How Collabs Are Fueling Car Club Fever
Social media sparks another trend, and how to follow Slow Car Fast ahead of the August release.
A weekly newsletter by Ryan K. ZumMallen | @zoomy575m
Happy Race Day, especially to this fake — but true! — quote that nicely sums up the boxy and beloved car design philosophy of the 1980s.
This week I appeared on The Smoking Tire podcast to promote my book, Slow Car Fast. Huge thanks to Matt Farah for having me. We had a great discussion about changing trends in car culture — I hope you enjoy! [Listen here or watch here.]
Don’t forget, you can preorder Slow Car Fast now, before the August 19 release. One chapter demonstrates how Farah smartly rode the Internet age to automotive celebrity. Fun stuff! Use coupon code RACEDAY at checkout to get 20% off!
Also don’t forget, the first public reading of Slow Car Fast is July 28 at Liberation Brewing in Long Beach. Music! Games! Car show! Good beer! [RSVP here.]
Culture
I visited the Car Physics Summer Hype Fest in blazing hot Orange County over the weekend. Cool cars. But no shade, and not much else to do. Most shows are moving away from this format for a reason.
The one thing Summer Hype Fest illustrated to me is the strength of the modern car club. Nearly every performance model was represented, grouped together with matching stickers and Instagram handles.
How does that growth happen? Most car clubs are turning to established businesses, like dealerships or aftermarket shops, to host meets that draw attention. Most importantly, it doubles your reach on social media. More on that below.
By the way, I’m not the only one with a book coming out:
Jason Torchinsky of Jalopnik is hosting a party in New York to celebrate his Robot, Take the Wheel: The Road to Autonomous Cars and the Lost Art of Driving.
Investigative reporter Ed Niedermeyer is preparing to launch Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors.
I highly recommend both. Support ambitious automotive journalism.
You want variety at your car shows? (I’m assuming you nodded.) Then the Dirtfish Summer Fest is for you.
Yesterday was National Stick Shift Day! How did you celebrate?
Video Reel
Stunt driver Bri Lynch went to Budapest and immediately found a fellow drifter. Because of course she did. [Watch her vlog here.]
If you like VW Bugs with wind-up keys and the closest thing to a Jetsons car you’ve ever seen, then you’ll love this recap of the Hot Wheels Legends Tour:
The tour will be in Arkansas this weekend.
IndyCar driver Robert Wickens is working to regain control of his legs. In the meantime, here’s how his special-use Acura NSX works. And yes, he still rips. [Video here.]
Race Results
Lewis Hamilton is your first ever six-time winner of the British Grand Prix. More importantly, I am LOVING this rivalry between Max Verstappen and Charles LeClerc. [Highlights here.]
A real fight is brewing for the IndyCar championship with five races to go. A lot of fun and intense street racing in Toronto this weekend pulled contenders closer to leader Josef Newgarden. [Highlights here.]
The first ever F1 Esports draft is today! It kicks off at 11:00am PDT. Very curious to see how the world of virtual gaming intersects with the biggest motorsport on earth. As mentioned before, this feels like only the beginning. [Watch the livestream here.]
Ask A Millennial! Samuel Chicas, 28
Samuel Chicas (@chicass_q50rs) at the Car Physics Summer Hype Fest. Photo by Ryan ZumMallen
There are tons of car clubs at shows like Summer Hype Fest. But among the M3s and GT-Rs and S2000s, it’s not every day you see a club dedicated to Infiniti Q coupes and sedans. Yet that’s what I found in California Q’s, a small group planting its flag in the SoCal scene. I spoke with club president Samuel Chicas, a veteran Infiniti owner, about the unique ways a small club gets going in the automotive world. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation:
I got my car last year. My first modification was an Ark exhaust, and little by little, I’ve modified it both for cosmetic and performance. My last mod was the front splitter, before that was the wrap that changes color in the sun. I haven’t tracked it yet, but it’s in the future. It’s always been a goal of mine to build for speed.
Detail Garage has sponsored events and hosted for us. They’re generous enough to donate products to raffle off for charity. We’re trying to reach out to the community. Especially for us, we’re stretched out along California. We’re looking forward to having a meet in NorCal in the next few months.
This month we’re partnering with AFE. Next month we’re probably going to partner with Ark since I have a relationship there. So we’re starting to grow and collaborate with bigger companies and influencers in the car community.
These cars are on the higher end. BMW and Mercedes are luxury cars where Q culture is more of an age range. Ours are affordable but still nice, you know? One of these tuned will give you about 450 horsepower to the wheels. It’s a good looking car, it gives good power and it’s different from the rest.
This Weekend
The Clean Culture Summer L.A. Showcase goes down on Sunday. I’ll be there, so shoot me a note if you’d like to hang out.
The 5C Club is putting a twist on the classic cars and coffee format by adding chocolate to the equation this Sunday in Culver City.
And Finally…
Want proof that automotive trends are changing? A few years ago this would have been a racecar:
Who’s coming with?!
Drive hard and be safe.
Want your event included? Shoot me a note with subject line “Race Day” at ryan@carrarabooks.com.