What this Pink Porsche says about Buying Power
Plus: a Black History Month celebration; rally racing short film; and the most important auction this Amelia Island weekend.
HAPPY RACE DAY, especially to Rashod Bacon who runs the IG account Motoring While Black. He closed out Black History Month with this Hot Wheels collab and, below, this L.A. car show celebrating Black enthusiasts and their rides:
We spoke with Rashod in this edition of Race Day nearly two years ago. It’s been awesome to watch his efforts to uplift — and to watch others chip in. I love what he wrote in the post above: “It’s about inclusion and access for ALL.” Check out MWB and visit click here for more photos from the show.
Here’s this week’s top article.
Where do top aftermarket companies go from here?
THIS WEEK I got to visit BBi Autosport, the Huntington Beach aftermarket specialists catering to the high-end of high-end Porsche enthusiasts. It was their first open house, or Social Hour, since the pandemic.
The rise of BBi and shops like it — small outfits making a big splash — has been a regular theme over the last few years. When people were flush with cash and stuck at home, they spent money on cars. Shops like BBi became stars.
But where downturns forced the tech industry into layoffs, the automotive aftermarket has weathered the storm. Even with supply shortages and increased production costs, sales hit $51.8B in 2022. And SEMA is projecting more growth.
With that in mind, it’s easier to see how BBi can charge $7,000 for a GT3 suspension package. Or $15,000 for a 3D-printed 911 Turbo intake manifold. The demand is simply that high.
Of course, not every shop is BBi. They can’t and don’t all charge these prices. BBi has earned its reputation by winning tuner shootouts, competing in Pikes Peak and becoming a mainstay at track days. Simply put, their stuff just works.
But a little splash goes a long way. BBi made headlines last year by contributing to the Hoonipigasus project. Driven by the late Ken Block, this radical 911 racecar makes few public appearances. That’s what lots of folks came to see.
Seeing Hoonipigasus in person is once-in-a-lifetime for most folks. The fact that BBi can not only trot it out, but rev the engine and spit flames when they feel like it, seals its bona fides. Like the philosopher Drake said, “Bitch, this is fame, not clout.”
Projects like Hoonipigasus are candy. They draw attention and bring people in to see the meat and potatoes. For BBi, that’s the myriad project cars, performance parts and development projects scattered all around the garage.
But it’s also the people who showed up. In just over two hours I met the heads of other shops, experienced racers and builders, enterprising students looking for jobs and straight-up fans. BBi is a small shop with a loyal legion.
That support base is what will carry BBi to new heights even in the face of inflation, higher prices and (depending on who you ask) a recession. Like the aftermarket as a whole, BBi works because it has the people behind it.
The aftermarket is thriving because it has support, and continues to innovate:
Borla developed an exhaust sound app for electric vehicles.
Singer is entering endurance racing
TSW Off-Road put F-150 Raptor suspension in a Lightning EV
In a similar vein, last week I saw a company that won’t rest on its laurels. It’s one experimenting with 3D-printing and expanding into new markets. And if the rumors about future projects turn out to be true, there’s a lot more candy on the way.
QUICK REMINDER to support our latest projects! You can still order Postcards From the End of the World (pictured above majestically). While you’re there, grab yourself my book, Slow Car Fast. And if you’re in L.A., our eBook The Stainless Steel Carrot is now available at the L.A. Public Library through the OverDrive app! So you’ve got options. Options are good.
Culture
Here’s a quick roundup of the coolest things I found this week:
Nike designer turns his balloon-cartoon style to Porsche 911s
Photographer Kevin McCauley with a stunning ode to the XJ220
Taking a Norwegian cruise? Hop into this sick F1 racing simulator
Countach. Celica. Bulldozer? What’s the first car you ever wanted
Video Reel
EVERYONE should watch the short film Group B set in rallying’s golden age. Somehow it came out years ago (2015!) but is only making the rounds now. It’s stellar.
Auction Block
I KNOW I’VE BEEN WRITING about Amelia Island auctions for literal weeks now. But they are finally happening this weekend. And the more I think about it, the more excited I am for the Mine’s tribute Nissan Skyline GT-R offered by Bonhams:
Coveted R34 version of the GT-R rarely seen in the US
Super-rare N1 edition (only 38 built!)
Equipped with genuine parts from the legendary Japanese tuner Mine’s
Going price is estimated between $400,000-500,000. But if they find two potential buyers unwilling to lose, it could go much higher. Rather than ruining the market for others, I think this would demonstrate to the old guard that people are serious about collecting ‘90s cars — particularly Japanese ones.
Plenty of folks still consider this “Just a Nissan,” but a big-money GT-R could turn the tide and place JDM tuners of that era into an upper echelon usually reserved for Germans and Italians. How strong is the Millennial influence? And what’s the state of awareness for Mine’s and other big-league tuners? We’re about to find out.
And Finally…
HAVE A LAUGH with Australian comic Kieren Brodnik and his series on people that act like cars. There’s another good one here. And another one here. My personal favorite? The drift cars. Leave your fave in the comments!
Drive hard and be safe. Black Lives Matter.
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