Import Culture
- Thread starter Joey D
- 116 comments
- 2,295 views
- 4,473
People started modifying cars since they first came out. So I guess people started doing this with imports ever since Japan began making cars (maybe)...
Gran Turismo7058
(Banned)
- 4,860
Thats Possible, My Dad was modding a Volks in the 70's. so I guess they started in the 60's with Drag Racing then it just changed, I guess.
- 8,128
- 2 smacks past uranus
- Somebodyshootme
The imports started hitting the scene here in America really hard in 1996 or 1997 when the sixth ?!?! gen civics came out. that was right about the time I got my driver license and (horrible) civic I drove until I drove it into a wall. My buddies all drove domestic sport cars at the time and the whole Chevy Ford war was being waged there. It was quite an interesting battle. I sat there lonely with my stock civic, which also remained stock! then I got my miata in 2001 and joined the scene. Now, I am thinking of leaving and going to the gas guzzling V8 power that you don't have to spend a fortune to go fast from the beginning.
- 4,473
Get an SRT4. It's stock performance is what street racers have to spend thousanfd and thousands of dollars to achieve. 215HP, 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, 148 MPH. They left some things plain so there would be room for personalizing, which was what people wanted...
- 4,473
BTW, its all under 20Grand and everything is under factory warrenty...
- 4,473
Just a suggestion. My cousin has a Yenko Chevy Camaro he is restoring. He got it for 5 grand I think...
- 34
me too 13b, make mine red
- 34
but i think theyve been modifying since way back when the 2000gt and 1950s skyline station wagons were around!
advanR
(Banned)
- 1,389
People have always been modifying cars. Im sure there was a small amount of people modifying japanese cars way back when they were crap in the 70s. EDIT: I'm such a moron, I forgot about Datsun. My head isnt on straight.
About the recent rice fag teenage streetracing knowledgeless BS, that had to have started whenever all of the magazines got started.
Before all of the magazines Im sure the import tuner market had higher integrity(imports can of course be very fast drag cars), but now after all of the magazines and f&f the young kids have taken over and its all garbage. Any "nice" import gets no respect because of all of the garbage.
For this reason I have chosen not to buy a 240sx, even though they are great cheap cars. I found and bought an e30 M3 instead. The E30 is an incredible car. And because they are so rare, most everyone that owns one is a true enthusiast. Its not japanese, and its old enough to keep itself out of the mind of young people. No one knows what they are, and I really dont give a **** because atleast I get left alone.
The fact that they are basically RWD integra type Rs with decent torque makes it funny that so little people know of them. IMO it looks much better, it has an F1 derived race engine, it has german build quality, and one in great shape can be had for $15k.
At an autoX they keep up with S2000's and whoop WRXs.
Hahahahaha.
About the recent rice fag teenage streetracing knowledgeless BS, that had to have started whenever all of the magazines got started.
Before all of the magazines Im sure the import tuner market had higher integrity(imports can of course be very fast drag cars), but now after all of the magazines and f&f the young kids have taken over and its all garbage. Any "nice" import gets no respect because of all of the garbage.
For this reason I have chosen not to buy a 240sx, even though they are great cheap cars. I found and bought an e30 M3 instead. The E30 is an incredible car. And because they are so rare, most everyone that owns one is a true enthusiast. Its not japanese, and its old enough to keep itself out of the mind of young people. No one knows what they are, and I really dont give a **** because atleast I get left alone.
The fact that they are basically RWD integra type Rs with decent torque makes it funny that so little people know of them. IMO it looks much better, it has an F1 derived race engine, it has german build quality, and one in great shape can be had for $15k.
At an autoX they keep up with S2000's and whoop WRXs.
Hahahahaha.
The original "import culture" started more than 100 years ago. As in "the Bentley Boys". If you mean the "hot-rod culture", it dates to 1947 or so, when chop-top Fords were injected with large-block Chevy engines. If you mean "sport compacts" of sorts, then that would be about 1970, when the Datsun 510 and 240Z were all the rage (and the hot-rod scene had new muscle cars to play with). "Sport compacts" could also refer to the Alfa Romeo 2000GT & BMW 2002....
If you mean "import sport compacts in the US and from Japan" (which is what I think you mean), it started with the dirt-cheap Datsun 510. It faded until the early 1980's, when Honda started making headway with the Civic. If you followed the pattern above, the "fast car" culture followed whatever was brand or market cheapest at the time.
But there's a difference between the "fast car" culture and the "all show and no go" culture that is so permeable today. That crap started probably in 1994. Why? Because the Honda Civic was in such overwhelming supply, it was not only cheap to buy, but even cheaper to buy used. Pluswhich, it was actually good on the autocross circuit. The MTv ethos was nearing its peak, commercialising everything in its path. Having just irradiated moshing the year prior, street racing was getting full treatment. That was all go and little show, but in the MTv lemon-light, it was perverted into "wow, what hot-looking cars", emphasis on the looking.
Now we all know that teenagers will flock to anything remotely "underground" like ants to an anthill, but with all the direction of an earless bat. The result? NOPI.
And "Import Tuners" on Speed Channel. Can't beat hot, dumb chicks for good entertainment.
If you mean "import sport compacts in the US and from Japan" (which is what I think you mean), it started with the dirt-cheap Datsun 510. It faded until the early 1980's, when Honda started making headway with the Civic. If you followed the pattern above, the "fast car" culture followed whatever was brand or market cheapest at the time.
But there's a difference between the "fast car" culture and the "all show and no go" culture that is so permeable today. That crap started probably in 1994. Why? Because the Honda Civic was in such overwhelming supply, it was not only cheap to buy, but even cheaper to buy used. Pluswhich, it was actually good on the autocross circuit. The MTv ethos was nearing its peak, commercialising everything in its path. Having just irradiated moshing the year prior, street racing was getting full treatment. That was all go and little show, but in the MTv lemon-light, it was perverted into "wow, what hot-looking cars", emphasis on the looking.
Now we all know that teenagers will flock to anything remotely "underground" like ants to an anthill, but with all the direction of an earless bat. The result? NOPI.
And "Import Tuners" on Speed Channel. Can't beat hot, dumb chicks for good entertainment.
This is a fair point to remember. The popularity of street racing has probably done itself in. After the original rage came the magazines, the stickers, the tuners, the games (you can't tell me GT -- especially GT2 -- isn't partly to blame), and the movie. And now it has a bad name, even though I'm sure there are some pure original tuners out there somewhere who are in it for the speed and not the looks and who truly know cars (actually, one's right here on this site -- PunkRock).
- 34
you wanna see OLD school???
http://www.skylinesdownunder.co.nz/history/historypics/gen11.jpg
theres a 55-57 nissan skyline
heres a nice looking 69-72 skyline:
http://www.skylinesdownunder.co.nz/history/historypics/gen33.jpg
this one is pimp:
http://www.skylinesdownunder.co.nz/history/historypics/gen61.jpg
http://www.skylinesdownunder.co.nz/history/historypics/gen11.jpg
theres a 55-57 nissan skyline
heres a nice looking 69-72 skyline:
http://www.skylinesdownunder.co.nz/history/historypics/gen33.jpg
this one is pimp:
http://www.skylinesdownunder.co.nz/history/historypics/gen61.jpg
- 34
nah, sr20 
- 34
overheat, overheat KABOOM! hahaha
- 34
b/c you can, and their good engines
- 8,128
- 2 smacks past uranus
- Somebodyshootme
Well here you go, it was all I could afford.Originally posted by KikoSanchez
me too 13b, make mine red
BTW, It is too expensive to put a 13B into a Datsun. The whole Nissan Mazda thing just doesn't fit together. From experience also, don't ever do a 13B engine swap into a Miata, it is a pain in my Arse. Every 30 to 40k miles I would have to tear the engine down and replace somethings. Too much of a headache. It was sure fun to drive too. Ever pass a Cobra in a Miata. What must that guy be thinking in the Cobra when this girlie car just burnt him in front of his girl?
Attachments
- 2,312
- Misnblu
- Misnblu
I started my import tuning in 1983 on my Honda Civic.
Before it really got popular, I added a Jackson racing front spoiler, Jackson racing springs, Tokico nitrogen low pressure gas shocks, Addco front and rear sway bars, polyporpylene bushings all the way around, Monza exhaust with dual s.s. tip and custom made side skirts.
This was in 1985 with a lowly 60 hp motor.
The car handled like the best that were out there at the time and may have been able to beat in a straight line, but in the curves, I
you. 
I love that car and it was way ahead of it time.
I had also planned on an engine swap with a 1.6 liter CRX motor with the 5 speed but my room mate decided he like that guard rail more than the car.
Anyway, thats my history on the import scene for me. It was nice to be ahead of the times in terms of performance tuning, maybe not in engine terms but in suspension tweaking and handling.
Misnblu
Before it really got popular, I added a Jackson racing front spoiler, Jackson racing springs, Tokico nitrogen low pressure gas shocks, Addco front and rear sway bars, polyporpylene bushings all the way around, Monza exhaust with dual s.s. tip and custom made side skirts.
This was in 1985 with a lowly 60 hp motor.
The car handled like the best that were out there at the time and may have been able to beat in a straight line, but in the curves, I
I love that car and it was way ahead of it time.
I had also planned on an engine swap with a 1.6 liter CRX motor with the 5 speed but my room mate decided he like that guard rail more than the car.
Anyway, thats my history on the import scene for me. It was nice to be ahead of the times in terms of performance tuning, maybe not in engine terms but in suspension tweaking and handling.
Misnblu
