The Leen Customs Takeover Continues
Plus! Watch our official book trailer.
HAPPY RACE DAY! especially to Ralf Schumacher, former Formula 1 driver and the brother of all-time great Michael Schumacher. Over the weekend, Ralf came out as gay in a post announcing his relationship.
Translated from German, the caption reads: “The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything.” Cheers to that, Ralf. And to a more inclusive motorsport world going forward.
The Latest On Our Books
Last week we covered the GT-R festival of the year.
We also covered the launch of the latest Carrara Media title, a coffee table book of car photography entitled Waiting for the Sun to Come Down by the photographer Kevin McCauley. Check it out to see select images from the book.
Today you can see it in video form! The official trailer for the book is out, and it reflects our excitement for the inventiveness and quality of the project.
Watch the trailer here:
You can preorder Waiting for the Sun to Come Down right here.
And now here’s our main article for the week.
The Power of the Drop
Last year at the Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, held annually in October, I showed up early and watched the early attendees file in through the gates.
It was foggy out, with soft light. Some people immediately started taking pictures of cars on display. And some headed for the food trucks with the strongest coffee.
But others made a beeline, for one tent in particular. They formed an organized, single-file line and patiently waited. This was all before the booth showed any signs of life. No one was staffing it yet. No products were out for sale yet. But the line kept getting longer, and eventually stretched out into a nearby parking lot. It was another hour before sales began. And what were they buying? Tiny diecast models from a small company called Kaido House.
Car culture is big business. Brands like Kaido House have seen meteoric growth in recent years, not by getting into national retailers or a Shark-Tank style investment, but by hitting fans in their heartstrings.
Their models are only 1:43 sized. Not very large at all. But they are meticulous metal cars that, crucially, highlight motorsports and underground culture. Kaido House has also perfected the art of the “drop” — a concept from the fashion world where limited edition merchandise is only available in person for a short time. At JCCS 2023 they offered an exclusive sticker set and a carbon green Datsun 510 wagon that could only be purchased at the show. (You can now buy one online for $160.00.)
I was reminded of this over the weekend, when another red-hot car culture brand held a “drop” of its own. This time it was Leen Customs, releasing an exclusive produced officially licensed by Honda. And what does Leen make? Pins.
Go to a car show these days, especially one focused on Japanese cars, and you’ll likely see Leen pins everywhere. They’re collectible, fun to display, and incredibly smart about partnerships. While Kaido House has collabed with big-name automotive brands like HKS and GReddy, it’s been more outside-the-box with Leen. Their pins have featured licensed designs from Pac-Man and the artist Keith Haring. Rare ones can resale for hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
Leen released its latest collaboration with the Honda builder Big Mike (interviewed below) on Sunday. There were three limited edition pins to commemorate the three different phases that Big Mike’s personal Honda Prelude has gone through over the years. There were limited edition posters and t-shirts. All in the Leen Customs headquarters in the Arts District of L.A.
Kaido and Leen have both built brands off deep-rooted connections to car culture, punctuated by limited edition drops at the highest profile events. There’s no accident to their success.
The interesting thing about their rise, to me, is the idea that you can become a big player as a small brand by creating must-have products that strike the right chord with enthusiasts. You don’t have to physically build cars, or race them, to build a following.
You have to know and understand the culture, and return something of value back to it. What car enthusiasts really want is to be seen and understood. Picking up the pin or diecast model that speaks to your soul is an opportunity to show people what you’re all about. It’s an opportunity to hold your passion in your own two hands.
Who wouldn’t line up for that?
Ask an OG! Big Mike
Big Mike has no official title in the car culture world. He didn’t start a company or open a shop. But he’s known and well-respected because of his longevity in the sport compact scene. I had the chance to catch up with Mike at the launch of his pin collaboration with Leen Customs over the weekend in Los Angeles. Here’s an edited version of our conversation.
Today was amazing. It’s a full circle moment — as a young kid driving around Cali, getting into imports and Japanese cars, then Hondas specifically, and now it’s 20 years later doing officially licensed Honda apparel collabs. It’s just really cool. To have this pop-up in the Arts District with one of my builds and so many nostalgic magazines, there’s too many layers. That’s why I still enjoy it. I refuse to get jaded. Everything is meaningful and momentous to me.
It’s not a hobby, it’s much deeper than that. It’s a culture and a passion. Sure, there’s things you don’t like, but you focus on the positive and do your best to be a positive influence — whether that be through how to build, or how to be authentic and innovative, or as a person in the way I carry myself. There’s no disingenous aspect to me. I’m gonna be that dude in my 60s pulling up to cars and coffee in something cool. I’m a lifer. So today, seeing 20-year olds to 50-year olds and everything in between, and being able to converse with them all, it’s a blessing.
I’m grateful to play any role to help people embrace ‘90s and Japanese cars. It’s at the point where they are now allowing Japanese cars in Concours d’Elegance which they NEVER did before. Even in 2021 or 2022, you would not see a Japanese car. Now? Okay we’ll allow five, ten. I am a judge of a concours event in Miami and the guy who throws it has an entire tuner section. It’s a true concours on a golf course just like any other. And if he thinks it’s a beautiful car, then it deserves to be next to a Deusenberg or Jaguar or other established classics. And I get to be part of that. It’s another example from that tax bracket to the grassroots, and it’s really dope.
They messaged me years ago about starting a pin company. Fast forward now, we’re in the Arts District, he has a brick and mortar, he has his own car collection. He has created this world and he didn’t step on anyone’s toes, he created his own style and vision. And look at the following. It’s so cool because he did it on his own, and by working with the right people. It doesn’t get any cooler than that. We’ve gotten to work together on a friendship level, then as artists and creators, and on a business level. It’s all a win, bro.
Follow Big Mike on Instagram here.
And Finally…
This Sunday I’ll be selling books and enjoying some racing at the GT4 America watch party held at Downey Nissan! If you’re in the L.A. area, come on by and say hello. Grab a book maybe! See if you can beat my time on the simulator! (You probably can.)
I’ve been meaning to sell at more events lately, and my deepest thanks to Downey Nissan and my Nissan friends for the invitation. See you there.
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