Neither Faster nor Furiouser...

Went to the California International Auto Show in Anaheim late last week. My first car show since I went to the one in Detroit a couple of years ago. Don't know the Anaheim show counted as true attendance though, since I was there with the rest of the media for a show preview (i.e. before the public was allowed in). Still, it was cool checking out the cars, in particular the import tuners and modded specials in the second level show space dedicated to auto customization.

Seeing those tricked out rides was fun. A modded SUV with scissors doors and no fewer than five television screen left me wondering...just how many DVD players in one car is too many? But during the ride home I suddenly found myself wondering where all of these tricked out street racers were on the actual streets of Los Angeles? Films and video games would have you believe that LA streets are just packed with stylish rides with neon undercarriages, but the reality is a lot less "bling" and a lot more "clickety-clack". Seriously, the modded tuners I usually see look like my daughter painted them, and my son installed the mufflers. They're like hoopties, but small and imported. I once saw a guy rev up and peel off from the light in a modded Honda CRX, and I'd swear his car had a lawnmower engine in it. Or maybe a pair of hamsters running inside a wheel. Within two blocks I caught up to him and passed him in my crappy Jetta, and my car is only a 4-cylinder. Mingus waved at the guy from his car seat as we passed. What gives?

Many folks don't know that the film The Fast and the Furious was actually based on an article in Vibe about after-hours street racing on the FDR Drive in Manhattan. In fact, Queens is one of the biggest modding spots in the country (nostalgic sigh as I remember my Celica back in the day...). However, no one can dispute that Los Angeles has long been ground zero for this scene, which is why I want to know where all of these polished street racers are. I saw more nicely modded rides on the streets of freakin' Chicago. Do the LA area auto clubs only cart their rides around from one auto show to another?

Come to think of it, I haven't even seen a car on hydraulics in more than a year, and I live a block off of Crenshaw! The only LA street scene that even vaguely resembles its movie counterpart is the motorcycle scene. Seriosuly, Biker Boyz nailed it. There are more biker crews here than anyplace else. Still, when it comes to the auto scene, the reality is neither faster nor furiouser.