Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazine - General Forum

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Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazine
Saturday, April 23, 2005 12:57 PM
Couldn't agree more...

"When the first Import Shows began in 1995, most of the show cars in the building were driven there and then driven around. I would see the same rides in the shows at the local schools, clubs, gatherings, and socials. Non Fujita ruled the show scene in Southern California for half a decade. His first car was an FD3S RX-7 with a ton of parts from RE-Amemiya, GReddy, O'Z Racing, and the very first carbon fiber pieces I had ever seen on a street car. On any given day his FD could be spotted at USC, around the streets of Marina Del Rey, CA, or at a local Japanese eatery around the streets of Los Angeles. His car looked fresh and was driven hard. Fujita then moved on to an S14 Silvia that ported a fully built Tomei SR20 motor, every HKS part imaginable, custom adapted Skyline GT-R parts, and loads of other Japanese goodies. This was also driven day-in and day-out by Mr. Fujita. Ron Bergenholtz and I used to battle for top Honda/Acura honors. His car had a custom paint job, a fully chromed engine bay with a drag turbo system, a DFI standalone engine management system, a full audio set up - the works! Ron still drove this car to work everyday while working at Speed Image Performance and even took the booming system out at times to have the car fly down the 1320 blacktop at the Battle of the Imports drag events. The car ran 11s even with all the chrome! I too drove my Integra everywhere. I drove around the UCLA campus, to clubs, to local meets, and just to do errands. I destroyed my car often thanks to the wonderful driveways and sinkholes here in fabulous LA, so the car always had to be freshened up before any competitions and shows. It was a joy to be able to take home awards and then to enjoy the car on the streets and local tracks. I loved rolling around in my car. I had so much respect for both Fujita and Bergenholtz. When I saw their cars around town, I thought they were crazy for leaving them out on the street but they probably thought the same thing when they saw my car in some parking lot.

Fast forward 10 years and it's a bit different. Let me start by saying that I do realize that many of the cars in the shows, especially in the smaller cities, are driven around and that most younger people still have one car that they show and drive. That's the whole point of owning a car, modifying it, and enjoying it. But as the shows have progressed the cars standing at the top of their respective categories have more modifications than ever. You've got more TVs, more speakers, more chrome, doors that go every which way, and all sorts of everything. Speedos don't work or are completely removed, brakes never get depressed, and exhaust gases never make it through the exhaust system. It takes so much more to win top honors at an automotive show these days. The problem, at least for me, is that the best cars of today have become more like movable pieces of furniture. They are like pieces of art that go on walls. They stay stationery unless they are being moved to and from the trailer. I see so many cars that have all sorts of engine upgrades yet the engine has never been cranked over. There are cars that may get driven out but only to and from the house or to and from photoshoots. It's more about the display and undercarriage at many events and how a car drives on the street is no longer of prime importance. I feel sad when I see cars that aren't really cars anymore.

I, too, have fallen in this trap of building show cars. I still try to build every project that I do to be functional but to attract attention next to the rolling couches of today one has to make compromises and nothing makes me more frustrated than knowing that something that I have worked on sits more on the show floor than driving around hugging the pavement. I'm sure that one day I will have to manage a project on what I call a "non-functional" car. By this I mean a car that will not ever see city streets or the open highway, a car that will probably never be started or dyno'ed. I hope that day never conies but progress comes with a price. To be on top of the game, I've always said that you've got to do what hasn't been done and at this point almost everything has been done. We've gotten to the point that street cars, especially in the upper levels, have become scarce. It's the death of the street car I tell you.

Cars to me are meant, above all else, to be driven no matter what is done to them but at the same time I do understand that some things need to done to be the best of the best or to capture attention. I have the utmost respect for the Best of Show vehicles of today but I do miss the days when I'd see someone take top honors and then see them driving the car around. That deserves crazy mad respect. There a select few who can still accomplish this and to them I give the biggest round of applause! May we never forget to look fresh and still drive hard.

-RJ de Vera"



__________________________________________________________________
Performance cars do not win car shows and show cars do not win races.
It's up to you to decide which you'd rather win.



Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Saturday, April 23, 2005 1:07 PM
This is so do damn true

But what can you do about it?







Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Saturday, April 23, 2005 1:27 PM
excellent article but people arent priding them self in having an awesome show car that they drive.they drive their car right to a trailer.and thats about it


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Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Saturday, April 23, 2005 3:16 PM
very true

on top of that, they're not even special cars, think about it, you're trailering a cavalier or integra or something, an ECONOMY car




1996 Chevrolet Cavalier SOLD | 2002 BMW 330i SOLD | 2004 BMW 645i
Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Sunday, April 24, 2005 6:49 AM
That artical is well put.



Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Sunday, April 24, 2005 7:04 AM
Yeah, I've been feeling that way for years now. I'm just not impressed by a show car that's clearly not streetable. You know it's not a race car... so where then can you drive it? When the answer is "nowhere", then it ceases to be a car to me. It becomes a somewhat car-shaped sculpture. That's cool in it's own right, but I don't find it inspirational or anything.

To me, the ultimate show cars are those I can look at and think "Damn... I hope some day I can get my car to be that awesome..."






Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Sunday, April 24, 2005 10:47 AM
personally i hate those kinda trailer-queen show cars....when the average person enters a show, for example i entered the funk-master flex celebirty car show last year, and they have all the cars, inside and out grouped together

now how is my daily-driving cavalier going to compete with cars inside whos engines have never been turned over?? a car whos never seen a city street, rain, snow or a pot hole??? for them to group us all in the same class really pissed me off, and i wrote them a huge letter about it complaining i wasted 50 bucks to enter that @!#$ of a contest (sorry had to rant)

i am always shure to give props to guys who DRIVES up in a heavily modded car that they use pretty much every day.....



Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Sunday, April 24, 2005 2:01 PM
Whats funny is, ive been a little down for a while thinking about the same thing. You can tell just by looking at my car that its daily driven. I mean how can i compete with cars that never see road miles? They are so clean inside and out and thats why they dominate shows. My car is starting to see damage left and right and it just pisses me off.

What they should do is divide bigger shows into two bigger categories and break them down from there - trailor queens, and daily drivers. It would be more fair in my opinion and make shows more competitive and fun.

oh well, what can you do. Good article though, exactly how i feel



Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Sunday, April 24, 2005 7:25 PM
No matter how far I get with my car, I will never ever let my car be seen on a trailer. Even if my car has to take abuse to get to the show at least it was driven there. Trailer queens are awesome but not nearly as awesome as one thats driven and not pushed in there....



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Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 7:44 AM
I agree 100%




Jason
99 Z24
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Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 9:01 AM
Agreed. I like to look at the cars that are modded to the extreme, but then again, they are barely cars...

Problems that shows have is that you have people like me, who don't drive their car daily, but it won't be trailored either... So although some people would complain about my car not seeing 'as much' mileage, I won't have a car that has never been started either... And to make it all even more complicated, how could you PROVE that one car is a trailor queen and another is not?

I see this as being the main downfall with the Sport Compact scene. By the time you have more 'beaters' show up to cruise ins than 'tuned cars', it's a pretty strong sign... The classic car guys drive what they build... Wonder why they are still around...





Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 9:07 AM
LowFire wrote:This is so do damn true

But what can you do about it?



very true , and i agree








Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 9:15 AM
I could never build/buy a car just to look at. What fun is that? Yeah you drive it on the road and you get chips and dings, but who the @!#$ cares. Cars weren't meant to sit in a garage/trailer under a cover most of it's life.







Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 11:11 AM
Man i agree. my car that hauled a trunk load of sod from Lowes to home, has a baby seat in the back, a stroller in the trunk can not compare to most of these cars. I will try and enter shows and do my best.


2004 Grand Prix GTP (Competition Group)
SOLD-->1999 Z24 5M-#30 to register on JBO
"You can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all the people'
all the time


Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 11:51 AM
I like to drive mine.



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Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 12:05 PM
Hell yeah, mine the THE beater.





Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 12:54 PM
Make no mistake... I have no problems with cars being trailored in. For the amount of money invested to create a top notch show car, that's just plain good practice.

They can trailor in brand new Ferraris as well. That doesn't make them any less drivable.

I just take issue with the cars that you couldn't drive even if you wanted to. The ones that are so highly modified that they'd be dangerous or completely illegal on the streets. The ones that are, essentially, nothing more than expensive art and completely useless as real cars.

I don't care if it came in on a trailor, so long as if you were inclined you could rip around a track with it and have a great time.

I've seen interiors so modified that if you drove it in the sun, you probably couldn't see through the windshield.

Cars so low you couldn't get into a driveway... and they're not on air ride systems.

That's the sort of stuff I just shake my head at. If you couldn't drive it if you wanted to... then it's not a car.





Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 3:23 PM
You can tell trailor queens from daily drivers or cars that get drove alot.



Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 7:44 PM
Yeah... so don't look too closely at mine or you'll see the knicks and dents...



__________________________________________________________________
Performance cars do not win car shows and show cars do not win races.
It's up to you to decide which you'd rather win.


Re: Great Article in this Month's Modified Magazin
Monday, April 25, 2005 8:13 PM
LowFire wrote:This is so do damn true

But what can you do about it?


i concur



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