Did anyone see that show on Discovery? last year about Ford’s development of the new Shelby Cobra prototype? It has absolutey nothing to do with the current discussion except that no less an authority than Carroll Shelby himself was asked about his opinion regarding the proliferation of the so-called “ricers.” He responded that he thought that it was great and that it reminded him of the 1950’s when regular guys in garages were building their own muscle cars.
That’s cool to hear.
When I wrote our blurb for the 4th of July parade a few years back, what I said was something along the lines of “Blending the latest in cutting edge Japanese Techonology with old fashioned American love of the car, the Import Tuning scene has been spreading like wildfire across the country. Critical Velocity blah blah blah…”
That’s pretty much how I view it as well… no different than our dads and grandfathers, 30-50 years ago, trying to squeeze what they could out of cars that were not necessarily designed to be race cars.
Necros is right, and I was wrong. I made an assertion I had not checked, and wasn’t sure of. Necros called me on it, and I sorta shrugged and walked away. That wasn’t cool, and I apologize for that.
No problem. 
If anyone gets a chance, while wandering by a newsstand, pick up this month’s issue of Sport Compact Car (the one with the red Mitsu Prototype X on the cover). There’s a very nice column in there – I think it’s by Edward Loh, the editor – about cars and car people.
He recounts an episode where he was standing outside a supermarket in 1994, admiring a brand new 911 Turbo. The owner came out, and Ed worried that the guy was going to shoo him away, so he started to leave, only to have the owner offer a chance to sit in the driver’s seat.
His point is that there is something about when car people get to talking about cars, that all the animosities drop away, because car people love to talk about automobiles, and for the most part, they don’t care what kind. You seem the same type of attitude in racing, at least I have. Even the fiercest of copetitors will not hesitate to offer a part, or some compressed air, or a tire, when another needs it most. I’m not doing it justice at all, but it really warmed my heart. Definitely worth a read.
Thanks for the tip. By the way, I’m wondering, AskNott, if your mention of an ethnic slur was in reference to the term ricer? As cars are neither an ethnicity nor can they be offended, the thought of considering it such had never even crossed my mind, especially since we were talking about cars from so many origins, including domestics. However, if that’s the case then I’m all ears as to how this class/collection/style of car should be referred to.
“Tuners” works for most newer imports and rods works for most muscle cars.
Yes, lieu, the ethnic slur I meant was ricer. The first time I heard ricer, or rice-burner, used to mean a motor vehicle, it was from Harley riders talking about Japanese-made motorcycles. I could tell by the sneers that they didn’t mean it in a nice way.
The bikes and cars are not flesh and blood, and they don’t eat rice; it’s clearly a slap at the Japanese people who made them. It’s quite unusual, too, to attach such a cultural word to a car from another shore. How often do you hear a Citroen called a snail-burner? Who calls a Ferrari a linguine wagon? No, it’s only the “ricers.”
The propaganda mills in WW II encouraged my parents’ generation to hate the Japanese, and the stain remains, over 60 years later. It is time to stop calling them names. They are women and men, as we are. They make very fine cars, not ricers. Well, they make very fine rice cookers, too, but that’s another story, and you’ll find it in Cafe Society. 