The Petersen Japanese Car Cruise-In Was Incredible

You know it will be a great car show when the parking lot that serves the main event is an event itself. And so it was, April 24, when the Petersen Automotive Museum hosted its annual Japanese Car Cruise-In, the whole event framed by gemlike Los Angeles weather.

I parked a rental Toyota Corolla (you know I gotta keep it JDM) deep in the Petersen's parking structure, then walked up to its roof, where pre-registered entrants parked their cars for the show. On my way up, signs of a special day in the making: a 240Z on TE37s with a carbon-fiber hood, a 350Z slammed on its exhaust, a Toyota HiAce with a surfboard on its roof.

And on the top floor? A JDM explosion. Nobody had a straight answer when I asked how many cars showed up, but the closest guess seemed to be "hundreds." A row of Datsun 240Zs stretched the length of a football field. NSXs and Sixties Hondas packed into every last space. A Kenmeri Skyline alone, sat between structure supports, that looked like it found overflow parking in the last possible spot. Then there was another level above the main show floor with more cars.

That meant something for every Japanese-car fanatic. Nissan showed up with its brand-new Z (and to its credit, Nissan brought both of its cars with a manual transmission). The thing looks absolutely perfect in person, with delightful nods to the vintage Zs parked nearby and the 370Z's compact proportions preserved. I can't wait to drive it.

But, of course, most of the metal parked on the roof was vintage. My favorite: a Honda Acty kei truck with a Honda Monkey pit bike parked in the bed. Both bike and truck were immaculately detailed, gleaming in the Cali light. The monkey had remote-reservoir Öhlins dampers at both ends, which, who knew that was a thing? The best cars conjure a whole lifestyle in your mind with just a single glance. The Acty-Monkey combo did that for me and many other showgoers. I salute you, Acty-Monkey person.

For a few frames of that one, check out our Instagram Stories from the event. There was just so much more—please go to that Instagram link just to get the vibe of the event, and check out some interviews with owners of cool cars and a whole bag of nonsense.