Day 2: The Gathering
I have been roughly “aware” of the show since 2006-ish when I started researching Datsun 510s at a time where you could get the car for roughly $3000 in decent condition; That’s not happening often anymore. According to the JCCS website, the 2018 event had at least 10,000 site-seers and participants combined.
History
The concept is nothing new, but something that isn’t as mainstream as other car shows in the U.S.: Have a classic Japanese car show. The first show held in 2004, JCCS has been organizing the event and has grown over years from 200 cars to more than 350 in 2007, to 420 in 2014. The show has been growing in parallel with the popularity of the classic Japanese cars. Media coverage by Speed Hunters, Super Street, JCCS, JNC, and a few others all have done a more in-depth reporting. I also found a couple of articles from previous shows covered by NYT and LAT:
Somewhat related to the car show, but related to this car movement is the website Japanese Nostalgic Car (JNC). If you want your fill on classic Japanese cars news and updates, that is the place to browse. You won’t be disappointed.
Location
The gathering is normally held in Long Beach at either the Harry Bridges Park (next to the Queen Mary) or Marina Green. Like most events in general, parking can be a PITA.
As a bit of transit savviness, I just caught the Blue Line into downtown to avoid some of the pricey parking headaches.
Once I was on site, the line into the show was already long. Fortunately, I purchased my ticket online so it was fairly easy to get inside.
Participants
Vendors
As mentioned before, as the popularity of these cars grow the event will continue to grow in the coming years. Likewise, vendors will continue to show up as well. From Bring a Trailer to VTO, a little bit of everyone was here that cater to late-model cars. Awkward was seeing Anderson Windows (not pictured) with a booth at this event though. A sign of upward value as a whole for this market to me is seeing Hagerty with a booth here. They’ve done their homework.
There were multiple food trucks on site as well with long lines in front of them. My impatience and my regretful temporary addiction to the Double-Double kept me away.
Lots of opportunities to buy swag! Shirts, skateboards, Hot-Wheels cars, scale model cars, motor oil, wheels, and CAR PARTS. For example, Cusco USA brought a Toyota Sienna van full of parts and selling it for DIRT CHEAP. Non Stop Tuning and Techno Toy Tuning had parts on site as well. This was an excellent place to get your hands and eyes on the parts you thought about getting as well as talk to the reps of these establishments.
Owners/Collectors
You have to appreciate the effort it takes for an owner to maintain their vehicle that is more than 20 years old. To some, this is an heirloom or a talking point when friends and family come over. Or in this case, when thousands of people gather and see what you have, take pictures, ask questions, and share in the joy of the ownership of these vehicles. I only took pictures of a few due to time constraints and a camera malfunction, but there were definitely more. I didn’t have my jounalistic detective hat on, so I missed the opportunity to do a more in depth conversation with the owners of the pictures I have. If get the chance next year, I will pick their brains more. This is just an overview, more or less.
Car Manufacturers
Toyota, Honda, Mazda, and Nissan all have a strong presence at the show with their own booths. Subaru and Mitsubishi – not yet. Maybe in the coming years, that will change as we should start to see more Legacies, Galants, GTO/Stealths, EVOs, and WRXs.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed the gathering. And it solidified what I knew that there is a market for this niche market. The show has steady growth yearly and its located in a good location. Going forward, I foresee that Banneker Motoring having a car and/or a booth there at the show. And maybe, I might even visit the Show in Vegas…
Banneker Motoring, Ltd.℠ 
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