Satuday was very busy!  For the first day the weather was finally pretty good, too.  A number of people took advantage of this and got up early to wash their cars.   There are a lot of pictures on this page so it will take a while to load unless you have a high speed Internet connection.

Click on any image for a high-resolution version.

The day started with technical seminars and demonstrations at both Acura of Columbus and Lindsay Acura (the same seminars were given at both dealers).

Several cars are lined up at the dealer.  Tim Smith pilots the supercharged, body-kit clad Comptech in the background.  It didn't take long for a number of police to show up and hang out along the road...

Shown here is Gary Milgrom demonstrating proper techniques for detailing a car.   All the detailing products on the table in the foreground were generously donated by Zymol and given out to all attendees. 

Tasman Motorsports brought a very impressive piece of equipment, too.  1,500 pounds and over 800 HP - definately not for the timid!

Unfortunately nobody got to take it out for a spin around the block, though with the number of cops that seemed to take quite an interest in the numberous test drives people took in Dave Davis and Doug Hayashi's super-charged and super-modified cars, it's probably for the best!

The Comptech car in the foreground and an Integra Type-R in the background.  Several people took the -R for a spin too; it's a lot louder than I expected and everyone who drive it said it was a blast.  

Here's one of the few convertable NSXs out there.  It's a retractable soft-top with a fiberglass cover.   It looks pretty sharp with the top down, but safety and chassis rigidity are questionable in my mind.  This car is also turbo charged and had a Comptech exhaust and Momo Arrow wheels.

Speed Measurement Labratories gave a seminar on radar and laser speed enforcement and countermeasures.   He let us try out various equipment; a couple people tested their detectors and jammers, others clocked cars as the drove past. 

I clocked the side wall of the Acura dealership at 2 MPH with a state of the art laser gun... Fight those tickets!

After the dealer seminars we headed into Columbus for a lunch reception, vendor booths, and more technical seminars.

Driving through downtown Columbus on the way to the Columbus Athenaeum where most of us would spend the rest of the day.  It's a shame we spent most of the day inside on the first day it didn't rain.   Hopefully it will be nice tomorrow too!

Parked downtown with the Athenaeum in the background on the left.  Built in 1898, the Athenaeum is a former Masonic Temple.  It was recently saved from the wrecking ball and is being restored into a modern conference and special events center.

Pierre Kleinubing (right) and Peter Cunningham (left),of the Realtime Racing Comptech Acura racing teams autograph complimentary T-shirts and posters for NSXPO participants.  Pierre drove the Integra Type R to a 1995 Brazilian Touring Car Championship and of course Peter is a five-time SCCA racing champion in the NSX.

The always personable and helpful Kent Shepley of American Honda gave a fascinating technical seminar on the structure, safety, and repairability of the NSX.

He had a number of slides (such as the one shown here) and stories which just about brought tears to the eyes of many attendees!

I took this backwards and one-handed while driving back to the hotel from downtown Columbus. As a result, some people might call it "a little jittery."   I personally prefer to call it "artistic."  

Stay Tuned For More Tomorrow!