The weather gods were pleased this year at the Nitto Tire Auto Enthusiast Day 2014. Overcast skies above and generally agreeable temperatures throughout the Saturday, August 2, 2014 event kept spirits high, as hundreds of enthusiasts of many stripes came down to the Los Angeles Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California to share in the joy of all things automotive.

Back in 2013, we were on site at the inaugural NTAED that Nitto hosted as a token of gratitude and celebration for reaching the 5,000,000-mark for Likes on its Facebook page. Free to the masses and featuring some of the best that Formula Drift driver Vaughn Gittin, Jr. had to offer, the day had more than enough fun to keep everyone’s minds from dwelling on the somewhat rainy climate.

This year, the ante was upped much higher, and placed a little earlier in the calendar date to forestall any chance of precipitation from dampening the good times. Suffice it to say, Nitto’s efforts were successful, as the over 6,000 spectators saw nary a droplet fall to the asphalt.

A mix of off-road trucks, hot rods, muscle cars, tuner imports, and more were on display, numbering well above 300. Camaros, BMWs, prerunner-style Ford F-150s, Jeeps, Focus STs–any nameplate with a pedigree in the realm of motoring was right there in the parking lot, hoods popped and sparkling clean.

Oh, The Cars!

Mixed among the off-road specimens at the show were massive number of cars as we know and love them: suspended close to the ground, mounted up with asphalt gripping low-profile tires, and sporting wild aesthetic styles.

Whether it was a scissor-doored Camaro, a bosuzoku Toyota Cressida, or a line-up of Dodge Darts, it seemed there was something for everyone. On one end, the fitted crowd could get their fix of any number of Hondas, Scions, and Nissans, while the more old-school chaps could score a look at some choice muscle cars, be they modern-day or classic examples.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. zips around the asphalt in his badass Mustang.

One thing everyone could agree on, however, was the high-octane action brought on by the likes of Vaughn Gittin, Jr. and his 2013 Mustang. Fitted with a set of Nitto’s NT05 tires, the V8-powered pony car makes well over 800 horsepower, and shreds rubber like you wouldn’t believe. All it took was one ride in the beast to find out what drifting was all about–harsh G-forces, tons of power, tough tires, and expert footwork.

Off-Road Rigs Steal The Spotlight

High in stature, the four-wheelers of the NTAED were like sequoias surrounding a field of low-cut grass. Off Road Evolution was out in force once again this year, bringing along a selection of its finest seven-slotted SUVs for exhibition. For 2014, however, it was the year of the truck, as we learned.

This race-bred F-150 was a welcome sight at the show. Owned and driven by Dean Schlingmann, it was on-site to showcase some of Injen Off-Road’s performance products.

One pickup in particular caught our eyes as we walked the grounds–a super clean Injen Off-Road-sponsored F-150 that was just the right amount of classic yet capable.

Owned and driven by Dean Schlingmann of Dean Schlingmann Motorsports (DSM), the truck is a race veteran, most recently competing in the 2014 Mint 400, where an unfortunate accident prevented Schlingmann from completing the race. Nevertheless, the truck is ready to compete again.

Elsewhere, we ran into Chris Begley of Luxury Prerunners and caught a look at this jaw-dropping monster truck, which was actually based on a 1967 F-250 chassis that had been given a 1999 F-150 body for a little bit of modern styling. Riding on gargantuan 46-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claws and given 16 inches of lift over stock ride height, it was the closest thing to a monster truck we had seen in the flesh for quite some time. (*Editor’s Note: Keep an eye out, as we’ll be running a feature on this bad boy in the near future!)

It goes without saying that if the 2013 NTAED was a home run, then the 2014 bash was a grand slam. It’s a good day when you can go out, score an exhilarating ride with a winning Formula Drift racer, chew the fat with some real car people, and even grab a free Jarritos soda pop on the way out. We at Off Road Xtreme would like to tip our hat to Nitto Tire and everyone else who made this day a success. We can’t wait until next year!

Left to right: Matt Field, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Matt Powers, and Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis pull off some epic drifting to close out an incredible day.