local car culture fuels lasting friendships

submitted by ryan perez, car culture enthusiast
edited by sarina e. guerra

Ever since a young age, the beauty of cars has always managed to captivate my interest. The very first car I was obsessed with was the Mach 5 from the original Speed Racer animated series when I was about 11 years old, which led to me collecting many die-cast models of this exact car. However, it wasn’t until I saw the very first Fast & Furious movie in my early teens that an intense passion for car culture was truly ignited. I would say that I was particularly inspired by seeing all the street racing DVDs on the shelves at Fry’s electronics back in the early 2000s especially.

I think in general, being involved in the local car culture has made it easier for me to find common ground with other people regardless of age. I’m 33 now and I still have friends in the scene who have been in my life since my wild teenage years. Running into another gearhead late on a Friday night is one of the best feelings, and sometimes I think about the fact that a person might have been a complete stranger to me to this day if it weren’t for cars.

I have so many good friends I’ve met in the culture and a ton of good times I could mention, but one memory that stands out to me would be the time I met my friend Angelo. One night during a street race, everyone suddenly dispersed after getting run off by the local Sheriff on duty. Crazy enough, Angelo’s engine had blown and was leaking oil all over the ground and although he and I didn’t know each other at the time we both rolled down our windows to debrief. I made sure he was good and he asked if I could follow him home a few towns over. It was way out of my way, but I agreed because I was worried he might not have made it. Miraculously, he did. And over a decade later, I can say

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The car and automotive community here in the Imperial Valley isn’t the biggest I’ve seen, but it definitely isn’t the smallest. With every passing year comes a new generation of kids eager to get their driver’s license and itching to get a taste of what it’s like to be behind the wheel and out on the open road. Each new person added to the group brings a unique character and personality into the mix which keeps things new and interesting. As far as different personalities and groups of people, we’ve got a lot of the younger crowd coming in and they have all the new higher horsepower cars that come straight out of the dealership. Then there’s the older guys who have their 90s cars that are usually highly modified. You’ve got everything under the sun, from different religions, ethnicities, backgrounds, and professions—but the one thing we have in common is that we can spend all night talking shop and none of that stuff ever really comes into play. 

If I had to explain the appeal to someone who may not be familiar, I’d say driving my car feels almost like driving some kind of fighter jet. I think it’s the feeling of power and control that comes from knowing that your pride and joy can turn on a dime. The pull of the turbo, the sound of the blow-off valve, the racing seats hugging the contours of your body, even the instrumentation has a futuristic feel I just can’t get enough of. Shifting gears especially is a treat because it really makes you feel like you’re one with the car. To really create the perfect atmosphere, most of the time I play house and trance music reminiscent of the old tuner video games that came out when I was younger.

There’s just something so cool about going out on car meets at night that makes you feel like this is your life and

You’re there in the driver’s seat and all eyes are on your ride as you express yourself through the way your car handles and the decisions you make on the road. Back in the day, my then-fiancé used to go with me to meets and events all the time, but now that we’ve gotten older she’s not into that stuff as much anymore. However, my brother-in-law is just getting into cars and is about to get his license. So it looks like he’s my new roll dog. I’m hoping he gets situated soon and starts building his current project so he can drive in formation with me and the rest of the guys one day. I’m excited to make memories with him, but also for him to make his own.

When I think back on some of my favorite drives over the years, I have to mention one specific night where a bunch of us went up to Julian. We had a decent size group of about 9 cars and I vividly remember the sharp curves in the mountains, the breathtaking night sky, and the sounds of our exhaust echoing out from the mountains. It was a super visceral experience. We spent most of that night up there just driving around, but other times when we’d make that trip we’d run into car groups from San Diego and the surrounding areas who were also partaking in some spirited driving.

While I do have some experience with automotive racing in the past, I think that’s one of the many by-products of car culture in general. For me though, it’s more about freedom and being part of a community where you matter and your hard work is appreciated. For these reasons, I think it’s pretty safe to say that I’ll be a car culture fanatic until my last days here on earth. 

“Fifty percent of something is better than a hundred percent of nothing.”

Han, The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift

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