Hot Import Nights 2004
September 11th 2004 - Earl's Court, London

Having seen/heard all the hype about this Hot Import Nights in the US, I expected this show to be a lot better than it was. I dont think there was that much to see given the price of the entrance fee which was exactly the same as the Max Power Live shows except that Max was about 3 times the size, had more cars and had more babes. The exhibition was set deliberatly dim to re-create the 'night' effect which probably explains why some of the photos below werent that good in terms of lighting. The exhibition hall never looked filled up with either people or cars and there was a whole portion in the middle of the hall that looked embarrasingly empty. Even with Tim Westwood (from Radio 1's Rap Show) playing the latest in his 'blast-off' gangsta rap, and some display of nudity, the audience was little to write home about. Part of the problem I guess also was the fact that it was on a Saturday night when most people go out to bars and clubs. You could tell as half of the usual models at these shows were missing.

Still it was nice to see the Gumball 3000 crew there with the Ferraris and the select few genuine imported American cars and trucks. Being American flavoured, the presence of extreme extreme Jap cars could be felt with the some choice examples of Nissan, Honda, Toyota and Mazda modified cars. Along with that the US cars did have some huge In Car Entertainment systems.

Given that this is the first year of HIN in the UK, I hope it does get better for next year. HIN is a big show in the US and has yet to meet its fullest potential over here in the UK. Fast Car magazine, if you want to beat Max Power at their own game, you've got to do better than this.