Words by Tim Wong

Another year for one of the greatest all Toyota show in Southern California. Unlike most import shows, Toyotafest or T.O.R.C features some of the rarest and highest quality Toyota cars from old to new. The event has a great support from big name vendors which allows free admission to the general public. This is my third year attending this great event and from what I saw, the show is back in full force compared to last year where I felt many could not attend due to the economy.

The front lot was packed with VIP cars and other street styled cars sitting next to Lexus tent which featured the latest showroom cars like the new GS.

One of the main reasons I enjoy this show is the rare classics that turn out because they pretty become scarce the rest of the year. Classics like the 2000GTs and the Toyota Sports 800 are truly a rare sight to behold.

One cannot forget one of the most iconic cars of the import motoring world: the AE86. As one would expect, the Hachiroku platform was plentiful at this show, all display endless combinations. In addition, Scion was pushing the new “86”, the FR-S, at the show with a couple display cars. I didn’t grab shots of the FR-S, but the will be an follow up post focus on the FR-S coming soon.

This immaculate red GTS belongs to a friend of mine John D. Ly whom I met at a local classic car meet.

I could not get enough of this Levin sitting on a set of old Tom’s Racing wheels. The clean retro look just works incredibly wheel all around.

Impressive 1UZ V8 swap.

Supras have always been one of the most well know Toyotas with them used to being the flagship car so they have a pretty largest section to themselves. This year, they had some seriously impressive builds.

Armand Pranadi’s MR2 is a common sight sight at shows since he makes the effort to bring his daily driven car to almost every show.

David Nguyen’s Toyota Corolla wagon is getting big too. I’ve seen this unique car make some great progress over the years and it is great to see it out at this years show. His new JDM front bumper looks great seeing he just got it not too long ago.

After the show, I headed over to one of Long Beach’s most famous dining locales: Roscoe’s.