EVENT: THE-LOWDOWN.com Presents: Showcased 2013

It’s funny how quickly time passes. I still vividly remember the first car event I ever attended, just over 6 years ago back in 2006 as an excited 13 year old at Sydney Olympic Park. The sights of bright lights and flashy cars from an era that now seems so distant, the sounds of reverberating subwoofers and the dyno competition echoing in the background and the faint smells of hot chips with a hint of exhaust fumes as I walked through the heavy double doors into The Dome have been etched in my mind forever. Sydney Olympic Park still hosts events of all kinds and scales, but many automotive events have since faded away in the aftermath of the GFC. To me, THE-LOWDOWN.com has revived a forgotten, but vital part of Australia’s automotive scene. Impromptu car meets have recently become popular, but for me nothing can beat a well-organised car show in a dedicated venue. In only its second successive year, Showcased 2013 has combined the coolest cars with one of the most perfect venues into one of the best automotive shows I’ve attended in a long time.

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The whole experience of my first car show was relived at Showcased 2013 and fittingly, I felt a sense of nostalgia. Flashbacks of the same sights, sounds and smells were being replayed in my mind over and over again. This year’s show was held at the Australian Technology Park inside the Exhibition Hall, a place of rich cultural heritage as it was once used to build trains and manufacture munitions.

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From the venue to the cars history was a recurring theme for me, so I thought I’d start with the oldest car in the show. It was the first time I had seen many of the cars displayed in the flesh, but this jet black Porsche 356 Carrera Coupe, which was Porsche’s first production vehicle, had me coming back for more every time I ventured near it. Being a lover of all things old school, there’s no denying that this was one of my favourite cars this year. The quality of the build, the stance and just it’s whole attention to detail was executed to perfection.

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Talking about stance, this current trend in automotive modification brought some interesting creations. Much like Hondas seem to be the staple manufacturer of the stance scene, the BBS RS seems to be the wheel of choice and although this EM1 Civic uses a tried and tested formula, the attention to detail both inside and out has really emphasised the importance of the finer details to building a car that can stand out from the rest.

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Although Hondas might be synonymous with stance, this Mercedes-Benz 380SE from House Of Stance proves that it is definitely not a necessity. I’d drive this any day of the week.

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If function is more important to you than form, super clean street cars including this yellow Evo 9 would be sure to satisfy your tastes.

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The Red Bull Mobile DJ Truck was on hand throughout the day pumping tunes through the Exhibition Hall…

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..while the dyno competition was running all day for the power junkies. Cars like this R33 GT-R were pulling massive numbers from the get go.

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For those who are more in to driving cars, there were activities on offer ranging from a drive on the racing simulator around Eastern Creek Raceway…

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…to driving around the miniature RC track with some pretty zippy RC cars, though some were getting a little confused by the looks of things!

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A few years ago it was uncommon to find Volkswagen Golfs, or any Euro for that matter turning heads at car shows like they do now, but thanks to the wonders of the internet these German creations have been steadily growing in attendance. This particular Mk6 GTI looks quite tame…

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…compared to Josh’s R32 Golf! I last saw his VW at Fuel 4 Charity a few months ago and since then it has received a major overhaul. From the matte blue vinyl wrap, to the bolt-on overfenders to the super deep BBS RS wheels, Josh has spent many late nights completing his car for its debut at Showcased and it payed off as he took home the ‘Best Stance’ trophy from the event. As a testament to the transformation undertaken, I walked right past it not knowing it was the same car I saw so recently until I recognised the number plate!

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I’m not sure what it is, but E30 BMWs are growing on me and this E30 wagon on Compomotive TH wheels was not making that love affair any better. I’m think I’d mistake this photo for being taken in Europe were it not for the Victorian license plate.

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Of course, a super clean engine bay is a must. Windscreen wipers on quad headlights? Definitely Euro!

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Perhaps it’s because New South Wales has notoriously rough roads, but Victorians seem to be able to pull off the lowest ride height of all. I’d be lucky to fit my foot under those front bars!

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Lexus IS200s are popular within the general public, but unfortunately, there aren’t too many modified examples in Australia.

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265 tyres on the front of an MR2 are one thing…

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…but a K24 in the back is another! What’s with Honda engines in Toyotas these days? Sacrilege in my eyes!

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If you’ve read our latest coverage from the Festival of 86 you’ll know that AE86s are my type of thing, so you’ll know that this Trueno Coupe was getting plenty of attention from me throughout the day! This example is the type of car I aspire to one day owning and seeing one as well kept as this really added the fuel to the fire.

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Although I’m a purist at heart, there’s no denying that F20C swaps are quickly becoming increasingly popular amongst those looking for more power compared to the original 4A-GE. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m quite adamant this AE86 had a quad-throttled 7A-GE in the past.

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There was no shortage of S2000s, including this J’s Racing-kitted example which looked like a favourite of many.

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From track-inspired to stance and everything in between, it was all there.

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We even had one displayed at Cars For Hope Corner, alongside the Intune Racing EG Civic and ClubITR.

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But as much as Hondas may claim the fame at automotive shows, Nissans also attend in great numbers. For a long time, the S14 and S15 have had a great following amongst Australian Nissan enthusiasts, yet the S13 has seemingly fallen by the wayside. Two-tone S13s are definitely my favourite, but ones running on mismatched SSR Mesh and SSR Mark 1s are that much better! Lately I’ve seen some great film photos of Japanese street drifters in S13s from the early 90s, and this example pays great homage to them.

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Fourth generation Civics have always been my favourite, but like S13s, many haven’t received the love they deserved compared to their younger brothers. One of my friends once had an EF sedan, but it never looked as clean as this.

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This EG Civic on the other hand, had arrows adorning it to highlight it’s body flaws. For what reason, I’m not quite sure.

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I’m not sure why, but writing on the sidewall of tyres has always been something I’ve associated with muscle cars. However, it looks like it’s a trend appearing on cars of other genres as well. Perhaps Nakai-san may be the one who has revived this trend, with the signature Idlers logo stencilled on the sidewalls of all of his RWB Porsches.

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Even this EK Civic had sidewall writing! When I first spotted it, I was reminded of the Kanjo styled EF Civic from Osaka JDM. Maybe it’s just the wheels?

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Nico’s pair of supercars are consistent crowd-stoppers at automotive events and on the street and this time was no different. There’s just nothing quite like drooling over a Lamborghini Murcielago with your mates.

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I’ve always said that S14s are among the few cars whose styling has stood the test of time. Zenki S14s and Enkei RPF1s will forever look cool in my books, won’t you agree?

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This one is for all the track junkies. I think it’s an Evo 9 MR.

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Queen Street Group and Built To Order brought along a few of their customer and demo cars, which seem to be moving towards a stance-inspired look.

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This Supra is the type of car I remember seeing them building back in the day – candy apple red paint and some chrome bling for good measure.

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After all of the excitement inside, I ventured outside as the sun set to try my luck at finding any high quality cars that weren’t in the show. Unfortunately, most had already gone home, but I still managed to spot a Mk5 R32 on BBS LMs sitting in the carpark…

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…along with the Built To Order VE Maloo just outside the Exhibition Hall.

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Back inside, the show continued with the dyno competition finishing up and the awards ceremony closing the show. I’m sure nobody would disagree with me when I say that Showcased is fast becoming the modified car show in Australia. Make sure you make it down to the next one!

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We’d like to give a special thanks to THE-LOWDOWN.com for their continuing hospitality. Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Showcased 2013 coverage as we delve into all the activities from Cars For Hope Corner for World Suicide Prevention Day 2013.

Matthew is the Company Secretary at Cars For Hope, taking care of things behind the scenes as well as writing, editing or photographing much of what appears on the website. He's an aspiring Mechanical Engineer, and is an avid photographer, cyclist and motorsports-watcher in his spare time. Check out Matthew's thoughts and adventures on his website.

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