1988 Honda CRX Si - Gettin' Down Up North

If someone had told me six months ago that the biggest Import Showoff to date would occur in Santa Clara, California, I would have suggested they turn their vehicle off the next time they install a new exhaust tip.

As it turns out, I'd have looked like the one sucking down excessive quantities of unburned fuel. This Showoff was nothing short of behemothic. The crowds surrounding the Santa Clara Convention Center on show day made the Spice Girls' appearance in West L.A. look like a summer school PTA meeting. Final attendance number: 15,000.

People and cars were everywhere. Hotel guests staying at the adjoining Westin were no doubt caught off-guard. "Honey, isn't that a nuclear symbol on the back of their shirts?" "Yes, dear. It's also on some of the vehicles. Must be an atomic energy convention."

At which point the clueless couple would drive off in its Chevy Suburban leaving the rest of us to enjoy hundreds of import rides blanketing the convention center floor area. Once again, I was reminded of the poor sods who refuse to see this sport as anything more than a passing fad.

Yeah, import performance cars, the Internet, and television. They're all just a flash in the pan. Assuming the market for these cars still exists, the next Import Showoff will be July 19 at the Pomona Fairplex.

I just hope Super Street is still around by then.

By Karl Brauer

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