Bernie's Car Show Coverage: 2018 SEMA Show

I've been to a lot of car shows. But there's that one show that always holds a special place in my heart which is the Speciality Equipment Marketing Association, better known as SEMA. I hold SEMA to a high regard and for the past nine years, SEMA hasn't failed me. Yes, I've been going to SEMA for nine years.

As we all know, I love a good car show, but technically SEMA isn't a car show- it's a trade show. It's a trade show that allows allows those in the automotive industry to see what’s new and the latest trends as well as how the product enhances the look of a vehicle, network with companies, learn how to grow your business in various ways, and also hobnob with some celebrities in the automotive world. Attendees from as close as down the street to as far away as Australia gathered together at the Las Vegas Convention Center to celebrate what was SEMA’s 52nd show.

I've said it many, many times that "I live for SEMA". When I arrived at the convention center, I don't think the car completely stopped when I jumped out. Barely surviving off of four hours of sleep, I could not stop smiling. Once I’m done crying tears of joy, I dive right into the chaos- I meet great people who share some of the same similarities as I do and photograph great vehicles while enjoying some great weather.

Last year, I made the best decision by landing the day before the show started. It gave me a chance to get a head start with the majority of the outdoor photos. I had the opportunity to watch the crew scramble to get everything together in time for the next day. I watched as Forgiato wheel company move cars around, Liberty Walk applying decals to the vehicles in their booth, contractors laying down carpet, detailers washing cars, owners putting that final coat of tire shine on their prized possessions. Yes, I was in the way of many people, taking in all the energy.

As far as trends that I've noticed- paint is dead. There were a lot of wrapped vehicles- both in chrome, glossy, and matte finishes. There were a ton of full sized trucks on raised suspension.  Toyo Tires was definitely the tire of choice and I'm sure they went through a lot of them in the Hoonigan area, the most popular wheel companies were Rotiform, Forgiato, and Savini (however Vossen Wheels and HRE Performance Wheels were the runner ups) wide body cars, there were a lot of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Nissan GTRs, but there were more exotic vehicles this year- two Pagani Huartas (the one parked outside wasn't roped off), a Koenigsegg Agera RS (that wasn't roped off), a Lamborghini Centenario (that wasn't roped off) and a Bugatti Veyron (that wasn't roped off at first, but eventually was roped off). I was reunited with the Lamborghini Urus. I was first introduced to it earlier this year at the New York Auto Show, but thankfully, Giovanna Wheels was the only company that brought one to SEMA. However...

Forgiato wheels brought the most photographed and talked about vehicle. This was Marketing 101.

At the end of the day, I had a fabulous time in Vegas and I will return next year for my tenth SEMA Show. I still have a lot of photos to post, but I didn't want to hold up this post. So to see photos from this year's SEMA Show, click on the link for each day- SEMA Sneak Peek, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4. And yes, I was sad during SEMA Ignited because it marked the end of the 2018 SEMA Show.

Bernie's Car Show Coverage: Caffeine and Octane x Clean Culture's ATL Stadium Showcase

Last Saturday, Caffeine and Octane as well as Clean Culture teamed up and held a Stadium Showcase car show. Held at the former home of the Atlanta Braves, the old Turner Field, this show was a little different. I've been to car shows at Turner Field, but I've never been to a car show in Turner Field. The cars weren't on the field, however, they were in the hallways of the stadium, which is something new.

This Atlanta Stadium Showcase provided import/tuner cars, as well as luxury and classic cars. To be honest, I didn't know what I was in for, I expected cars to be behind the gates of the stadium, but I really didn't expect them to be throughout the stadium.

I really hope they do this again. To see the rest of the photos, check out Bernie's Caffeine and Octane x Clean Culture ATL Stadium Showcase gallery.

Bernie's Car Show Coverage: Caffeine and Exotics: September 2018

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but I'm back with coverage to show from the last car show I've attended. This past Sunday, Caffeine and Exotics held their third show of 2018, however, this show was a little different. Normally I would type "Held in the main parking lot of Atlanta’s Lenox Square Mall, Caffeine and Exotics is the younger, more exclusive sibling to Caffeine and Octane." The latter will never change, because it will always be the younger, more exclusive show compared to Caffeine and Octane.

To switch things up, Caffeine and Exotics decided to change the venue of the show. In the past, it was held in the main parking lot of Lenox Square Mall, in the Buckhead section of Atlanta. This time, it was held in City Springs, the new work/eat/live area of Sandy Springs, which is still the suburbs of Atlanta. I'm programmed to travel to shows and when I heard that Caffeine and Exotics was relocating to a new venue that is less than 2 miles from my house, I was shocked, but happy.

Aside from the distance, the other aspect that I loved about the new location is the amount of space between each of the cars. Sometimes at car shows, people tend to park as if they're going to a store instead of parking to show off the car. Spectators now had the opportunity to really appreciate the car.

Just because the venue changed, it doesn't mean that the rules did. Caffeine and Exotics stayed true to their name by providing enough high end vehicles for everyone to drool over. From the McLaren 720S, some Lamborghini Gallardos/Huracans/Aventadors, Audi R8s, Ferrari 458s and 488s, Rolls Royce Dawn,  Porsche GT3s, Nissan GTRs, a timeless Bugatti, and of course the sedan with the most comfortable rear seats- the Mercedes Maybach, there was more than enough to keep the attendees entertained.

To see the rest of the photos, check out Bernie's Caffeine and Exotics: September 2018 gallery.

Bernie's Car Show Coverage: 2018 Extreme Autofest and Cadillac Fest

Two years ago, I finally crossed Extreme Autofest off of my car show wish list. However, I was only able to spend 90 minutes at the show. This year was a little different. Although I was detained in Los Angeles for a few hours, I eventually found my way to San Diego to attend the 2018 Extreme Autofest show.

I knew what I was in for and I was extremely glad that I attended. I saw some exquisitely customized lowriders- the detail in the paint, engraving, pinstriping, interiors, trunk space, etc. To be honest, I didn't spend too much time in the tuner section- simply because I can see tuners in Atlanta. I really love going to the West Coast to see lowriders, lowrider inspired vehicles, classic and exotic cars... oh and the swap meet. I could never forget about the swap meet. Unfortunately the show started at 3, ended at 10, and the sun sets on the west coast at 8, which explains why the photos have a warm tone to them.

The next day, I overslept, missed Cars and Cafe, but made it to the City of Industry to attend Cadillac Fest. I found out about the show through DreamOn Photography's instagram page and once again, I was happy that I attended. I underestimated how many people have lowriders that are Cadillacs- Coupe De Ville, Eldorado, Le Cabriolet, the Fleetwood, and I'm sure I forgot a few more models.

While I was in awe of this lowrider above, one of the attendees came up to me and said "if you like the cars here, there's way more on Rosecrans and Broadway." He went on to explained that there's a car meet every single Sunday of nothing but lowriders. From there, I left the show, and drove over to Compton to see the cars.... and he was absolutely right. I drove through and was surrounded by nothing but lowriders, but I needed to check into where I was staying. One hour, 60 minutes, 3600 seconds, however you want to break it down, I returned to the meet where I witnessed LAPD clearing out Broadway.



Everyone jumped in their cars and drove off (but bouncing the cars up and down in true Los Angeles fashion). And there I was- standing on the corner of Rosecrans and Broadway, contemplating if I should go up to LAPD and say "you couldn't have waited until I took some photos." Normally I would have, but then I remembered the difference between where I'm from vs where I live vs where I was at that moment. The only memory I had from that experience was this black Chevy Impala above.

San Diego and Los Angeles, I had so much fun and I will see you, Los Angeles, sooner than you think. To see the rest of the photos, check out Bernie's 2018 Extreme Autofest gallery and Bernie's 2018 Cadillac Fest gallery.

Bernie's Car Show Coverage: Photos from the 2018 King of the South Weekend

On July 14th and 15th, the great folks at Official Street Whipz held their famous King of the South Weekend. Atlanta only has one automotive filled weekend- it's always in July and the V-103 Car and Bike Show falls on a Saturday, and on the very next day, Official Street Whipz has their King of the South Show.

Now, where are my V-103 Car and Bike show photos? Glad you asked. I wasn't granted a media pass, so I didn't go. (With that particular show, having media access comes in handy because they allow media to shoot the cars an hour before the show. Once general admission is allowed inside, it goes downhill) So instead, I crashed (no pun intended) the King of the South Block Party. Held in Stone Mountain, I had no idea what I was in for. I saw the flyer and it had an address, date, time, and some cars. Plus I trust the Official Street Whipz family to always put on a great show, so why not.

The address led me to a shopping center.... an extremely packed parking lot. There were so many cars, that the attendees even parked in the aisles.

The very next day, the show moved to the Atlanta Motor Speedway, where it's been faithfully held since 2015. Car enthusiasts got to show off what their cars are made of in three ways- how the car looks, how it performs on the race track, and how it sounds- meaning the audio system.

Over the course of two days, I've noticed a lot of vehicles with excellent paint jobs and wraps, a lot of vehicles on Forgiato, Amani Forged, Rucci Forged, Corleone Forged, and Dub Wheels, there were donks, donks, and more donks, plenty of Ang’s family members (Ang is short for Angela, which is the name of my Dodge Charger and by family members, I mean other Dodge Chargers and Challengers), a lot of Box Chevys, a lot of G-Bodies, and one more thing- there were a lot of donks there... in every color.

Despite the heat, I had a great weekend and of course, I will be back next year. Enough talking because I know my photos are far more interesting than what I have to say.

To see the rest of the photos from the block party, check out Bernie's Official Street Whipz Block Party gallery. And to see the rest of the photos from the car show, check out Bernie's 2018 King of the South Mega Show gallery.

P.S. The next post will be coverage from a show that I haven't attended in two years, and I will show up on time. Stay tuned.