if you’re in our neighborhood. Whether you fancy pre-war vintage automobiles, fine European autos, muscle cars, exotics or the classics…your dream car awaits you at Family Classic Cars.com. We don’t call it the second happiest place on earth for nothing.