Import Culture History

[nissantuner22]

Long story short, I'm doing a term paper on the history of the import car culture. Talking about the original import street racers, people involved, history of import motorsports, etc. basically anything that involves import cars. If anyone could help me find some links to historical articles, interviews, anything with info on the industry from more than like 3 years ago, I'd appreciate it. Heck I'll post the paper when im done.

[Ghettokracker71]

damnit!I thought I knew of one but I can't seem to find it :( I will keep my eye out and free bump! Hope the paper goes well,sounds really cool,actually.J/W what class its for ?

[AKADriver]

modern US import culture came from three things:
- lowrider "euros" - lowrider style mixed with some '80s european tuner touches on small '80s compacts like B12 Sentras
- racers and autocrossers that had been driving and modifying foreign cars for decades
- the Japanese domestic scene

that should give you a good start.

[FRpilot]

imo, writing a paper on import culture or party scene is weird. i dont think the teacher will take you seriously. i had this speech class where this guy first gave a speech about street racing and how he enjoys it and gets a thrill out of it. everyone in the class was like 'ughh' and then 2nd time he gives a speech about going to raves and dropping. he said he only goes to have fun and because he likes the music but everyone was just like wtf. i dunno, i guess topics like that just dont seem like you're taking your assignment seriously. professors rather hear boring stuff like abortion, laws about gays, etc. etc.

[FastBack 240]

:werd: I have had experiences like that in high school. I wrote an amazing paper on the counter culture and the teacher was like huh? I mean if you can get away with it, it would then be a pretty sweet paper to write but I would have it ok'ed by Miss Teach.

[DRFT]

import culture goes beyond 3 years, i itnhk it really kicked off about almost 10 years ago, at least thats when i noticed

[pruto]

yeah, i wrote a pretty bad assed term paper on starwars being a montage of borrowed themes and cultural icons. My english teacher gave me a C, without even giving it a chance. Said i didn't have the necessary 4 sources.

anyway, i'm takinga Japanese popular culture class (anthropology) and my final paper will be on the transnational significance of drifting as a sub-culture. Should be interesting. My professor said it would be a great topic, even though she's never heard of drifting till i brought it up in class.

[nissantuner22]

Yah I used the "more than 3 years ago" as a way of saying old stuff, hopefully going back to the 80's. Im going to focus more on the sub cultures and different outlets within the import culture.

My teacher is one of those "creative" guys. he wants me to do a paper on something i care about, and was very interested in the idea that i proposed to him. he said he thinks it would make for a very informative and interesting paper. So, im gonna do it.

Oh and I've had those speech retards before too. "I like street racing cause its fun" "i dont hurt no one" *stabs them in their foreheads with a soldering iron*

[TRUENOCOUPE]

Civic started it all. The End.

[Rennen]

Define import....

IMO the aircooled VWs started all this a loooooonnnnng time ago. First car imported to the US that was cheap enough for the masses to modify and it had decent performance with easy upgrades. It was the civic of the 60s and 70s


Plus, do your own research, you learn more that way.

-Matt

[matic 240sx]

well u should start with going to either sport compact car's site or super street.. because in one of their issues they did this.. i use to have the issue but not anymore and i know it was one of the two magizines.. they did a great report on it.. even with photos and interviews of the first group of people.. and i dont think any of them had a honda.. basically it was a few people in the late 80s who knew about it in japan and started with lowering and mesh wheels..

[HyperTek]

interesting.. But I dont think the tuner scene came from the lowrider euro crap. Pretty much what you mean to center the topic is around "Foriegn car domestic tuning" or whatever right?? the US Import scene, with I dont even think should be calling them imports since all this flashy shit is just domestic styling. foriegn cars modified out here etc. Its kinda hard to write about now because I look towards the import culture negatively now. Tho you gotta give props to the euro tuners, thier scene isnt riced out and majority of modified Jettas, Golfs, Passats I see are all very clean and nicely modded.

Its hard to say, but Id say somewhere in teh 80's when mesh wheels, rear wheel drive, and body kits. Oldskool Zs with mesh and bodykits, Rx7s etc. But I dont think people took messing with them seriously back then?? Honda wasnt really on the map of anything performance until the ricer age of mid-late 90's. (as far as popularity)hahah. But back in the late 90's, I really did like the import culture, it was new, original, and every car was based around performance, now, 2002+, its stupid, people just in it for the money or booty, real performance doesnt matter anymore etc..

Im cleaning thru my room right now and I pick up my old magazines from like 98-99 and think how clean and original the scene was back then, no garbage bullchit or naked asian chicks posing for some stupid rice company (or the usual group of 16-17 year old girls posing on team so-and-so's cars like it is today..)

So ill leave it at that. Things get ruined with media commercialization.

[Salty_X]

Define import....

IMO the aircooled VWs started all this a loooooonnnnng time ago. First car imported to the US that was cheap enough for the masses to modify and it had decent performance with easy upgrades. It was the civic of the 60s and 70s
:werd:


Cal Look bugs... :drool:

[russian]

also dont forget to mension how negatively Fast and Dubious affected the scene. in a negative way..... take it or leave it, unfortunately people associate us with it. i fuckin hate it. :wtc:

[Hawd]

I wrote a small research paper on how media glorified it ala fast and furious, how its dangerous, and why the laws against it should be enforced more effectively. Even though I don't agree on the law part, it was easy to bull shit something you know so well with a bunch of articles on stupid fucks racing and killing people,

[nissantuner22]

Yah im definitly including how the fast and the furious negativily portrays what the culture is really about. Thanks so far for the info guys.

[chokudoriS13]

Man, do I have to do everything for you :D :p...

Went to Super Street's website (they did an article on this a long time ago), typed in "old school" and it was the first article I got, complete with pictures.

Here: http://www.superstreetonline.com/thehistoryof/20325/index.html

http://www.superstreetonline.com/superstreet/thehistoryof/p69857_image_large.jpg
http://www.superstreetonline.com/superstreet/thehistoryof/p69936_image_large.jpg
http://www.superstreetonline.com/superstreet/thehistoryof/p69938_image_large.jpg
http://www.superstreetonline.com/superstreet/thehistoryof/p69923_image_large.jpg

[nightwalker]

I could give you a shit load of info, like the Honda scene started in LA in early 1990. Before that, it was about the old Zs. supras, and rx7...rx3s, 510s. Hondas have always been there in the 80s, just not really big. SoCal already had a decent Honda scene in early 90s. Things didn't start poppin until Frank Choi created "battle". Thats a name you should search, because it was his doing that jump started the japanese import scene. I'm old skool mang, I remember this chit when it was happening. It's rather upsetting to me to see the scene like it is today.

[nissantuner22]

wow nice links, thanks guys! The problem with our scene today is simple, its mainstream, so i hear what your saying nightwalker.

[sykikchimp]

no import tuning report would be complete without mentioning Datsun, and the 510, and 240z.

[nismo2491]

I know people that head very early model z's, the 240s and 280s back in the day that had custom exhausts and stuff like that back in the 60s and 70s.
KEvin

[MakotoS13]

Long story short, I'm doing a term paper on the history of the import car culture.

you gotta be kiddin me...

[HyperTek]

http://www.superstreetonline.com/superstreet/thehistoryof/p69923_image_large.jpg

Id kill for those rims now.. haha its like the demand is still there for em..

[HyperTek]

oh yah regarding that super street article, look at all the flush rim to fender action and rear wheel drive goodness!! looks like times have changed big time,.. lol

[Phlip]

I just thought about the fact that, at times, this site makes me feel OLD... In high school, we had to write a report on something that was "current" and me being me and a San Francisco 49er's fan, wrote a report for Mr. Zaruba's honors english class on their record-breaking superbowl season (sadly, the last one they have won to this point)... I hadN EVERYTHING, referenced against (and including insterts/illustrations from) Sportscenter and the local newspaper... I got a low B on the paper because of my thorough work, but my subjective opinion showed in the work, which kept the dick from gioving me an A on it...

[S14Speed997]

It all started with the Mitsubishi Jackie Chan drove in CannonBall Run...lol

[BiluMaster K's]

first rice item ever......"rainbow" headlight bulbs, made in 96 or 97...ill go w/ 96

[drift freaq]

Import car culture? Well thats tricky . Point one: Import sports cars kicked it off in the 1950's with the likes of Porsche among others. James Dean folks! Became a cultural icon having died prematurely behind the wheel of a Porsche speedster. In the 60's you had Porsche 912 and 911,Triumphs, Spitfire, TR3, TR4, TR6, MG's C and B, Austin Healeys, Sunbeam Tigers( 2 seater roadster powered by a Ford Smallblock V8) AC Cobra's aka Shelby Cobra's,BMW 1600 and 2002, Volvo B18, Datsun 510(1968) 1600 and 2000 roadsters,. In the 70's the Japanese got into the game full force with the 240z . The 240z and the 510 brought the cost of sports cars and sports sedans into the everyman catagory. With that tuning went off the hook. My second car in high school was a Datsun 510 there was lot of performance parts for it and setup drove like a go kart. 240z's had a lot of mod parts availible as well both aftermarket and through Datsun Competition department aka Datsun Comp. I started selling Japanese engines and transmissions in the early 80's Triple S engines and heads, 5 speed gearboxs, Mikuni Solex's , 2TG's , FJ20's etc.. we were JDM before JDM was a coined phrase.
For the person who said it started with civic's you show that you have not payed much attention to the past and are sadly misinformed.
The ricer market started with civics in the 80's though Civics had been around since the 70's nobody thought of modifieing the grocery getter till the kids of the 80's got hold of their hand me down HOnda's from mom and dad and just did not have enough of a clue to realize that rwd is more fun. Did you guys Know that Comptech (yes the big HOnda acura aftermarkets parts company) started out as a machine shop outside of Sacremento that built race Datsun engines? hahahhahahahaha
this is should be a little schooling for the kid thats trying to base a term paper on this stuff.

[MakotoS13]

nobody thought of modifieing the grocery getter till the kids of the 80's got hold of their hand me down HOnda's from mom and dad

b/s what the hell do you think a ford fairlane is? all this came from that car. people put truck engines in car bodies and eventually figured out how to get more power. over time they developed cars specifically designed to look cool and go fast.

it all pretty must started with grocery getters becoming hotrods. souping up a civic was by no means innovative.