This year we’re celebrating 16 years of Speedhunting, which means there are people now learning to drive who weren’t even born when Speedhunters first launched in 2008.
Obviously, this fact is slightly terrifying, because in our minds 2008 is only a few years back, not more than a decade and a half ago. But what it does mean – given the length of time Speedhunters has now existed – is that we have grown up alongside multiple generations of car fans from all over the world.
Many of you have been with us since day one and are now fully-fledged adults in society doing important things. But there’s also many of you who may only just be discovering what Speedhunters is – the kind who might also be learning to drive this year.
Speaking of anniversaries that are met with a surely not response, 2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of the Need for Speed franchise, which has resulted in 25 individual racing games throughout that period. To our knowledge, that makes it the longest-running car racing series of all time. And it continues deep into this year with the launch of Need for Speed’s new Year 2 Roadmap for NFS: Unbound.
So why bring up Need for Speed now? It’s a little-known fact that Need for Speed – specifically its publisher, Electronic Arts – has powered the Speedhunters project since day one, allowing us to bring you all the weird, wacky, and exciting parts of global car culture all year round.
And this hasn’t remained a one-sided affair either. Cast your minds back to 2018, when our very own Dino Dalle Carbonare even appeared within the NFS: No Limits mobile game as a character. Not to mention Speedhunters heroes such as Magnus Walker, Akira Nakai and the late Ken Block, who all helped blur the lines between real-life Speedhunting and the virtual world of Need for Speed.
That’s why our 2024 mission is to bring this partnership even closer by providing both Speedhunters and Need for Speed fans with a more immersive experience.
Before you warm up the keyboards, that doesn’t mean Speedhunters is changing or selling out. What it really means is more content for car culture fans across both platforms, crafted in the familiar photography-led storytelling that we’ve strived for since day one.
How does that look for you readers? Think of it as an insight into the world of Need for Speed beyond the gameplay; a deep dive into the cultures, characters and storytelling which make up every game. We want your feedback both as gamers and car culture fans, and we’ll cover everything from the design and development phases right through to unpacking how tasks like scanning vehicles and environments make the jump from the real to virtual world.
If you’re still feeling sceptical, know that this is all in addition to our daily Speedhunters car content, which we’ll be ramping up further in 2024. Thanks to our awesome list of global contributors – something we want you to be a part of too – we’ll be uncovering more avenues of car culture than ever before. And that’s our promise to you as readers, because we know the proof is always in the pudding. Talk is great, but action is better.
What can you expect in the coming weeks? First of all, we’ve got a whole load of special feature stories incoming from Japan, including a glimpse into the controversial world of street drifting.
To kick-off our Need for Speed: 30th Anniversary celebrations, it’s history time as we head all the way back to the genesis – the very first Need for Speed released in December 1994. We’ll be looking over its inception, gameplay, and how it’s aged compared to the racing games of today.
We’ll also be shedding light on the plans Need for Speed has for 2024, including multiple large updates bringing new cars, multiplayer functions and more throughout the year.
So without us sounding like some hyper-positive Instagram personality, watch this space, people. We’ve got some big things coming this year, and we want all of you to be a part of it with us.
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It's crazy to see how big this community has become after over 15 years
Let's keep this passion and love alive for many years to come!
Oh man!! 1994 TNFS... Get Hanno Lemke to talk about it cuz that game is A-MA-ZING
Yo! That last picture of the grey Porsche with the huge tires...who owns that and why did you only put a 1/2 picture of it?!!! Future feature? That thing looks nasty!!! Better be a FULL feature of it or else...lol!
Great spot - David! This is the NFS 964 that got a little refresh before SEMA back in 2016. Here's a shot of Dino driving it on a runway somewhere between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Is this the same car?
Not the same car. That photo you posted is the RWB Stella
The one you asked is the NFS 964
Search for this article title and youll find it:
Original Spirit, Restored
Adrian
Thanks! Found it. Read it. I was in Vegas a few years ago and I got there Sat morning when SEMA was ending. Saw some amazing cars! Rented a Porsche and drove to San Diego. Had a blast.
Gooood what a throwback, I might not comment that much in here but this post deserves one, I'm glad this website exists, had been reading a lof of SH articles ever since I was a kid in SH's early days and now I'm a fully grown adult. Both BBX era NFS and SH heavily inspired me to become a car enthusiast and I want to thank you for introducing me to this amazing worldwide culture that we can all enjoy and group together no matter the language barrier and home country.
"Many of you have been with us since day one and are now fully-fledged adults in society doing important things. But there’s also many of you who may only just be discovering what Speedhunters is – the kind who might also be learning to drive this year."
Let's be very realistic about what this publication is: not a single one of these posts or many of the features over the past decade have actually focused on lap time of quantifiable performance. This publication for all intents and purposes has become a giant advertising medium to garnish the image of speed and the idea of speed with a very low level of entry.
Most of the staff members have never actually been wheel to wheel racing or competed in anything beyond a track day. Most of the features are not from qualified motorsport competitors who have actually won things or know what they are doing. You guys feature wide body kits and show cars like they are some of the most cutting edge builds in the sector and this has diluted the name down to about 0.01 on the dollar. Worthless.
Look at the comment section and the average "enthusiast" replying to this stuff and it becomes blatantly clear: the average person following this blog coulnd't tell if they have a 1/16" of toe out or an 1/8".
Speed hunters should real change is name at this point to "Clout Chasers." This publication is a shell of what the industry used to be and a try hard attempt to capture the minds of young enthusiasts who don't know any better. If your readers really want to go speed hunting they will subscribe to Race Car Engineer where 1 paragraph dumps on about everything you guys have put out since 2008.
I'd say you're falling behind the curve, but the reality is the average person is becoming so dumb this site actually gets perception that it knows what it's talking about. You're all pretending. Pretenders.
Most people in these comment sections couldn't tell you a single thing about what a sway bar actually does at different settings or why. This is an amateur blog. The epitome of bottom hanging fruit.
But I suppose we can all celebrate that in 2024...when the average enthusiast cant explain what ackerman is actually used for in regards to handling. Things that used to be common place in the 80s and 90s.
Not sure what triggered you Miko, but if you cannot find anything redeemable about this website I question why you are even here, much less commenting?
Not everything about the car community is about outright lap time. Just look at Lowriders, Cal-Look VWs, VIPs and Stance stuff as perfect examples. This site is just a celebration of car culture, in all of it's forms. If you're the type that can only find joy in a singular segment of that culture then you have my sympathy.
Miko if you seem to hate this space so much you could a) stop checking it b) do better on your own.
Surely a professional individual like yourself can do better than an 'amateur blog'?
It’s great that you know a lot about the automotive hobby/sport, and you obviously care passionately about it, but the prime activity of your efforts should be enjoying what you like about it (i.e. quick lap times), not criticizing or policing how other people participate in it.
While you compose a response, I'll be having fun out in the garage, fabricating and welding brackets for my 1928 Ford hot rod.
Miko, you write like you're pulling the blinkers off everybody's eyes somehow, and your belligerence makes you look ridiculous.
It's a platform for modified car culture. It's not proclaiming to be a technical motorsport journal.
Nobody scrolls through this site shocked and appalled by the lack of technical coverage of the latest Formula 1 pre season test session.
Everybody else knows what they're coming here for, and happily consume the content they wanted to see. You seem to have a pretty firm stance on it not being what you're looking for, so why are you here?
Miko, one of the things that we all love the most about car culture, is community. Whether you drive a Honda Civic, Caterham, M3 or a Porsche - it doesn't matter. Even if you cannot drive yet - Speedhunting is about that celebration of pure car joy.
We listen to all the feedback. However, that being said, there's been many stories that are focused on objective performance and lap time gains.
Speedhunters isn't where people come to find specific motorsport tech analysis. There’s other content streams that focus solely on motorsport tech. Like you rightly said, you can pay 27 quid to subscribe to a magazine for that. Speedhunters is a community of people who love car culture and fun having. Always has been, always will be.
And here's the thing - from Manthey-Racing to Ebisu Drift Matsuri and all the wide body conversions in between - the best thing is, you don't have to be a top tier racing driver to enjoy, appreciate and celebrate cars.
Speedhunters has uncovered global car culture with stories that span three decades now. And we're always open to hearing about the type of features the community would like to see more of.
Damn, you're 100% correct. It's all about the clout and the hip-hop and the expensive sneakers and the assorted eyesore aesthetic...
Just look at the latest Need For Speed games a a reflection of the current zeitgeist, NFS 2015 (could've been great, but muh drift everywhere), Payback, Heat and the latest Unbound. I mean, just look at that Mercedes...
Oh and before they start sounding off I bet a bunch of people are going to question my qualifications, talk down to me and say I'm a hater and blah blah blah. It's become so predictable at this point even your audience replies are easy to see.
"WhAT Ha Ve U eVeN BuIlT"
lmao.
Nobody questions your qualifications so far. (yet, unless you're waiting for someone who will)
I'm pretty sure your mechanical prowess makes everything that you've built and worked on way better than "many of the features over the past decade".
The thing is, this page never was all about speed, even though the name suggests so. At least not exclusively.
I'm going to quote the other comment I've left a couple weeks ago:
"(...) cars, just like everything that we create, own and use, are very often used as a statement since the way we own (and use) things can define who we are, especially now, in this very "digital" times. Mostly the way to express the passion is through visual enhancements as this is more affordable (and mostly legal) way to do so for most of folks around.
Is it the easy way out? Maybe.
Does it mean it's less time-, resources- and heart-consuming and therefore less relevant? Not at all.
Some people prefer to focus on the way the car handles, to breach the obstacles and go harder and faster every single lap - nothing wrong with that. Other prefer to make a car a real head-turner by making it look cool - again, it's fine by me as long as nobody's offended by it. The others prefer to do the impossible, to make something nobody has ever done before engineering-wise, regardless of what anyone think."
Not trying to be overly snarky or anything but all that "I don't understand what's popular these days, therefore I don't like it" attitude sounds like something the people growing up in 60s and 70s would say about "Things that used to be common place in the 80s and 90s".
It's normal, though, everyone gets to this point at some time in their life.
So you are telling me that you dislike the platform because "not one publication has been about laptimes and improvement".
How can you even say that, have you really seen them all? And if you have, if they never posted about the motorsport niche that you crave. Then why would you even expect them to now? Did you need 16 years to realize that?
Your comment feels a bit like you've been reading comic books the last 10 years and now you're mad because not one of them was a 1000 page novel.
Looking forward to this
Why don't you guys heckle, them to make a remake of Underground 2?
I don't comment as often as I should. I remember a time when every story had separate pages to load. Typing that makes me feel old. I come here to get more insight to car culture around the world and I enjoy every article I read, so thank you to the staff of Speedhunters for everything you do!
P.S. when is the store coming back? I am going to need a new sweater soon!
That's what I'm saying, my wallet would be a lot lighter than it already is if it got opened up again!
This sponsorship is super cool and 16 years is a long time in the era of the internet. Credit where credit is due! And I think it kind of writes itself to extend that sponsorship even more.
With that being said, NFS was my first racing game that I played more than 6h a day at phases. I grew up with TNFS 1994, had insane amounts of 2 player fun with NFS2 and it continued all the way til Most Wanted. To be honest, after that, it kind of declined. Not it seems that NFS is aimed at VERY young people. And EA seems to take internet fame more serious than the customers. Its sad to me and I check every new NFS game, to see if they gotten back on track. Unfortunately, they didnt.
TNFS was classy and had a lot of professional speakers explain the cars. That is where the foundation of my car knowledge comes from. No one else ever explained to me what Isdera is.
So, thats just my 2 cents. But congrats on the deal! Well deserved!
Started reading to get me through middle school. Then it got me through high school. And now it's to spend free time while at university studying to be a mechanical engineer. I anticipate every upload, I enjoy every article. The cars, the perspectives, the people, the culture written about on this site motivates me to make my own mark on the industry. Being a fan of the NFS series really solidifies my enjoyment. Thank you, SH. May more stories be discovered, and more speed be hunted
Been here since the beginning - will be here till I die - one of my goals is to someday be reading a car feature on my car on here - keep up the great articles!
Not the beginning but long enough, as a few others commented below that they hope one day their car will be on here. Well I too have that dream but alas my girlfriend beat me to it, not a feature but in an event showcase. I can't tell you how jealous it made me. Even my dog has been on here before my car
Gives me a reason to build something better I guess.
"Big things coming"
You can tell this article was written by a real car enthusiast
I've been a large fan of Speedhunters and I still am. I hope with the celebration the official Speedhunters store comes back up. It's been so long. I still have my original SH tee's from 2014. It's even come to point where people start recreating speedhunters stickers simply because the official ones are not available anymore. You guys are missing out on an opportunity