Hot Import Nights

Not too long ago, I popped Need for Speed: Underground, one of my very first racing games, into my Gamecube just for kicks. Having considered myself to be a car enthusiast for a number of years now, I was curious to see how far the tuning scene had come. I really wish I had some screenshots to show you just how much my own interpretation of “cool” has changed. My entire stable of Underground cars rocked wild metallic paint jobs, tear/stripe vinyls, neon, and planet-sized chrome wheels.

My lasting impression of Hot Import Nights was that the cars that turned up were all somewhat like my virtual Underground garage – most show, little go. I fully expected to see some Lambo doors on cars that weren’t Lamborghini’s and maybe even hear the distinctive plume of nitrous purging. How things have changed. HIN has matured and grown up in time with our scene and even with the closure of Irwindale Speedway, the show had to go on.

Hot Import Nights has always been known as the ultimate playground for hot import models and Go Go Dancers. And even though many of the well-known girls from the scene were not present, HIN The Return still managed to showcase a ton of sexy booth babes, both newcomers as well as some industry stars. We won't bore you with any more text since you probably have already clicked past this and are scrolling down the page by now. In any case, enjoy the lovely ladies of 2011 Hot Import Night Los Angeles after the jump...

After an extremely rough patch the last couple years, Hot Import Nights is finally back in full effect! With the track record of the previous owners, we were somewhat skeptical that the original glory of HIN could be reclaimed even under new management. This past Saturday, the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center played host to Hot Import Nights’ triumphant return.

Even though I personally was unable to attend, the feedback from this inaugural event has generally been positive. Folks we talked to felt that the cars were generally solid with a nice amount of diversity and some real standouts. Even though many import models were noticeably absent, the ones who showed up were quality with a handful of newcomers who were knockouts as well as a few big names like Leng Yein, Ashley Malia, Ela Pasion, Jerry Lee & Ursula Mayes. The crowd was pretty hype and the overall vibe was somewhat reminiscent of the good ‘ole days. People seemed to really like the setup of the main stage with a digital light show that run against the backdrop and solid DJs spinning tracks.

There’s certainly a great deal of satisfaction to be had in making your car faster, better looking or both. But you can only get so much satisfaction out of ogling your newly-tuned ride as it sits in your driveway or garage. The whole experience would be so much more enjoyable if you could see for yourself if those performance parts you installed do, in fact, make your car quicker and handle better. Or find out what the rest of the world makes of your taste in things like paint, graphics, and body and interior tweaks. How would you go about doing that now that you have a tuned car? 

Well, if it’s pushing the performance envelope you’re after, public roads are out of the question…for a whole host of reasons. Thankfully, there are safer, considerably more legal options for discovering your car’s newfound potential. One such option is street legal drag racing. While the only real parameter it tests is acceleration, you still get the rush of the speed and the sound, plus it’s timed, so you’ll have physical evidence in the form of a paper time slip to show all the Doubting Thomases at your next bench racing session (or, more likely, the trolls on your favorite internet forum).