Text by Big Mike. Photos by Paul Nguyen
AutoCon’s growth as a car show and event has been impressive to witness over the last few years. Starting in 2010, the show was held in an underground parking structure in the City of Industry, CA, and presented as a charity-type event as they collaborated with the Marines and Toys for Tots. Many of my friends and industry partners were either attending or playing a major role in the event, so I made sure to make it out. 
The vibe was fun, laid back - more of a meet then a show - and the collection of toys gathered for children was great to see. In the five years since it started, AutoCon, like its creator and his staff, has grown and evolved to a full-blown mainstream event. It has shed smaller event partners and moved on to collaborate with some of the biggest companies in the business – both automotive and media-wise. I have attended each year from the beginning. To say that the 2014 event was the biggest and grandest event yet would be an understatement.
Held in late April at the one-and-only Pomona Fairplex, AutoCon LA started the California show season off with a bang. The caliber of vehicles at the event was impressive and diverse, ranging from new era Italian and Japanese supercars all the way to old school classics and gorgeous restomod builds.
Liberty Walk displayed their newest builds, such as the freshly-painted Ferrari 458 Italia and an R35 GT-R, while everything from an E28 BMW and early ‘70s Skyline 2000GT could be found. High-caliber S2000s and many other Honda/Acura builds were present, as well as track-inspired Mitsubishi EVOs and turbocharged and swapped Datsuns. The list goes on.
From Japanese to European, they were all there. And the diversity of import models (women that is) was no different. Big names like Jenn Q, Danielle Lo, and Janis True were just a few of the women on hand to take pictures and sign autographs for their fans. From humble beginnings to mainstream notoriety, AutoCon as an event series has established itself as a necessary one to attend and participate in.
For more event info, go to www.autoconevents.com.
