After we attended Supras Invade Las Vegas III last year, we told you it was an event that you would have to at least attend once-even if you don't own a Supra. The 2000 show rolled around pretty quickly; it was again time to figure out who was to attend the show among the staff at Turbo. With a bit of arm wrestling and some body slams, I was fortunate enough to take another trip to the city that never sleeps-Las Vegas, Nevada for the Supras Invade Las Vegas IV event.
Last year, we drove Project Maxima to the show. (I know, I know. What a sin to drive a Nissan-badged car to an all-Toyota affair.) We still got some surprised looks from some Supra owners but I couldn't figure out if they were juicing the ride or the 19-inch Volk AV3's wheels on the Max. This year we wised up and were able to con, I mean, lucky to borrow, Project IS 300 from the boss for the weekend.
Day One: Friday September 15, 2000(Supra ShowdownAt The Strip)After picking up the IS from the editor's house the night before, the day started with picking up my two traveling buddies-Jesse Wong from Blitz USA and Steve Chai from Chai Racing. We made great time heading to Vegas, cruising at 115 mph...I mean 70 mph. (If you own an IS, you know 115 mph feels like 70. The IS can eclipse 130 mph with three people and a trunk loaded with luggage.)
After stopping at the Mad Greek in Baker for some grub, we were back on the road. With another 45 minutes of driving, we were at the Nevada border at Buffalo Bill's Casino in Primm. There you can find a roller coaster that claims to have the longest first drop this side of the Mississippi-so we had to try it. Note to self: Do not try it on a stomach full of Mad Greek next time, the drop is pretty crazy.
Hopping back into the Lexo, we were off to Sin City. The sign marks that Vegas is 40 miles farther than Primm. (Could we make it 20 minutes?) We were close; the drive took us 22 minutes. (You do the math to see how how fast we were going.) After checking into our hotel, we headed to Luxor, as it was the official meeting point of the Vegas 2000 show.
We were bombarded with rows and rows of Supras chillin' in the parking lot. Although the parking lot scene was not part of the event, the sight was still amazing to see. After a short gathering, the group headed to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (The Strip). At the strip we viewed MKIIs, MKIIIs and MKIVs battling it out for supremacy. For only $15, Supra owners were given the chance to stretch out the legs of their Toyotas and see what they were capable of on the quarter mile.
The competition was friendly among fellow enthusiasts. The highlight of the drag racing part of the show was UPRD's single-turbo MKIV that delighted the crowd with several quick quarter-mile passes. Their quickest pass of the day was a 10.56 at 144mph.
Day Two: Saturday September 16 (Show-N-Shine At The Luxor)Like last year, day two of Vegas 2000 was set aside for the Show-N-Shine. The Show-N-Shine gave the Supra owners the opportunity to show off the goods and all the hard work they have put into their pleasure toys.
One of the more notable vehicles at the show was a dark blue MKIII, outfitted with a Japan-spec. 2.5-liter sequential turbo powerplant. Also at the show was a sweet, light purple MKIV, powered by a GReddy T78 turbo kit.