When I reflect on my life as a child growing up, I recall fond memories; times when I was ignorant to the real world and the stresses of adult life. Like most kids, my weekly itinerary involved going to school, watching hours of cartoons, playing video games and indulging in sport. I even remember the time my old man took me to my first ever car show; the Extreme Horsepower Show – which looking back, was one of my earliest exposure to seeing late model modified cars in the flesh. A defying moment that would till this day, keep me obsessed with cars and the modifying sub-culture was my inaugural visit to Auto Salon in 2004; I was a bright eyed teenager dropping my jaws at every car within sight.

Auto Salon was a bit of a controversial car show during its heyday. But were it not for its existence, Australia’s modified car scene wouldn’t be where it is today. This country’s modified car scene can be traced back to the early ’90s when the scene was still wearing its nappies. At the time, the notion of modifying late model vehicles was new and with that came plenty of experimentation to see what worked and what didn’t. Modifiers used cars as an extension of their personality and although we may look back and cringe at the type of enhancements people implemented, we have to realise as a whole that resources, availability of parts, and information was not easy to come by. One aspect the younger generation and those new to this scene need to appreciate and respect is that the taste and flavours of modified cars were drastically different twenty years ago. What was cool back then may not be now, similarly to how today’s styles may be frowned upon in a decade’s time. It’s an endless cycle.

The internet was still in its infancy, as to was the modified car scene. In 1996, a group of modified car enthusiasts know as the [Cabin] boys staged what was the first ever Auto Salon event in Sydney. Held at The Dome, word quickly spread about the show and before everyone knew it, an indoor car show catered specifically to late model modified cars was born. Although the term "late model car" is not exclusive to any one country, it was notably Japanese sports and compact cars that were the poison of choice for modifiers. At the time, these cars were new, different, and when modified – looked like nothing else on the road. It was this experimental phase that led to all sorts of innovation within the scene; some good and some bad. The takeaway was everyone wanted to be unique with their builds and constantly pushed the envelop to differ themselves from the next person. Auto Salon became so popular that it spawned a national car show championship. The ultimate honour was to win the coveted "God of Auto Salon" title. This was achieved by winning various judging categories that occurred throughout each of the individual national shows. At year end, the car with the most points received the crown.

Auto Salon continued throughout the early and mid 2000s with great success. It was the show that people would build and debut their cars at, the show that would motivate the birth of themed car clubs; the show that most modified car enthusiasts looked forward to attending each year. Despite the fact that Auto Salon was home to predominately show cars which were born to look spotless under lighting and themed displays, many wild and high powered vehicles could also be found at Auto Salon shows around the country. Despite my memory of the latter, Auto Salon’s reputation for "all show, no go" cars solidified which combined with numerous other ammo (the rise of J-style, elitist attitudes within the scene and lifestyle shifts to name a few) – Auto Salon received a shotgun blow to the head in 2010.

A frustrating irony of our scene is people are very quick to turn on each other if they worship a different modifying religion. The notion of a true car enthusiast being appreciative and respectful of all makes, models and modifying style is – unfortunately – not a common theme in Australia’s modified car scene. Auto Salon was the only mainstream indoor car show which catered to late model modified cars and it’s a shame that those elitists who shunned the event couldn’t chime in with their own flavor of cars to help create a paradise of varying styled vehicles. Now and again, I hear and read comments from those same individuals who wish the show was still around.

It’s been seven years since the last Auto Salon event was held in a capital city. Eugene Lee was one passionate individual who regularly attended the Auto Salon shows and since its dismissal, has longed for a similar event. Not one to miss an opportunity, he’s assembled a team to bring America’s equivalent of Auto Salon – Hot Import Nights – to Australia. The event will take place on Sunday 10th December 2017 in Sydney at Olympic Park and is an opportunity for modified enthusiasts to relive the glory days. Punters who previously rejected Auto Salon and later complained about wanting it back, now’s your chance to get involved; embrace it, enter your ride and enjoy the event for what it is. To the younger generation who never got to experience Auto Salon, now’s your chance to attend a similar event and get a glimpse of what it was like back then but with a 2017 twist. To those who already plan on coming to Hot Import Nights, and I know this is a shameless plug, why not pre-purchase your ticket online with this coupon code; 888. You’ll already be attending so why not save $5 on the admission price? It’s a win-win situation.

I regularly attended the Adelaide leg of Auto Salon up until its death in 2010. Myself and other modified car enthusiasts have been yearning for the day of its return. With Hot Import Nights coming to the rescue in 2017, I hope those of you in a similar boat to me show your support. Who knows, if Hot Import Nights in Sydney takes off, we might even witness the birth of a national car show series again. At the end of the day – as modified car enthusiasts – the more quality events we get to enter and attend, the better.