Dub Culture: Go Big Or Go Home

Trigger Warning: This post may upset anyone that views car modification as something that always needs to make logical or financial sense.

Redundant intro considering this lowrider series as a whole? Perhaps, but we’re about to veer further off the Speedhunters beaten path and I wanted to level set first. From this sentence on, the wheels get bigger and the cars get figuratively and literally louder.

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Vehicle styling has always been a subjective matter because style itself is subjective. Each of us so fiercely defend our own preferences that we often forget others have differing opinions.

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A friend of mine once changed my point of reference with a simple statement. ‘Not everything is for everyone.’

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Fittingly, that same friend spent a serious amount of time shooting for Rides magazine, a print magazine almost exclusively dedicated to cars like the ones featured in this post.

‘Dub’ styling has always existed an arm’s length away from the lowrider styling that captivates me. It contains many of the same elements of traditional lowriding, presented differently. As much as I’ve always found the genre a bit over the top, I do vividly remember the first time I saw a spinning wheel in person.

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It was on a BMW X5 that was was parked right beside a street-plated BMW E30 M3 with Dekra race number plates on its sides. Funny, I remember an older gentleman with a stock E46 M3 criticizing each for their taste in blasphemous modification.

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Of course, I’d be lying to you all if I tried to say a car with a door that opens downward isn’t at least partially over the top. But does that modification, among a host of others, mean this genre is worthy of an upturned nose?

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As a fan of chopped tops, body drops and suicide doors, it would be hypocritical of me to say yes. Personal tastes aside, can you honestly look at the car above and say you don’t see the talent involved? Can you also truly say you don’t see one detail that interests you, either aesthetically of mechanically?

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This car has crossed over into art, and as observers we’re each going to take something different away from it. Some of us might be drawn to its flaws, others its intricacies, and a handful may be offended by its extravagance. None are wrong and none make it any less artistic.

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Just like wheel fitment that goes down and out, big wheels were counted on to be a fad. It was given five years tops from early 2000 inception to now. The joke’s on us, because over 20 years later and I’d argue it’s only become a bigger genre.

Big wheel cars are now faster and more detailed than ever. Don’t believe me? Check out how many YouTubers are getting into big wheel racing, three years after we first dipped our toe into the pond.

I’m not going to sit here and say I understand every subset of this niche, but I can say I’ve matured to the point that I can respect it.

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I’d hope all of you are there too, but I know that’s a tall ask.

Making an Astro van into a show vehicle is as silly as taking a econobox sedan and making it a race car.  Oh wait, the latter is widely accepted, so why isn’t the former?

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In both instances the end result is miles way from what the factory ever intended. Nonetheless, each serve their purpose of bringing a smile to the owner’s face.

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The dedication employed here is admirable; this Astro has evolved significantly since its purchase 20 years ago. Early 2010 might have been my favorite version, but as the inscription on the door reads ‘The Game Isn’t Over Yet’.

Who really knows what safari this Astro may embark on next.

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For a variety of reasons, I wish I was at the TakeOver Super Show myself. I would have loved the opportunity to speak with the owners of these cars to gain some insight into how they became so heavily modified. Especially considering the wide variety of base vehicles.

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Is the entry ticket to this style of modification the same as every other? Does a simple wheel change give way to a truly slippery slope?

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A slope that leads to a fully engraved air strut with matching caliper and rotor hat? I’m guilty of some serious scope creep with my projects, but I’ve never gone quite this far. But maybe I’ve simply never been inspired as much as this individual?

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Before I draw this retrospective to a close, I’d like to touch on what I know some of you are dying to say: ‘These cars are a waste of money’.

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Fair point, there is a significant amount of legal tender sunk into this Lexus GS.

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So much so that there are references of it throughout the car’s elaborate show display. Custom wheels, paint, suspension, audio, interior… it all adds up, fast. I don’t think it’s ridiculous to assume the total is well into six figures.

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Is that a waste? Maybe, but is it any more of a waste than the same amount of time and money invested into a car that has the potential of hitting a wall its first time out? Food for thought…

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Passion can’t really be quantified, and as easy as it is to pick away at this section of car culture modification by modification, remember the quote I shared before: ‘Not everything is for everyone.’

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The passion these owners have for their vehicles is no less than the passion you have for yours.

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As nicely as it would be to end this series with that anecdote, I would like to ask, if there were another genre you wanted Speedhunters to explore that’s a little left field for us, what would it be?

As connoisseurs of all car cultures, enough is simply never enough.

Dave Thomas
Instagram: stanceiseverythingcom

Photos by Keiron Berndt
Instagram: keiron_berndt

20s Or Better
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1

My good friend used to say that in a decade, Dub culture will be able to make cars transformable to robots, like Transformers (only with more bling).

Thanks for the great article!

2

Mad nostalgia for Midnight Club 3. Love how crazy the details and ideas are.

3

DUB Edition

Author4

I might hook up my PS2 tonight...

5
Shaquille_Oatmeal097

This article is just so nostalgic to my old days of playing Midnight Club

Am I a huge fan of Dub culture? Not really, but there’s still a major respect that I have for it. The time, money, detail, and care that these guys put in their cars is immaculate. Great article Dave, and awesome photos Keiron!

6

Love it or hate it you got to appreciate the culture especially for the creativity and uniqueness

7

those drop down doors are awesome, that whole car is siiick! <3

8

People forget that a lot of the Dub scene came out of the lowrider Euro movement which took non American cars and gave them the lowrider treatment.

9

Really similar to the sex spec scene in Australia too

Author10

I wish more traditional Euro Lowriders were around (especially closer to me). And Bed Dancers, I have a weird obsession with those.

11

Makes me smile when I see a run of the mill Camary or Maxima or was that an Altima?, get some love. It just shows that you don't need a certain car to enjoy cars.

Author12

Yeah, that is what really made a few of these noteworthy to me. They are not special in their typical form.

13

The Mona Lisa is really just a piece of cloth, stretched over a wooden frame, with colored oil covering it. It's not what it is that's art, it's the work and talent that was put into creating it. These aren't just customized cars, they are works of art, and art is subjective.

Author14

Well said Matt!

15

This series has been awesome! If mini trucks are still a thing, I'd love to see a sweet series on their going's on today.

Author16

Minitrucks are still a thing. We have a scene out here in Ontario, but I think I might point Keiron at some of the larger US shows. Here's my last post about minitrucks:

http://www.speedhunters.com/2018/09/if-you-thought-mini-truckin-was-dead-think-again/

17

@Dave, please please do.

18

I love the lowrider and dub coverage, Speedhunters! I love this site so much because it documents the cutting edge of car customization, design, and culture. Many different styles make up that culture, and they are all equally are worth learning about. I personally am into performance-minded race and track style cars. I would love to see Speedhunters cover something I know little about- Rock Crawlers!

Author19

I'd be into learning about crawlers more. I know we have done some off road coverage before but there's always room for more!

20

Why do you need to explain posers, most of the articles on speed hunters are cars for attention sake just make the pictures and story interesting, not apologetic.

Author21

What are they posing at?

22

Dub Culture?
Yer bleedin hole you are!

23

I'd love to see some donk coverage. Watching Hoonigan build their donk has reignited my love for them because they make no sense but you can't deny the passion some folks have for them. Monster engines, huge wheels, and E.T.s in the 9 second range? It's ludicrous, funny, and amazing to see donks do what they do. As someone who loves anything automotive related I love reading articles about lowriders, donks, drift cars, off road trucks, and anything and everything in between.

24
Richard H Napitupulu

Man, It's been awhile since i've seen ordinary cars being modified all out like this since the early 2000s. Nowadays most people only go for cars that others have modified (nothing wrong with that though, but its kinda repetitive). Loving the beige Camry with big wheels and tribals

25
Garage Igirisu's

I'm not a fan of this kind of car mods but I'm still reading religiously through articles like these because I'm always keen to learn about something different than British sport cars and Mazda Roadster's.

These people have some of the sickest ideas when it comes to car mods.

Massive respect to everyone in that scene !

26

Love that you guys are highlighting different parts of car culture. I always try to see the enthusiast behind these types of cars. I may not love the end result for myself, but I absolutely appreciate the passion and dedication that goes into it.

Have you guys ever covered the "Slab" style cars from the Houston area? Some really outrageous builds out there!

Author27

Slabs are pretty wild. I don't thing swangers would go over well here but I have seen neon trunk set ups cross over!

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