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The Import Scene or Import Racing Scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars (commonly referred to as imports), especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing in the United States. These modified cars are sometimes pejoratively referred to as rice rockets, rice burners or ricers. This scene was originally frequently associated with Asian American youth, however, it is gaining popularity among youth of all races in the United States.
History
Car modifying has been very popular among youth in the United States, especially in southern California, for decades since the days of hot rods in the 1950s and 1960s. In the early 1990s, youth in southern California began to modify compact Japanese cars, following enthusiasts in Japan who modified compact cars. This Japanese racing scene can be seen in the anime series Initial D.
Film
The Import Scene has been protrayed in two mainstream movies:
Video Games
Numerous video games have been produced about Import Racing, including:
Magazines
Natasha Yi featured on the cover of Performance Auto & Sound There are many magazines published following this scene. They often include tutorials for car modification and feature sexy models.
The following is a list of such magazines:
Car Shows
Modified cars are often exhibited at car shows, such as Hot Import Nights (HIN). Vendors sell various products at these car shows including sound equipment for cars and other car modification products. Frequently, models are present at these shows to pose in front of cars. These models are known as import models and have gained massive popularity among those in the Import Scene.
Notable Import Models
Negative Stereotypes
Although many participating in this scene race legally on tracks, Import Racing is often associated with illegal street racing. This has lead to a broader stereotype that those driving modified compact cars are participating in illegal activities, especially those driven by Asian Americans.
See also
External links
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