No better way to wrap up the summer show season than the Big SoCal Euro Gathering held at the Qualcomm stadium in San Diego, California. Since its humble beginnings in 2001 as a casual get together car meet, it has slowly grown to be one of the largest European events on the west coast. This year there were more than 2,000 cars that came to enjoy the company of their peers and soak in the So Cal sun. One of the best parts of this show is there is no judging or awards, which also means none of the drama or politics that sometime can over shadow a great event. Nope, this is just a great group of euro enthusiasts enjoying the views and checking out each other’s rides, mods, and creativity.

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While some may see no trophies as a “con” we would challenge that if you’re doing this for trophies, you’re probably in it for all of the wrong reasons. This didn’t deter from top-shelf rides making a showing either, as plenty of fully built show cars were on hand to drool over sitting outside their respective vendors that also had plenty of goodies to give away. One of the most popular of those booths on hand was GMG, as generally no one turns down a chance to look at some crazy built American Le Mans ready R8s and Porsches.

This is not just another show and shine either. In the back of the event they had racers, European, American, and Japanese cars lining up for the “run what you brung” eighth mile drag races hosted by Race Legal. In the massive parking lot you had plenty of sweet daily drivers next to clubs of fully restored weekend cruisers. Despite the crazy heat this year everyone was out enjoying themselves meeting new people and reuniting with old friends. Trading stories of those who didn’t make it due to a break down on the way, or just outrageous SoCal traffic is a staple here, but ooking over the lot once you show up and seeing the size of this event is definitely a staggering sight.

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Trying to see everything in a single day is a daunting task, but worth it to say the least. Making your way through the lot you see some amazing cars, ranging from purists with OEM masterpieces to the outrageous ant-killing low. Whatever your taste is there will be something that you can enjoy. While the new cars are fun to look at, the turnout of classics that attend this event is also amazing. Being from a classic background we love seeing all these people gathering in one place, both young and old, keeping the old school alive. SoCal Euro does an amazing job organizing the show every year with the help of their sponsors. They offer raffles with some great prizes, and plenty of food trucks to keep the masses nourished. If you’re a SoCal resident or have the weekend free to travel down here it is a must attend event that gets better each and every year. Come check it out next year, we’ll see you there!

Event Details

Name: Big SoCal Euro Gathering
Location: Qualcom Stadium, San Diego, CA
Website: Big SoCal Euro 2014


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