Revolutionary

By: Simon Shen

From being a transportation device to an essential part of F1, cars have a wide variety of different types, from Sedans, Coupes, SUVs, to machines that go 230+ MPH. I’ve always enjoyed watching cars go by and hearing their engines roar, looking at their designs, admiring how they turn so quickly, and how fun it would be to drive one myself someday. 

I remember when I went to a car museum for the first time, it was like I was in a candy store. Bright spot lights shining on cars I’ve never seen before. One side had sporty Lamborghinis and Ferraris, another had old classics from Volkswagen and Bentley, and at the very end were tuner cars with widebodies, giant exhausts, and coilovers with huge camber. 

I wanted to learn more about cars afterwards, the culture behind them, everything. I went on YouTube and started by learning the fundamental basics of cars: the difference between oversteer and understeer, hydroplaning, slip angle, weight transfer, and the optimal line to take. I wanted to learn all of them. What was one small search on a question about cars turned into hours of research and learning even more new things.

I read online articles about the diverse culture and different types of cars at car meets. Some car meets have JDMs, which have coilovers and more camber to have less grip, while others have GTE cars with the complete opposite. I never knew there were so many different types of cars at these meets before I read these articles; it was eye-opening because it showed how big car culture is.

Cars have come a long way since their introduction, they’re art and innovation. Classics were history and heritage, timeless pieces. Moderns were technology and creativity. Modded tunes were pushing limits. In the far future, I want to race in the lower leagues as a small hobby as it’s not as physically demanding and could be part-time rather than full-time.