The Need for Speed (5 of 5)

The Future: "Show, No Go?"
In the mid- to late-90s, the commercialization and commodification of the scene continued to grow. This was evidenced in the growth of whole industries specializing in after-market parts and modifications for the cars. Even now, the commercialization and commodification of the scene continues to grow, with magazines such a TRM, XXL, and other magazines offering an avenue to find out about the scene and carrying ads on where to get after-market parts. And with the onset of the Import Show-off, it all came together into one big scene, where people who fixed up their cars to show them off now had an avenue to floss.

Of course all of this carried other aspects along with it, as shown in the growth of the commodification of women. Whereas the Battle of the Imports focused on racing and solely racing, the Battle of the Imports soon brought in other aspects more typical of a Lowrider car show, such as dancers, rap artists, and the ubiquitous bikini contest. These aspects of the Import scene play into the commodification of Asian women, and are a departure from the old days of the purer car-racing scene.

Of course, there are other factors impacting the scene. Honda, for example, has increased the technology in their in-dash emissions control systems, and are introducing new chips to limit the kinds of modifications that can be done to a car. Also, as richer youth are getting into the scene, people are even fixing up luxury vehicles for the shows, in a move that would have been unheard of years ago.
Because of the growing commodification of the Asian Car Crew scene, it seems possible that the scene will start to align itself along the lines of the Lowrider culture, away from its racing roots. There will always be some pure racers, but many younger Asians are being drawn into the scene solely for the material aspects of fixing up their cars to look good, without any awareness of the culture's history. Recently Lowrider magazine created a new sister magazine called Lowrider Imports, with an emphasis on the Asian Car Crew scene. Lowrider Magazine has even included spreads on fixed up Imports in its main magazine. Yet even while this emphasis on looks will probably continue, Asians will still floss in their own way with their own style, unless they completely sell out.

Epilogue
Yet even beyond all of this, community activists should continue to encourage participation in the scene as an alternative to getting involved in gangs and other more lethal activities. Failing to see the differences between the racing scene and the gang scene will only cause greater repression on those racers who are not involved in gangs, and lead to greater characterization of all things seen as different in the popular culture as things to be feared. As Armedilla said, "It's a sport to me. It's just like baseball, or volleyball." And as a sport, many racers continue to see the scene as an arena in which Asians can express their personality and carve out a space for themselves that is undeniable Asian American.

Feedback from Readers

Hello,
I can't get the AAM.net forum to work, so I'm sending this as a letter to the editor(s). (We are addressing this problem -- the Azine)
Thanks.
Roy Nakano
Editor
LA CAR
Oct. 4, 2002

I enjoyed Ryan Yokota's "Asian Car Crews: Past, Present, and Future" article. There was, indeed, an undercurrent of racism that existed when import tuners gained popularity in the 1980s. Much of the blame goes to the automotive press, who virtually ignored the phenomenon for many years. Until 1989, not a single US car magazine counted import tuner owners among its constituents. The newsstands were filled with American hot rod and musclecar magazines. Yet, out on the streets of San Gabriel Valley, the youth were ignoring those magazines and driving import tuners.

Ryan's article covered this issue better than any I've seen. About the only thing I can add is that the concept of taking a Japanese import sedan, lowering the suspension, and tuning the powertrain, can be traced back even earlier than the 1980s. Japanese Americans in Gardena were doing it to Datsun 510s back in the very early 1970s to emulate the race-prepared 510s designed by Brock Racing Enterprises.

The import tuner scene has also been overlooked by the Asian American academic community. It is, in fact, an Asian American phenomenon that deserves more attention.
http://www.lacar.com/rearview/#RVM9

from LPrincensa
Oct. 2, 2002

Asians did not race until the the 1980's?  Sheeeeit!!!   Buddaheads been building and smoking whites, Blacks and each other since before WW2.  I was briefly involved in the "scene" durning the mid 1970's.  I grew up on the East side where childhood friends and I cruised and raced the white boys up on near Valley boulevard.  The high lights were the summertime Obon carnivals and Nisei Week unofficial car cruise and races at Dodger stadium.  Before my generation were the Buddadheads from the 1960's.  My older brother had a 1955 chevy that he and his friends worked on and raced durning high school.  Then he turned 18.  And uncle Sam drafted his ass and sent him on a world tour of Vietnam in 1968.