In Southern Cali last weekend, there were so many car events happening, I ended up shooting 3 car events within the two-day weekend, and I heard of a 4th, but couldn't make it there in time. Cool right? Southern Cali is all about car culture.
One of the shows we went to was the Spocom Show in Long Beach, which was put on by Pro-Motion, a large import parts distributor in City of Industry. I don't know why, but it was sooo incredibly hot in Long Beach this past weekend, even though we were right next to the water. That being said, I'm glad the show was inside the air conditioned Long Beach Convention Center, because I don't think many people would have been down to kill themselves walking around in the hot sun. Good thinking, Promo! Unfortunately though, the parking lot allocated for the show was pretty far from the actual venue, and even media people had to pay for parking. Nevertheless, it was a good event, and I'm sure we'll come back again for the next one.
Check out the photo above – this little kid is just my style! Starting em off young! He looks like he's deep in thought; I wonder which one he likes best? Haha, awesome.
There were quite a few cars parked outside the venue, like this EG Civic with Rays wheels and this Impreza with Enkei RPF1s, but it was too hot to take photos of them all… so I just thought I'd show you the most interesting ones.
This Evo looks pretty cool, and bears some exterior similarities to the Carbon Fiber Time Attack Evo from the UK that we featured on Speedhunters not too long ago. Click the link to check it out. Voltex seems to be the hot ish for Evos right now, everyone's getting down with their aero parts!
I thought this hood was pretty interesting – it reminds me of the customizable cellphone graphics that they sell in Japan. Do you guys like it? Or is it too fashion forward for you guys?
I liked the authentic GAB wheels on this EK Civic. I used to have some brand-new-in-box red GAB wheels, but ended up selling them dirt cheap to some Honda guy. So sad, wish I still had them, but I didn't have any more room to store them, and I didn't even have a car that would fit these at the time.
And even more unfortunately, some companies make fakes of these GAB wheels now, and some undiscerning Honda guys actually buy them and put them on their cars. It's times like this when I feel the need to quote the immortal words of Jay Bryan from JDM Ego, "Baby Jesus hates your fake wheels." Don't think we didn't notice, suckas. Be legit! We are bumming you out on the daily.
Ahhh, memories. I used to have 16×7 Sprint Hart CP-Rs also. I love these wheels!!! Suuuuuuuuuuper dope. I just wish the owner of this car would utilize some spacers to push them out a bit more. Very clean Civic though!
Ahhhh!!! I love orange wheels! I've been telling my friend Chris to put orange wheels on his Evo for quite some time now, but damn, it appears this Evo from Robispec beat him to the punch! It's okay, Chris still has the chance to use wheels with more aggressive offset. Still, I love how those Enkeis look in orange. Props to whoever owns this Evo! It looks dope with orange wheels. I think we better put some pressure on Chris to hurry up and finish off his car already.
Whaaa? This M3 is from Northern Cali – I could tell right away from the Mach III banner on the windshield, and the Jetspeed sticker on the side window! Wow, I had no idea Jetspeed was still around. Back in the day, I remember a blue Civic from Jetspeed getting up in all the magazines cause the magazine editors were all jocking Mary, the owner of the car. Glad to see the crew is still representing!
Although this isn't exactly an import car, alot of people were going crazy over the Tanaka Engineering Corvette, especially when we turned the headlights on and raised the hood to take photos! Dwight Tanaka was also nice enough to allow us to put Speedhunters flyers all over his car, thank you Dwight! Keep an eye out for this car in a future Speedhunters feature!
In the row of BMWs and Audis, almost all the cars were either black, white, or silver. I'm not quite sure, but see those moldings on the bottom of the Audi's door? Are those OEM or aftermarket? I don't know enough about Audis to comment on it.
Oh yeah, there were also a ton of Mercedes Benzes in attendance!
-Antonio Alvendia
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
moldings on audi's door are stock on S4
Antonio, the Voltex kit is the "ish" because nobody can't afford the HKS CT230R kit....lol, no I'm just kidding....(actually I'm not kidding....lol).
The white EG6 belongs to Stinkytofu, doesn't it?
Antonio
Why the hate on the knock off wheels?
I can see your point on a show car, rock the real deal and show it off! And in this contex, I agree with you, show cars need to have the nice show parts.
But for Grass roots guys, nothing beats a light and cheap knock off wheel. You can run it at the track, and if you manage to bust up the car, the wheel isnt going to cost you an arm and a leg to replace.
Had to toss those two cents in there! Regardless, great pics, nice coverage, and I love the Custom Hoods!
Because knock off wheels are for posers.
I wear knock off trainers... am I a bad person?
I didn't see you there Antonio.
I was working the VeilSide booth all weekend.
I see no pics of our cars. I'm gonna frown at you
We had a Fortune NSX in the booth and the brand new VeilSide STi that we did for Fast and Furious 4 outside. They had to swap parts from all 6 of the STi movie cars in order to make one that looked presentable. A lot of filming and a lot of stunts makes for some busted ass cars!
Rod: knockoff sneakers!? Is that like NYKE? or FUMA? if so, then yes. you might be a bad person.
Tom Edge: Thanks for the compliments on the coverage and pics! Normally the EA mothership makes me hold in my real thoughts and be politically correct on certain things, but when it comes to fake wheels, I need to put my foot down. I can't stand for that. Now I completely understand the need for inexpensive wheels for RACE cars, absolutely. So for something like that, I think why not buy a 5Zigen wheel, which certainly isnt a fake, but 5Zigen sets their pricing a bit lower than the baller companies like, let's say, SSR or Volk or RS Watanabe.
This being said, I believe it to be unconscionable (did i spell that right?) for Taiwan or Philippine wheel companies to blatantly copy wheel designs from another manufacturer, then change it by 10% and sell it dirt cheap as their own design. (For example, fake GABs, fake Mugens, fake SSR Mk-III)
However, the only instance where I let this rule slide kind of, is for the "banana-spoke" or mesh type wheels. Because banana spoke wheels have been around so long, and in so many different variations, it's really hard to pinpoint and lock it down. Panasport, Minilite, RS Watanabe all look close to the same, but with subtle differences. Panasport has a squared off "reverse lip" style outer lip, while RS Watanabe uses a stepped lip, and Minilites have a bigger center disk, and shorter spokes for the most part. However, there are tons of other companies who made banana style wheels, which i dont necessarily frown upon.... old school 3-piece look 13x8 Rota A8, Superlite, Alleycat, Black Racing, Enkei, Miata stock wheels, and even Konig Rewinds i suppose.
But fake Volks, fake Mugens, fake GABs? That's just not cool to me. I saw an R33 Skyline at Donington Park which had fake Rays wheels... when i got up close it said RAVS!!!! LOLLLLLLLL I was thinking, "you had enough money and presence of mind to buy a Skyline, but couldn't spend an extra $500 or 1000 to get decent wheels?" That's just a load of bollocks in't it? =)
The door moldings on the silver B6 Audi A4 are OEM S4 parts, we call them "door blades", and right underneath the door blades are Kerscher side skirts for the B6 Audi A4. I'm getting a set of CF S4 door blades on my own B7 Audi A4.
TRU DAT! TOTAL LOAD OF BOLLOCKS!
Knockoffs, fakes and copies are bad for the industry and bad for the hobby. They punish companies that spend money on R&D and, in some cases, are dangerous for drivers - especially on race vehicles! Just say no.
MUCH RESPECT S30ZK! hell yeah, couldnt have said it better myself.
I really like that hood, but I think it would only work on certain cars.
I'd like to see a hood, roof and trunk set =)
Agree completely with S30ZK.
However, how do you explain, or what do you think about cases like Andre' Hartano ? He's sponsored by Rota (yes,the Philippines knock off ish)....but he dominates Honda Challenge. If there is a guy that beats the living ish out of those Rota, that's him. Props to him. Even though I do agree that knock off ish does indeed ruin the industry and the hard work (R&D) that companies like Rays, WORK, 5Zigen and so forth put thru....
Then you have people like Jay Bryan (JDM ego) that are at the totally opposite spectrum of the scene. Rocking the best JDM stuff and being the best poser in the scene. (an example is his wife EVO which never saw a track in its life, and which will probably never see it either, considering those Volk Mag TE37, ARC plethora-goodies, HKS everything......which cost an arm and a leg, or his R34 Skyline).......so I ask myself, what's the point? What's the point of building a track-oriented car and bring it to a car show?.....
I remember reading some blog a while back about one of the rep. of Endless USA (I think his name was Kent or something). Anyway, he was pissed at the way this scene was evolving: "People rocking the best JDM parts money can buy, and not even bother to use them to their fullest." (eg. Endless brakes, Zeal coilvers and such)......it's a shame....but, oh well....
If you cant afford wheels, you cant afford anything
Cheap and light should never be used in a same sentence. Try lifting a forged wheel vs a cast wheel and tell me if they are the same lightness.
Like what Antonio said, if you cant afford it, at least get a quality one and not some knockoffs.
Knockoffs are worse than chromies. At least chromies are special lol
WOW! Nice pics Antonio.
About fake wheels... I use Work CR Kai's in my Skyline. Seen tons of Rota's fake versions that cost more than the real Work set from Japan. So why by fake?
I remind everyone sayings it out in JDMEGO's words: http://www.alien2nrs.com/blog/uploaded_images/IMG_2953-787196.jpg
Ooh, $hit... I have a fake JDM-plate, on my GT-R. Don't hate me
I don't get why people complain about people who buy expensive JDM parts and then don' track their cars. Some people just like to own that stuff and its good that they have enough common sense and respect for the industry that they buy the real deal. So what if they don't track their cars? Street cars with these exclusive parts are just as hella sexy as a full out race car with the same parts on them. Those same people would get laughed at if they just spent all their money on knock off parts to achieve the same look. How is Jay Bryan a poser? In my opinion, he and his girl are a couple of the few true to the street JDM car owners around. There is no shame in being true to the streets. I'd rather see a car fully decked out with JDM parts at a show than seeing a car with flame paint jobs and doors that open in every angle you can imagine.
Sits on S-line models here i Sweden..
Whoa! I just woke up - and apparently there has been alot of activity here on this post while I was asleep! I agree with Section09 on this particular statement:
I own a 1973 Corolla 1600 SR5 with a 2TG engine, that has almost everything TRD ever made for the car. Cams, pistons, rods, gear drive, adjustable camgears, valves, valve springs, flywheel, LSD, steering wheel, seats, etc. However, I don't bring this car out much. In fact, it probably sees sunlight less than 10 days a year. Does that make me a poser? I don't think so. I love my car, anyone who knows me will tell you that. However, I'm interested in the preservation of my car, since it's rare and there arent many left in the world. Especially with original paint like mine!
Same goes for my kouki AE86. I have a $3000 paint job, Kaaz LSD, DG5 coilover suspension, TRD seats, and aggressive offset wheels from Work, RS Watanabe, SSR, etc. I also own enough spare parts to make like 4 or 5 AE86s, including TRD close ratio transmission, HKS 5AG engine, flywheels, LSDs, etc.
But I haven't brought my AE86 to a track in at least 2 years. And I don't bring this particular car to Drift days or Speedtrials. Some people, even a certain owner of Club4AG has called ME a poser in the past, but I don't see it that way. I see myself as a preserver of the AE86. Think about it - with everyone making low budget, ghetto 86s, and drifting and crashing their AE86s all over the world, not many people out there have the mindset of preserving a good example of the car, which is what I've done, largely based on the advice and guidance from a good friend of mine, Ricky Silverio.
I built my car to the specs of what I like, with the parts that I like, because I can. And I see it as one of the best quality AE86 street cars I've seen in the USA, based on my own standards. I built my car to make myself happy, and nobody else.
Ask any of the other Speedhunters, or any of my real life friends.... I've been all over the place looking at the best cars Japan and the USA has to offer, and it's rare for me to really like something ALOT. But I like MY cars alot. And just because I only bring my TRD parts-laden mango (TE27) out less than 10 days a year, or because I don't bring my AE86 out as much as I'd like to... I don't think that makes me a poser. I'm just as dedicated as anyone else, and since I work in the industry, I'm around real world racing and professional drifting all the time. Alot of my closest friends are top ranked Formula D and D1 drivers, and I've been to more racetracks around the world than most people. I dont think that means I'm a poser.
And that being said, I don't think Jay Bryan or his girl are posers either. They've made some of the best daily driven street cars I've ever seen. Dude they street drive their cars! To me, building a fully done up car to drive on the street every day, is just as cool (or cooler) than building full race car that only sees the track 6-8 times a year. Their R34 and Evo sees more street action than MY cars, believe me. (Cause I have a Lexus that I use as a daily driver/beater, so my old school Toyotas don't get beat up anymore.) Even though I used to daily drive my kouki AE86, zenki AE86, and even the mango to work before....
Ok that's enough, I already wrote too much! The point is, just have fun with your cars, and try not to buy fake wheels! =)
Alex: In regards to the real race drivers sponsored by Rota in the Phils, that's a whole different story. It's hard, there are alot of loopholes in this wheels debate. I have mad respect for the guys competing in circuit racing in the Philippines, they are showing everyone what Hondas and Toyotas can do with some skilled drivers behind the wheel.
However, just because I may respect the drivers and the teams, doesn't mean I have to like their wheels necessarily. I tried not to single out companies by name, but I think these inexpensive wheel companies could make inexpensive wheels no matter what, because of the sheer size of their operation - they don't NEED to blatantly plagiarize other wheel companies' designs. That's just my opinion. It might cost a little more, but I'm sure they could hire someone to make some original designs, and make wheels just as inexpensive or close to it.
BTW: thanks for the props on the photos Domokun! About your CR Kais... haha Japan doesnt count man, because Japan is the land of finding cheap deals on REAL parts at up garage and secohan ichiba and stuff like that! you can bet I'm gonna be buying up alot of stuff on my next Japan trip!!! I always do, and I always go over budget. damn. LOL
the black EK and the blue coupe are from the hasback crew in cali. http://hasback.com/
Antonio and Section09...I picked up Jay Bryan (JDMego) as an example because his name popped out in your comment earlier, and I thought he would be a good candidate of what I described above (after also checking out his blog).
Why do I consider that type of person a poser? Like I said earlier, a guy named Kent (most likely very well known in the JDM industry here in the US) made a very clear point a while ago. Endless (just to pick a kickass company) produces one of the best braking system on earth....arguably......and when he says things like: "I can't tell you how many times I get on the phone with those JDM poser that want to get a set of Endless brakes just to slap them on their show cars, it makes me bad.".......words to live by.....Antonio
Why? Consider this. Endless puts TONS of R&D in their brakes just to provide you the very best possible system, and what do you do? You dust it off at the car show? Those brakes were designed and engineered to take the abuse of the track, over and over again. That's the way I see it. You're not paying respect toward a company that put so much sweat and efford into their products. All those high end JDM parts were designed exclusively to be used at the track....that's why they cost an arm and a leg....because those Japanese companies CAN back up their stuff with track-proven #'s. Ask any Japanese engineers and they will tell you so.......
Otherwise, company like Volk, why would they bother projecting wheels like the RE30? Or even signing up contract with F1 companies?....why bother if those wheels are gonna sit on a car-show?....that's something to be ashamed off.
Use those parts as they were meant to be used.
I picked up Andre Hartano earlier as an example......but I could have picked up Brian Lock and 'his' GST/ Goto GC8 Subaru, that car crunches some serious #'s.....yet it rides on Rota Torque wheels.
Again, I do not condone people using knock off ish, but whenever there is a kick ass driver behind the wheel, then those JDM fanatics seem to shut up and bow (read....brownie pointing).....because they just got owned by a guy that puts 1000 of hours in setting up their car for the track.....
In other words, respect a company for what they offer you.
An extreme example/ case would be the Ferrari FXX and its program Ferrari developed few years back exclusively for a very few fortunate Ferrari owners. Why do you think Ferrari wants their customers to bring back feedback from their FXX? To help them futher analyzing data and develop better products. Not to that extend Endless does the same thing, hoping that their loyal customers bring their car regularly to the track so they can feel first hand what a real braking system is capable of.
I can go on and on about this topic, and I do not intend to create an hostile environment about this issue, but that's how I see it, plain and simple.
Sorry if we don't agree.
Everyone gets to do what they want. That's the real joy of the car hobby - variety. Some people choose to build race cars that really pay their dues on the track for a living, other people choose to build shiny show cars with tens of thousands of dollars in JDM performance parts that will never see more action than rolling off the transporter into SEMA. Whatever, who gives a damn?
It may not be your personal taste, and yeah, there are plenty of "posers" in the car world (especially in LA)...but whatever. We all enjoy our cars for different reasons and there's really no reason to shit on someone because their tastes don't align with yours. Most of the cars pictured in this thread aren't my style, but you have to appreciate the work that went into them. It's not what I would build for myself, but I still appreciate the craftsmanship and sacrafice that it takes to build cars like these. Same goes for hot rods, rat rods, horseless carriages, Pebble Beach winners, and distasteful HIN show cars. At least some of them are good for a laugh for those of us "in the know".
As far as the knockoff situation goes, I agree that it sucks for the companies who spend the money to develop legitimate performance products, and then have their designs copied by those who market an inferior product done to lesser standards. But it's pretty much the name of the game and has been for ages....Panasports were a rip off of Minilites to begin with. The Japanese have been ripping things off for decades (although in Japan, they rip something off and their product is usually superior to the original!). Check out some Japanese car designs of the 60s and see how closely they resemble European designs.....Datsun 411 vs. Fiat 1500, '69 Toyota Corolla Sprinter vs. Fiat 850 Coupe....bollocks!
BTW, I don't know Jay Bryan and I've never seen his website in my life, but when your site is called "JDM Ego", I think that speaks for itself as far as placing him on a continuum of posers. But like I said, whatever floats your boat! We're all car guys, don't forget that. We enjoy our toys in our own ways and shouldn't have to endure a ration of shit because of it.
Dood, At the end of the day, Knock off's are knock off copy of an original idea garbage. They suck, I dont care if a guy beats D1, Formula D, Time attack, F1, Lemans, Brian O'conner, and Rally drivers in a super car tuned by every major tuner in the world and kicks everyones ass in any race possible. If the car has knock of shit on it, its sucks, plain and simple. ENDLESS or any company JDM or not shouldn't have employees that bitch about their customers taste. All companies no matter what they tell you, want to make MONEY. Anyone that will give a company money for something they make, the company will sell it to them. If you got enough knowledge and cash to buy ENDLESS, then you can do whatever you want with it. Track it, show it, or take it to the streets. If companies dont like that people are using their product for something its not intended for, like going to a car show for instance, then they should stop selling their items to certain people. You know that is unlikely to happen.
^ David, you should read more about Jay Bryan before assuming he's a poser. Some would say, if you dont know "JDM Ego" then you yourself are indeed a poser, haha.
Fun topic!
Yo... things are heating up on here fellas! Lemme just moderate real quick.
(LOL thats funny, cause my old school friends know I used to love stirring up a session like this a longggg time ago... HAHAHA about 10 yrs ago!) OK peep it.
SECTION09: Dude, David Swig is not a poser in any way. That guy doesn't even need to brag how real he keeps it. He's the organizer of Motoring J Style and he knows what's up, and certainly has good taste. And he has a good collection of vintage Nissans and Toyotas that could school tons of people's collections. Even italian cars, come on! (Although David, maybe you should let me design some better outfits for the MJS models to wear next year, haha! Don't worry, we can do something sexy enough to get us young guys excited and classy nuff so your parents dont disown you. LOL)
I do agree with Section09's statement saying no matter what companies tell you about keeping it real, if you buy the damn product, they will SELL it to you, even if it goes on a showcar or whatever. TRUE THAT i thought cha knew that!
DAVID SWIG: hold your horses there homie. calm down about the LA comments, you don't want me mentioning names of all the northern cali posers we've all seen. you know exactly who i'm talking about. of course i represent the bay cause that's where i'm from, but i'm in LA now and i know alot of people in this community. there are posers in ALL communities, even in Europe and in Japan. so let's not single out any one region!
btw David, I personally know Jay Bryan - he's my friend, and I stand behind him in saying he has good taste when it comes to car stuff and toys. I think if you two met, you guys would get along very well, cause you both like some of the same stuff... it's just that your background is a bit more proper and european car style, and his is a bit deeper in the whole industry of "JDM" and "Import" stuff. nevertheless, he is a tastemaker, and i respect him.
As a designer, Jay Bryan was behind the Muscle Machines JGTC cars replicas, some of the BEST quality, mass distributed, most affordable die casts i've ever seen in the USA. without a doubt. i wish i bought more of them, but i didn't buy too many, what an idiot i am. those things r collectors items now.
haha no heat man! Its just fun conversations! Really? I didn't know about David Swig yo! props for all you do D, tip my hat to ya. My comment about "poser" was a more general "you" than "you" directed towards David himself. Dont worry man, I'm not calling anyone a poser until i see them rock some official KO's!, haha.
Yes Posers are everywhere! I live in NYC, this is perhaps the capital city of posers in the usa lol.
As you know this is a major topic in our scene. It will probably never die because at one point, everyone is a noob.
ALEX: in regards to Kent from Endless and Jay Bryan. both of those guys are my personal friends. those guys are my boys, not just people on my myspace friends list and whatnot. they also know each other! so obviously i know Kent wouldn't be referring to people like Jay in his statements.
i'm saying this because of what both those guys represent - not just cause i'm trying to stand up for my boys.
first of all, regardless of what Kent might have said about selling Endless brakes to carshow guys.... i know Kent. and Kent is running a business. so no matter what, if he can make money of selling his super baller brakes to carshow guys, then he's gonna do it! no doubt! i think brands like Endless are like the Ferrari of brakes.
Ferrari spends all this money developing R&D, and racing in Le Mans, F1, etc.... so at the end of the day, their BRAND instills the "lust factor" and the recognition into the consumer so they can buy a high priced, well designed piece of italian machinery. and most of these consumers aren't hardcore racetrack fiends! they dont get their ferraris dirty, they baby those joints and cruise them along sunset blvd, beverly hills, newport beach, or south beach in miami... or they let them sit in the garage, out of sunlight and away from other cars, and take em out only on special days.
and if people DO track their ferraris hardcore, it's rare, and the majority of ferrari guys will think they're crazy for diminishing the value of their ferraris by getting rock chips, cracks in the bumper, etc.
so.... are the guys who buy the sophisticated pieces of italian machinery, just to have them sit int he garage posers? i dont think so, IF they are knowledgeable, or are a ferrari enthusiast and have a purpose for what they're doing. in this case, i think they just know what they want, and they want to preserve their cars.
however, for the actors or ball players who buy a ferrari just to have it as a "status symbol" then yeah, that's posing. word up.
BTW: for Volk...... dude come on. more Volks are used on showcars and street cars than on real race cars. we all know that. but guess what? street usage is actually more harsh and unforgiving than race usage.
Anyways Alex, i dont think anyone is creating a hostile environment about this issue..... i love the fact that you and guys like jblaine and section09 voice your opinions and post comments on stuff! that's what makes speedhunters fun!
as long as we dont go singling out people on personal attacks, especially when those peeps arent here to defend themselves.
that being said, i wonder why jay hasnt been participating in the speedhunters comments anyway.... jay, if you're reading this, POST UP SOMEWHERE DAMMIT!
Word to that Section09! Dude I was just in NYC a couple weeks ago, and almost got jumped by this older rican dude cause i was clowning the wack stolen stuff he and his crew were selling, and i took a photo of it! then he got up in my face and started beefin til the cops rolled up!!! for real, this was on canal street!! hahaha
and true that about everyone being a noob. you dont even wanna know what retarded wheels i had on my first car, at one point. oh hell no.
Well, some of you described the SoCal car-scene to be the mecca of the import. With that also come the fact that the % of posers is higher than any other places.....that's a given sorry.
I'm not calling out any name, or pointing out any finger at anyone in particular. Like I said earlier, I did mention Jay Bryan because it was brought up by Antonio. I personally don't know Jay, and I don't make any assumption.....but from what I've seen on his site, and they way he word himself.....let's just say that JDMego suits him well.......and maybe I am really wrong.....
I'll leave it at that.
As far as the Ferrari's owners comment: I really have no problem to say that some of them are real-true-genuine chumps......yes, I said chumps, posers. Regardless where they're located. Beverly Hills, LA, NYC, Europe, you name it. Ferrari are meants to be driven HARD....and if some of them are too pussy to take it to the track because scratches and chips and what not.....then I call them posers......you have the $$$ to buy a Ferrari, but don't have the $$$ to fix it? You are a poser.....(besides.....if you can own a Ferrari, you should definitely be able to own AT LEAST two other cars for commuting)....if you can't afford other cars than a Ferrari.....you're a chump.
See, here the problem is: cars became TOO MUCH of a status quo. If you drive a nice car, people think you're a baller (that's the perception of the majority of the people out there)....guess what? Some of those "wanna-be-a- baller" are so full of debts that they end up selling the car back to the dealer because they can't pay it off. That's poser to me. Finish to pay of your car, then mod. it (if you can afford it).
I have sooo many stories of people maxing out their credit cards and buying a shit load of JDM parts before even paying off the car.....that's poser to me....
Then again, it doesn't matter, it's only my opinion.
dude. i dunno, i dont agree with you on some of those points alex. cause if every ferrari guy who bought an F40 or F50 drove them hard at touge or at track events, and if most of the ferraris were all rock chipped and stuff like that, you'd have a bunch of ghetto ass ferraris rolling around. i dont feel that ferraris are meant to be driven hard all the time. i think that yeah, it's awesome to take it out to a track day and enjoy the capabilities of your car... but at the same time, there's alot more to enjoying a car than just hitting track days all the time. would you be down to buy a ferrari that's been resprayed a ton of times cause the previous owner was hardcore and kept tracking it nonstop? i dunno about that.
would you personally buy a ferrari (or any other kind of expensive car) or even an R34 for instance, and spend like 30K additional on all the aftermarket stuff, then tear it up, chipping the car and cracking the fiberglass while ur tracking it because you want to keep it real?
i think for honest bona fide race cars and race teams, then yeah that makes sense, and it's cool as hell. but for normal people with normal jobs, i just don't see too many people doing that. if you would personally do that, then that's cool, you get respect.
but for those people who build a car because they just like the car, and like to appreciate it for what it is... those people get my respect too. (as long as they did a good job building it obviously)
First of all, Ferrari owner should be "balling" enough not to track their Ferrari on the touge. Since they could pay easily entry fee's for a track day.
Antonio, you actually made a really good point. "normal people with normal jobs" should NOT own a Ferrari.
If you can barely mantain the fee's of a Ferrari, that means it's not the right car for ya.
Stop fooling yourself (not you Antonio)....just in general, stop fooling yourself if you don't have the $$$ to afford the body shop.....in case it gets scratched up.
Ferrari owner should be filthy rich to afford anything they want (or at least most of the stuff they want).....with that said, I would see a Ferrari owner drive a brand new M5 in the weekend and cruise down the street with his family and enjoy the car....if he feels like. I don't think this type of scenario is too off.
See, I lived my teen-ages in Switzerland (Europe), while growing up I was always surrounded by rich-filthy people with Diablo, Ferrari F355, Lamborghini Miura, Bugatti EB110, Maserati and the like. This people didn't give a damn about rock-chip. If the car got scratch, it was in the body-shop the next day. That's what I call those people real ballers.
Even people that own Mercedes have enough money to bring it to the body shop to get it fixed up right away if it gets scratched.
Here........I see plenty of fools that drive Mercedes (not fully payed off yet) and drive around with broken signal turn lights because they can't afford those damn expensive German OEM parts......those peeps are posers....
FYI, my friend works at a local Ferrari dealer (Kessel Racing).....one time he had to replace the rear spoiler of a F40.....guess how much? $40K just for the freaking spoiler, and that's not included the paint.
Again, if you can't afford it, don't be a poser, and live a low-key life like most of us.
I rather be able to afford a car I don't have to worry about fixing it up (because it would cost me little money, and have also enough money saved up to dump it in mods if I like).
Why do you think I drive a POS Civic EG that cost me $900? 'Cause I dump all my money into my race car....:-)
To each his own Antonio....it's ok you have your opinion, and stick to it!
Like you said, that's why this site is so awesome.
Uh, wow, had no idea I would start this! Fun debate though, and lets keep it friendly guys.
I think my point was made here by some of the other posters, but Ill reiterate to be perfectly clear.
I, like anyone who loves cars and the automotive industry, see knocks as bad for business for most companies. However, many people cannot justify spending the money on a Spoon/Volk/Mugen wheel for a weekend track car. Most guys running say, a 91 CRX, just will not have the money for this. However companies like Rota (lets use the obvious here) have a fairly well made inexpensive wheel for this guy to use with a good race tire and go out and enjoy his car with at the track. Because he cant afford a high end name, does that mean he should enjoy his vehicle less that anyone else? The person knows he is not getting the real deal, and the quality that comes along with those real deal parts, and they are fine with that. Once they have the money to step up, I urge them to do so and realize the quality and performance difference. I've never run into anyone lying about what they had, and fronting like it was somthing it wasnt, but from reading the above, its sounds like thats what most of you are refering to.
If you are rocking a Rota Slipstream and tell everyone that its the real deal Spoon wheel, yes, you are retarded. No question. If you built a low budget grass roots car and had to find a cheap wheel because its what you can afford at the time (Rota, 5Zigen, whatever), then get that wheel, go out and drive the balls off that car. Enjoy the car, thats what they are made for. Do not however, tell lies about what you have.
Again, I agree, on a show car, I want to see real deal parts, as show cars in my view are pallets to show off workmanship, love, passion, innovation, and originality. Show me the best of the best in this case. A race car, autocross, time attack, or other built vehicle, Im looking to see someone push the vehicle to its limits. Its limits will be MUCH higher with quality parts, but If the driver is out there to enjoy his vehicle, Im not going to knock the guy for picking up what he could afford to go out and have some fun racing.
This is an expensive hobby. Rather than make it "rich folks only" we should be appreciating even what those with less money can do with what they have. Remember, its often the poor boy innovation that leads to new theorys, parts, and technologys.
As a side note, just to really make the fan boys mad, just because its JDM, doesnt mean its a high quality part, but thats a whole other discussion ; )
Antonio, sorry for taking the focus away from what looks to have been a great show. Had no idea my comment would start a fire!
READERS DIGEST VERSION:
Show cars, I want to see real parts.
Race cars, I dont really care all that much, I want to see people driving the snot out of what they have.
Lying about your parts being original or name brand is weak.
Tom, I really enjoyed reading your point of view.....seriously. I couldn't agree with you more. If you don't have the cash (or not enough cash)....but like to take your CRX (or whatever low-budget car you might have) to the track.....and beat the living ish out of it....mage props to you.....
I also agree with the JDM issue you brought up, saying it is not necessarly the best ish. As a matter of fact, there are VERY well known American companies who make certain car-parts that far exceed the quality of certain JDM companies.
To your last point Alex, of course!!!! I think alot of the American made engine internals like forged pistons and rods far exceed the stuff made in Japan - why else would Japanese companies be outsourcing to US companies? Same thing goes for race radiators, etc. I do prefer the Japan made flywheels though. It depends on each part, in a case by case scenario. I still prefer real deal Japanese wheels, no matter what, although I can see your point Tom.
Antonio....whenever you have a chance, look up this small company: (maybe you've heard of it):
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/k-tech/products.html
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/k-tech/f20c.html
K Tech far exceed what Amercan company can produce, and think. As a matter of fact, their stroker kit for the F20 can spin the engine at 14,000 RPM. How many company do you know off that can produce stuff like this.
As far as JDM wheel, I totally agree. Flywheel and such, arguable.....Fidanza does make some kick ass components.......and as far as radiators go, ARC built them by hand....nuff said.....lol
Alex: K Tech looks pretty dope for Hondas, but it looks like they only specialize in Honda stuff. That's cool, but I was more referring to companies like Mahle and JE Pistons and stuff like that... Carillo rods. Top notch parts from American companies, that actually do OE work for people like TRD, Nismo, etc. Mad respect to them. I have never experienced an ARC radiator, but I think everything they make is pretty dope, I wish they made more stuff for my cars. However... speaking of flywheels... I did try out a Fidanza flywheel in one of my cars, and it was alot better than stock (Costs somewhere like 350 if I remember right). However, it doesn't even come close to the feeling of my Toda flywheels ($475 after $50 shipping) or ORC flywheel ($330 NEW Yahoo Jp homie hookup from my boy HerbrockOne from Cipher Garage) in my other cars. Not even close. But again, Fidanza flywheels are aluminum with an OEM style ring gear, whereas the Toda and ORC are fully machined cromoly. There's no comparing the two, they're different animals completely.
Before I start another all out screaming match. I should have been more clear about what I was saying about JDM parts.
I myself run Mugen wheels and Seats (yes, they are real) in my EF. A JDM Honda SI transmission with the equal length drive shaft. I have a HUGE amount of respect for many JDM companies and Tuners. Some of the most progressive and advanced technologies and tuning come from Japan.
Unfortunately, as many people in the Japanese car scene have come to realize, just because its JDM doesnt always mean its good stuff. On the flip side, the same could be said about many products from any origin. I was simply eluding to the fact that I have read many a "if its not JDM its crap" posts, and wanted to point out that crap products can come from anywhere. Be it the USA, Japan, Germany, or even China there are some great products, as well as some absolute garbage from each area. Learn about a product, dont buy on name alone!
Now that Im off my soap box, Ill refrain from starting another yelling match.
And Antonio, again, great article and sorry about steering the focus away from the event itself!
HAHA no problem Tom! I think it's very cool and interesting to hear everyone's opinions! Even though I don't always agree with them, I like hearing what people have to say! And on that note, I agree with your last post 100%!
Do you think the little chappy (top pic) is thinking " nice car" or "fit babes" or "look at all those tasty milk jugs" I'm only asking because they were my first thoughts.