Most automotive enthusiasts that reside in the Pacific Northwest are very familiar with NWMotiv.com. Josh Mackey and his crew have put together some of the largest automotive events in the region over the last few years and pride themselves on being some of the most fair and experienced car show judges.
It was for these reasons that we asked them to be our judges for the car show portion of the Import Meet Street Car Competition. To give our readers from other regions an idea of who they are, we put together this short interview.
ImportMeet.com: How long have you and your crew been a part of the automotive scene in the Pacific Northwest?
NWMotiv.com: NWMotiv’s core founding members have been involved with the automotive scene in the Northwest since about 1998. Even some members date back prior to then, but there wasn’t really any “scene” back then. Imports and shows really started to evolve between 1998 and 2000.
Photo from Forum Fest 2012 – Event organized by NWMotiv.com
IM: How many shows have you and your crew personally judged?
NWM: The list is pretty long, but we’re easily over a dozen big shows. Emerald City Showoff, Import Jam 1 and 2, Global Import Car Show from 2002 to 2004 and we’ve judged a mix of other shows prior to the founding of NWMotiv. Our first actual show as a group was International Automotive Showcase, then of course Forum Fest and inMotion.
IM: How does your judging style differ from others?
NWM: We pay close attention to everything, but first and foremost is cleanliness. A huge list of modifications means nothing if your car isn’t spotless. The best way to think about it is that if it’s a car show, you’re showing off your car so it should be essentially spotless. We take into account real parts, expert installations and knowledge. The more you know about your own car, the better. We will test everything from understanding (where you started the build) to how you got to where you are now. We also like to find out what the purpose and theme of the car. Lastly, we judge if the car matches this theme and if it flows well. We give each car the white glove treatment so if you think you might have missed a spot, you had better check.
Photo from inMotion 2012 – Event organized by NWMotiv.com
IM: Describe what makes a car Best of Show?
NWM: Every event is going to have one car that goes above and beyond all of the other cars. Whether it’s a chrome plated suspension setup or a completely fiberglass interior, as much as the scene dislikes cars that are brought in via trailer, it’s hard to ignore a car built to win shows. However, when it comes down to multiple cars fighting for that award, the little details, cleanliness and installations will be heavily scrutinized. How does one car’s installation of a stereo compete with the other? How clean is the engine compared to the other?
Photo from inMotion 2012 – Event organized by NWMotiv.com
IM: Any other interesting facts or info about why your team is the most qualified?
NWM: We’re mostly known for our car shows and events, but NWMotiv over the years has also built some best of show caliber cars, most of them featured in industry magazines. Some even include Best of Show winners at SEMA and other big name events. We know what it takes first hand to build a proper car and to compete in a competitive market. We stand by our scores because at the end of the day, we’re the ones debating about why one car is better than the other, these discussions are key to picking the right car for the award.
Each car competing in the IMSCC will be judged in these five main categories:
Exterior
Interior
Engine
I.C.E. (In Car Entertainment)
Overall