So who gets to be a Speedhunter anyway? Is it for professional automotive photographers only? Do you have to own a several SLR cameras and a hard-case full of lenses to come out and play?
Or is this photograph also Speedhunting? Is it the image quality or the intention that counts?
If you want an objective answer to these questions just try this little test. Head over to web.stagram.com and put in the search for the hashtag #Speedhunters. The result will show you around 5,000 images, most of which were not made by the Speedhunters crew.
I think this says a lot. There are a lot of people running around shooting cars, auto events and build projects who are hashtagging them up Speedhunters-style but who are not members of our editorial staff.
So with this in mind we’re going to open the doors to get more of your automotive photography showcased on Speedhunters. Much like the #FeatureThis program where you submit your cars for showcasing, this will be for your automotive photographs. Using the tag #IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER, you will have the chance to showcase your Speedhunting skills to the rest of the audience. You’ll be able to send in event photos, feature shots and even internet-sourced images (as long as you know the credit) and we’ll pick our favourite shots to showcase each week.
So if you have a local event you really want to showcase on Speedhunters, or an amazing shot of a car you want to share with the world, there is finally an official photography submission process with us. Just be warned that we are going to be judging all the submissions for photographic quality, so you need to make sure you are sending us your best shots! Only the highest quality images will get shown. We’ll give you more instructions next week when we officially roll out the #IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER program. Stay tuned for more details.
In other news I need to apologize to any Porsche fans who were waiting for our Kremer tour to go live.
We decided last minute that we are going to run a Porsche 911 day on September 11th and have held on to these stories just a wee bit longer.
You’ll get to see Sean Klingelhoefer’s shoot with this original K3 specimen…
…as well as send in questions for us to put to Nakai-san from RWB.
We are also going to see just how many Speedhunters readers own 911 models and ask you to send in shots of your cars to help celebrate the day. There may be five of you, or there may be 500 – but whatever the case, we want to see those Porsches!
So what’s in store for our event coverage this month?
First off, Larry Chen and I will be stopping by at Edition 38 to check out the latest and greatest from the UK V-Dub scene.
Larry and I are by no means insiders in this community, but we plan to meet up with some of the Edition 38 crew to show us around and give insights.
I’m very curious as to what kind of state Fredric is going to be in this Sunday, given his amazing result in Las Vegas last weekend. I’m sure he’ll be walking on air!
I’m also very excited to introduce Larry Chen to the UK and Irish drift scenes. Larry is drifting’s number one fan, and it will be quite interesting to see how he reacts to both the British Drift Championship at Trax and Prodrift at Japfest.
I didn’t realize this until yesterday, but reigning Formula D champion Dai Yoshihara is also heading over to Ireland next weekend.
He didn’t seem 100% at one with his Altezza last year, but perhaps this time round the set-up will be more functional for him. I’m sure the Prodrift audience will be in for a real treat.
There was also a good British component at Mondello Park last year, and I’m hearing there will be a contingent coming out yet again. It will be a nice end to the Irish drift season.
As always we will have a big team on hand to bring you daily reports from Darren and Fredric’s little UK-Ireland drift tour, starting with a report from Ross I’Anson coming up shortly.
The same weekend that Fredric and Darren will be attacking the Mondello Park course in Ireland, Jonathan Moore will be taking in his first Gatebil event in Norway. For those of you who don’t know, this is the a smaller version of the big summer Gatebil festival. It’s also held at Rudskogen, but is a far more chilled-out affair.
We know you guys love Gatebil, so we just had to come back out to check out the Fall event!
Jonathan will only have a few days to get his Gatebil event stories written up before it will be time to head out to the Goodwood Revival.
This is one of our favourite retro events of the year, celebrating everything that’s fine and good about international racing history.
However if it’s Japanese history that more tickles your fancy, then we will also be bringing you coverage of the JCCS direct from Long Beach, California.
It’s going to be Sean Klingelhoefer who will be writing up the coverage this year for us, and I’m sure you’ll be as interested as I am to hear his views of the show.
The weekend of September 15-16 is looking to be rammed with events… Mike Garrett will be up in California covering Billetproof.
This is one of those must-see events where traditional rod and customs collide with rat-a-stic-ness and rockabilism. We’ll see what kind of crazy creations that Mike can dig up at the show.
And that same weekend Dino will be out at the R’s Meet.
I think you know what this event is all about…
Long live the cult of the GT-R!
And yes we are still talking about the weekend of September 15th-16 here… there is one more event for us to cover: the Players Show.
I’m sure that like me you have an undying need to know what’s going down in the UK street car scene, and this is the show that brings together a nice eclectic mix in one spot. Watch for Paddy McGrath’s reports.
We’ll end the month with full coverage one of Australia’s coolest events: the Jamboree.
It will be our NZ Editor, Brad Lord who will be flying over to Brisbane from Auckland to shoot the proceedings. The NZ-Australian drag racing scene is one of the most interesting ones on the planet, especially if you love old JDM tin. I await Brad’s reports in earnest!
We also have an unusual event coming up in the US, one that we just couldn’t miss. The World Touring Car Championship is going to be coming to Sear’s Point Infineon Raceway at the end of September.
We’re very curious how this style of racing will be digested in the great U S of A, so will be sending Sean Klingelhoefer and Larry Chen along to capture the proceedings.
We also will be picking up another UK Time Attack event this month – this time the season finale at the Snetterton circuit.
The UK Time Attack series is of course one of the most developed of its kind in the world, so it’s only befitting that we check out this scene once more before the motorsports season draws to a close.
I haven’t of course revealed all our plans here, you will just need to stay tuned to see what goes down!
And as always we will be packing in a whole ton of crazy car features this month.
We really don’t have boundaries when it comes to car features. As long as it’s cool and interesting we’ll shoot it.
Finally I need to quickly address the subject of ‘knock-off parts’ which heated up yesterday. Late last year, Speedhunters management introduced a policy of avoiding modified style cars which utilize knock-off parts, especially in the wheel department. We have rejected several potential features in the past year because of this. Unfortunately, the S2000 Feature story slipped through the net and was the ignition which started a messy flame war on the site yesterday. So we have taken the decision to remove this post and re-examine our editorial process further. I want to apologize to anyone who was annoyed or irritated by the resultant flaming. We hope this puts to rest this issue.
Okay, that’s it from me. I have a big drift event to attend tomorrow at a certain Silverstone Circuit. I hope to see our British readers out at Trax!
Talk soon,
:Rod
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
and here i thought you owned a patent on the word [speedhunters] and were announcing a lawsuit
I personally appriciate you taking the time to address the "knock-off parts" issue and for making it a point to not allow a low caliber car to grace the pages off your website. I for one look to this site for inspiration as I move forward with my project cars. I also look to this site to see the constant evolution of the industry we all love so much. I'm sure you are aware but speedhunters inspires everyone on a daily basis to continue to evolve their own cars and push the boundaries of what can be achieved on four wheels. I want to thank you again for listening to your fans and making this site the best it can be!!
I too wholeheartedly support Speedhunter's decision to blacklist builds that feature replica wheels. Even purpose built track cars (like the Wexican Motorsports Altezza, pictured on THIS VERY PAGE that rolls on Rotas as listed here: http://www.speedhunters.com/2010/11/car_feature_gt_gt_a_recessionary_tale/) should be BANNED and all posts featuring them should be removed. It's disgraceful seeing replica cast wheels on this website when legitimate forged wheels are so slightly better! It's obvious that "hellaflush" and "stance" style cars are much faster and deserve more respect than the Wexican Altezza and cars of their ilk with their sub-optimal suspension setups because their owners could afford a set of name brand wheels! Therefore, I demand that Speedhunters remove the Wexican Motorsport feature (KNOCK OFF PARTS MUST DIE, F*CK YOUR FAKE WHEELS!) and all other cars that feature knock off parts. NAME BRAND OR DEATH!
@MPistol We are all Speedhunters.
hey guys.
Would you happen to have any tips on how to actually get better at motorsport photography?
cheers.
You should slash our infineon raceway, and put Race Sonoma. Since its no longer called infineon either.
Looking forward to everything coming up.
Looking forward to WTCC & Jamboree coverage. Although giving the guys who called the owner of that S2000 and anyone who disagreed with him a 'f"g' what they want shows a pretty big lack of backbone. I'm talking about you @dan1407 .
Jeroen, are you at the DUMPd meeting?
Maybe i can get a SH sticker.
I honestly believe the ban on "replica" parts is driven purely by fashion bias. No different to having a good looking shirt that a few snigger at because it isn't a name brand item.
What percentage of similarity of an item is deemed to make it a replica? Who has the patent on wheels with spokes?
I cant see WTCC going down to well in USA. The Chevy's just run away with it. It's abit boring really, and the best of the rest is not that good either.
Anyway, has it really been a year since the players show?
If you have a porsche like that, why would you hire a drunk four year old for the welding work?
Talking about #IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER, I don't have instagram nor Twitter, so is there another way to take part on this program?
i neeeeeeeed that 4ag pic in wallpaper size...thank you...
@jonas maurstad didn't notice that until i looked at the cage. that's scary bad welding.
@dan1407 Regardless, the way you replied to things in that thread should certainly not be tollerated, like a kid who throws a hissyfit when someone disagrees. Absolutely ridiculous.
speedhunter is what you make of it, I am always snaping pictures of cool auto stuff with my iphone, because it's always with me and unintrusive. I bring a camera along to shows/races, but still use my iphone too.
can't wait to submit photos.
@Roberto_Roy_Londero I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you emailed them
@MPistol Thank God they aren't suing everybody, like Apple is.
Wow, so that's why the turbo s2000 got taken down? Unbelievable... stupid hellaflush JDM fanboys, all you guys care about is having brand name wheels and stance. GTFO. knock off brands are used by racing teams all over the world... I guess those cars arent feature worthy anymore, are they?
This is a whole new level of low, especially for the person who decide to take down that feature. I am dissapointed in you speedhunters
Wow...super dissapointed in Speedhunters. Since when did name brands have anything to do with how enjoyable a car is? Stupid how this is all aimed at WHEELS. Sorry not everyone can afford a set of 3-4k dollar wheels. I'd rather buy knock offs and put the majority of that into my engine, drivetrain and suspension anyways since my own car is a daily. You need to quit being the Super Street of the internet and dig up the most hardcore daily drivers you can find...this site keeps going downhill with it's coverage year after year.
@jonas maurstad Being a welder by trade i learned that a nice looking weld isn't necessarily a good weld. What often matters more is material penetration and a solid bond between the materials.
NOTE: Please make sure you only use original manufacturer parts, and or an aftermarket company with ORIGINAL design and R&D ONLY. Do not use hoses or such parts that are from developing countries. MADE IN JAPAN, no problem. Now this here is a recipe for full coverage on Speedhunters. Cheers!
Hahaha, I guess that means no more BDC coverage on here then? What's your reason for having this 'no replicas' policy? Will that spread to replica race cars and unofficial kit cars? Cars with homemade Louis Vuitton or Bride interiors?
@AndersHaugen @jonas maurstad
Right, but I still don't see any weld penetration in that pic. What do they say? "If you can't weld good, weld a lot!"
Saw that Dodge at Car and Coffee yesterday, I kind of love it. I am sad I won't get to Billetproof, but JCCS is a good consolation prize.
@Mseries Technically there are lots of parts from Japan that aren't original designs with any R&D. Hell even SSR and Rays were knocking off BBS in the beginning. Just food for thought.
For the #IAMTHESPEEDHUNTER program, would it be possible to include a way of submitting for those of us who dislike the whole Instagram/Twitter fad? I think it's a decent idea, but I don't use either & would like to be able to submit another way. . .
@JayPearson Use @Speedhunters on Facebook.
Or SH crew make another page called @I Am The Speedhunters.
I would suggest use @Speedhunters on Facebook. or SH crew make another page called @I Am The Speedhunters.
@jonas maurstad Lol!!! yeah maybe they had one too many Jagers....! > <
awesome! you guys going to Japfest as well?! Sweet maybe ill see you there as well hopefully!
was nice meeting you guys at Trax! made going to the show worth it! :p
Off of something everything is knocked off.
Speedhunters FTW!
I love speed hunters. Everyday I log on and get the goodness. Do you have a donations account?
i am an avid speedhunters reader, and a supporter; that being said i disagree with your choice to only deal with branded parts.
I dont think the WTCC will get much coverage in US. There has been absolutely no publicity for the event, probably as Eurosport are the media partners for the series. You would expect Chevy or Ford to have promoted it but it hasn't happened. I suspec with Chevy pulling out at the end of the year, they don't want to draw attention to it.btw- Its Sonoma Raceway now, not Infenion, or....alas Sears Point. Fantastic cirucit and truly awesome Jim Russell Driving School there
I would like to say something about these so-called "knock-off parts", hopefully in a way that I'm not offending anyone.
It's sad to see that even Speedhunters does a distinction like that now, I wasn't aware that this is the case for so long already.
Anyway, to the point, it's very important to keep in mind that these "knock-off" wheels manufacturers are providing for a certain part of the market: these wheels are CAST and not the same, and not as expensive to manufacture as FORGED wheels, such as RAYS. You get what you pay for.
The only thing the makers can be blamed for is copying a popular design, which however can be argued against in many ways:
Why does it bother some people even though it looks good? Isn't that was matters, especially on stanced cars?
Are you sure it's because of all the R&D the original wheels manufacturers have put into? Or is it actually because people like to express that they are superior for buying a more expensive set of shoes?
I tell you what, if it is REALLY about R&D, here is what people should wonder before sharing any negative thoughts.
Is the R&D really the same for CAST and FORGED wheels? (which is the major difference between RAYS and ROTA for example)
Here is what RAYS and co. could do if they really wanted ROTA and the others to be out of business: Make a CAST version of their forged wheels. In case you didn't know RAYS actually makes some CAST wheels, like the 57D, which are very reasonably priced, and are not "knocked off" (ROTA boost are RG-II design which are FORGED in original form). Same reason why ROTA doesnt copy the design of a Work XD9, because they are CAST and being sold for a reasonable price. Oh did I mention i've seen cracked XD9's before? But i'll get back to that in a bit. Before you say anyhting, ROTA Fighter are CE28 copies, a FORGED wheel.
If RAYS would compete on the same part of the market as ROTA, it's very obvious what people would buy. Also given it would be as easy to get a set of RAYS, which it isn't, trust me - getting them in Germany is hell.
However, Rays does not care to compete for different reasons, which is their reputation. It's easy to keep your rep shiny as a FORGED wheels manufacturer compared to a CAST wheel maker. FORGED construction enables to make wheels lighter and they don't break under stress, they BEND. CAST metals have different attributes and due to the nature of it's structure they crack. However, most CAST wheels are manufactured to standards: a XD9 will break the same way as a 57D or a ROTA Grid. This will 99% of all cases not happen if you don't exactly hit potholes every few meters and put the wheels under unnatural stress.
Also did you know that the SAME set of TE37 sold in the US for 3300 Dollar costs you 4100 dollar in Europe? That is messed up.
To the less technical side of things;
Unfortunately wheels have become main target for very simple reasons, they're the most obvious part of any car when changed, combined with humanity's urge to argue, for the sake of arguing.
I's also very interesting to see how different parts of the world and different scenes react to these things (not only wheels).
In the UK barely anyone gives a **** what wheel brand you run and they appreciate it.
On the EvoM forums you get almost kicked off when you just mention "stretch".
And in Germany you can GTFO if you drive anything but a German car.
It saddens me to see Speedhunters doing the same kind of distinction, even though I thought everything was appreciated and respected here.
That would also mean that machines like the following would have no place here:
http://www.speedhunters.com/2009/04/car_feature_gt_gt_shane_lynch_japspeed_stobart_maxxis_s15/
http://www.speedhunters.com/2011/10/car_spotlight_gt_gt_track_culture_86/
CAST wheels clearly have a huge price advantage and are the choice of many motorsports teams with a budget.
TL;DR You get what you pay for, there is NOTHING wrong with CAST wheels. Consider yourself fortunate if you can afford a FORGED set
I run RAYS TE37SL and I like ALL wheels mentioned above.
Speedhunters crew and readers, please reconsider and have some common sense.
Easily the best and most well thought out piece written in the whole debate, nice one
Hello speedhunters, are you trying to tell us you are becoming some kind of fashion slaves from now?
I agree completely, though I don't have much knowledge on wheels as I'm quite new to being an enthusiast of cars.
I'm going for those I linked to, or same design with other color/colors, but not much more expensive.
Are these "knock-offs"? http://www.jhpusa.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=9079&idcategory=623#detailsI guess they are, but what are the original ones? Just curious about the price
Also, I have to ship them to Norway, which almost doubles my price. Finding wheels (good looking or not) that fit my car without spacers that don't cost a fortune is hell here (ET0-15, 15x6,5-7, 4x114.3). If anyone has suggestions to something closer to or in Norway, please let me know =)
Also, I have to ship them to Norway, which almost doubles my price. Finding wheels (good looking or not) that fit my car without spacers that don't cost a fortune is hell here (ET0-15, 15x6,5-7, 4x114.3). If anyone has suggestions to something closer to or in Norway, please let me know =)
@AlexanderEvensen It's funny that you would mention König wheels, they are one of the more reputable manufacturers that copy designs. They don't tend to be as badmouthed as ROTA or VarrsToen for unkown reasons, even though they are known to copy wheels like you've posted above which original design comes from Watanabe and wheels like the RAYS RE30 or Work Meister.
So here is the even funnier thing about it, König wheels are featured in multiple NEED FOR SPEED games.
Let me make this easy for some people: SPEEDHUNTERS -> NEED FOR SPEED -> König wheels?! Damn.
We've just established Speedhunters features NFS stuff and several NFS games feature König wheels that DO MAKE your socalled "knock-offs" What does that mean for the Speedhunters/NFS relationship?
Please note, don't be carried away by my sarcasm. I don't like people calling wheels "knock-offs" or "fakes", they exist because there is a market for them as explained above with several arguments.
Again, I hope the speedhunters crew comes to realize that SPEEDHUNTERS shouldnt be another blingblingFATLACE. (I don't dislike fatlace nor do I dislike cast wheels)
@AlexanderEvensen It's funny that you would mention König wheels, they are one of the more reputable manufacturers that copy designs. They don't tend to be as badmouthed as ROTA or VarrsToen for unkown reasons, even though they are known to copy wheels like you've posted above which original design comes from Watanabe and wheels like the RAYS RE30 or Work Meister.
So here is the even funnier thing about it, König wheels are featured in multiple NEED FOR SPEED games.
Let me make this easy for some people: SPEEDHUNTERS -> NEED FOR SPEED -> König wheels?! Damn.
We've just established Speedhunters features NFS stuff and several NFS games feature König wheels that DO MAKE your socalled "knock-offs" What does that mean for the Speedhunters/NFS relationship?
Please note, don't be carried away by my sarcasm. I don't like people calling wheels "knock-offs" or "fakes", they exist because there is a market for them as explained above with several arguments.
Again, I hope the speedhunters crew comes to realize that SPEEDHUNTERS shouldnt be another blingblingFATLACE. (I don't dislike fatlace nor do I dislike cast wheels)
Thank you for the answer, I'll have a look at those wheels you mentioned
Thank you for the answer, I'll have a look at those wheels you mentioned
the whole brand name, vs knock off/replica parts discussion is disturbing...I dont have the time to go into detail as I have work to do, but if you want a fashion show, I wont be coming around....You may as well stop anything hot rod related on this site, actually, may as well stop going to any events as I dont know a single "genre", "lifestyle" "scene" etc that doesnt have replica parts. Hell, most traditional cars are knock off or replica parts..Go to big ford show and tell me how many mustangs wear replica Cobra R wheels, ... Only reason I have my real ones are because I got them at a killer deal...I have more respect for the kid out there driving his car on replicas, and having fun then I do for the guys that snub anyone because they dont have big dollar parts...Take this for what its worth...2 cents from some 32 year old guy who builds cars...
the whole brand name, vs knock off/replica parts discussion is disturbing...I dont have the time to go into detail as I have work to do, but if you want a fashion show, I wont be coming around....You may as well stop anything hot rod related on this site, actually, may as well stop going to any events as I dont know a single "genre", "lifestyle" "scene" etc that doesnt have replica parts. Hell, most traditional cars are knock off or replica parts..Go to big ford show and tell me how many mustangs wear replica Cobra R wheels, ... Only reason I have my real ones are because I got them at a killer deal...I have more respect for the kid out there driving his car on replicas, and having fun then I do for the guys that snub anyone because they dont have big dollar parts...Take this for what its worth...2 cents from some 32 year old guy who builds cars...
@Nikhil_P We will be there indeed!
@Nikhil_P We will be there indeed!
@JayPearson Hi Jay. We will have an email address you can send your work to.
@JayPearson Hi Jay. We will have an email address you can send your work to.
@yanes33537 @Speedhunters @I There is going to be a Tumblr page for all the tagged items.
@yanes33537 @Speedhunters @I There is going to be a Tumblr page for all the tagged items.
@Bradders It's a complex issue Bradders with many arguements. We aren't going to be so draconian as we never show photos of cars with knockoff or replica wheels on the website. Our main is to be relatively neutral when it comes to how we mirror back car cultures around the world.
It's only for Car Features that we are a bit more picky.... Other types of stories are more open.
@Bradders It's a complex issue Bradders with many arguements. We aren't going to be so draconian as we never show photos of cars with knockoff or replica wheels on the website. Our main is to be relatively neutral when it comes to how we mirror back car cultures around the world.
It's only for Car Features that we are a bit more picky.... Other types of stories are more open.
Some of us cant afford brand-name for everything on our cars. Doesnt mean we love our cars less or didnt work hard on them.
Some of us cant afford brand-name for everything on our cars. Doesnt mean we love our cars less or didnt work hard on them.
Hi there. I just want to clarify that we are talking about Feature Cars only. We don't only show high end show cars or professionally build machines, but are always searching out what we things are inspiring, exciting builds.
If you look at some of the recent Gatebil sourced feature cars, they are certainly not all trailer queens! Some of them are pretty gritty and well used.
Selecting what cars to feature is tricky... If we shoot a car that is too "normal" then people start asking us "Why is this car on Speedhunters?" "It's not worthy!" is the comment.
I'm sorry that you think that we are doing a worse and worse job each year. I can't say I agree with you there. We are always trying to improve the quality and depth of our writing. I'd say we have come a long way in the past year for this.
Hi there. I just want to clarify that we are talking about Feature Cars only. We don't only show high end show cars or professionally build machines, but are always searching out what we things are inspiring, exciting builds.
If you look at some of the recent Gatebil sourced feature cars, they are certainly not all trailer queens! Some of them are pretty gritty and well used.
Selecting what cars to feature is tricky... If we shoot a car that is too "normal" then people start asking us "Why is this car on Speedhunters?" "It's not worthy!" is the comment.
I'm sorry that you think that we are doing a worse and worse job each year. I can't say I agree with you there. We are always trying to improve the quality and depth of our writing. I'd say we have come a long way in the past year for this.
Hi there. I just want to clarify that we are talking about Feature Cars only. We don't only show high end show cars or professionally build machines, but are always searching out what we things are inspiring, exciting builds.
If you look at some of the recent Gatebil sourced feature cars, they are certainly not all trailer queens! Some of them are pretty gritty and well used.
Selecting what cars to feature is tricky... If we shoot a car that is too "normal" then people start asking us "Why is this car on Speedhunters?" "It's not worthy!" is the comment.
I'm sorry that you think that we are doing a worse and worse job each year. I can't say I agree with you there. We are always trying to improve the quality and depth of our writing. I'd say we have come a long way in the past year for this.
@CrisCiunganu @Roberto_Roy_Londero We will be announcing the new email submission process in the next couple of days.
@AlexLobanov It was a messy affair Alex. The problem is that it's cars that have these types of parts on them which always start flame wars from both camps. The purpose of Speedhunters is to shoot amazing cars, and find inspirational stories about the many aspects of the world of the automobile.
So if we drop a story and it just starts a hate war, then we know that something is wrong. We aren't here to be the source of flame wars.
It isn't.
But this is a complex issue. We are between a rock and hard place in many ways!
@MPistol :>
@SVT_Bryan We hear you m8. We are only talking about the selection process for Modified Cars that we have used since the end of last year. These cars are supposed to be some of the top or most exciting builds in the world.
We will continue to show "real" street culture and spotlight machines at shows that we think are cool. It's only the feature "Modified" cars which get this more stringent process.
@MichaelKN
Definitely not. We don't see this as Fashion.
@RodChong But Rod, you've showcased a Volvo with an EBAY turbo. I'd be sad if that feature would be gone.
You're essentially saying that one has not been removed because people did not start to argue over it as extensively as the s2k's wheels.
Instead of limiting the possibilities you guys should be the ones to make a statement against that bad behaviour.
It's a tough situation Alex. We are between a rock and a hard place. We are damned if we do and damned if we don't.
I will say this though: we are here to celebrate cars. If a car feature we release creates arguement and hate and leaves the owner of a car feeling bad and annoyed then there is something wrong with our car selection process. We ALWAYS react to negative waves from the audience.
BTW it may be that my brain is fried after a weekend at Silverstone and limited sleep but I am not recalling a Volvo feature car.
This is true.
ahh found the car...
@RodChong Yea, I was thinking of this http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/06/11second_volv/
I find it quite harsh to fight bad feeback by limiting the areas where bad feedback can arise.
The way I see it Speedhunters is not a discussion board, but a blog that appreciates the automobile in every aspect and you should be putting down the foot and let people know repeatedly if it has to be, that you don't condone that kind of negative discussion.
Instead of turning your back on the issue you should ask people to show some respect by explaining the facts.
As mentioned, Ebay turbos, as well as stanced cars for example create controversy.
And just because wheels create the most "negative feedback" you're disqualifying some potentially really awesome cars. Why? Because it actually IS FASHION TO HATE on those kind of wheels. It's 100% equal to trolling and doesn't belong here.
And I have yet to hear a VALID NEGATIVE FACT that applies exclusively to replica wheel manufacturers as detailed below.
if you cant afford the best then that is fine, do what makes you happy and fits within your budget when building your car. some of the coolest things that have happened within the industry happened because someone couldnt afford the best so they built something just as cool if not cooler. the only thing that speedhunters is trying to do is show case the truley greats. the volvo that was mentioned was a truley great build and even though it may have had a cheap turbo that doesnt take away from the uniqueness of the overall build. the s2000 that was mentioned had nothing unique about it and was a poor representation of dev.speedhunters.com in which they made the right decision to take it down.
dont be discouraged to build simply because you cant afford the best, just think out side the box and do something different
and if you are going the cheaper route, dont expect to be featured in magazines and on websites. just be happy with what you built.
@RodChong nothing to do with those branded items potentially sponsoring the site, or in Need for Speed then. Commercial realities....
@RodChong Ok, thanks
@RodChong Awesome
I was thinking something like a Flickr pool (purely because thats where I tend to upload most), but s'all down to you guys.
Am I a speedhunter? Let me think.... YES!
@sean klingelhoefer @Mseries It was sarcasm mate (:
Hi Markyi. If you look on our Partner Bar... right side of the website you can see exactly who our partners are. These are the only brands (internal or external to our mothership) that we are currently officially working with. This is a different setup to previous years with Speedhunters.
Hi Alex. I actually think your points are very rationally presented. We are not that far apart actually.
I want to clarify one key point with you. The only line that I am drawing here is for the selection process for FEATURE CARS. That is, a Speedhunters photographer arranges a shoot with a car build that we want to showcase in detail for the Speedhunters audience. This is not for Event Coverage, Car Spotlights, #FeatureThis submissions or Internet Sourced car build stories.
These cars should be the cream of the crop, or extremely inventive, innovative or surprising in some fashion. Now if we have a MODIFIED car whose claim to fame is focused around some fabrication but also a lot to do with an interesting selection of parts, then yes we expect for a FEATURE CAR that this machine is using good quality and good design components.
If you make a "JDM" style machine then we would expect this car to be aspirational to builders and owners of these types of cars around the world including Japan, the USA, Australia, NZ, UK etc. This means that some stringent standards are needed. And so, if you are running knock off parts on your JDM style car, you likely will be not receiving any love from a lot of people, the opposite in fact. Hate will be coming.
So yes, we would definitely be a little less interested in doing a full feature photographer shoot with a car which is running Grid-v rims instead of TE37v rims. This isn't about fashion, but more about aspiring to find the top quality cars. Feature cars should be the best of the best remember.
HOWEVER:
If the car is some kind of insane cheap junkyard or rat or gatebil thrasher then no we are not expecting a high end selection of parts. There will be rare instances when a 500 dollar-pound-euro build is so amazing, creative and inspirational that we are going to want to feature it. In this instance the quality of parts-selection of parts becomes secondary to the creativity.
PLEASE NOTE Alex that it would be completely business as usual for Internet sources spotlights, car show coverage, car spotlights etc etc. I agree with you that it would be a shame and completely impracticable to ban any car on Speedhunters which is running knockoff or copy-cat parts. We would be closing ourselves off to way too much cool car culture.
Now Alex. I know that you likely will be able to logically find ways to argue back that there are flaws in the logic system I am presenting here. And I could easily start to comment on a lot of details in your post which I would want to clarify (such as your theories about our corporate ties which is inaccurate) But rather than us try and prove to each other who is right and who is wrong, I'm hopeful that we can simple be sharing our perspectives.
I respect what you are saying.
Again: we are only referring to our own internal selection process for Speedhunters Feature cars. This is normally private stuff between myself and the Speedhunters editorial staff, but the recent S2000 story blew the lid off of this process... hence us talking you as openly and honestly as we can about what went down.
@dan1407 Well said.
Again we are happy to showcase in smaller "Spotlight" stories really creative builds. We don't show spec sheets in these stories.
@RodChong Hello Rod,
I didnt mean for this to go this far, I apologize for that. I am aware that it's not how your corporate ties are set up, I was taking a wide swing in the hopes of getting through to you, which was wrong. Point is we're all on the same page and want the same thing on Speedhunters.
Normally I try to avoid arguments and discussions, I did not want you to get the impression I'd argue back at any cost.
I'm sorry.
Hey don't worry m8. I really appreciate how well thought out your responses are.
Like I said, this is a very complex issue with many different viewpoints (as you have also noted) between Europeans, Americans, Japanese people etc...
It's very difficult for us to come up with something that keeps the tough crowd that we know the Speedhunters audience is, happy.
But if there are flames going then we know something is wrong....
Cheers!
@Mseries Ohh haha damn Internet, my sarcasm detection filter wasn't enable haha. Cheers.
cool!
@JayPearson @RodChong Add the #FeatureThis hashtag to your uploads on Flickr (remember to make sure they're public) and our internet voodoo will find your images and add them to the feed.
i say it doesn't matter if the rims are $300 or $3000, if it makes the car look good, so what?
For Nakai-San: The RWB Porsches have a "perfection" about them. Is it faltering or frustrating to be parodied? Are the parodies taking away from your cars?
@RodChong
I still disagree with you on many points Rod.... If I built a well built car for any form of racing, with insane power, high level fabrication (which I do every day), and a car that will run with the best of them Im disqualified for a feature because I dont have top of the line wheels, or top of the line that.....BUT my 79 Mustang drift project with its 14 to 1` compression small block ford, slammed stanced, and REAL 18 inch COBRA R wheels would be accepted...The car is being built with left over race parts, and is currently a shitty brown and white glass hood (weve seen numerous feature cars with shitty appearance)...Your logic is wrong, your reasoning is wrong...I come from the hot rod industry, have raced Bonneville,and Maxton, Ive street and drag raced my 65 Comet. Have owned several lowered trucks and had a civic on juice, so I feel I know the "scenes" well...That POS tow truck that was featured, wtf was that? You preach top of the line, then feature something like that...Or feature cars no matter what they look like due to who owns them......You throw too many hypocritical (for lack of a better word) scenarios into this equation..Once again, I respect the guy/girl kid, old man, whomever going out and having fun with their cars instead of worrying about if everything on their car is top of the line for the fashion police...
@RodChong Yea well stanced cars already bring heat to the discussion. From my point of view, wheel selection makes little difference in a impressive build. Your feature of the gatebil truck w/ the corvette swap had that mindset, of pure function>form. And no one seemed to mind. It takes absolutely no skill to have a big budget set of wheels. The ONLY thing it determine is the size of your wallet. What I come to speedhunters for is for the custom fab work, not brand name parts. I see enough of that already.... it's overdone and boring. Anyone can bolt on parts, it takes skill to know how they all work together. It's the "BUILT not BOUGHT" mindset that I love about custom builds here. A man on a mission overcoming a limited budget... "built on a shoestring budget, running on hopes and dreams".
If you seriously cannot allow knock off parts, can you at least dedicate features to low-budget builds such as the Volvo mentioned above? They are very impressive and should not go unnoticed, not to mention they give hope and ideas to those of us that don't have an impressive budget.
Sorry about the insults in the previous post, I let my anger get the better of me.
@RodChong Does it count the @ tag or just the # tag? Anyway, saw many long argument up there. Be strong. I <3 Speedhunters.
hi Chris tx for the note. Like I said, there are many, many ways to look at this and using a comment system isn't likely the best way for us to be able to look at all sides. From my persepctive, there is no right answer, nor is there a logic system which can't be argued back by people such as yourself with very stront point-of-views. Different types of builders have different perspectives, and as do people in different parts of the world.
We aren't here to tell anyone what is right and what is wrong, the only scenario relevant here is how we go about selecting our car features, which is a different criteria depending on the type of machine. You cannot find a logic system that works for a JDM style car from Northern Europe as you would a Rat Rod from Middle America.
I'm sure that you have very clear thinking about what you would do in this situation, and there are many people in other situations who are also historied builders who would come up with a different conclusion. They would likely be very happy to tell you that you are wrong too.
I am not going to do that though.
What I have attempted to do here is show to the audience how we select feature cars which are "modified" which is different to how we would look at pure competition cars or rat rods or gatebil thrash machines etc.
Not much else I can say here... most people seem to be happy with the calibre of our feature cars as of late from the modifieds to the race cars to the rats.
@yanes33537 Hashtag m8... #iamthespeedhunter or #featurethis
Don't worry... discussion is all part of the parcel with an internet project like Speedhunters.
@RodChong Rod every time you say you're after the cream of the crop i feel like banging my head into my key board. Big dollar, brand name parts aren't the be all and end all and don't equal the cream of the crop. The equal the most money spent, not the best, not the most fun had, not the best looking. Honestly, every other automotive blog the features JDM or stanced cars has the same segregation to non named parts. BORING. They hate that people can pull more looks with a set of ROTA's than there 5K wheels. Its a superiority complex. Its the reason i don't visit any other blog featuring JDM/stanced cars. Put down the raybans and snap backs, open your arms to 'the cool' and just get the fuck on with featuring the COOLEST (not costliest) cars out there.
Sure we the readers don't dictate to speedhunters there guidelines on what a feature vehicle should and shouldn't poses, however with the amount of feedback pointing to the opposite of your view, i think it should strongly influence the editorial choice.
Just a reader letting you know im here for the cool.
Perhaps my choice of words is poor Sam as the cars you are describing there sounds just about right to me!
I'm sure you know that we love ratty, nasty, smelly machines in addition to the high end builds. It's one thing we love about the majority of the mind blowing machines you find at say Gatebil.
@RodChong II feel like a member of the public that has asked a question or made a statement to a politician and in return the politician has answered but hasn't really said anything.
Im sorry, i know this isn't a forum but still, i just don't like being fobbed off.
Not sure what else to say m8 that I haven't already said in this thread.
Boy did this thread go crazy. Ppl sure are touchy about their parts. I've never felt name brand parts were fashion, I always thought u got what you paid for. Engineering isn't cheap. I've Rota's, and I've smacked them on a curb at 50mph and drove home. If I smacked a Volk, I'd probably cry. But I want Volks, and one day I'll get them. And I'll b honest in saying that I look to feature cars as inspiration. As cars to build when I have the means. The top tier builds fuel a desire for me. I applaud Speedhunters for being as knowledgeable about quality as they are, its important. Just wanted to state that I like how things are going. I have my own opinions about 'hard parked' cars when they destroy the mobility of the car.... Since it is designed to be mobile and you destroyed that aspect. Be that as it may be, ppl will get a clue when they have to drive home after the photography session. And let's be honest, stance cars can't physically generate much "speed" without incident. Maybe I'm a "adequate space in the wheel well so the suspension can function" hunter. Lol
Boy did this thread go crazy. Ppl sure are touchy about their parts. I've never felt name brand parts were fashion, I always thought u got what you paid for. Engineering isn't cheap. I've Rota's, and I've smacked them on a curb at 50mph and drove home. If I smacked a Volk, I'd probably cry. But I want Volks, and one day I'll get them. And I'll b honest in saying that I look to feature cars as inspiration. As cars to build when I have the means. The top tier builds fuel a desire for me. I applaud Speedhunters for being as knowledgeable about quality as they are, its important. Just wanted to state that I like how things are going. I have my own opinions about 'hard parked' cars when they destroy the mobility of the car.... Since it is designed to be mobile and you destroyed that aspect. Be that as it may be, ppl will get a clue when they have to drive home after the photography session. And let's be honest, stance cars can't physically generate much "speed" without incident. Maybe I'm a "adequate space in the wheel well so the suspension can function" hunter. Lol
@KeithCharvonia @AndersHaugen @jonas maurstad looks like a lot of bird turd weld to me
@RodChong you are correct, I do like what I like...BUT I can go to ANY show, ANY event, and find stuff I like, stuff thats cool...Stance, build quality are actually the 2 main items I look for in a vehicle. style of car, make, parts on car are secondary...Ive been a fan of Speed hunters for quite awhile, and if I dont like the coverage, I dont look...Your comment struck a nerve, and I stand by what I stand by....I may have come across as harsh by saying you are wrong, and I dont apologize for that, but maybe my wording could have been "softer"...You'll never please everyone, and that is why I hand select my projects...Other guys here have shared my thoughts better then I have (such as Sam), as Ive always said, Id rather be under my welding helmet then writing...
No problem Chris all good.
First off, with times being hard and all I.D.G.A.F whether they are originals,replicas or copys from other manufactures. Unless you are a drop dead car enthusiast as long as the car come along and looks nice nobody should have anything to say about it. And secondly GODDAMN that Challenger looks flawless.
I want to be a speed hunter photo journalist :).
I want to be a speed hunter photo journalist :).
@SpencerBerke Yeah me too!!how can we do?