Giving Daniel Ricciardo A Taste Of LA Car Culture
LA Car Culture

In recent years, I’ve been seeing quite a bit more car culture tourism. I get emails on a weekly basis asking about the places and shops that I visit in my Speedhunting travels, and I know Dino has it pretty bad too since he lives in Japan and many people from all over the world can only dream of checking out the roots of JDM car culture.

But what if you’re an F1 driver and you want to experience Los Angeles car culture?

If you’re Daniel Ricciardo, you hit up your friends at Donut Media and have them help plan out an amazing day of car culture in Southern California, the result of which can be seen in the clip above.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-2

Daniel is just like any other car guy, and for his short summer break he decided to hang out with his mates from back home in Australia. But instead of him going there, Daniel invited them out to Los Angeles for some fun in the sun. In true Speedhunters fashion, I tagged along for the ride.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-3

We started out in downtown LA at the ID Agency, who had arranged some nice lowriders for Daniel and his friends. The ID Agency is also the group who helped organize the Momo Rally I was on last year.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-4
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-7
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-9

I’ve hung out with racing drivers from all walks of life and motorsports disciplines, and Daniel was just like any other one of them.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-10

My buddy, James Kirkham from Donut Media, was also along for the fun.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-11

I brought over a copy of The Drive book for the guys to check out before the ride. I think they liked it.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-15

What amazed me was how genuinely happy Daniel was to be sitting in a car like this. He’s driven pretty much every exotic car under the sun, yet this was a completely new experience for him.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-16
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-17

Daniel was a happy man as he hit the hydraulics and bounced down the street. There is no escaping that signature smile.

Burritohunting
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-22

Our first stop was some authentic Mexican food in Boyle Heights at El Tepeyac Cafe, which is an East LA hotspot.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-23
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-24
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-25

Here Daniel was explaining how he had to make so many steering corrections just to keep the lowrider driving in a straight line. That’s all part of the fun, bud.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-29
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-30

While El Tepeyac is known for many things, its Monster Burrito is the signature dish.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-31
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-34

The cruising continued after lunch, and soon enough we were headed out to Beverly Hills.

Ultimate Garage
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-37

We entered a nondescript building on Rodeo Drive to check out Bruce Meyer’s personal collection of cars.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-38

Who would have known that a garage like this was hidden in the middle of Beverly Hills?!

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-39

This is seriously my absolute dream garage. Could life get any better than this?

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-40
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-41
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-42

I had no idea that Bruce’s collection included so many iconic cars.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-43

I watched him race this thing on the salt at Bonneville a few years back.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-44
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-56

This was actually one of Clark Gable’s personal cars.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-47

His luggage is still in there with the tags perfectly intact. How cool is that?!

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-48
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-53

There were so many impressive cars in the collection, but the 1979 Le Mans-winning Porsche 935 has to take the cake. Bruce once drove this car on the street from Beverly Hills to Culver City for the Luftgekühlt event.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-55
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-57

And check out this Le Mans-winning Corvette, still with tire marbles all over it and even the champagne stains from the winner’s circle.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-58
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-65

If you haven’t figured it out already, the theme of this collection is Le Mans-winning cars.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-66
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-67
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-68

The engine bay in this Bentley reminded me more of an intricate espresso machine than a combustion engine.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-69
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-74

Here’s Bruce showing us photos of time his friends pranked him by pretending to be the FBI and DEA as they confiscated the 935 he’d just bought. When you have billionaire friends, they will go through great lengths to play jokes.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-75

Of course, Daniel could not leave without driving at least one car from the collection, and Bruce brought out one of his many ’32 Fords for him to cruise around Rodeo Drive in.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-76
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-77

It blended in quite nicely, don’t you think?

Supercar Thrash
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-78

Our next stop was PZero World in West Los Angeles. This is basically the most high-end tire shop I have ever seen.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-79

The shop sell an assortment of wheels, but only Pirelli tires.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-80
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-81

You make think that only luxury and sportscars are welcome here, but in reality PZero World will fit and maintain any car with Pirelli tires.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-84

We stopped by for two reasons: one was for the espresso, the other was for the supercars.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-85

The last part of the tour was a run through the canyons after a drive up the coast, which of course meant we needed some suitable cars for the drive. Daniel’s friends picked up a McLaren 650S…

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-86

And Daniel himself got behind the wheel of a brand new Aston Martin Vanquish V12.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-87

Let me tell you guys, this GT car sounded awesome. Every time Daniel accelerated past us it was a pure V12 symphony.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-88
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-89

These suckers were thirsty though. Here’s my buddy Jacob Agajanian from Donut Media filling up the McLaren.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-90
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-91

See, F1 drivers are just like us!

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-92
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-93

I grew up around the Santa Monica area, so we had soon entered my old stomping grounds. Whenever me and my buddies needed to let off some steam we would head up to Malibu for some of the best canyon roads California has to offer.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-94
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-96

I decided to show Daniel one of the trickiest and twistiest canyon roads in the area, also known as Tuna Canyon Rd.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-97

The road is one way, and it descends all the way to the beach. It has over 100 tight and twisty corners for your motoring enjoyment.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-98
Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-99

While the McLaren and Aston are suited to more open roads, the boys still had a blast, and I think everyone had a chance to experience real Southern California car culture.

Larry_Chen_Daniel_Ricciardo_Speedhunters-100

It was cool to play tour guide for a day with Daniel and the Donut Media guys. Who knows, maybe one day the tables will turn and the Red Bull Racing F1 driver will show us a bit of Australian car culture.

Larry Chen
Instagram: larry_chen_foto
larry@speedhunters.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Comments



Comments are closed.

43 comments

by Oldest
by Best by Newest by Oldest
1
TarmacTerrorist

Lucky, lucky, ba$7ad.
The paint..... Oh lord the paint! However this report has ruined F1 coverage for ever for me.
Sky F1: paddock uncut:
"What did you do during the summer break Daniel?"
"Just hung out doing what 22 year olds do, you know"
... -_- sky F1 ladies and gentlemen, always with their fingers on the pulse.

2
90nissanS13@my350z

W
T
F

I was like that guy looks like Daniel Ricardo and then I read the title! LOL

3

RAD, massive photo essay! thank you

4

Larry the celebrity photographer at it again. Your job looks like such a blast!

5

THE KING!!!

6

My Uncle Connor recently got an almost new blue Audi Q7 by working part-time online. check my source


self34.comllll

7

Is that Estevan Oriol in the lowrider pic?

8

Edit: Watched the video after looking at the photos and answered my own question

9

That shot with the Used Cars sign and the two motos is so good it almost might replace the background on my phone from the long exposure one you took of Pikes Peak at dusk.

10

So many goans of pleasure over here from that collection. Dude has exquisite taste in cars.

11

Amazing collection of cars and I love the pic of the yellow Carrera.

12

Were you driving your Ole Orange Bang while covering this story, Larry? Hahaha!

13

as Rosa answered I'm stunned that anybody can get paid $9800 in 4 weeks on the computer .see it here=====net.pro70­­.ℭomllllllll

14

my Aunty Leah got metallic Hyundai Tucson SUV by working part-time from a laptop. look at this now
---------->>work.jobss1.comᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵ

15

Awesome post Larry. You have once again outdone yourself with the photos.
Thank you.

16

Of course Daniel had an Aston Martin. Always working, even when on holiday. Can't wait to see the Aston Martin/red bull Nebula when its released.

17

Really cool story Larry, great photos as always!! Of all the F1 drivers right now, Ricci seems the most down to earth and actually seems like a car guy, unlike some of the others.
Larry, special request. Any chance you can use your super powers to get Ricciardo into a drift car? Would make a interesting feature!!

18

D1RGE EXE i read moans

19

Great stuff Larry, confirms Daniel is such a cool dude and not overly far removed from the rest of us...except for the driving skills, of course...lol!

20

!!!!!!!!!!

21

my bro just got a new sports bike by work in online job.
see it here=====jobocean3­­.ℭomllllllll

22

My Uncle Harrison got a nice 6 month old Mercedes C-Class Coupe by working parttime off of a laptop... check out here
--------->>>      4hourrich.comᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵ

23

as Kevin responded I'm stunned that a mother able to profit $9250 in four weeks on the internet . hop over to here
see it here=====richnow9­­.ℭomllllllll

24

as Gregory answered I am inspired that a person can make $9079 in 4 weeks on the computer . have a peek at this websitesee it here=====max34.ℭomllllllll

25

Nice write up and video. I think Ricciardo would be cool to hang out with. That Aston sounds mean! But if I had to choose just one car to drive away it would have to be the black Gullwing in Meyer's garage.

26

Loved the article. Daniel Ricciardo has that magnetic smile that seems so genuine. And so nice to see a lot of familiar scenery as this is my backyard also. I'm sure there are some amazing roads in Australia. Would love to see some of those!

27

like Gloria implied I am stunned that anybody able to earn $9843 in one month on the internet .see it here=====net.pro70­­.ℭomllllllll

28

nice

29

as April replied I didn't know that anybody able to profit $4512 in a few weeks on the computer . Look At This
see it here=====jobocean3­­.ℭomllllllll

30

just as Sherry replied I can't believe that anyone can get paid $6874 in a few weeks on the internet . try this out
❥ ❥ ❥ ❥ ➥ ➥  ➥  http://tinyurl.com/z374j9f

31

what Jamie answered I'm stunned that any body able to earn $4728 in four weeks on the internet . see it here=====max34.ℭomllllllll

32

My Uncle Ryan got an almost new green Mercedes CLS-Class CLS63 AMG by working online at home... see this site ......5newtime.comᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵ

33

my neighbor recently purchased a superb Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan just by some part-time working online with a pc... see here now............richway3.comᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵᴵ

34

Very cool article. I wonder what Daniels thoughts on Tuna were. Not the coolest thing in the world naming one of the Santa Monicas hidden gems, but I suppose there isn't too much harm in it. I would imagine those cars felt rather large going down the hill.

35

tuna canyon hit the big time

36

my Aunty Charlotte just got a 2012 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagon just by parttime work from a laptop... over here
see it here=====Earn.pro70.comllllllll

37

my Aunty Audrey got red Lincoln only from parttime off a computer... look here

...........  http://goo.gl/zmRRpY

38

my Aunty Audrey got red Lincoln only from parttime off a computer... look here

...........  http://goo.gl/zmRRpY

39

what Alan answered I am amazed that a person able to make $7615 in four weeks on the internet


http://tinyurl.com/jobss11

40

just as Dale replied I'm dazzled that a mom able to make $7293 in four weeks on the computer . view it now---------->> http://tiny.tw/3po4

41

http://dochoitinhduc4u.com/am-dao-gia-cao-cap-b1255169.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://dochoitinhduc4u.com/am-dao-gia-cao-cap-b1255169.html cho men and http://dochoitinhduc4u.com/sextoy-cho-nu/m9590.html" rel="dofollow" target="_blank">http://dochoitinhduc4u.com/sextoy-cho-nu/m9590.html for men. Read more at http://dochoitinhduc4u.com/

42

helo

43

my stepmother got a fantastic black Infinite G Coupe just by part time work from a mac-book air. 


see it here.............  


http://tinyurl.com/jobsonline7

OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS