Maximum

"Maximum" is a Latin-based word that means the most. It's a superlative, meaning there is nothing greater. Ken Miyoshi, the brain behind the Import Showoff monster, knows the meaning of maximum. He has been getting busy with the Showoffs for five years now, and he's still going strong. So when Ken thinks of showing off in a "maximum" way, you know that the show is going to have more eye candy than you can shake your stick at.

Everyone knows that you can see the crme de la automotive crme at Import Showoff. Some people spend all year building, painting, buffing, polishing, and shining up their vehicles just to make an entry into the field of cars chosen to compete. Whole automotive careers hinge on one simple creed: "I have to win first place at Import Showoff." So, you can expect that the cars in attendance were the craziest, cleanest, most outrageous vehicles of the day-all assembled under one roof. Well, in this case, three roofs and a few circus tents. Okay-no circus tents. But with all the indoor and outdoor festivities, and the abundance of "refreshing beverages", it sure felt like the greatest show on earth.

Being "maximum" is more than having cars in a car show, though. It means covering the entire lifestyle from all angles, and that includes other interests that overlap the auto performance demographic. The mass appeal of fixing up cars reaches all kinds of people- the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the tired and huddled masses. So, in order to be the maximum showoff of all showoffs, you have to show it all off by putting everything on. That includes putting on demos of today's hottest action sports-skateboarding, rollerblading, BMX/freestyle biking, and those annoying little transforming razor scooter things. "Maximum" Miyoshi had all of these things covered and more with an entire section of the Del Mar Fairgrounds sectioned off for just this purpose. There, all throughout the day, back-to-back demonstrations were held in which every regular stance, switch stance, fakie, achy breaky, and kinda shaky maneuver was performed by professional stuntmen and circus midgets. Wait, there weren't any midgets-that was another show I went to. Moving right along...

Super-dope show cars and death-defying stunts may be enough for some people, but Maximum Showoff is all about going above and beyond the call of duty, so yet another section was cordoned off specifically for the purpose of another type of wheel spinning-the wheels of steel. Top-name trance DJs from around the globe were found scratching vinyl and juggling glowsticks in the DJ/dance area- names like Christopher Lawrence, John Kelley, Tomoki, and DJ Neo. Also during the day, several dance groups took the stage to strut their respective body parts, mimicking a scene from that "dance like Britney Spears" instructional video on MTV. It was definitely a cool place to unwind, or get revved up, whatever your taste for booty shakin' may be.

Finally, if extreme sports, hot show cars, and dizzying DJs didn't get you hot and bothered, Maximum Miyoshi-san came up in full effect by filling yet another building with world-famous import models. Names and faces familiar to 2NR readers-Kaila Yu, Kaileah Belle, Linda O'Niell, Aria Giovanni-walked the halls in 100-percent live form, knocking down all spectators like they were one-legged kickboxers. If you were more interested in becoming a model rather than looking at one, you could have walked to any one of the modeling agency booths and spoken directly to a representative, thanks to Ken's brilliant foresight. And then, as if there wasn't enough to look at, Miyoshi-san decided that he would spice up the room even more with yet another stage for dance troupes to shake it up.

Make sure you check your calendars or the Showoff website for Maximum Miyoshi's next event in your area. And plan ahead-take the next day off of work, bring lots of batteries for your digital camera, and wear clean underwear. As a matter of fact, bring two pairs because Maximum Showoff is absolutely the shit.